It was free. And I'm a sucker for dystopian novels that want to send us back to some version of the Middle Ages—not because I want to go back to the Middle Ages, but because I am a medievalist, so I kinda get a kick out of seeing how modern people might deal with those constraints.

 

If the heroine, whose name already escapes me, had entered the Registry that will determine her husband, and therefore her future, with all the naive hopes of a thoroughly indoctrinated teenager, only to discover that it's a good thing to have a say in the person you marry, fine. If she had entered despite being nervous that she might suffer the same abuse that afflicted her sister, only to discover life could defeat her expectations, fine. But the idea that a carefully indoctrinated teen could suddenly develop a desire to resist—and in dialogue more appropriate to a Kardashian than to any dramatic heroine? Sorry, I'm too old for this, and I have read (or, more often, not read) too many previous renditions of this story.

 

it will probably be a big hit. People who love Divergent and its clones will probably love this one, too. Those who don't may want to pass this one by.

I didn't read the first book and knowing this was a trilogy I did worry that I would have trouble following the book. I didn't have problems at all. In fact I forgot this was the second book. There were only a couple of times when I felt as if I missed something, but even then I didn't think what I missed was a big deal for this book. I think that is because this book marks a beginning for all the characters on a new adventure. So yes, you can read this one without feeling lost.

I did like Mia's character. Willing to learn she starts out as a mouse and really starts to grow into her own person. Even when presented with what seems like an incredible offer she stops to ponder what it means for her and her new life. I liked that rather than jumping blindly into things. In fact, she becomes a pretty good strategist. I also like the secondary characters. Riley was my favorite secondary character and I hope we meet her again in the final book. I really want to know more of her story.

My biggest complaint about the book was the focus on the Registry. Yes, I do understand it is a list which promotes and controls young women in this world. However, I don't think that just taking down the Registry would accomplish taking down a whole country. There were more issues and problems and it just seemed to over simplify things. It just did't make sense to think this was solving a much bigger problem.

I give this book 3 stars. If you missed the first book, don't worry you can read this one easily out of order. I am curious to see what happens next and I'm guessing that it would be more important to read this book before reading the last. Things set up the last book too well. I'm looking forward to the trilogy's end.

This book's main issue is its characters. It did not matter what kind of situation these people were thrown into, they were like robots. I might have been able to tolerate the lack of emotion if it wasn't paired with complete stupidity. Bad decision after bad decision, Mia in particular lacks the ability to think her way through any situation. You could argue this is due to her lack of education, but there are some things that happen in this book that are just too obvious to give her the benefit of the doubt.

 

Aside from the horrible characters, there are entirely too many cliches in this book. The dialogue, the villains, and the plot are all so stereotypical and fake it makes it very hard to lose yourself in the story and believe any of it.

 

I wish I had more to say about this, or at least something positive, but it really was just not very good. If you are looking for a YA dystopian novel dealing with women's rights, look at Wither by Lauren DeStefano. It is mostly the same idea as The Registry, but the characters are much better and the plot offers additional details and side plots which make the overall book significantly more interesting.

Expected publication: February 11th 2014 by William Morrow & Company The Collection: A Registry Novel by Shannon Stoker On Sale Date: February 11, 2014, Ship Date: January 22, 2014 9780062271747, 0062271741 A William Morrow Paperback OriginalIt's a brave new world in America-a world where young women are breeders, and the prettiest go to the highest bidders. In this sequel to The Registry, Mia Morrissey has escaped to a refuge far from American soil, but the threat of the Registry still loomsMia's made it to Mexico with Carter and Andrew-but it's not the Promised Land they hoped it would be. Carter is grieving after his father's death, and Andrew is distant. When the young men are captured by rebel forces, they become reluctant recruits in the underground militia, rather than be deported to certain death. Grant, the "husband" back home who bought Mia to be his lawfully wedded his wife, has been instructed to stand down by the Registry. But he nonetheless persists in his pursuit, and approaches Carter with a deal to swap his father, presumed dead, for Mia. Before Carter can act on this proposal, Mia is able to orchestrate their escape from the militia. The three of them disappear into Guatemala, where they join a group of American refugees. There Mia finally meets her covert ally "S," the young woman who helped her escape the Registry and another runaway-Frank and Al's daughter, Steffy. When Mia confesses her role in Andrew's and Steffy's fathers capture, they're appalled. Driven by the need to redeem herself, Mia vows to go back-and destroy the Registry.

