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Poster Girl
A fallen regime. A missing child. A chance at freedom.
By the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divergent, Poster Girl is a haunting adult dystopian mystery that explores the expanding role of surveillance on society - an inescapable reality that we welcome all too easily.
WHAT'S RIGHT IS RIGHT. Sonya Kantor knows this slogan - she lived by it for most of her life. For decades, everyone in the Seattle-Portland megalopolis lived under it, as well as constant surveillance in the form of the Insight, an ocular implant that tracked every word and every action, rewarding or punishing by a rigid moral code set forth by the Delegation.
Then there was a revolution. The Delegation fell. Its most valuable members were locked in the Aperture, a prison on the outskirts of the city. And everyone else, now free from the Insight's monitoring, went on with their lives.
Sonya, former poster girl for the Delegation, has been imprisoned for ten years when an old enemy comes to her with a deal: find a missing girl who was stolen from her parents by the old regime, and earn her freedom. The path Sonya takes to find the child will lead her through an unfamiliar, crooked post-Delegation world where she finds herself digging deeper into the past - and her family's dark secrets - than she ever wanted to.
For fans of Anthony Marra and Lauren Beukes, #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth delivers a haunting dystopian mystery that explores the expanding [VR1] role of surveillance on society via one woman who benefited as a child from an oppressive regime as her eyes are opened to the abuses her family, friends, and community perpetrated.
By the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divergent, Poster Girl is a haunting adult dystopian mystery that explores the expanding role of surveillance on society - an inescapable reality that we welcome all too easily.
WHAT'S RIGHT IS RIGHT. Sonya Kantor knows this slogan - she lived by it for most of her life. For decades, everyone in the Seattle-Portland megalopolis lived under it, as well as constant surveillance in the form of the Insight, an ocular implant that tracked every word and every action, rewarding or punishing by a rigid moral code set forth by the Delegation.
Then there was a revolution. The Delegation fell. Its most valuable members were locked in the Aperture, a prison on the outskirts of the city. And everyone else, now free from the Insight's monitoring, went on with their lives.
Sonya, former poster girl for the Delegation, has been imprisoned for ten years when an old enemy comes to her with a deal: find a missing girl who was stolen from her parents by the old regime, and earn her freedom. The path Sonya takes to find the child will lead her through an unfamiliar, crooked post-Delegation world where she finds herself digging deeper into the past - and her family's dark secrets - than she ever wanted to.
For fans of Anthony Marra and Lauren Beukes, #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth delivers a haunting dystopian mystery that explores the expanding [VR1] role of surveillance on society via one woman who benefited as a child from an oppressive regime as her eyes are opened to the abuses her family, friends, and community perpetrated.
400 pages, Paperback
First published October 18, 2022
607 people are currently reading
43366 people want to read
About the author
Veronica Roth
74 books462k followersVeronica Roth is the New York Times best-selling author of When Among Crows, Arch-Conspirator, Poster Girl, Chosen Ones, the Carve the Mark series, and the Divergent series. She lives in Chicago, Illinois with her husband and dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,863 reviews
December 17, 2022
i had no idea how badly i was craving a dystopian novel until i picked this up.
and while this delivers wonderfully on that front - really cool world building, easy to follow government systems, clear cut protagonists and antagonists - i cant help but feel a little let down by how much this feels like YA, rather than for adults.
the characters are in their late twenties, but the entire atmosphere just feels made for a YA novel. not sure if thats primarily due to the writing? it feels very much like VRs narrative in ‘divergent,’ which is fine. but for being an adult sci-fi novel, i just expected something more complex than what this is.
not a bad book my any means, certainly entertaining enough. i was just hoping for something a little bit more.
thank you, william morrow, for the ARC!
↠ 3.5 stars
and while this delivers wonderfully on that front - really cool world building, easy to follow government systems, clear cut protagonists and antagonists - i cant help but feel a little let down by how much this feels like YA, rather than for adults.
the characters are in their late twenties, but the entire atmosphere just feels made for a YA novel. not sure if thats primarily due to the writing? it feels very much like VRs narrative in ‘divergent,’ which is fine. but for being an adult sci-fi novel, i just expected something more complex than what this is.
not a bad book my any means, certainly entertaining enough. i was just hoping for something a little bit more.
thank you, william morrow, for the ARC!
↠ 3.5 stars
October 10, 2022
Intriguing adult dystopian novel from the author of the Divergent series.
I was pretty captivated by this book. It felt like I was reading something familiar, although it isn't the same story.
Sonya Kantor grew up as the child of higher ranking Delegation parents, appearing on the poster to advertise the Delegation's slogan "What's Right is Right". Everyone has an Insight placed in their brain at birth, a computer system immediately accessible through the eye. Everything was rigorously evaluated and coins were given based on behavior and choices. Then the Delegation fell and Sonya's parents and sister died. Sonya is now locked in the Aperture with other insurgents (see what I did there, LOL). One day, someone Sonya knew from the past comes into the Aperture asking for Sonya's help to find a missing girl on the outside. She seizes the opportunity and gets an idea of just how much things have changed--and how much they have remained the same.
I have read a few reviews that say this book doesn't go far enough, which I agree with. Although it's marketed as an adult novel and the characters are all adults--it feels like a YA book. I think if you read it as YA and don't have too high of expectations it actually works better.
Yet...there's some deeper themes here if you look for them. There's a lot of allegory that mirrors society of today and where it's going and it's pretty hard hitting. The slippery slope of technology and giving the government control over it because it seems easier and more manageable, and the disparity of privilege between classes of people and how it isn't recognized were the most meaningful to me.
I liked the mystery and I felt like it propelled the story forward. The romance on the other hand, meh. It could have been eliminated and the book would have been unchanged.
Overall this was a fast paced, worthwhile read. If you liked Roth's other books you will likely enjoy this one if you manage your expectations.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
I was pretty captivated by this book. It felt like I was reading something familiar, although it isn't the same story.
Sonya Kantor grew up as the child of higher ranking Delegation parents, appearing on the poster to advertise the Delegation's slogan "What's Right is Right". Everyone has an Insight placed in their brain at birth, a computer system immediately accessible through the eye. Everything was rigorously evaluated and coins were given based on behavior and choices. Then the Delegation fell and Sonya's parents and sister died. Sonya is now locked in the Aperture with other insurgents (see what I did there, LOL). One day, someone Sonya knew from the past comes into the Aperture asking for Sonya's help to find a missing girl on the outside. She seizes the opportunity and gets an idea of just how much things have changed--and how much they have remained the same.
