Co-Review: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Pledge

Author: Kimberly Derting 

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Publication Date: November 15th, 2011

Genre(s): Young Adult (Sci-Fi, Dystopia)

Challenges: A-Z Title, Dystopian

Source: Borrowed
Format: Audio Book

Pages: 323

Goodreads 

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution.

Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime. 

Farah:

The Pledge was the first audio book I ever heard, and let me tell you, it was a very fun experience! The Pledge is definitely a unique story where there are "classes" of people which is divided by the language they speak. The weird thing is that people of different classes don't understand each other's languages, but Charlaina, the main protagonist, does.

Kimberly wrote a book that was very unique and different. The thought of different languages and classes just intrigued me. Charlaina's power of understanding languages has to be kept a secret, and if somebody knows, she just might get in deep trouble.

Im gonna say while listening to The Pledge, some parts weren't clear to me. I couldn't quite imagine the events that were happening. I don't know if it's because I'm not reading the book and I'm just listening to it, but it did confuse me. Other than that, the story was fun, and interesting! 

Overall, if you haven't read it, you should totally give it a try! The Pledge is a mix of sci-fi, dystopia, and magic! Filled with fun and unique ideas!

3.5 music notes

Juhina: 

I have been hesitant to read The Pledge because I have not read that many great reviews, but when I found it in audio, I just had to give it a try, and i am SO GLAD I did because this book was incredible! The light dystopian element, the historical themes, the revolutionary plots. Every single minute of listening to this audio kept me on the edge! I would stay a couple of minutes in the car after I parked because I just didn't want to leave this world. In the end I ended up getting the ebook and finishing it because of how impatient I was and how addicting and exciting The Pledge was. 

The story is set in a world that is segregated by class, and where each class has its own language, however the protagonist, Charlie, has the gift of understanding and speaking every language; A lowly class girl understanding the sacred language of the higher classes?  a transgression that would result in immediate death if found out. However Charlie is like any girl, working at her family's restaurant, going to school, and hanging out with her friends. However when she and one of her friends go to a club, she meets Max, an alluring and attractive man that speaks a language that is unheard of, of course she understands it. This is when the clues and subplots fall into place. Charlie finds herself implicated deep into the center of the dictatorial and deadly regime. 

If you do not enjoy historical fiction, I would still recommend this book to you since the 'politics' in the book never truly make an appearance, yes there is a royal family and a tyrant queen, but the story centers around Charlie and only a chapter or two is dedicated to the queen. Kimberly Derting delivered a unique and amazing book with another amazing female protagonist and a tight plot and writing that would make you fall deep into this dystopian world. 

5 musical notes!