Book Blurb:
The Hunger Games meets Romeo and Juliet in a stunning debut about a forbidden romance between a young activist and a government employee working for a corrupt bureau that controls the population by deciding who lives and who dies.
Roman Irvine is a disgruntled IT Technician for the Divinity Bureau, a government agency that uses random selection to decide who lives and who dies. In a world where overpopulation has led to pollution, a crippled economy, and a world in crisis, he has accepted the bureau’s activities as a necessity. That is until he meets April McIntyre.
April has every reason to be suspicious of Roman. He works for the Divinity Bureau, which sent her father to an early grave. However, he is also sweet and loyal, and unbeknownst to her, he saved her life. As Roman and April fall deeper in love, the deeper they are thrust into the politics of deciding who lives and who dies. Someone wants April dead. And the bureau’s process of random selection may not be so random after all.
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My Review:
4 Out Of 5 Stars
Genre: Dystopian, Mystery, Romance, Suspense--
I think the description included in the synopsis for The Divinity Bureau of "Hunger Games meets Romeo and Juliet" was pretty spot on, with the world split into have nots vs the haves, as well as the almost impossible love between the two main characters (except not painful like Romeo and Juliet, because I really hate that play!). There was some hard world stuff, including death and poverty, but there was also hope and suspense that kept the pacing of the plot engaging and a fast read.
I am such a sucker for dystopian stories, mainly because the future could potentially be terrifying and fiction is a great medium to vocalize fears, hopes, crazy twists, science experiments, terror... Pretty much anything is possible and I love seeing all the different directions that authors will take their futures in. Divinity Bureau was was a realistic, science filled, dark version of what the world could be if we create technology that can cure people of illness, basically making humans immortal and overpopulation an imminent issue. A yearly lottery will select who will have their life ended since resources are short and space limited. But really, who is in control of the selected people, and what if corruption is the reason someone is selected?
And yes, there is romance, what kind of world would it be for me to read something without at least a little romance thrown in? I will admit that I was a little hesitant about how the romance would play out (because let's be honest, Romeo and Juliet did not have a positive outcome!) but I was willing to give it a try. The narration alternated at chapters between Roman and April, letting the reader see into the lives and motivations of both characters. I loved Roman right from the start, he was cute, quirky, awkward and sincere and I instantly rooted for him to get his happily ever after, whatever that may be in this sad world. He wanted to keep his head down and just do his job, but his morality and conscience got the best of him. The only downside to Roman was his repetition at times, talking about his education and years working repeatedly until I wanted to force him to stop. April and I had a much more rocky start because I could not relate to her, she seemed slightly unemotional and disconnected but by the end of the book I liked her character growth and choices. I did find it interesting in the author's note after the story that she also had a hard time relating to April, which makes me wonder if that is really how she is subconsciously suppose to be.
Overall I thought this was a really enjoyable read that I am glad I had the opportunity to pick up. Besides the interesting world building, the slow building romance was the best part- no insta-love here, just the run of the mill crush turns to misunderstanding turns to real love over time. I look forward to more from Tessa in the future.
I am voluntarily reviewing a complimentary copy of this book.
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