Review: Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Perfect Ruin (Internment Chronicles #1)
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication date: October 1, 2013

Genre(s): Young Adult (Dystopian/Sci-Fi)

Source: Publisher

Format: ARC

Pages: 356

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On Internment, the floating island in the clouds where 16-year-old Morgan Stockhour lives, getting too close to the edge can lead to madness. Even though Morgan's older brother, Lex, was a Jumper, Morgan vows never to end up like him. She tries her best not to mind that her life is orderly and boring, and if she ever wonders about the ground, and why it is forbidden, she takes solace in best friend Pen and her betrothed, Basil.

Then a murder, the first in a generation, rocks the city. With whispers swirling and fear on the wind, Morgan can no longer stop herself from investigating, especially when she meets Judas. He is the boy being blamed for the murder — betrothed to the victim — but Morgan is convinced of his innocence. Secrets lay at the heart of Internment, but nothing can prepare Morgan for what she will find — or who she will lose. 

Famous for her Chemical Garden trilogy, Lauren DeStefano is back again with another dystopian! First of all, let's all take a moment and admire the beauty of that cover. It's so gorgeous, and I love all the little details around the girl! I seriously think all of DeStefano's books have amazing covers! Now off to what's actually inside the book. The main protagonist, Morgan, is a 16 year old girl who is living a happy live on Internment. What is Internment you say? Internment is actually a floating island in the middle of the clouds. They say it's a peace of ground that has been removed and placed up in the skies. In Internment, every girl is betrothed to a boy. Morgan is betrothed to Basil, and her best friend Pen, is betrothed to Thomas. I like how the four of them were good friends, and it was interesting to see that the girls actually LIKED their betroths. Morgan lives with her parents, and her older brother, Lex, lives in the apartment above with his wife, Alice. Lex isn't your ordinary brother, he's a jumper, meaning that he tried to jump of the island. Jumpers are usually taboo, and Lex actually turned blind because of the incident. Lex is also a very different guy who didn't actually agree with all of what Interment has to say.

If you've read a couple of dystopian books, you can see where this is headed. It's not that it's predictable, but this is how dystopian books follow the  plot. One day, when a murder happens in Internment, the people go crazy. It isn't likely for anything bad to happen there. Everyone knows everyone, and everyone is friendly and nice to each other. Weird thing is, it doesn't stop here. More things start happening, and Morgan is freaked out. The characters in this book were lovely. Morgan was a typical 16 year old who was curious, and wanted answers. I loved her relationship with Basil, and he was such a nice guy! I did hope for more interaction with her brother because I wanted to find out more about this mysterious guy. While reading the book, I think there was a few times where I did get bored, but then I'm glad the book was able to pick up the pace again.

Overall, Perfect Ruin was a great dystopian book. You have your corrupted government, your curious character, and your amazing plot! I definitely want to see what happens next in The Internment Chronicles, so I will be looking forward to the second book. Anyone who is interested in dystopian books should really pick this one up asap!