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Aptitude
“Akin to the haunting subtleties of Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Lowry's The Giver, Natalie Corbett Sampson delivers in Aptitude a richly-imagined dystopian world, which seems scarily all too plausible."— Jo Treggiari, author of Ashes, Ashes
Secrets Can Be Murder
Hessa is busy marking her students’ assignments when the Protectors arrive at her door. Naive and confused, she’s swept away by the city’s authorities and imprisoned before she can even figure out what’s happening.
But it doesn’t take long for her to piece it together once the Judicians visit her cell. Hessa is left alone with several horrific facts: A man she loves is dead. That man was not her husband. It was her fault. And she’s on trial for the crime.
Set in a dystopian future where everyone has a role to fulfill and no one is given a choice in their life’s path, Aptitude is the story of a young woman’s struggle to decide between two men — one that society chose for her, and one she’s fallen in love with.
T - Teen 13 and up: May contain violence, crude humour, suggestive themes and/or strong language.
Secrets Can Be Murder
Hessa is busy marking her students’ assignments when the Protectors arrive at her door. Naive and confused, she’s swept away by the city’s authorities and imprisoned before she can even figure out what’s happening.
But it doesn’t take long for her to piece it together once the Judicians visit her cell. Hessa is left alone with several horrific facts: A man she loves is dead. That man was not her husband. It was her fault. And she’s on trial for the crime.
Set in a dystopian future where everyone has a role to fulfill and no one is given a choice in their life’s path, Aptitude is the story of a young woman’s struggle to decide between two men — one that society chose for her, and one she’s fallen in love with.
T - Teen 13 and up: May contain violence, crude humour, suggestive themes and/or strong language.
- GenresDystopiaYoung Adult
236 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2015
5 people are currently reading
556 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 7, 2016
I loved this book. Absolutely loved it. I'm actually at a loss as to what to write in this review, because whatever I say will not do this book justice. I loved the characters, especially Hessa of course. She was so beautifully portrayed - her innocence, her self-discovery, her strength. The story fascinated me and I really appreciate and admire the imagination that was so clearly necessary to tell it. I loved the ending, well done! I can't say enough about this book and will highly recommend it to anyone who will listen. (Side note - I would love to have an incinerator... I hope that aspect of the setting comes true someday LOL)
October 12, 2015
A wonderfully told love story that explores so much more.
"There are so many different ways to love" and almost disappointing that our English language barely scratches the surface.
As a lover of words, I loved the inclusion of "words that...have no equal, in English". Sentences with unknown words still held so much power. I will read again just to look up each of those words, but for the first time I was happy to learn as Hessa did.
I read one review that mentioned they'd love to read a sequel and I couldn't agree more.
"There are so many different ways to love" and almost disappointing that our English language barely scratches the surface.
As a lover of words, I loved the inclusion of "words that...have no equal, in English". Sentences with unknown words still held so much power. I will read again just to look up each of those words, but for the first time I was happy to learn as Hessa did.
I read one review that mentioned they'd love to read a sequel and I couldn't agree more.
December 30, 2015
I am not usually a fiction reader but I loved this book. I was hooked from the first chapter. It is one of those books that
you can't put down.
You will easily love and feel for the characters' and their struggles.
I would definitely recommend this book to all my friends. I am also planning to read Natalie's other books.
Keep writing Natalie! :)
you can't put down.
You will easily love and feel for the characters' and their struggles.
I would definitely recommend this book to all my friends. I am also planning to read Natalie's other books.
Keep writing Natalie! :)
March 7, 2016
Aptitude is a book which is right up my street!
I enjoy YA fiction aimed at the older end of the genre, which this is.
What I enjoy most when picking up a new book, is being completely immersed in a setting which has been created with great imagination, an alternative reality - think 'Hunger Games' - this is the feel I had when delving into Natalie's story - an amazing, original concept accomplished to perfection.
I want to find myself completely sucked into a story. I was! It really captured my attention from cover to cover, feeling that disappointment as I was nearing the end of a fabulous story...but needing to get there to find out what happens!
The characters are the other all important feature that I look for in a book. Think 'Edward and Bella' - Natalie has nailed it with her characters; we get to know them, feel with them, despair and love with them.
I have already re-read Aptitude, and it is top of my list to recommend.
I will be eagerly watching out for this author's next work.
Brilliant book!
I enjoy YA fiction aimed at the older end of the genre, which this is.
What I enjoy most when picking up a new book, is being completely immersed in a setting which has been created with great imagination, an alternative reality - think 'Hunger Games' - this is the feel I had when delving into Natalie's story - an amazing, original concept accomplished to perfection.
