[DYZ]≫ [PDF] Prized Birthmarked Caragh M O'Brien Books

Prized Birthmarked Caragh M O'Brien Books

Download As PDF : Prized Birthmarked Caragh M O'Brien Books

Prized Birthmarked Caragh M O'Brien Books

The second book in Caragh M. O’Brien’s Birthmarked trilogy, Prized was pretty good. Standard dystopian fare, once again, with a female as the lead character. I am seeing an increasing amount of dystopian literature that revolves around exploitation of young females. (The Selection series, The Chemical Garden series, Uglies trilogy, Matched trilogy…) While I enjoy these books, I am concerned about this growing trend, and how it will affect young girls. But, I am getting ahead of myself a little here.

When last we saw Gaia, she had escaped from the Enclave with her newborn baby sister, Maya. After two weeks of traveling across the Waste Lands, the two sisters are starving and week. A man comes upon them and takes them to his community of Sylum. (There are lots of “our” words that have been hybridized for this book). Once in the community, Gaia discovers that the women are in charge, and dying off. Gaia has to relinquish her sister to the Matrarc (told you). Gaia manages to make herself useful to the community by being a midwife, but also manages to alienate herself by being headstrong and ignoring the laws. Add to that, an old familiar face shows up, and Gaia unexpectedly finds herself in a love square.

The book is interesting; there are some good plot points in the book. But, I would have to give it just a three out of five stars, and am not sure if I will read the third. The same ground seems to be covered over and over within this genre, and I find myself liking the genre less and less. I can no longer read dystopian literature back to back, like I could when I first discovered these books. But, that’s me.


Tags : Amazon.com: Prized (Birthmarked) (9781596435704): Caragh M. O'Brien: Books,Caragh M. O'Brien,Prized (Birthmarked),Roaring Brook Press,1596435704,Fantasy - General,Girls & Women,Genetic engineering,Midwives,Midwives;Fiction.,Parents,Science fiction,Sisters,Sisters;Fiction.,Survival,Survival;Fiction.,Action & Adventure - General,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),Dystopian,Fiction,Fiction-Fantasy,JUVENILE,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile Grades 7-9 Ages 12-14,Science fiction (Children's Teenage),Sets, any number,TEEN'S FICTION FANTASY,United States,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Fantasy General,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Girls & Women,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Science Fiction General,Young Adult Fiction,Young Adult FictionDystopian

Prized Birthmarked Caragh M O'Brien Books Reviews

I almost didn't order this book because of all the negative ratings from the anti-abortionists. I am personally opposed to abortion but at the same time, feel it should be a personal decision, not a political one. The girl in the story did have some very good, unselfish reasons and did make the right choice in her circumstance. Enough on that - this book kept me interested and wanting to know more. I will order and start to read the next one immediately
Gaia once more finds herself in an oppressive government, being told what she should do and how she should behave. She's not liking it. As the strange rules and pressure mess with her head, she struggles to hold on to what she believes in. However, when push comes to shove, she steps up for justice. The author continues to create a tale of inequality and injustice. This book wasn't as good as first one, but I will continue on to book three in the hopes that it will improve. Gaia is a bit hard to be credible seeing as to how much havoc and authority she takes on when she's only 16.
WOW! I love this series so much! Book two was fantastic! I was completely, fangirly obsessed with it, and I've already started book 3. Seeing the characters change and grow was captivating and gut-wrenching, and I liked that there were a lot of relationship hurdles and challenges. Honestly, there were a lot of challenges and struggles in all areas, and that always kept things interesting.

The new world (Sylum) was especially fascinating, and the laws and lifestyles of the people gave me a lot to think about.

It was my first experiences with a love square (that I can recall), and I thought that was both fun and heartbreaking to the extreme. It reminds me of how many people and moments there are in life. Sometimes we pass them up, and sometimes we let those people creep into the small places of our hearts, which can be really good, rather bad, and occasionally ugly.
My Review

Overall, my first impression is...up-and-down. I had some of my most enjoyable moments in the entire story in this book. And no, I don't just mean the Leon Grey/Quarry/Vlatir action. *wink*wink* not telling. There were some really beautiful moments between women, like several from Birthmarked, but unmarred by the questions of baby "advancement." Oh wait, no they weren't.

Sylum is nearly as restrictive as the Enclave, except that it is a matriarchal society ruled by, you guessed it, the Matrarch. But I'm getting ahead of myself. There were aspects of this story I loved, some which felt left unfulfilled, and some which just weren't a fit for me.

Loved

Leon. You have to love Leon. He's so irresistibly drawn to Gaia, even when it (and she) drives him nuts. He is allowed to grow from a reserved, damaged young man into a full-fledged, dirty, snarling, fighting heartthrob. Genius!

