Title: Code Human
Author: N.J. Paige
Genre: YA Science-Fiction
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.
A few days ago, I was living the life of the privileged elite—now I may not live through the night…
In a dystopian world, far in the future, seventeen-year-old, Fenesia Thornbark, loses her home, her way of life, and most of her friends and family, all at the hands of people she once trusted. With her parents dead, Fenesia is now responsible for her younger sister’s life, as well as that of several other orphaned children they meet along the way, while trying to find the resistance group who is fighting the corrupt government. As she struggles to survive in a hostile environment that is unfamiliar to her, Fenesia is transformed into an unapologetic killer—something she had never imagined possible in her former privileged life.
In Code Human, Fenesia Thornbark is part of the Purestkind, which is strangely reminiscent of the “Ubermensch”. She’s not that happy with her position though, and she hates the way the Underkind (or “Untermensch, if you will) are treated. She’s always been a bit of a rebel, and always more friendly to the Underkind than she should, but so has her family. She questions her society, which makes her an interesting protagonist, and easy to connect with as a reader. An outsider who wants everyone to be treated equally, what’s not to like about that?
But, thanks to a rebellion, more and more Purestkind turn away from this brainwashing method, and even join the Underkind. In that, there’s a really positive message, and it’s good to read that too in dystopian YA, which tends to be more on the gloomy side.
The start is a bit slow, but once Fenesia’s family starts rebelling against the forces that be, the pacing really picks up. An enjoyable book, with likeable characters and an engaging plot.
[…] Code Human by N.J. Paige […]