Title: Reckoning (Silver Blackthorn #1)
Author: Kerry Wilkinson
Genre: Science-Fiction, Dystopian, Young Adult
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 3,5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
One girl. One chance. One destiny.
In the village of Martindale, hundreds of miles north of the new English capital of Windsor, sixteen-year-old Silver Blackthorne takes the Reckoning. This coming-of- age test not only decides her place in society – Elite, Member, Inter or Trog – but also determines that Silver is to become an Offering for King Victor.But these are uncertain times and no one really knows what happens to the teenagers who disappear into Windsor Castle. Is being an Offering the privilege everyone assumes it to be, or do the walls of the castle have something to hide? Trapped in a maze of ancient corridors, Silver finds herself in a warped world of suspicion where it is difficult to know who to trust and who to fear. The one thing Silver does know is that she must find a way out . . . The heart-stopping first book in a new trilogy by UK author Kerry Wilkinson, Reckoning is the story of one girl’s determination to escape the whims of a cruel king, and what she must do to survive against all odds.
In Reckoning, Silver Blackthorn, our main character, lives in Martindale, a small village hundreds of miles north of Windows, the new English capital. At age sixteen, Silver takes the Reckoning, a coming-of-age test to decide her place in society. In these uncertain times, no one really knows what happens to the teenagers who disappear into Windsor castle. As soon as Silver sets foot inside, she becomes trapped in a world of suspicion and fear, unable to choose who to trust, or who to fear.
Silver, like most girls in dystopian literature, is a free spirit. She doesn’t think the way the rest of society does, and she’s not too fond of how society decides things for her. Her best friend is named Colt – I love that name – and she constantly pushes the line of what she can and can’t do. When she gets sent inside Windsor castle along with the other Offerings, she learns the real mening of freedom and choice. She goes through a lot of character development throughout the book, and I loved reading her journey.
Reckoning was a decent read, but it felt like a mix of Divergent and The Selection. It didn’t have a lot of originality. I didn’t mind that much that the setting didn’t sound original, but I had hoped the plot would offer more originality. The writing was simplistic, and there’s no lyrical prose to speak of. The book has potential though, and it’s definitely a fun read, and a good start to a series I hope offers more originality in its sequel.
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