Aberrant Review

I was not expecting to like this so much. I have gotten used to the typical dystopian tale, that is told over and over again with nothing changing but the characters names. But with Aberrant the story was told a little differently. In the society of Cabal, Olivia Parker lives with her mother. At the age of 18, Olivia is given a "husband" chosen by the government. Luckily, the government chooses Joshua, Olivia's best friend since childhood. The choosing of a husband in a future dystopian society mi...more Aberrant In the future dystopian society of Cabal, the government instills equality for all and offers its citizens the perfect system. There is food, shelter and jobs for everyone. The one requirement is to follow the rules without question, including the government's match in marriage and "The Day of the Chosen", a lottery that randomly selects families to conceive children as natural means hasn't existed in generations. Following her eighteenth birthday, Olivia Parker accepts her requirement to marry her childhood best friend, Joshua Warren, and is eager to start her work assignment and new life when it all comes abruptly to an end as she's arrested and thrown in prison. The only crime committed, her existence. Olivia is unlike the rest of the world born not from "The Day of the Chosen." The truth haunts the government and puts her life in grave danger as one simple fact would destroy the perfect system. With Joshua's help, Olivia breaks free of prison and is forced on the run. Together they set out to find the promised rebel town in search of a new home and new life together. Their situation seems less than promising as they reach the town of Haven. New rules and customs must be adhered to in order to stay. Leaving would mean most certain death in the large expanse of the Gravelands. Time is running out as the government mounts an attack to destroy Olivia and bury her secret with her. Thrown into a world unlike their own, they must quickly adapt to survive   Review: I was not expecting to like this so much. I have gotten used to the typical dystopian tale, that is told over and over again with nothing changing but the characters names. But with Aberrant the story was told a little differently. In the society of Cabal, Olivia Parker lives with her mother. At the age of 18, Olivia is given a "husband" chosen by the government. Luckily, the government chooses Joshua, Olivia's best friend since childhood. The choosing of a husband in a future dystopian society might remind you a little of Matched by Ally Condie. But don't be deceived. This is much, much different from Matched. Right after the match is made, the government comes and arrests Olivia, along with her mother. After a little while, the Rebels break them out and take them to their hideout. Olivia is an amazing main character headstrong,(think Tris from Divergent but better)independent, non-whiny, and dedicated. The love that she shows Joshua, is something that in my opinion for most of the book Joshua didn't deserve. Joshua said some things that I just thought were not the best things to say to Olivia. But by the end of the book, Joshua had grown to be a reliable, and loving boyfriend for Olivia. The only characters that remain constant throughout the story are Joshua and Olivia, the other characters come and go so you never connect with characters other than those two. You might be reminded of other dystopian books while reading this, but they are just hints instead of whole chapters seeming like another book. Ruth managed to take an old dried out topic, and create a fresh new story which in my opinion deserves to take it's place next to Divergent, Cinder, and The Hunger Games. Right when you think you figured out the whole story, the author would throw in a new plot twist and surprise you all over again. I also liked how this was not a long-drawn out story, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a shorter story line. And I think that the reason that some dystopian novels bug me is that they are way to long. I really, really liked this. Enough to say that although I am not a huge fan of dystopian, I still enjoyed this. 4.5 stars to this, and I will definitely be checking out any other books that Ruth has to offer. I received this from the published via netgalley. I am in no way compensated for this review