The Revisionary

Title: The Revisionary (The Rogues, Volume 1)

Author: Kristen Hogrefe

Genre: Dystopian

Page Count: 402

Publisher: Write Integrity Press

Available: Wherever books are sold

About:

A Revisionary rewrites the rules.A Rogue breaks them.Which one is she?

Nineteen-year-old Portia Abernathy accepts her Revisionary draft to the Crystal Globe with one goal: earn a Dome seat so she can amend the satellite rules and rescue her brother. Her plan derails when Head Gage Eliab brands her as a suspect in a campus Rogue attack, and in a quest to clear her name, she questions if the vigilante Brotherhood responsible might be fighting for a cause greater than itself, a cause championed by the last civilization. But the current leaders have obscured history’s pages, and if she dares to engage the past through her training technology, they might wipe her own memory as well.Her shifting loyalties pit her against Luther Danforth, her Court Citizen ally who believes in reform, not revolution. Joining the Brotherhood makes a future with him impossible—and Portia must decide if it’s better to rewrite the rules or to break them.

Positive Elements:

A sister will do anything to find her brother; characters want to remain true to marriage vows; a character is willing to sacrifice himself to save another; the importance of thinking for yourself and not taking society’s word for everything is shown.

Negative Elements:

None.

Spiritual Elements:

Symbols in the Bible are alluded to; evolution is referenced to multiple times by antagonists; the Mayflower Compact is read; a Bible verse is referenced; the characters are taught they are gods; a character claims there is no God; the Codex is negative toward faith and Christianity.

Violence:

Dissension is forcibly dealt with; there is mention of the aftereffects of wars; minor characters die; a character is thrown and injured; characters are forcibly drugged; characters are brainwashed; characters are injured and beaten; characters are injured in an ambush; a character is slapped; it is mentioned someone is interrogated to death; it is revealed satellites are really death camps; a character is attacked; a character harms others to defend herself.

Other:

The dangers of socialism are shown; minor characters drink.

Rating:

5 Stars.

Conclusion:

I’ve seen one dystopian movie and have never been particularly interested in the genre, but after looking at the reviews for The Revisionary, I decided to give this book a try. The Revisionary is the first dystopian book I’ve read, and wow, does it set the bar high for other books in the genre. Five stars is not a high enough rating. The plot is incredible, the characters relatable, and the settings chilling.

My favorite character is Gath, and my least favorite character is Professor Mortimer. As much as I despise Felix and the horrible higher-ups, Professor Mortimer is, in my opinion, the bad guy of bad guys in this book. He is cruel, squashes those who do not conform with perfection, has no issue harming and setting traps for his students, and I imagine him looking like Grand Moff Tarken from Star Wars.

The Revisionary is a powerful, thrilling read. Whatever your opinion of the dystopian genre, this is a book you have to add to your TBR list.

Congratulations, Kristen. You’ve won this picky, finicky reader over to the dystopian genre.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.