Authors: Kerry Wilkinson
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (US)
Publication date: July 1, 2014 (US)
Pages: 368
Source/format: Library, Hardcover
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
One girl. One chance. One destiny.
In the village of Martindale, hundreds of miles north of the new English capital of Windsor, sixteen-year-old Silver Blackthorne takes the Reckoning. This coming-of- age test not only decides her place in society – Elite, Member, Inter or Trog – but also determines that Silver is to become an Offering for King Victor. But these are uncertain times and no one really knows what happens to the teenagers who disappear into Windsor Castle. Is being an Offering the privilege everyone assumes it to be, or do the walls of the castle have something to hide? Trapped in a maze of ancient corridors, Silver finds herself in a warped world of suspicion where it is difficult to know who to trust and who to fear. The one thing Silver does know is that she must find a way out . . . The heart-stopping first book in a new trilogy by UK author Kerry Wilkinson, Reckoning is the story of one girl's determination to escape the whims of a cruel king, and what she must do to survive against all odds.
My Thoughts:
This book is fantastic! As with all dystopians written lately, the plot starts with some coming-of-age test. Silver Blackthorn of Martindale and of the North is 16-years-old and of age to take the Reckoning test to find her place in society. This part of the story reminds me of Divergent when Tris is deciding what faction is best for her. However, in Reckoning, one cannot choose what "faction" to join. One is placed into one of the four ranks of Elite, Member, Inter or Trog.
The UK is split into four realms. All four realms compete during the Reckoning to bring in more Elites than the others in order to gain more rations for their realm. Thinkwatches and Thinkpads control everything to make sure everyone is productive in society.
In Reckoning, King Victor supposedly put stop to a war 25 years ago. As repayment for stopping the war, every year during the Reckoning, 30 kids (15 boys and 15 girls) are chosen from the four ranks as Offerings to King Victor. The Offerings' families will receive extra credits and rations but will never see the children again. The Offerings are taken to the Windsor Castle where King Victor resides. It is suppose to be seen as a privilege to be an Offering. However, the name gives it away that it is worse than death.
This part of the story reminded me of the The Hunger Games where one boy and one girl from each of the 12 districts are chosen as tributes. King Victor is the equivalent to President Snow. The show is for his own entertainment. He can do whatever he pleases with his subjects.
Silver finds out that she must do what she needs to stay alive and that means that she must do enough to get by but not too much to put her in the spotlight. She makes secret alliances with Imrin and Hart. King Victor does not want any of the Offerings to be friendly with each other. Instead, he wants to pit them against each other. The way he makes Offerings fight each other is reminiscent of the The Hunger Games. It can be pretty brutal if one wants to stay alive.
Each of the Offerings will be placed into certain sectors for work. Silver was the only on in her group to be placed in the technology lab. The placement is based on the Reckoning results. Pietra, one of the female Offerings, reminded me of Celeste from The Selection series. At first she is selfish and only cares about herself but later on she changes. Silver is very likable. She is a determined, compassionate, free thinking and a curious individual. She is a strong young lady and is trying to find a way out of the Windsor Castle.
The ending blew me away. Reckoning is a story about trust, survival and finding out the truth. It is action packed and it literally will have you sitting on the edge of your seat. I was surprised by the twist at the ending since I didn't catch it right away. I seriously thought Imrin betrayed Silver. Freaking amazing! I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. I stayed up all night to finish the rest of the book. If you are looking for a dystopian read reminiscent of The Hunger Games, Divergent and The Selection, check out Reckoning.
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