Author: David Estes
Series: Slip #4
Genres: YA, Science Fiction, Dystopia
Publisher: CreateSpace
Source: Kindle Edition
Pages: 416
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SYNOPSIS: Someone must die before another can be born...
As sea levels rise and livable landmasses shrink, the Reorganized United States of America has instituted population control measures to ensure there are sufficient resources and food to sustain the growing population. Birth authorization must be paid for and obtained prior to having a child. Someone must die before another can be born, keeping the country in a population neutral position at what experts consider to be the optimal population. The new laws are enforced by a ruthless government organization known as Pop Con, responsible for terminating any children resulting from unauthorized births, and any illegals who manage to survive past their second birthday, at which point they are designated a national security threat and given the name Slip.
But what if one child slipped through the cracks? What if someone knew all the loopholes and how to exploit them? Would it change anything? Would the delicate resource balance be thrown into a tailspin, threatening the lives of everyone?
And how far would the government go to find and terminate the Slip?
In a gripping story of a family torn apart by a single choice, Slip is a reminder of the sanctity of a single life and the value of the lives we so often take for granted.
This book had been stuck on my TBR since forever really. I'm really glad I finally gave it a chance because lately I've been reading lots of Fantasy/Fiction YA books but I missed Sci-Fi so this refreshed me quite a bit. I enjoyed it so much I finished it in 4 hours.
THE WORLD: It's a dystopian world where humans have overpopulated the world. When I say world I mean USA because let's be honest, it's always USA... anyway, so USA Government, called Department of Population Control (PopCon), decides to keep the population stable by passing the Controversial Population Control decree and granting "Death Matches" which simply means you can't have a child until someone dies. Thus, the government matches your future kid with a person and when that person dies then you can have your child. Not a bad idea in theory but humans have no control so obviously it wouldn't work in a million years...
Children born illegally are called "UnBees" until they reach the age of 2. Then, they change their names to "Slips" and are considered a threat to the Government so they must be eliminated.
Children born illegally are called "UnBees" until they reach the age of 2. Then, they change their names to "Slips" and are considered a threat to the Government so they must be eliminated.
CHARACTERS: Benson Mack is our protagonist. He has a mysterious past and at one point has to leave his family behind to become another person. He becomes a Picker (basically a gang of thieves) and manages to live a relatively safe life until... BOOM! A cyborg called Domino Destovan comes in to play. The Destroyer (his nickname) works for the head of PopCon, Michael Kelly, at the beginning but some bad blood ends his contract and things start going awry and getting super complicated.
Meanwhile, there is Benson's gang: Check, Rod, Gonzo (his best friends and original gang), Lucy and her younger brother (who joined later). They're hilarious and very easy to love. I really liked his dynamics and their loyalty to each other.
LOVE: There's a bit of romance but not much. This is dystopia.
Meanwhile, there is Benson's gang: Check, Rod, Gonzo (his best friends and original gang), Lucy and her younger brother (who joined later). They're hilarious and very easy to love. I really liked his dynamics and their loyalty to each other.
LOVE: There's a bit of romance but not much. This is dystopia.
PLUS: Like I said, it was refreshing to read dystopian YA again and I enjoyed it very much. It reminded me a bit of 1984 in the world building. I didn't like 1984 at all though but I liked this one... weird. The plot is interesting, specially the second half where there are more questions than answers and it's full of action scenes.
I really liked Benson as a main character. He's a very trustworthy narrator in a sense and innocent enough. Opposite to that there is the cyborg... he's a sadist and I hate him but I would also like to know more about him, about his past.
I really liked Benson as a main character. He's a very trustworthy narrator in a sense and innocent enough. Opposite to that there is the cyborg... he's a sadist and I hate him but I would also like to know more about him, about his past.
MINUS: My only minus is that the beginning is very confusing. It's narrated in an unnamed POV of a child and you can imagine how many holes there are because children don't know anything of the adult world obviously. It makes the pacing a bit slow because of that but then it definitely makes sense so it's not a big deal.
OVERALL: 4 stars. Enjoyable read with an interesting plot and interesting characters as well. This book slipped *lol* under our radars. I should've picked it up sooner.
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What did you guys think about SLIP?
