Reckoning by Kerry Wilkinson

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Length: 368 pages

Released Date: July 1, 2014

Format: E-book

Source: Amazon Kindle Store

Age Group: Young Adults

Genres: Dystopian

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Reckoning

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.

If Divergent and The Hunger Games have a kid, that would be Reckoning.

Reckoning is your typical dystopian book. It was set in an entirely new country that we unaware of with unusual government (or more specific, King). The storyline is quite similar to other dystopian books. A new kingdom after a long war, a king, people have to take a test when they reach a certain age to determine their social levels, chosen Offerings for the king, corrupted-power government, and rebellious. Sound familiar? Yep.

Silver Blackthorn, our protagonist, is a very brave, smart, and a technologist genius, or let just say, she was born good at those thing. When she reached 16, like every other teenagers in her village and entire country, she must participate in a test called Reckoning. The purpose of this is to distinguish the citizen into four different sections, each has its own job and privilege. Not only she land in a very good level after her test, Silver was also chosen as one of the Offerings, a group of 30 people who come to the palace to serve the King. But with one condition, they can never see their family again. What if the luxury life as an Offering was not like what she thought?

I don’t dislike this book at all. I love Silver (and her name). I love the plot, the twist, and every character in this book. However, I wish the book would be more original. Personally, I don’t like books that have the same plot with others, since the twist will be very easy to predict. This book doesn’t give you those gripping feelings of second-guess and heart-pumping, and that is a strike for Reckoning.

And the writing, oh the writing! I was half laughing, half struggling through the first half of the book. There are barely any direct conversation, just a lot of reciting quotes and responds from others through Silver’s thoughts, which make the book sounds like a very boring diary. The sentence’s structures are funny, with a lot of unnecessary linking words. I mean, it’s a part of speech and you need to use it, but overusing them makes the sentence sound awfully and awkwardly long. Kerry Wilkinson tried to put quite a lot of information at the beginning of the book in order to help readers understand what they are reading. Well, that helps, but the information is so lecture-like that Silver’s thoughts and emotions were compressed by it, which makes Silver sound like a very impassive person.

But don’t worry, other half of the book is great. The plan, the twists, are awesome. But like I said, it’s quite unoriginal and predictable. I enjoy reading Reckoning, but definitely didn’t love it, since I’m quite picky when it comes to repeated plot. But overall, it’s a good book that need more improvements. I recommend it.

Rating: 3/5