March 2016, HarperCollins Children's Books, 334 pages, Ebook, Review copy
Content: prejudice, cruelty, physical harm,
Summary from HarperCollins
Celestine North lives a perfect life. She’s a model daughter and sister,
she’s well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she’s dating the
impossibly charming Art Crevan.
But then Celestine encounters a situation in which she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found FLAWED.
In this stunning novel, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society in which perfection is paramount and mistakes are punished. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her everything.
But then Celestine encounters a situation in which she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found FLAWED.
In this stunning novel, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society in which perfection is paramount and mistakes are punished. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her everything.
Nayu's thoughts
Perhaps it's odd to
give full marks for a book I couldn't finish, but Flawless totally
deserves this. Celestine isn't my most favourite character
ever, but it's admirable that she stands up to what is right despite knowing what
may happen, and fights for justice.
I may be in the minority but
essentially I don't think the concept of being Flawed was wrong for
society. It clearly reduced the numbers in prison, which is good.
There are some things which while not criminially illegal are morally
wrong, and it feels right people should be punished for it. I don't
agree with the physical punishment of the Flawed, that is barbaric
and people need a chance to show they repent. I feel that the
segregation of the Flawed was a bit too much, reminded me of the past
when non-caucasians were deprived of equality. The concept of Flawed
being stripped of privileges, having restricted luxuries and basic
necessities did make sense, as it would deter people from being
immoral. It's clear from the 22 chapters I read and my peek of the
end that the system is flawed and those in charge of judging whether
a person is flawed is corrupt and they can have their own agenda which
is separate to huge justice.
I reached the start of Celestine's
punishment, and after a few pages as she recovers (not that she ever
can from all she endures) emotionally I'd had enough. I know books
get more intense close to the end, and I simply couldn't bear to watch
Celestine suffer any more. It's not just because her name reminds me
of the top princess in My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, Princess Celestia
Princess Celestia left, Princess Twilight Sparkle right & her dragon Spike from My Little Pony Friendship is Magice (I think it's season 4...) |
I take
things very personally, and am good at extrapolating what happens in
books and applying it to the world we live in. I will probably stick
with reading other reviews of Flawed to get the full story - I know another book blogger who is reading it, so will try to link back to her review when it's up. The
writing is incredible, I was totally captured by the story and was
reluctant to eat lunch as I wanted to know what happened next. I think I will avoid all dystopians for the time being, no matter what they
sound like as they are prone to being too hard for me to cope with.
It's bad enough knowing the injuries Celestine suffers. I cried for her
and hope she somehow has a happy ending. I loved her mouthy sister,
and her mum's inner strength which cruumbled sometimes but she was
there for Celestine when she needed to be. I really like Tina, who made Celestine feel she
wasn't alone. Her boyfriend's father reacted as I expected to what
Celestine chooses to do under the guidance of both her dad and
grandfather. Family plays a big role for her. If you've read this book please feel free to drop me an
email explaining what happens, and definitely chat about it in the
comments here without spoilers!
Find out more on Cecelia's website.
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