Reckoning
Author:Kerry Wilkinson
Release Date: July 1, 2014
Publisher: St. Martins Griffin
Silver Blackthorn Book #1
ISBN: 1250053536
ISBN13: 9781250053534
Genre: YA Dystopian
Review Copy Source: NetGalleyOne girl. One chance. One destiny.
In the village of Martindale, hundreds of miles north of the new English capital of Windsor, sixteen-year-old Silver Blackthorne takes the Reckoning. This coming-of- age test not only decides her place in society – Elite, Member, Inter or Trog – but also determines that Silver is to become an Offering for King Victor.But these are uncertain times and no one really knows what happens to the teenagers who disappear into Windsor Castle. Is being an Offering the privilege everyone assumes it to be, or do the walls of the castle have something to hide? Trapped in a maze of ancient corridors, Silver finds herself in a warped world of suspicion where it is difficult to know who to trust and who to fear. The one thing Silver does know is that she must find a way out . . . The heart-stopping first book in a new trilogy by UK author Kerry Wilkinson, Reckoning is the story of one girl's determination to escape the whims of a cruel king, and what she must do to survive against all odds.
I was engrossed in RECKONING from the first chapter. As in most Dystopian books the world of Silver Blackthorn is broken into 4 different classes of society. Then on top of that there is an Offering. A select few are chosen from each class to be an offering for King Victor. No one knows what being an offering entails and no one ever sees an offering again after they are whisked away but it is treated as a privilege and celebrated.
Silver is a easy to understand girl who just turned sixteen and takes the Reckoning to find out where in the world she will fit in. We get to witness her feelings about leaving all that she has known and loved and then watch it all come to a head as she is picked to be an offering. From the time she steps off the train nothing is as she thought it would be and nothing will ever be the same.
The RECKONING is full of danger, mistrust, survival and unlikely friendships. The whole story flowed and flexed in just the right places. The world was well written and developed and the characters made it all the more exciting. I kinda wish I would have waited to read RECKONING because all I want to do after finishing is read more.
I gave it 5/5 stars
* This book was provided free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.