I have read a few reviews that say this book doesn't go far enough, which I agree with. Although it's marketed as an adult novel and the characters are all adults--it feels like a YA book. I think if you read it as YA and don't have too high of expectations it actually works better.
Yet...there's some deeper themes here if you look for them. There's a lot of allegory that mirrors society of today and where it's going and it's pretty hard hitting. The slippery slope of technology and giving the government control over it because it seems easier and more manageable, and the disparity of privilege between classes of people and how it isn't recognized were the most meaningful to me.
I liked the mystery and I felt like it propelled the story forward. The romance on the other hand, meh. It could have been eliminated and the book would have been unchanged.
Overall this was a fast paced, worthwhile read. If you liked Roth's other books you will likely enjoy this one if you manage your expectations.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
October 17, 2022
The thing that interests me about Poster Girl is the same thing that interested me about Roth’s last book, Chosen Ones. This book is about the aftermath of the thing you’d usually be reading about. In the case of Chosen Ones it was that we weren’t reading about teenagers saving the world, we were reading about those teenagers ten years later, what their lives looked like, how they were dealing with their trauma and notoriety, etc. In this case, we’re not reading about a resistance group overthrowing an authoritarian dystopian government, but about what that world looks like a decade later to someone who was part of that government.
Sonya Kantor was quite literally the poster girl for the Delegation, she was the face on their propaganda posters. Ten years after the Delegation’s fall she lives in a glorified prison with the rest of the sympathizers who weren’t executed for their crimes, serving a life sentence, when she’s approached by the new government with an offer of her freedom in exchange for finding a missing girl who was disappeared by the Delegation all those years ago.
Sonya went from being a loyal and resolute member of the Delegation to being in prison for a decade, so the start of the books finds her still someone who believes that her government was ultimately right and did nothing wrong, but over the course of investigating this missing girl she has to come to terms with the ways that the Delegation controlled every single aspect of a person’s life, the lives they destroyed, and how she not only participated in it but helped facilitate it.
You really spend this entire book looking at the new world - and her past - through Sonya's eyes, watching the way that the things she remembers and the things she believed her whole life begin to warp through new perspectives. It’s a look at how someone can be indoctrinated into belief without even realizing it, or how even when they do they’ll fight tooth and nail against that realization if everyone around them is telling them it’s right. The book grapples with the idea that Sonya was young, but asks the question of whether that youth can really excuse anything.
There’s also just something very unnervingly familiar about the way Veronica Roth writes this sort of dystopia that all stems from capitalist technology that watches and commodifies your every move. How easy the transition is from a handheld computer that knows all the right ads to serve you to a computer implanted in your brain to have all the wonders and knowledge of the world just a blink away, but that’s also assigning moral and capitalistic value to every aspect of your personality.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. At less than 300 pages it’s a quick and compelling read that I had a good time with. The pacing is a bit slow at times and the story is largely insular on Sonya rather than being a big overarching look at these governments - both old and new - but I think Sonya is a compelling enough character to make that work.
Poster Girl is out everywhere October 18.
Sonya Kantor was quite literally the poster girl for the Delegation, she was the face on their propaganda posters. Ten years after the Delegation’s fall she lives in a glorified prison with the rest of the sympathizers who weren’t executed for their crimes, serving a life sentence, when she’s approached by the new government with an offer of her freedom in exchange for finding a missing girl who was disappeared by the Delegation all those years ago.
Sonya went from being a loyal and resolute member of the Delegation to being in prison for a decade, so the start of the books finds her still someone who believes that her government was ultimately right and did nothing wrong, but over the course of investigating this missing girl she has to come to terms with the ways that the Delegation controlled every single aspect of a person’s life, the lives they destroyed, and how she not only participated in it but helped facilitate it.
You really spend this entire book looking at the new world - and her past - through Sonya's eyes, watching the way that the things she remembers and the things she believed her whole life begin to warp through new perspectives. It’s a look at how someone can be indoctrinated into belief without even realizing it, or how even when they do they’ll fight tooth and nail against that realization if everyone around them is telling them it’s right. The book grapples with the idea that Sonya was young, but asks the question of whether that youth can really excuse anything.
There’s also just something very unnervingly familiar about the way Veronica Roth writes this sort of dystopia that all stems from capitalist technology that watches and commodifies your every move. How easy the transition is from a handheld computer that knows all the right ads to serve you to a computer implanted in your brain to have all the wonders and knowledge of the world just a blink away, but that’s also assigning moral and capitalistic value to every aspect of your personality.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. At less than 300 pages it’s a quick and compelling read that I had a good time with. The pacing is a bit slow at times and the story is largely insular on Sonya rather than being a big overarching look at these governments - both old and new - but I think Sonya is a compelling enough character to make that work.
Poster Girl is out everywhere October 18.
December 18, 2022
Well that was underwhelming
October 17, 2022
Ever wondered what THE HUNGER GAMES might've been like if Katniss was from District two instead of twelve? Something maybe a little like this; minus the actual Hunger Games event.
Instead, it's more like Best Manners Royale because under the Delegation's regime -- which utilized eyeball implanted computers ala GoogleGlass (because people got too lazy to carry phones) that also tallied up infractions/awarded you points for good and bad behaviour -- they wanted you molded into a compliant citizen. But after the Delegation fell, those who had enforced the rules, even the children of those families, they were all locked away.
Sonya Kantor is one of those children. Worse, she was actually the literal poster girl for the institution that had ruined so many lives. Now an adult, years after having lost her family, and most of the people she loved, she's offered a chance to leave the prison she and other Delegation members/sympathizers, etc, have been locked away in; even though she's deemed just too old to qualify for the new law that has passed. But she's given a chance anyway -- help track down a young girl, a second child (illegal for most people to have) who had been "re-homed" to another family, and she will earn her freedom. Along the way, though, she has to confront a figure from her past and realities she hadn't known.
The concept of this story, which I'm actually loathe to call dystopian because some days it feels like we're on the cusp of something this scary (whereas ten years ago it wouldn't have felt that way!), was interesting.
There is some thought provoking discussion and allegory to be found in these pages but, let's break it down into elements, as a mystery I would've liked more tension. As a dystopian some extra worldbuilding would've been nice. And for the little bit of romance we get I would've liked more chemistry -- though to be honest the whole thing could've been ditched altogether.
While there is no overall satisfaction from the story, or at least I didn't feel that way, POSTER GIRL is a quick read and might just be worth your time anyway.
