by Ashley Saunders and Leslie Saunders
258 pages
This book was written by twin sisters, Ashley and Leslie Saunders. Interestingly enough, the book is also about twin sisters.
Imagine a future America where there is a law in place dictating that each family is only allowed to have one child: The Rule of One. Now, imagine being born with a twin. This is the reality for 18 year olds Ava and Mira. To top it all off, their father is a government official in charge of enforcing the law he has been violating for 18 years.
In this future America, Texas to be exact, people have microchips implanted in their wrists. These microchips are used to identify the person and also for things like financial transactions. In order to remain hidden, Ava and Mira pretend to be the same person. They spend alternate days "above ground," both going by the name Ava. See, Ava was first born, she has the microchip. Mira has a fake plastic implant that does not scan anything, but is only for appearances. If Ava is at school, Mira is in their hidden basement bedroom. After school, Ava would have dinner with her father and then head into the basement to debrief Mira on the events of the day. Before bed, Mira will head to their bedroom upstairs and Ava will begin her 24 hours in the basement. This is the life they have lived for 18 years. Their mother, unfortunately, died during childbirth, so for all intents and purposes, their family appears to be father and daughter -- singular.
After 18 years of this life, thinks quickly take a turn for the worse when it is discovered that Mira's microchip is a fake. The government invades the house and a photo is snapped of the twins together. Their father quickly packs the girls up and sends them on the run with a map leading to various safe houses. He is then arrested and a warrant is put out for Ava's arrest.
Most of the story follows the girls on their journey to the final safe house. They have to remain hidden, as there are face-recognition cameras everywhere. As they make their trek, they uncover secrets of an underground resistance. Consumed with worry for their father, which side will the girls choose to be on?
This book was pretty interesting. I didn't find the characters to be too complex. In fact, up until the end, I didn't think either had much depth. There is a second book, but I don't think I'll read it. This book ends with the uprising of the resistance, so I am sure that the second book deals with that. It probably also has to do with the rescue of their father.
When all is said and done, the book was interesting enough, and a pretty quick read. The story was unique but I think the characters lacked some depth. I'd still recommend this book, maybe to middle school or early high school students.
3 Stars