Orphan Todd Hewitt must flee the only home he's ever known (a town inhabited only by men). Armed only with knife and a bag of supplies, Todd makes his way towards the place he believes can help him with Violet, a girl he found just before leaving town. During their journey Todd learns the truth about his hometown and struggles to "be a man" and use his knife. In the end, Viola ends up being more of a man than Todd and when they arrive at their destination, they are terribly disappointed to see what awaits them.
Fans of the Divergent, Uglies, and Hunger Games trilogies will love to sink their teeth into this dystopian series. Were the use of the actual F-word a time or two not a problem, I could see this novel taking off in middle school English classrooms since the hero and heroine are of that age group. Ness hits all the essential criteria for excellent science fiction with this novel. Universal themes surrounding topics such as hope, truth, friendship and family are reinforced throughout the novel. What the characters have to endure is totally foreign to us, but readers cannot help but sympathize with them. The hardships faced by Todd and Viola and their uncertain fate were on my mind for days after I finished reading this novel. I am not sure how I feel about continuing the series. I want to know what happens, but at the same time I am afraid to know. When I was younger, it always bummed me out that the "villains" in stories never won, but now that it seems impending in this book, I don't want that to be the case.
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