Review: Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

Without the vellum dust jacket

Hey guys! So this was my very first read of 2017! I received Flawed in the April 2016 OwlCrate box, and I was sooo excited about it! So excited, in fact, that my best friend and I (she also got the box) decided that we would read it at the same time when we were both at a point to be able to do that, and crazy enough, that took until December/January! We also discussed sharing our reviews on each others' blogs, so stay tuned for a possible future post with her review/answers to book club questions. :)

This book was definitely very reminiscent of The Uglies, Divergent, Hunger Games, etc. and I think anyone who read and enjoyed those books will appreciate this one. I had a hard time determining when the story takes places, it sounds/feels like it could be anywhere between 1 and 10 years from now. There is no mention of a year, which I guess is smart in that it can kind of be a timeless book for future generations, until technology changes enough to be out of date (it mentions cell phones with cameras, tablets, social media, etc). So, not having taken place after some third world war or major upheaval of "the system," it's hard to really classify it (in my mind) as "dystopian." There is, however, a relatively new accepted ideal which turns out to be less-than-ideal, and there's a poster girl who is the face of the revolution. So, I guess those points make it dystopian, and I'll accept that.

Cecelia Ahern is an author I've come to love. P.S. I Love You, The Book of Tomorrow, The Gift, and Love, Rosie (previously published as Where Rainbows End) are just a few of her numerous titles that I have read and enjoyed. To learn that she was branching out into YA dystopian was really exciting for me. One of my favourite authors debuting in one of my favourite genres?! This had the potential for something truly magical!

For her debut YA novel (which also happens to be dystopian), I think Cecelia Ahern did a pretty good job. It's not on point, but it's pretty good.

I wasn't sure I liked it when I got started. As I mentioned, it was hard to determine when it was taking place, I felt like there could have been a bit more information given about the world setting, the history that led to the current world situation, etc. It was pretty vague in that respect.

The character development was pretty good, as far as the main character goes. Celestine is a convincing teenager who suddenly becomes the figurehead of this revolution she had no idea was forming. I found the other characters odd and perhaps a bit two-dimensional? I also didn't really like the ending, it just seemed like a quick wrap up to me. And Carrick's role in the ending seems a bit odd. He either should have stayed with her to the end of the book, or not been re-introduced at all, in my opinion.

Overall I enjoyed the story and I'll be looking forward to the sequel, Perfect, when it is released this spring. I think if someone likes YA, dystopian, and is looking for a quick read, Flawed will certainly fit the bill.