Author- Joel Ohman
Source- ebook
Pages- 226
Publisher- CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication Date- September 8th, 2014
Amazon Summary-The year is AE3, 3 years after the Event. Within the walls of Meritropolis, 50,000 inhabitants live in fear, ruled by the brutal System that assigns each citizen a merit score that dictates whether they live or die. Those with the highest scores thrive, while those with the lowest are subject to the most unforgiving punishment--to be thrust outside the city gates, thrown to the terrifying hybrid creatures that exist beyond.
But for one High Score, conforming to the System just isn't an option. Seventeen-year-old Charley has a brother to avenge. And nothing--not even a totalitarian military or dangerous science--is going to stop him.
Where humankind has pushed nature and morals to the extreme, Charley is amongst the chosen few tasked with exploring the boundaries, forcing him to look deep into his very being to discern right from wrong. But as he and his friends learn more about the frightening forces that threaten destruction both without and within the gates, Meritropolis reveals complexities they couldn't possibly have bargained for...
~Review~
Cover Thoughts-
In the book there are many interesting creatures beyond the walls of Meritropolis. The cover exhibits what I assume the bion, half bull-half lion animal combination, looks like. It's diffidently the most significant animal combination of the story and looks fantastic on the cover.
First Thought-
Dystopian novels are by far my favorite to read, Meritropolis sat perfectly on the top of my TBR pile, and I knew without a doubt that Meritropolis would be one of the greatest page turners that I have read this year.
Review-
First off, my favorite part of the series is the character development. Every character has their own unique voice and you can hear it perfectly in your head. Charley has one of the highest scores but he is far from perfect. Joel points out many times in the book where Charley's anger gets the best of him, but somehow it makes his score go up. Just from this you can assume that the scoring process that is supposed to tell how much you can provide to society is flawed. To me, it looks like the scoring is based on what type of leader or soldier you can be. Orson, the leader of Meritropolis, is that enemy that everyone loves to hate. The further I got into the book the more I felt for Orson and the more I hated him. Its a complicated feeling. Sven, Charley's best friend, begins the story a light-hearted, care-free kind of guy. Then, he becomes a little bit...creepy. Charley makes many new friends and creates a group of ragtag low and high scores all set on destroying Orson and his system. Little do they know that someone even scarier than Orson will be the end of Meritropolis. Even though Meritopolis is filled with action and adventure, there is also a little bit of a romance between Charley and his new friend Sandy. I agree that Meritropolis is comparable to The Hunger Games. I can picture Meritropolis being a movie just like the latest great dystopians Maze Runner, Ender's Game, and The Hunger Games.
Overall Readability-
Honestly, if you are interested in dystopians like I listed above then Meritropolis is a great read for you. It's easy to read the voice of every character and get lost in world of Meritropolis.
My Final Thought-
2014 is coming to an end. So, I can say for certain that Meritropolis is in my top 10 for best reads of 2014. It has the ending that leaves you sitting there desperately searching for the release of next installment in the series.
5 out of 5 Haunted Roses
~Author Information~
Joel Ohman is the author of Meritropolis--"The Hunger Games meets The Village with a young Jack Reacher as a protagonist". He lives in Tampa, FL with his wife Angela and their three kids. His writing companion is Caesar, a slightly overweight Bull Mastiff who loves to eat the tops off of strawberries.