2.5 stars
** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
Instead, it's more like Best Manners Royale because under the Delegation's regime -- which utilized eyeball implanted computers ala GoogleGlass (because people got too lazy to carry phones) that also tallied up infractions/awarded you points for good and bad behaviour -- they wanted you molded into a compliant citizen. But after the Delegation fell, those who had enforced the rules, even the children of those families, they were all locked away.
Sonya Kantor is one of those children. Worse, she was actually the literal poster girl for the institution that had ruined so many lives. Now an adult, years after having lost her family, and most of the people she loved, she's offered a chance to leave the prison she and other Delegation members/sympathizers, etc, have been locked away in; even though she's deemed just too old to qualify for the new law that has passed. But she's given a chance anyway -- help track down a young girl, a second child (illegal for most people to have) who had been "re-homed" to another family, and she will earn her freedom. Along the way, though, she has to confront a figure from her past and realities she hadn't known.
The concept of this story, which I'm actually loathe to call dystopian because some days it feels like we're on the cusp of something this scary (whereas ten years ago it wouldn't have felt that way!), was interesting.
There is some thought provoking discussion and allegory to be found in these pages but, let's break it down into elements, as a mystery I would've liked more tension. As a dystopian some extra worldbuilding would've been nice. And for the little bit of romance we get I would've liked more chemistry -- though to be honest the whole thing could've been ditched altogether.
While there is no overall satisfaction from the story, or at least I didn't feel that way, POSTER GIRL is a quick read and might just be worth your time anyway.
2.5 stars
** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
June 26, 2022
An intelligent, raw, emotional dystopian thriller that asks deep questions about human nature, society, and freedom. With searing prose, deft world building, and a layered, propulsive plot that will keep you turning the pages, the supremely talented Veronica Roth is at the top of her game in POSTER GIRL. Don’t miss this!
November 12, 2022
Great dystopian novel that covers how everyday technologies of modern society can potentially destroy us.
I enjoyed the conflict in Sonya - even though she was faced with horrible truths about her family’s past, she struggled to help others. I would love to read more of this world!
I enjoyed the conflict in Sonya - even though she was faced with horrible truths about her family’s past, she struggled to help others. I would love to read more of this world!
October 16, 2022
We've had tons of dystopian novels coming out this past decade or so, reflecting on everything from our use of technology to the way we're destroying the planet. But Veronica Roth tried to look even further, presenting us a post-dystopian world that looks at what might come after.
Poster Girl is set after the collapse of an oppressive dystopian regime, where we meet Sonya Kantor, former poster girl for the Delegation. She grew up in a world of constant surveillance, where people had an implant called Insight put in their eye that rewarded or punished every action. But now, after the revolution, everyone is moving on with their lives, while Sonya has been imprisoned for ten years. When an old enemy comes with a deal, offering her to find a missing girl who was kidnapped by the old regime, it's her opportunity to get back her freedom, once and for all.
The influences Roth took from our world to build her dystopia were clear. None of it felt too far-fetched either, as she mainly relied on mechanics that we already integrate in our lives. That Insight tracker people got implanted might sound ludicrous to us, but we all did allow smartphones into our lives, didn't we? With enough time passed, I can see us beginning to think like Sonya does:
I also like the idea of how the Delegation, that strict former regime, gamified life to push their agenda. Do something good and you earn DesCoin, break the rules and you lose them. I saw the connection between trackers and smartwatches and all those devices that constantly keep us hooked. There were casual passages that felt like comments on our society, too – in painfully many countries period products are taxed as luxury items and not recognised as basic necessities and that's something that is no different here:
With all of that said, this felt like it only scratched the surface and that post-dystopia setting didn't work out as well as I hoped it would. We don't actually feel the threats of the Delegation, we don't witness the suffering and brainwashing. It's a lot tell and not show in that regard, which felt like a missed opportunity, because those were the bits that felt the most interesting. And even those weren't particularly new or boundary-pushing for people familiar with that genre.
I'm surprised this is marketed as an Adult novel, because it felt like it belongs in the YA section of the bookshop. Everything felt pretty watered down, the main story never quite picked up in either pace nor tension and the main character never really grew on me. While the idea of having a protagonist who is suddenly facing a world where everything she grew up to believe in is suddenly condemned as immoral and wrong had a lot of potential, I felt like the plot didn't make enough of it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allow me to read this ahead of its release!
Poster Girl is set after the collapse of an oppressive dystopian regime, where we meet Sonya Kantor, former poster girl for the Delegation. She grew up in a world of constant surveillance, where people had an implant called Insight put in their eye that rewarded or punished every action. But now, after the revolution, everyone is moving on with their lives, while Sonya has been imprisoned for ten years. When an old enemy comes with a deal, offering her to find a missing girl who was kidnapped by the old regime, it's her opportunity to get back her freedom, once and for all.
The influences Roth took from our world to build her dystopia were clear. None of it felt too far-fetched either, as she mainly relied on mechanics that we already integrate in our lives. That Insight tracker people got implanted might sound ludicrous to us, but we all did allow smartphones into our lives, didn't we? With enough time passed, I can see us beginning to think like Sonya does:
"The system seems clumsy to her now – why carry something in your hand when you could carry it in your head, instead? If you spend all your time holding something, caring for it, feeling its warmth – it may as well be part of your body, as integrated as an eye."
I also like the idea of how the Delegation, that strict former regime, gamified life to push their agenda. Do something good and you earn DesCoin, break the rules and you lose them. I saw the connection between trackers and smartwatches and all those devices that constantly keep us hooked. There were casual passages that felt like comments on our society, too – in painfully many countries period products are taxed as luxury items and not recognised as basic necessities and that's something that is no different here:
"Sonya's parents had argued about the tampon amount once, with her mother demanding to know why tampons were not a zero tier item when they were so necessary, and her father arguing that not everyone used them, and not everything could be zero tier, she could buy sanitary napkins instead."
With all of that said, this felt like it only scratched the surface and that post-dystopia setting didn't work out as well as I hoped it would. We don't actually feel the threats of the Delegation, we don't witness the suffering and brainwashing. It's a lot tell and not show in that regard, which felt like a missed opportunity, because those were the bits that felt the most interesting. And even those weren't particularly new or boundary-pushing for people familiar with that genre.
I'm surprised this is marketed as an Adult novel, because it felt like it belongs in the YA section of the bookshop. Everything felt pretty watered down, the main story never quite picked up in either pace nor tension and the main character never really grew on me. While the idea of having a protagonist who is suddenly facing a world where everything she grew up to believe in is suddenly condemned as immoral and wrong had a lot of potential, I felt like the plot didn't make enough of it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allow me to read this ahead of its release!
