Review: Unique twist on a well-known genre
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 14, 2014
REVIEWED BY HEATHERAre you tired of books that seem like a riff on The Hunger Games premise? You know what I mean - girl meets world, the world sucks, she stands up to it, and only one or two will survive. (BTW, what other adult plans on watching the spin-off of Boy Meets World, titled Girl Meets World. I'm not alone, right? But we're not here to talk about TV shows - despite how often I go there :) , we're here to talk about our favorite thing: BOOKS.)The Wicked We Have Done (which I am dubbing TWWHD!) has a rather brilliant twist. The government is testing a new method for determining whether an individual is guilty of a crime. Sure, you could stand trial, but things happen that affect the outcomes of trials and occasionally the wrong person goes free or the wrong person goes to jail. The new judgment system goes beyond judging just the crime, but can tell whether a person is morally corrupt through the use of something called the Compass Room. As the heroine, Evalyn, says early on - "The Compass Room sees who you truly are, despite the lies you tell yourself."If you're a morally upstanding person, you live. If not...well, you don't make it back from the Compass Room.Holy High Stakes, Batman!Evalyn has been accused of a crime and is subjected to the Compass Room along with 9 others. It might seem like I've given a lot of the plot away, but you find out all of these things in the first 5-7% of the book...and from there, it's a roller coaster thrill ride!As soon as I got through the why's of what happened (i.e., everything in the first 5%), I was totally hooked. What were the others in for? Were they guilty? What was Evalyn in for and did she do it? I loved how the author had me teetering between thinking Evalyn was guilty or innocent. I really wasn't sure, and that's a well-written character - one who has their flaws but you want to believe in the best!There were many twists and turns that surprised me, and the stakes in the book are obviously real. All the main characters are well written, and you get just enough of their backstories to understand them. Without revealing too much, let me just say that on average, only 2.5 people leave the Compass Room breathing. Yikes! It's not just Compass Room trials they need to be wary of either. Ten likely guilty teenagers are sent somewhere together where they only have each other, and some of them were definitely guilty of their (possibly heinous) crimes. It definitely ups the suspense.My quibbles with the book are few. Occasionally the writing felt a little awkward in that some sentences didn't feel natural (sort of like this one!). :) Also - **TRIGGER SPOILER ALERT** - as I read books, I draw ties back to current events. If you had a loved one (or a friend of a loved one) who was affected by any of the somewhat recent and tragic school shootings, you may want to take care (or think twice) about reading this book. Nothing is overly graphic, but it has the potential to trigger a strong reaction. PSA over.I started TWWHD with a heavy dose of skepticism. Girl unjustly being sent to fight for her life? Check. Messed up government? Check. Possible romance? Check. Girl needs to kick ass? Check. Sequel planned? Check. That being said, I did not think about The Hunger Games the entire time while reading this book. The twist on who they are and why they're there, with the backstory reveals, changes how the plot is presented so that it felt completely original.BOTTOM LINEIf you appreciate a unique take on the popular YA/NA dystopian genre, you should absolutely read this book!RATING: A- (4 stars)Please note: I received a review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.