Gaia. When you are reminded that she's just sixteen, and that she's lost so much, your heart goes out to her. Sometimes her innocence is as shocking as her world-weariness. But her innate, magnet-like draw to pregnant women and babies is her true core, and I'm glad to see it explored in more depth and layers in this book. O'Brien explores the depth of issues in the complicated web that is womanhood and motherhood, without it feeling like a treatise or lecture. As a midwife, these complications are a natural part of Gaia's life. The thing about Gaia that is so interesting is that her convictions are so strong that she pushes herself to incredible feats of bravery or endurance in order to get someone to LISTEN to this little girl.

The Fading of the Scar. In Sylum, Gaia is desired, even with her scar. In fact, you often "forget" she has it in that no one reacts to it in the ways they did in Birthmarked. Of course, she benefits from a society that is extremely man-impoverished, but you never get the sense that THAT is why some of them like her. She's different, but in this book, finally, that difference is valued by those around her. And even better, that difference is not on the surface, it's within her.

Left Unfulfilled

Back to Leon. Ok (SPOILER ALERT!!!!) so in the last book she gave us a sweet kiss. Wonderful. And then he crossed the Wasteland and endured terrible hardships for her...and eventually, she for him. And O'Brien gave us a little lap make out session. Goosebumps. Adorable. Sweet. Delicious. Aaaaaaaaaand then Gaia pulled away again, mostly. Sigh. I would really have liked a little more of that. Just a little more.

Baby Sex Changes. She explained why people seized up and died when they tried to leave Sylum, and they sorta explained why the female children are changed to males, at least, externally. But they never really follow this up or discuss it further. I was kind of like WHAT???? All these poor people had their sexes changed in utero by hormones from the old fish farm and no one really delves into that again. But as a sci-fi girl, the mysteries of Sylum were a major part of my interest and this one was, sadly, unfulfilled.

Weren't a Fit for Me

These are nit-picks...or things that are not preferences for me. This was the "down" in my up and down with the story.

Peter. I enjoyed Peter. He was a ray of sunshine in a dark part of Gaia's world. He was clearly handsome and strong, and kind and sexy. Buuuuuuut. Gaia was also into his brother Will? And Leon? Of the four, I found Peter the least credible. Will's tendency toward medicine (and also described sexiness) made me think Gaia would more likely stir his heart. I get it that Peter is more impetuous, but their spark was too quick and unexplained for me really.

Going Back to the Enclave / Where the Heck is Everybody Else? Ok, (SPOILER ALE....oh, heck, the review has spoilers, all right?) so they are headed back to the Enclave, which O'Brien explains by saying that there is no place else that they know of to go...and like many dystopians I have a burning question. Where the Heck is Everybody Else? There are only groups numbering in the thousands left? Really? I proposed an apocalypse that wiped out over 99 percent of people and there are still a LOT left when you start with 7 billion. So anyhoo, being the sci-fi geek that I am, I'd just like to know why the Enclave and Sylum are the only places left. But maybe I just have to wait for book three for that...

Oh and by the way, I wanted to hate the matriarchal society, mostly because I often find them to rest on fallacies about women, such as, we are inherently better people than men. But I liked O'Brien's Sylum. I thought it was interesting, layered, and in some ways, well-explained. And in keeping with the story, it all rests on the fundamental and so far, inescapable truth, that women bear children.

In the end, I totally recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Birthmarked, Gaia, or dystopians in general. This one is detailed, and well done. I am looking forward to book three.
The second book in Caragh M. O’Brien’s Birthmarked trilogy, Prized was pretty good. Standard dystopian fare, once again, with a female as the lead character. I am seeing an increasing amount of dystopian literature that revolves around exploitation of young females. (The Selection series, The Chemical Garden series, Uglies trilogy, Matched trilogy…) While I enjoy these books, I am concerned about this growing trend, and how it will affect young girls. But, I am getting ahead of myself a little here.

When last we saw Gaia, she had escaped from the Enclave with her newborn baby sister, Maya. After two weeks of traveling across the Waste Lands, the two sisters are starving and week. A man comes upon them and takes them to his community of Sylum. (There are lots of “our” words that have been hybridized for this book). Once in the community, Gaia discovers that the women are in charge, and dying off. Gaia has to relinquish her sister to the Matrarc (told you). Gaia manages to make herself useful to the community by being a midwife, but also manages to alienate herself by being headstrong and ignoring the laws. Add to that, an old familiar face shows up, and Gaia unexpectedly finds herself in a love square.

The book is interesting; there are some good plot points in the book. But, I would have to give it just a three out of five stars, and am not sure if I will read the third. The same ground seems to be covered over and over within this genre, and I find myself liking the genre less and less. I can no longer read dystopian literature back to back, like I could when I first discovered these books. But, that’s me.