May 25, 2022
Veronica Roth knows how to write a page-turner, and this one definitely qualifies. I tore through this book, which had a vibe somewhere between 1984 and THE HUNGER GAMES. It's the story of the fall of a dystopian surveillance state from the point of view of someone who had grown up pampered by the system--only to find out that life wasn't so great for everyone else in their world.
There's a great deal of allegory going on in this book, as well, with lots of ideas that are applicable to our own world. In that respect, this is an uncomfortable read that will make you think twice about your relationship with social media.
There's a great deal of allegory going on in this book, as well, with lots of ideas that are applicable to our own world. In that respect, this is an uncomfortable read that will make you think twice about your relationship with social media.
October 30, 2022
So my husband and I are now in the middle of season 3 of The Handmaids Tale, so I feel like I am craving all things dystopian right now. We actually have a joke now after I discussed what dystopian meant with my husband- every time we are considering anything we say, “yeah, but is it dystopian?”
If you love dystopian the be sure to pick this one up! Roth puts you in this post-Delegation world and leaves you there to simmer. The children of Delegate hierarchy are housed in basically a prison- sectioned off from the rest of the world and left to their own devices. Talk about the sins of the father…but does our main character Sonya have a few of her own? Hmmmm.
There are so many nuggets of truthful observations in this one that will make you think far beyond the time you spend in this story. I was engrossed in this future world from the get go. The time frames do jump a bit- so be ready for that. The character development was great- especially for Sonya. The moments she realizes her past may not be all as she fondly remembers are heartbreaking and honest. We don’t want to see the faults in those we love. I loved this one and highly recommend!
Mini synopsis:
Sonya, former poster girl for the Delegation, has been imprisoned for ten years when an old enemy comes to her with a deal: find a missing girl who was stolen from her parents by the old regime, and earn her freedom. The path Sonya takes to find the child will lead her through an unfamiliar, crooked post-Delegation world where she finds herself digging deeper into the past—and her family’s dark secrets—than she ever wanted to.
If you love dystopian the be sure to pick this one up! Roth puts you in this post-Delegation world and leaves you there to simmer. The children of Delegate hierarchy are housed in basically a prison- sectioned off from the rest of the world and left to their own devices. Talk about the sins of the father…but does our main character Sonya have a few of her own? Hmmmm.
There are so many nuggets of truthful observations in this one that will make you think far beyond the time you spend in this story. I was engrossed in this future world from the get go. The time frames do jump a bit- so be ready for that. The character development was great- especially for Sonya. The moments she realizes her past may not be all as she fondly remembers are heartbreaking and honest. We don’t want to see the faults in those we love. I loved this one and highly recommend!
Mini synopsis:
Sonya, former poster girl for the Delegation, has been imprisoned for ten years when an old enemy comes to her with a deal: find a missing girl who was stolen from her parents by the old regime, and earn her freedom. The path Sonya takes to find the child will lead her through an unfamiliar, crooked post-Delegation world where she finds herself digging deeper into the past—and her family’s dark secrets—than she ever wanted to.
December 2, 2023
Lo dejo a la mitad. Hasta ahora me ha gustado el planteamiento, pero la trama se ha vuelto inconexa e incoherente, para mi gusto.
October 28, 2022
I got 75 pages into this book before giving up. I wanted to love it, but Lord have mercy this book was dull. Maybe it picks up on page 76 and I just missed the story of a lifetime, but the first 75 pages were painful. Literally nothing happened, and I felt nothing for the characters. If Sonya had blown up on page 74, I wouldn't have felt anything.
August 11, 2022
Wow. This was… uncomfortably thought-provoking. When the story begs the question of whether this is dystopian or present day you have to ask yourself just how wrong we’ve gone? “What’s right is right”, but what’s wrong is us.
November 28, 2024
I haven't read a quality dystopian novel (that's not a classic) in a good while. Leave it to Veronica Roth to write another interesting future! Was endlessly fascinated by the setup, the fallout of a change in power, the technology, and the mystery at the center of Poster Girl. Something about the ending didn't fully satisfy me, but maybe that's the point. Really enjoying Veronica Roth's adult fiction!
January 15, 2024
Eine solide Dystopie. Besonders gefallen hat mir die getragene, eher melancholische Erzählstimme und die Charakterentwicklung der Hauptprotagonistin, hinter der die Geschichte fast schon zurücktritt.
November 6, 2022
There were a few concepts I really liked. First is the main character, Sonya. In most dystopian plots the main protagonist has to fight against an oppressive regime but this time round the uprising has already happened and the leaders of the Delegation and their children have been given a lifelong banishment to the Aperture, effectively a big prison.
Secondly, I liked the way the social credit system was explained. Its very similar to what is currently being tested in certain parts of the world so it feels a little on the nose.
In essence your phone (or in this case your ocular implant) keeps track of you daily decisions and reward or punish you in the form of digital currency. Help an old lady cross the road (get 10 DesCoin). Speak too loudly (lose 3 DesCoin), pick up trash (get 15 DesCoin) and more importantly, criticize government (lose 100 DesCoin). It basically gamifies perceived good behavior. And this of course gets determined by Government.
The story itself is fine, but it was rather less exciting than I expected from the author of the Divergent series.
”Sonya, former poster girl for the Delegation, has been imprisoned for ten years when an old enemy comes to her with a deal: find a missing girl who was stolen from her parents by the old regime, and earn her freedom.”
Secondly, I liked the way the social credit system was explained. Its very similar to what is currently being tested in certain parts of the world so it feels a little on the nose.
In essence your phone (or in this case your ocular implant) keeps track of you daily decisions and reward or punish you in the form of digital currency. Help an old lady cross the road (get 10 DesCoin). Speak too loudly (lose 3 DesCoin), pick up trash (get 15 DesCoin) and more importantly, criticize government (lose 100 DesCoin). It basically gamifies perceived good behavior. And this of course gets determined by Government.
The story itself is fine, but it was rather less exciting than I expected from the author of the Divergent series.
”Sonya, former poster girl for the Delegation, has been imprisoned for ten years when an old enemy comes to her with a deal: find a missing girl who was stolen from her parents by the old regime, and earn her freedom.”
February 19, 2023
Review coming soon.
April 3, 2023
Vai in un posto dove non ti conosce nessuno. Scopri chi sei quando nessuno ti guarda.
4,5 - Un grande ritorno per un distopico che smuove riflessioni.
Se Veronica Roth è divenuta famosa per Divergent, trovo che questo nuovo romanzo segni una fase più evoluta del suo stile, sia per sviluppo che per spessore.
