In a world where every word and gesture is copyrighted, patented or trademarked, one girl elects to remain silent rather than pay to speak, and her defiant and unexpected silence threatens to unravel the very fabric of society.
Speth Jime is anxious to deliver her Last Day speech and celebrate her transition into adulthood. The moment she turns fifteen, Speth must pay for every word she speaks ("Sorry" is a flat ten dollars and a legal admission of guilt), for every nod ($0.99/sec), for every scream ($0.99/sec) and even every gesture of affection. She's been raised to know the consequences of falling into debt, and can't begin to imagine the pain of having her eyes shocked for speaking words that she's unable to afford.
But when Speth's friend Beecher commits suicide rather than work off his family's crippling debt, she can't express her shock and dismay without breaking her Last Day contract and sending her family into Collection. Backed into a corner, Speth finds a loophole: rather than read her speech--rather than say anything at all--she closes her mouth and vows never to speak again. Speth's unexpected defiance of tradition sparks a media frenzy, inspiring others to follow in her footsteps, and threatens to destroy her, her family and the entire city around them.
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My review:
Veryyyy interesting premise, I read the excerpt and was instantly hooked and had to find out more! It was a great dystopian concept that felt new, I hadn't seen this idea around anywhere else before. It does have the classic trope of 'outsider girl takes on corrupt man in charge' but overall I enjoyed this book.
Plot:
I liked how it progressed and I didn't see certain things from happening. I didn't like a certain characters death but I suppose I guess why it had to happen. The ending was interesting because it felt full circle and set things up nicely for the second instalment. The concept of paying for words was so scary but felt realistic and I could definitely see how people could end up in debt with all the Instasuits going around. I loved the new tech aspect with the 3D printing food, buildings etc!
Characters:
Speth... I liked her and I can see why she made some of her decisions, it was frustrating at times and her willpower is definitely stronger than mine! I don't know how she could know what everything was worth, including gestures and things but obviously she has been brought up in this world so knows the rules. Not making any kind of error made it seem less realistic tbh!
Silas Rog was an interesting character but what were his motivations? Was he just power-hungry or what? How did he get into his role and become that powerful? Did I just miss something? Why does everyone do as he says? I want to know more about him and his backstory as I don't believe a villain can be a villain just because, there must be a motivation behind everything.
I didn't like a certain someone having a hint of romance, I don't think it needed to be added at all and made the character seem like a complete Mary Sue.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would definitely read the next one!
3/5 stars.
