Review: wanted more character development
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 25, 2014
****I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.****In the novel, Omni, a political party known as the Omni party has taken over the U.S. government and divided everyone up into four different stratum based on an aptitude test. At the top are the Artists, and at the bottom are the Drudges, which are the two stratum the two main characters, Pierce and Harmony, are in at the beginning of the novel. I thought this was an interesting concept for a dystopian society but was also reminded of how citizens in Divergent are divided into factions based on a test they must take. That's where the similarity ends.Pierce and his friend, Hale, are in the bottom stratum as Drudges. They haven't taken the aptitude test yet and were placed as Drudges because they grew up in a group home. Pierce was born to an unwed couple who didn't have permission from the government to have a child, and so he was taken away from them. You feel the unfairness of his situation, and you don't have to wonder where his bitterness comes from. I liked Pierce the most out of all the characters and understood him the best.Harmony and her twin sister, Caprice, are in the top level of the social structure as Artists. While I liked Harmony, I wanted more from her. She's weak and only slightly root worthy. I think it has a lot to do with the lifestyle she leads - she gets the best of everything and treated like celebrities in our society are treated. I had a lot of hope for her, that she would develop and grow over the course of the book but didn't unfortunately.I wanted to know more behind the Omni party and how they took over in the first place. What's the rest of the world like besides the U.S.? That's a question that rarely gets answered in dystopian novels. Since they were able to take over the entire U.S., what's to stop the Omni party from taking over other countries like Canada? Answers to questions like those would have all kinds of interesting story potential in my opinion.Omni has a lot of potential - if there had been more character growth, then I would have given the novel at least another star. The characters were a bit lacking, and that's what I wanted the most in this story. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading Omni and liked thinking about the similarities and differences between our society now and the society in Omni. I do think if you like dystopian novels, you should pick this one up and see where it takes you.