Stavolta la storia parte, in un certo senso, dalla fine.
La dittatura crudele della Delegazione è caduta da oltre un decennio. Le persone, i giovani, hanno lottato e sono morti per la libertà, ma hanno vinto. E i superstiti del vecchio regime, coloro che non sono stati giustiziati, si ritrovano confinati a languire in un carcere-cittadella: quattro condomini di tristezza, tra mura e guardie, dove la vita si trascina, sterile e senza futuro, barattando spazzatura e rubandosi i pochi averi a vicenda.
Ma Sonya vive proprio lì; apparteneva all'élite abbattuta, una figlia modello scelta come emblema: la ragazza-poster, il volto pulito dell'oppressione.
Lei stava dalla parte dei "cattivi", credeva nel sistema delle regole ferree, accettava il sistema degli Impianti che compensava e puniva in modo automatico, tracciando ogni comportamento e pensiero.
Ma è anche la più giovane all'interno dell'Apertura, 27 anni privi di speranza, finché il nuovo Triumvirato le propone una missione per cercare il riscatto.
Sarà l'unica chance per uscire di nuovo. Ma il mondo di fuori, forse, non è così radioso e libero come ci si potrebbe aspettare.
Davvero molto bello.
Il pericolo è un Grande Fratello che veglia senza limiti, il controllo governativo della coscienza, il relativismo dell'etica. E, ancora, la manipolazione dei dati e la loro archiviazione in cloud infiniti: tematiche più che mai attuali, inserite in una cornice di dolore e rimpianto, verità e accettazione.
Il male resta sempre banale, anche se si annida tra coloro che amiamo.
Era un gioco che assegnava un valore morale anche alle più piccole scelte della vita.
4,5 - Un grande ritorno per un distopico che smuove riflessioni.
Se Veronica Roth è divenuta famosa per Divergent, trovo che questo nuovo romanzo segni una fase più evoluta del suo stile, sia per sviluppo che per spessore.
Stavolta la storia parte, in un certo senso, dalla fine.
La dittatura crudele della Delegazione è caduta da oltre un decennio. Le persone, i giovani, hanno lottato e sono morti per la libertà, ma hanno vinto. E i superstiti del vecchio regime, coloro che non sono stati giustiziati, si ritrovano confinati a languire in un carcere-cittadella: quattro condomini di tristezza, tra mura e guardie, dove la vita si trascina, sterile e senza futuro, barattando spazzatura e rubandosi i pochi averi a vicenda.
Ma Sonya vive proprio lì; apparteneva all'élite abbattuta, una figlia modello scelta come emblema: la ragazza-poster, il volto pulito dell'oppressione.
Lei stava dalla parte dei "cattivi", credeva nel sistema delle regole ferree, accettava il sistema degli Impianti che compensava e puniva in modo automatico, tracciando ogni comportamento e pensiero.
Ma è anche la più giovane all'interno dell'Apertura, 27 anni privi di speranza, finché il nuovo Triumvirato le propone una missione per cercare il riscatto.
Sarà l'unica chance per uscire di nuovo. Ma il mondo di fuori, forse, non è così radioso e libero come ci si potrebbe aspettare.
Davvero molto bello.
Il pericolo è un Grande Fratello che veglia senza limiti, il controllo governativo della coscienza, il relativismo dell'etica. E, ancora, la manipolazione dei dati e la loro archiviazione in cloud infiniti: tematiche più che mai attuali, inserite in una cornice di dolore e rimpianto, verità e accettazione.
Il male resta sempre banale, anche se si annida tra coloro che amiamo.
Era un gioco che assegnava un valore morale anche alle più piccole scelte della vita.
January 15, 2023
Alright, here’s my beef with this novel. It could’ve been so interesting, but it just was… so boring? Sonya was so boring. Her relationship with Alexander, also boring. The overall ensemble of characters was boring. The only interesting characters were Knox (rip), August Kantor, Naomi, Rose, and Easton, which is insubstantial considering there’s literally five million characters. I understand that having Sonya be very "blank" was probably stylistic, but even towards the end of the story her slightly more developed persona was so bland
Not to mention the plot was just overly complex to the point where it was, yet again, boring. Like did everything add up down the line? For sure. But the overall ending with Easton being a key bad guy? He was hardly relevant! It would’ve made more sense if he was Myth, not his random dad we’ve never encountered?? Also, the number of pointless characters in this plot was absurd, like who tf is Charlotte vs Renee vs Mrs. Pritchard vs John Clark? Granted, they were devices in Sonya’s story, but my god, there was no point to have ten thousand of them who barely had any impact. Also David! My god WHY SO MANY CHARACTERS. THIS ISNT WESTEROS!!!!
The concept of Descoin and assigning moral decisions could’ve been such an interesting topic if that was explored a bit more… but it wasnt. Also, loved the whole wrap up to Grace Ward’s story and how Sonya developed through that and found out her whole life was a lie. But truly, so much of this story was meaningless that it detracted from the shining moments.
*mic drop*
Not to mention the plot was just overly complex to the point where it was, yet again, boring. Like did everything add up down the line? For sure. But the overall ending with Easton being a key bad guy? He was hardly relevant! It would’ve made more sense if he was Myth, not his random dad we’ve never encountered?? Also, the number of pointless characters in this plot was absurd, like who tf is Charlotte vs Renee vs Mrs. Pritchard vs John Clark? Granted, they were devices in Sonya’s story, but my god, there was no point to have ten thousand of them who barely had any impact. Also David! My god WHY SO MANY CHARACTERS. THIS ISNT WESTEROS!!!!
The concept of Descoin and assigning moral decisions could’ve been such an interesting topic if that was explored a bit more… but it wasnt. Also, loved the whole wrap up to Grace Ward’s story and how Sonya developed through that and found out her whole life was a lie. But truly, so much of this story was meaningless that it detracted from the shining moments.
