Book Review: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Pages: 320

Genre: Science Fiction

Pub. Date: November 15, 2011

Source: S&S Galley Grab

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "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."

Charlaina (Charlie) lives in Ludania, a dystopia where there's a caste system in place, which is further divided by various languages.  If someone from a lower class makes eye contact with someone in the upper class while speaking, the punishment is extreme, perhaps even death.  Charlie's world is a scary place with many limitations and rules, especially since she is from the merchant class.  She has a secret though.  She can understand the castes' languages, even though she shouldn't be able to and this is a secret she must guard with her life. To have some fun, Charlie and her best friend, Brooklynn, spend a lot of their time at underground clubs where rules don't apply.  While there, she meets a mysterious guy named Max.  Instantly, she feels an attraction to Max, but doesn't know much about him other than the language he speaks she hasn't heard spoken in Ludania before.  As The Pledge progresses, Charlie learns the truth about her family, Max and the fate of her country.  Kimberly Derting's The Pledge is the start to a new series that unfortunately left me feeling indifferent.

There were many things that I loved about The Pledge. The world that Derting created was brilliant. I love the idea of a corrupt monarch and the caste system was intriguing.  The setting only added to the suspense, which increased tremendously after I read the second half of the book.  Derting, one of my favorite authors as I loved The Body Finder, really knows how to write suspense and for me, that was evident towards the end of the book.

In my opinion, the problem with The Pledge lied within the characters. I had a hard time relating to Charlie and at times, she fell a bit flat.  Her love interest, Max, was also no Jay (The Body Finder) and I found that to be disappointing; he lacked that extra charisma and appeal.  The characters were a bit one dimensional and, in turn, I wasn't 100% invested in the story.  On the other hand, I loved the antagonist in The Pledge, which is the amoral Queen.  It was like she was out of a Grimm's fairy tale; she was incredibly evil!  I really thought Derting did a good job with her; she was unique and very memorable.  

When I first encountered The Pledge, I thought it was mostly going to have sci-fi elements, but there were a lot of fantasy elements in this novel, too.  For example, the Queen, when she is old and near death, needs a female (royal) host body in order for her essence to be transferred to a younger body, so she can take over that body and continue to rule. Fans of fantasy may appreciate this and I found that part of the story to be captivating.

While I am a HUGE fan of Kimberly Derting, I think I will be sticking with her paranormal tales; however, I am slightly intrigued as to where she is going to take Charlie's story, which, as of now, will have two more books in The Pledge series.  

*Buy The Pledge

*Read an excerpt