I want to find myself completely sucked into a story. I was! It really captured my attention from cover to cover, feeling that disappointment as I was nearing the end of a fabulous story...but needing to get there to find out what happens!
The characters are the other all important feature that I look for in a book. Think 'Edward and Bella' - Natalie has nailed it with her characters; we get to know them, feel with them, despair and love with them.
I have already re-read Aptitude, and it is top of my list to recommend.
I will be eagerly watching out for this author's next work.
Brilliant book!
January 12, 2016
I enjoyed this book very much. I would give it another 1/2 star if I could give half stars.
Smartly written and well-paced, it was an easy book to get through, although it also contained interesting and challenging vocabulary. For that reason, and some of the themes, this didn't really feel like a "YA" book exactly - which I liked. The characters were easy to relate to and the dystopian world was scarily easy to envision.
I will be recommending this book to friends with teens, and friends who like Sci-fi dystopian lit. It also prompted an interesting coversation about Aptitudes and what we think we would "Be" in this world. Good Stuff!
Smartly written and well-paced, it was an easy book to get through, although it also contained interesting and challenging vocabulary. For that reason, and some of the themes, this didn't really feel like a "YA" book exactly - which I liked. The characters were easy to relate to and the dystopian world was scarily easy to envision.
I will be recommending this book to friends with teens, and friends who like Sci-fi dystopian lit. It also prompted an interesting coversation about Aptitudes and what we think we would "Be" in this world. Good Stuff!
March 27, 2016
Yes, I gave my own book five stars. Because I love it. If I didn't love it, it would be hard to put it out there and ask others to read it too.
My favourite part of this book is the love Aubin has, and the need Hessa develops for creativity. At great risk is the value and importance put on creativity in today's education. Science, math, sports are all celebrated and encouraged while music and art are cut. Creativity is one of our defining traits as a species and one that can be easily shared across cultures and language and time.
My favourite part of this book is the love Aubin has, and the need Hessa develops for creativity. At great risk is the value and importance put on creativity in today's education. Science, math, sports are all celebrated and encouraged while music and art are cut. Creativity is one of our defining traits as a species and one that can be easily shared across cultures and language and time.
October 26, 2015
Aptitude by Naralie Corbett Sampson is an intricate machine made up of many complicated moving parts and powered by human emotion. Sampson's ability to convey complex human emotions, without explicitly describing what is happening, leaves me in awe. In such a black and white world, the characters seem to exist in a place of grey. It's impossible to determine who was right and who was wrong or who deserves our empathy. I would love to hear Toan's perspective of this story. If there's one thing I wish this book had, it's a sequel.
December 22, 2015
I started and finished this book in a little over 24 hours - I couldn't put it down! The futuristic world and lives of Hessa, Toan and Aubin pulls you in and makes you hungry for more. The author richly describes the characters and their lives, and makes you feel as if you are part of their struggles and celebrations. If you like books in the same genre as the Hunger Games or Divergent, you will love this book- quite possibly even more. Clear your schedule, and start reading Aptitude- you'll fall in love!
March 26, 2016
Do you like a good love story? Do you love the beauty of language? Then the novel, Aptitude, is a " must read". The story of Hessa and the two men in her life is a powerful love story. You know her! You feel her emotions! They bring out your own emotions about love. The author " plays" with language and I loved how she was able to marry the beauty of language to the beauty of Hessa's relationship. You will not regret reading Aptitude.
October 14, 2015
I too, could not put this book down! I could not wait to get to the end to finally know what happens but I didn't want it to end! The character development was amazing, I loved each character, their interactions, their individual yet intertwined lives! The description of their society, where they lived and worked was so vivid I felt like I was there watching their lives play out in front of me! Aptitude is a must read....do it!
December 23, 2015
A lovely example of the genre! I am probably a bigger fan of YA dystopian fiction than is appropriate given that I am a ways out from being considered a "young adult". I loved the characters and the society that the author created was a good blend of believable and cautionary, just as it should be. Another great book by Natalie Corbett Sampson!
September 25, 2019
I was truly blown away by Aptitude. The characters read as genuine, complex, relatable, and flawed human beings, serving as conduits for the reader to experience a terrifying future dystopia. The author weaves for us a believable and lived-in world, without relying on the tired tropes of the genre, leading to exciting twists and turns, and pathways to topics not typically addressed.
I remember when I finished reading The Giver and The Handmaid's Tale, and how I immediately recognized the profound effect the stories had had on me. When I read the last pages of Aptitude, I was shocked to feel the same magnitude of emotion, knowing that I would carry this story with me my entire life. Aptitude is a must-read, 10/10, and I wish I could forget it just to read it again for the first time.