The best dystopian novels are those that are possible. They involve governments and situations that are eerily similar to our current governments or society. The paths to these future societies are scary in the close link between real life now and the fictional future. World wars, environmental catastrophes, an ever-expanding government involvement, and the shrinking of civil rights in the name of protecting citizens – these all have roots in current headlines, and the belief that such a malignant environment could actually occur in our future creates much of the tension that exists in such novels. Sadly, these important roots in current events is sadly lacking in Shannon Stoker’s The Registry.

To buy into Mia’s plight, one must understand how the United States could go from fighting for civil liberties and rights of all to one in which women are nothing more than slaves, how world wars can create a male-dominated society, and how education can go from being one of our top priorities to becoming the least admired trait possible. The path from now to the future America is too murky to clearly understand the transformation. In other words, Mia’s America is so far removed from our current society that it becomes almost impossible to imagine occurring.

Not only that but it is difficult to fathom a society in which women make up a majority of the population handing over all rights and privileges to men. While the idea that the need for a strong army as the impetus for the government’s transition to this male-dominated society makes a modicum of sense, it quickly loses its realism in light of the sheer number of women currently serving in our military. When one expands this idea to company executives, government employees, educators, and every other inroad women have made into positions of power throughout the country, Mia’s world makes no sense. It is so unrealistic as to be almost laughable.

There is also the issue of the story, which is too predictable and the characters, which are caricatures. The plot tries too hard to be intense, especially given how trite it is. There is nothing about the story which is shocking, or even surprising. In fact, much like Mia, there is superficiality to the plot which only heightens the predictability. The dialogue is stilted, and the establishment of the setting is nonexistent, and there is a focus on physical appearances that is somewhat disturbing. Making things worse are the archetypical characters, which fit every major literary role that has ever existed. Mia is quite literally the helpless damsel in distress. Grant is evil incarnate, while her father the greedy, weak authority figure who does nothing to prevent Mia’s plight. Andrew is the love interest, and Whitney is the sidekick who also functions as the mirror by which Mia can measure her changing opinions and increasing strength. There is nothing unique about them, and like the plot, behave exactly as a reader would expect them to behave given generic descriptions.

Given this rather poor palette to use as her performance, Kate Reinders’ performance could either be sheer brilliance or as lackluster as the material she has to narrate. Unfortunately, her performance falls into the latter category. Yes, the material is mediocre, and that does contribute to a lot of one’s discomfort while listening. Ms. Reinders adds to that discomfort by infusing her words with an air of danger and excitement that the words just do not warrant. Every sentence is important, dramatic, and incredibly urgent, making it feel as if each sentence ends with an exclamation point rather than the more mundane period. It is a performance that is both annoying and laughable given her earnestness but surprisingly fitting given how bad the entire story is. One has to give Ms. Reinders credit however for making this train wreck of a novel amusing, even if that was not her intention.

The Registry suffers from a lack of depth. In spite of all its faults, the premise is an intriguing one, and a reader could forgive the existence of the archetypes had the story been better plotted and less contrived. A better connection, with more realistic explanations, between our current society and the future America would be a 100 percent improvement, just as multi-dimensional characters would help capture a reader’s interest and sympathy. The story as it stands now is just too improbable to create that innate tension which should occur in a good dystopian set-up, and the characters are too hackneyed to generate any sympathy.