Monday, September 19, 2011

The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn

Title: The Bar Code Tattoo
Author: Suzanne Weyn
Summary:
Individuality vs. Conformity
Identity vs. Access
Freedom vs. Control
The bar code tattoo. Everybody's getting it. It will make your life easier, they say. It will hook you in. It will become your identity.
But what if you say no? What if you don't want to become a code? For Kayla, this one choice changes everything. She becomes an outcast in her high school. Dangerous things happen to her family. There's no option but to run...for her life.

I actually really enjoyed this book and the style in which it was written. It had a vague similarity to XVI by Julia Carr and my feelings for the two novels are alike. The premise was interesting but in some parts the execution feel thorugh. For me, the biggest issues I had were the idea of showing versus telling and last minute plot developments. Throughout the beginning hlad of the novel, Weyn relied more on telling us about the world she invented rather than slowly revealing it to us throughout. At times, this was distracting because I was more worried about what the slang words meant than the development of the plot. Weyn also throws in rather large plot points that should take the whole novel in a few paragraphs. Even with the fact that there's a sequel some of the points are too much for one novel. A little suspense could have taken the book farther.

This is a great dystopia novel for the younger half of the young adult reading group. There's not much violence, no bad language, and no thematic elements. It still has the dystopia themes but its packaged in a lighter form.

Thanks for reading!

Theresa
The Book Nool

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