I remember when I finished reading The Giver and The Handmaid's Tale, and how I immediately recognized the profound effect the stories had had on me. When I read the last pages of Aptitude, I was shocked to feel the same magnitude of emotion, knowing that I would carry this story with me my entire life. Aptitude is a must-read, 10/10, and I wish I could forget it just to read it again for the first time.
December 30, 2016
Not my typical genre I was a bit unsure at the beginning. And it wound itself thoroughly into my day and nights as I read with curiousity and also anxiety regarding the conclusion. Until the very end I was unsure of the outcome and was cheering at different times for different people based on the character development.
And what of the loss of our creative selves and what happens when it is wakened? Clearly much can shatter in the opening of that which is unpredictable and mysterious. Well done Natalie! Loved it.
And what of the loss of our creative selves and what happens when it is wakened? Clearly much can shatter in the opening of that which is unpredictable and mysterious. Well done Natalie! Loved it.
December 7, 2015
An excellent read. A modern day love story set in the future. My feelings towards the main characters shifted throughout the book. But I won't spoil your read. A story that proves love is not perfect and there are many forms of love. And with love comes forgiveness.
December 28, 2016
I just bumped it up to 4 stars, because I think I was being too critical!
Aptitude is an ambitious novel from author Natalie Sampson, and while it is quite good (Sampson's skill with words makes this an enjoyable and easy read) I couldn't help but feel that the author missed an opportunity to build a fully fleshed out world. It is never fully clear if this Utopian/Dystopian world is as sinister as it potentially could be or if the reader is viewing an exceptional circumstance and making a mountain out of a molehill. There is quite obviously a haves/have-nots issue, but that is standard for any dystopian world. Keeping the novel almost exclusively in the first person though, prevented the reader from fully experiencing the pain and anguish that the have-nots were supposedly going through as our main character lived on the high-end of society.
Comparisons to The Giver and 1984 are appropriate and well made. But while 1984 was weighted down by the visceral fear and despair of the protagonist and in The Giver our perspective was from a young man slowly realizing his community is not as wholesome as he was led to believe... in Aptitude our perspective revolves around a mature young woman in the upper class of society who suddenly finds herself under trial. The story, split between the ominous dystopian trial of the present the innocent utopian flashbacks succeeds in the present but falls short in the past.
I enjoyed the book and give it a solid 3.5 stars, but I couldn't quite get myself to round it up. I needed Sampson to show me how bad the have-nots in that society had it. Why should I have worried about our lead character losing her status and safety...
In any case I would recommend Aptitude and think it would make a good book to look at in a classroom setting. Clean enough to pass the morality police while still posing enough ethical questions to make for good study material!
The author provided me a free copy of Aptitude through GoodReads for a fair and unbiased review.
Aptitude is an ambitious novel from author Natalie Sampson, and while it is quite good (Sampson's skill with words makes this an enjoyable and easy read) I couldn't help but feel that the author missed an opportunity to build a fully fleshed out world. It is never fully clear if this Utopian/Dystopian world is as sinister as it potentially could be or if the reader is viewing an exceptional circumstance and making a mountain out of a molehill. There is quite obviously a haves/have-nots issue, but that is standard for any dystopian world. Keeping the novel almost exclusively in the first person though, prevented the reader from fully experiencing the pain and anguish that the have-nots were supposedly going through as our main character lived on the high-end of society.
Comparisons to The Giver and 1984 are appropriate and well made. But while 1984 was weighted down by the visceral fear and despair of the protagonist and in The Giver our perspective was from a young man slowly realizing his community is not as wholesome as he was led to believe... in Aptitude our perspective revolves around a mature young woman in the upper class of society who suddenly finds herself under trial. The story, split between the ominous dystopian trial of the present the innocent utopian flashbacks succeeds in the present but falls short in the past.
I enjoyed the book and give it a solid 3.5 stars, but I couldn't quite get myself to round it up. I needed Sampson to show me how bad the have-nots in that society had it. Why should I have worried about our lead character losing her status and safety...
In any case I would recommend Aptitude and think it would make a good book to look at in a classroom setting. Clean enough to pass the morality police while still posing enough ethical questions to make for good study material!
The author provided me a free copy of Aptitude through GoodReads for a fair and unbiased review.
September 21, 2016
I loved the story and the different characters. There are so many levels of love and I felt it reading the book. I had a hard time putting this book down . Have to say one of my favourites.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews