Review: Interesting start to the series . .
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 11, 2014
There is no escaping the fact that Banded has similarities to Veronica Roth's Divergent; the way individuals are sorted into sectors at 16, depending on their suspected talents (no magical hat here though!); the strong female voice who is troublesome to authorities, rebellious, skilled at fighting and who is carrying a huge secret. However, Banded is well-written and for those who have yet to read Divergent or are new to dystopian fiction, Logan Byrne offers his reader an appealing option.I particularly liked the characterisation of Kaleena, who has a vulnerability which opens her to the reader, but also a strength which makes us want to follow her story. Although the presence and identity of a 'mole' in HQ is no surprise to the reader, there are elements of the story I enjoyed, especially the relationships Kal develops with Gavin, Jericho and Ivan. The fact that she prefers the company of boys is an unconventional addition, and I think by doing this Logan Byrne makes Banded a genderless novel. It also eliminates any of the competition and bitchiness which sometimes exists when there is a number of female characters.The four friends have different talents and a shared mistrust of the system they live in. They realise that by helping each other they can discover the truth about life inside of HQ. Gavin, Ivan and Jericho are all genuine, although Jericho has an arrogant side. The closeness between Gavin and Kal provides comfort to them both and it did not surprise me that their friendship develops. It will be interesting to see how Logan Byrne handles this in Eluded.The discoveries which the four young people make add a mystery and extra tension to Banded and leaves us wanting to continue the Banded series. I have already purchased the sequel and look forward to reading it very soon.I received this as a complimentary review copy, but this has had no influence on my opinion.