*mic drop*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2025
Veronica Roth torna al genere distopico e lo fa molto bene, siamo distanti anni luce dalla trama adolescenziale di Divergent e ai suoi protagonisti così caparbi, sprezzanti e probabilmente un pò immaturi. Ci troviamo in un mondo più adulto, cupo e disilluso, un mondo in cui – dieci anni prima – il regime dominante è stato abbattuto da una rivoluzione e i pochi superstiti delle famiglie che facevano parte dell'elitè governativa vivono rinchiusi in un quartiere cittadino, senza possibilità di uscirne, in povertà e con pochissimi rapporti con l'esterno. Il regime precedente, la Delegazione, faceva ampio uso della tecnologia, per controllare, premiare e punire i cittadini; il regime attuale, il Triumvirato, usa la tecnologia a favore dei cittadini, ma anche per tenerli a bada e controllarli; c'è poi un ulteriore movimento, quello degli Anarchici, che proclama il rifiuto della tecnologia e cerca di abbattere il regime usando tecnologie sofisticate...al di là della trama (la lunga ricerca di catarsi da parte di Sonya, una volta giovane portabandiera della Delegazione, adesso rinchiusa e privata di tutto) quello che più colpisce nel libro è l'idea che l'uso della tecnologia porti infine ad un abuso della stessa, che a sua volta porta ad uno svilimento dell'essere umano. La citazione preferita (e inquietante, se ci pensiamo bene):
"...E' questo che è la tecnologia, cara Kantor. Una concessione alla pigrizia e alla svalutazione degli sforzi dell'uomo".
***
Veronica Roth returns to the dystopian genre and she does it very well, we are light years away from the adolescent plot of Divergent and its stubborn, contemptuous and probably a little immature protagonists. We find ourselves in a more adult, gloomy and disillusioned world, a world in which - ten years earlier - the ruling regime was overthrown by a revolution and the few survivors of the previous elite families live locked up in a city neighborhood, without possibility of getting out of it, in poverty and with very few relationships with the outside world. The previous regime, the Delegation, made extensive use of technology to control, reward and punish citizens; the current regime, the Triumvirate, uses technology for the benefit of citizens, but also to keep them at bay and control them; then there is a further movement, the ne of the Anarchists, which proclaims the rejection of technology and tries to overthrow the regime using nothing less than sophisticated technologies... beyond the plot (the long search for catharsis by Sonya, once a young standard-bearer of the Delegation, now locked up and deprived of everything) what is most striking in the book is the idea that the use of technology ultimately leads to its abuse, which in turn leads to a debasement of the human being. My favorite (and disturbing, if we think about it) quote is (please, note this my translation from the italian): "...This is what technology is, dear Kantor. A concession to laziness and the devaluation of human efforts"
"...E' questo che è la tecnologia, cara Kantor. Una concessione alla pigrizia e alla svalutazione degli sforzi dell'uomo".
***
Veronica Roth returns to the dystopian genre and she does it very well, we are light years away from the adolescent plot of Divergent and its stubborn, contemptuous and probably a little immature protagonists. We find ourselves in a more adult, gloomy and disillusioned world, a world in which - ten years earlier - the ruling regime was overthrown by a revolution and the few survivors of the previous elite families live locked up in a city neighborhood, without possibility of getting out of it, in poverty and with very few relationships with the outside world. The previous regime, the Delegation, made extensive use of technology to control, reward and punish citizens; the current regime, the Triumvirate, uses technology for the benefit of citizens, but also to keep them at bay and control them; then there is a further movement, the ne of the Anarchists, which proclaims the rejection of technology and tries to overthrow the regime using nothing less than sophisticated technologies... beyond the plot (the long search for catharsis by Sonya, once a young standard-bearer of the Delegation, now locked up and deprived of everything) what is most striking in the book is the idea that the use of technology ultimately leads to its abuse, which in turn leads to a debasement of the human being. My favorite (and disturbing, if we think about it) quote is (please, note this my translation from the italian): "...This is what technology is, dear Kantor. A concession to laziness and the devaluation of human efforts"
December 2, 2022
Poster Girl is a dystopian novel with definite The Giver vibes!
Sonya Kantor was a poster child for the Delegation, a regime focused on constantly surveilling the residents of the Seattle-Portland area and rewarding or punishing them with a strict moral code.
Once the revolution took place, the members of the Delegation were placed in a prison known as the Aperture and left to their own devices.
Sonya, imprisoned now for ten years, is visited by someone from her past and offered a deal: if she can find a young girl who was stolen from her parents by the Delegation, she can earn her freedom.
This story has strong world building for a book less than 300 pages. I loved the details given, Sonya’s inner struggle, and the fact that this dystopia is built on surveillance of society - a dangerous reality readers are experiencing daily.
Sonya Kantor was a poster child for the Delegation, a regime focused on constantly surveilling the residents of the Seattle-Portland area and rewarding or punishing them with a strict moral code.
Once the revolution took place, the members of the Delegation were placed in a prison known as the Aperture and left to their own devices.
Sonya, imprisoned now for ten years, is visited by someone from her past and offered a deal: if she can find a young girl who was stolen from her parents by the Delegation, she can earn her freedom.
This story has strong world building for a book less than 300 pages. I loved the details given, Sonya’s inner struggle, and the fact that this dystopia is built on surveillance of society - a dangerous reality readers are experiencing daily.
November 27, 2022
This book was interesting, but it want my favorite. It seemed to take a weird twist that I didn’t like much.
December 14, 2022
I was captivated with the blurb as the oppressive surveillance premise reminded me much to Orwell’s 1984 and how its few earliest chapters were hauntingly written that I get too hooked sooner than I expected.
Poster Girl was narrated from Sonya’s perspective, the selected girl for the Delegation ads before the regime fell and taken by the new government of Triumvirate. Having to hold accountable for her family’s crime and sent to live in the Aperture for years—a prison apartment in the outskirts of megalopolis—Sonya gets an unexpected visit one day with a deal; to find a missing girl who was stolen from her parents by the old regime and in return, she could earn her freedom back into society. Sonya’s new adventure begins through the unfamiliar post-Delegation world to find the child never to realise it’ll get her to unravel her family’s darkest secrets and digging deeper into her traumatising past.
I love the ‘bleak’ vibe of its worldbuilding and how the author managed to craft the present-day anxieties and its sentiments (of technology, communication, political and morality) into both of her settings (during and post Delegation) to reflect and progressed her characterization and the backstory of the authoritarian premise. I fancy Sonya’s enticing dynamic, her motivation was thrilling and I like her interactions with both Alexander (somehow I love this dude even when Sonya hated him from the beginning) and Nikhil. Glad that the enemy to lover subplot was fairly explored, just nicely infused to add a little distraction to its mystery and emotionally driven narrative.
Of governmental crime and conflict, an army of analog lovers turned terrorist (interesting eerie bunch!) and an alarming exploration on behavioural journey, adulthood, and a realisation on how an extreme control could shaped a person into losing their social values and identity. The twists and turns were expected yet I love how meticulous and suspenseful it goes until the last chapter. Love the epilogue as well; think it was just perfect to wrap Sonya’s life of the afterwards.
This might be a typical dystopian plot to fans of this genre but if you rarely read one like me and want to venture into the genre, this might be a great catch to start with. 4 stars to this!
Thank you Pansing Distribution for sending me a copy to review!
Poster Girl was narrated from Sonya’s perspective, the selected girl for the Delegation ads before the regime fell and taken by the new government of Triumvirate. Having to hold accountable for her family’s crime and sent to live in the Aperture for years—a prison apartment in the outskirts of megalopolis—Sonya gets an unexpected visit one day with a deal; to find a missing girl who was stolen from her parents by the old regime and in return, she could earn her freedom back into society. Sonya’s new adventure begins through the unfamiliar post-Delegation world to find the child never to realise it’ll get her to unravel her family’s darkest secrets and digging deeper into her traumatising past.
I love the ‘bleak’ vibe of its worldbuilding and how the author managed to craft the present-day anxieties and its sentiments (of technology, communication, political and morality) into both of her settings (during and post Delegation) to reflect and progressed her characterization and the backstory of the authoritarian premise. I fancy Sonya’s enticing dynamic, her motivation was thrilling and I like her interactions with both Alexander (somehow I love this dude even when Sonya hated him from the beginning) and Nikhil. Glad that the enemy to lover subplot was fairly explored, just nicely infused to add a little distraction to its mystery and emotionally driven narrative.
Of governmental crime and conflict, an army of analog lovers turned terrorist (interesting eerie bunch!) and an alarming exploration on behavioural journey, adulthood, and a realisation on how an extreme control could shaped a person into losing their social values and identity. The twists and turns were expected yet I love how meticulous and suspenseful it goes until the last chapter. Love the epilogue as well; think it was just perfect to wrap Sonya’s life of the afterwards.
This might be a typical dystopian plot to fans of this genre but if you rarely read one like me and want to venture into the genre, this might be a great catch to start with. 4 stars to this!
Thank you Pansing Distribution for sending me a copy to review!
November 4, 2024
Sonya Kantor has always lived by the rules of The Delegation, her behaviour tracked by an ocular implant called Insight. Along with everyone else in the megalopolis, Insight rewarded those who followed the rules, and punished those who broke them, through the use of a point system. In fact, Sonya was the literal poster girl for the Delegation, her teenaged self appearing on posters throughout the region, promoting the values of the Delegation. But then, the Delegation fell and Sonya’s entire family was dead. Sonya, accused of betraying the Delegation, was sent to the Aperture, a community for those who went against the rules. After ten years of imprisonment, Sonya is offered a chance for freedom by someone she least expects, if she helps him find a young woman who has been missing for many years. Sonya reluctantly agrees, although she finds herself digging up information about the Delegation, the missing girl and her own family, that changes her perspective of who she is and the people she thought she knew.
Veronica Roth’s 2022 novel, “Poster Girl” has all of the suspenseful, thought-provoking dystopian themes that she introduced us to in her “Divergent” series. Somehow, I anticipated a different iteration of “Divergent”, but “Poster Girl” managed to be unique and provocative in its own right.
Sonya is a female protagonist with nothing to lose, which of course is where the similarities with Tris (the lead in “Divergent”) end. Sonya ventures out into the massive conglomerate of cities, which is a slightly more futuristic version of our current big cities, but it is still very obvious that Sonya is not living in a time and place we are familiar with. I loved Sonya’s neighbours, the elderly and widowed members of Building Four, and, as more of Sonya’s story is slowly revealed, I felt a connection with her and wanted her to succeed in her quest and find freedom.
This novel is relatively short, at 269 pages, and, to be honest, I expected it to be part of a series of novels (as is Roth’s way), but “Poster Girl” was able to end succinctly while still managing to check all the boxes. This is a story that had many options for prequels, sequels and even entire series, but it worked as a stand-alone and I’m glad Roth chose to end it where and how she did.
Right from the beginning, I was pulled into Sonya’s world and the suspense, intrigue and mystery kept me turning the pages. The romantic tension between Sonya and Alexander was predictable, but I loved watching it unfold all the same.
Some of Roth’s novels have been massive hits and there are some that fell flat (for me, anyway) but “Poster Girl” is one of Roth’s sleeper successes, an unexpected wallflower of a story that took me by surprise. This is the type of novel I’ve come to expect from Roth, and it has reignited my love for this author.
Veronica Roth’s 2022 novel, “Poster Girl” has all of the suspenseful, thought-provoking dystopian themes that she introduced us to in her “Divergent” series. Somehow, I anticipated a different iteration of “Divergent”, but “Poster Girl” managed to be unique and provocative in its own right.
Sonya is a female protagonist with nothing to lose, which of course is where the similarities with Tris (the lead in “Divergent”) end. Sonya ventures out into the massive conglomerate of cities, which is a slightly more futuristic version of our current big cities, but it is still very obvious that Sonya is not living in a time and place we are familiar with. I loved Sonya’s neighbours, the elderly and widowed members of Building Four, and, as more of Sonya’s story is slowly revealed, I felt a connection with her and wanted her to succeed in her quest and find freedom.
This novel is relatively short, at 269 pages, and, to be honest, I expected it to be part of a series of novels (as is Roth’s way), but “Poster Girl” was able to end succinctly while still managing to check all the boxes. This is a story that had many options for prequels, sequels and even entire series, but it worked as a stand-alone and I’m glad Roth chose to end it where and how she did.
Right from the beginning, I was pulled into Sonya’s world and the suspense, intrigue and mystery kept me turning the pages. The romantic tension between Sonya and Alexander was predictable, but I loved watching it unfold all the same.
Some of Roth’s novels have been massive hits and there are some that fell flat (for me, anyway) but “Poster Girl” is one of Roth’s sleeper successes, an unexpected wallflower of a story that took me by surprise. This is the type of novel I’ve come to expect from Roth, and it has reignited my love for this author.
October 22, 2022
The more evolved (and scary) the world gets, the more I regret reading dystopian books, because they seem less and less dystopian these days.. or are we all being shoved down a really bad path? But let’s not get into that scary thought. Poster Girl was a really great read that I read in 2 hours because I just couldn’t put it down. This book is marketed as adult but it read more on the YA side to me, but I still found it enjoyable regardless of what age it’s marketed for. If you’ve enjoy Roth’s previous works, and enjoy a good thought provoking read, then you’re bound to enjoy this one, and probably take a glimpse at our not so distant future…
Thank you so much to Hodder & Stoughton for sending me a proof of this one and having me on the blog tour.
Thank you so much to Hodder & Stoughton for sending me a proof of this one and having me on the blog tour.
May 3, 2023
☆☆☆☆.5
Una montagna russa di emozioni.
●●●
Dopo tanto tempo sono tornata al mio primo amore libroso: il genere distopico. Nonostante tutti i romance che leggo non c'è niente che mi attiri come la caduta e la distruzione di un governo futuristico corrotto in favore della libertà.
Ho adorato immensamente questo libro dalla storia, ai personaggi, al world building, alla scrittura.
Tutto il libro si intreccia intorno alla tecnologia e all'uso che le persone decidono di farne, a quanto potere e parte della loro vita decidono di darle ma non credo che riveleró altro perché vale davvero la pena scoprire la storia pagina dopo pagina. Per quanto mi riguarda, non sono mancati i colpi di scena! Leggendo ho avuto la sensazione di trovarmi davanti a un puzzle e, man mano che leggevo, ogni pezzo andava al proprio posto.
La protagonista non è tradizionale, la definirei un'anti-heroine. Per gran parte del romanzo, Sonya è un guscio che si lascia trasportare dagli eventi e non è un aspetto negativo, anzi, qui era necessario per dare forza e sostanza al world building. È un modo molto sottile di mostrare com'era il mondo prima dell'insurrezione.
La scrittura è graffiante e si accompagna bene allo stile schietto e brutale dell'autrice. La Roth non è andata tanto per il sottile, non ci sono giri di parole per rendere più appetibile questo libro per i giovani. Se c'era qualcosa da dire, l'ha detto e questo è un forte punto di forza del romanzo.
Una montagna russa di emozioni.
●●●
"Ovunque, in ogni direzione, c'è il vuoto.
Ovunque, in ogni direzione, c'è la
libertà."
Dopo tanto tempo sono tornata al mio primo amore libroso: il genere distopico. Nonostante tutti i romance che leggo non c'è niente che mi attiri come la caduta e la distruzione di un governo futuristico corrotto in favore della libertà.
Ho adorato immensamente questo libro dalla storia, ai personaggi, al world building, alla scrittura.
Tutto il libro si intreccia intorno alla tecnologia e all'uso che le persone decidono di farne, a quanto potere e parte della loro vita decidono di darle ma non credo che riveleró altro perché vale davvero la pena scoprire la storia pagina dopo pagina. Per quanto mi riguarda, non sono mancati i colpi di scena! Leggendo ho avuto la sensazione di trovarmi davanti a un puzzle e, man mano che leggevo, ogni pezzo andava al proprio posto.
La protagonista non è tradizionale, la definirei un'anti-heroine. Per gran parte del romanzo, Sonya è un guscio che si lascia trasportare dagli eventi e non è un aspetto negativo, anzi, qui era necessario per dare forza e sostanza al world building. È un modo molto sottile di mostrare com'era il mondo prima dell'insurrezione.
La scrittura è graffiante e si accompagna bene allo stile schietto e brutale dell'autrice. La Roth non è andata tanto per il sottile, non ci sono giri di parole per rendere più appetibile questo libro per i giovani. Se c'era qualcosa da dire, l'ha detto e questo è un forte punto di forza del romanzo.
"Vai in un posto dove non ti conosce nessuno. Scopri chi sei quando nessuno ti guarda."
January 1, 2023
Once again, I'm obsessed with another Veronica Roth novel!
I was really nervous about Poster Girl because 1. It's half the length of Roth's average novel and 2. I ALWAYS get nervous about standalone novels because I find it hard to say goodbye to a world and characters so soon.
With Poster Girl, the length worked! While it's on the shorter side, it really packs a punch. I think it came at a perfect time and distance from the famous dystopian fiction blow up of the early 2010s. I initially got 1984 vibes when hearing about this novel for the first time, and I can say after reading it that it gives a cross between 1984 and The Giver.
What I loved the most is how Roth wrote her protagonist once again. Like Tris from Divergent and Sloane from Chosen Ones, Sonya is a strong and flawed individual that has been through a lot. They have moments where they feel like giving up but they find determination to soldier on, and knowing the situations Veronica Roth puts them all through that is wild, but it's also damn inspiration.
Poster Girl is a new favourite from my favourite author and I'm so relieved it is!
I was really nervous about Poster Girl because 1. It's half the length of Roth's average novel and 2. I ALWAYS get nervous about standalone novels because I find it hard to say goodbye to a world and characters so soon.
With Poster Girl, the length worked! While it's on the shorter side, it really packs a punch. I think it came at a perfect time and distance from the famous dystopian fiction blow up of the early 2010s. I initially got 1984 vibes when hearing about this novel for the first time, and I can say after reading it that it gives a cross between 1984 and The Giver.
What I loved the most is how Roth wrote her protagonist once again. Like Tris from Divergent and Sloane from Chosen Ones, Sonya is a strong and flawed individual that has been through a lot. They have moments where they feel like giving up but they find determination to soldier on, and knowing the situations Veronica Roth puts them all through that is wild, but it's also damn inspiration.
Poster Girl is a new favourite from my favourite author and I'm so relieved it is!
December 29, 2022
I enjoyed Poster Girl by Veronica Roth, set in a dystopian future which involves a mystery, and a touch of romance.
Roth explores themes such as invasive surveillance, privilege, rebellion and redemption. The world created by Roth is interesting with somewhat frightening parallels to our own.
Sonya is an appealing protagonist, there is a redemptive arc to her character development that I thought was well handled.
The pacing feels a little slow, much of the tension and action is reserved for the latter half of the novel.
Though marketed for an adult audience, I felt Poster Girl read more like what I’d expect from a young adult novel, perhaps because the world and themes are similar to Roth’s popular Divergent book series.
A quick, entertaining read.
Roth explores themes such as invasive surveillance, privilege, rebellion and redemption. The world created by Roth is interesting with somewhat frightening parallels to our own.
Sonya is an appealing protagonist, there is a redemptive arc to her character development that I thought was well handled.
The pacing feels a little slow, much of the tension and action is reserved for the latter half of the novel.
Though marketed for an adult audience, I felt Poster Girl read more like what I’d expect from a young adult novel, perhaps because the world and themes are similar to Roth’s popular Divergent book series.
A quick, entertaining read.
November 30, 2022
J’ai mis un peu de temps à rentrer dedans parce que c’est assez dense et il n’y a pas beaucoup d’explications au début pour t’aider à entrer dans l’univers. C’est aussi très lent mais j’ai en revanche bien aimé l’ambiance, les questions que ça posait et le personnage de Sonya.
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