Dinitra believes the Sower who engineered her made a mistake. She only finds joy after she's drafted into the Legion to train a mutant battle dog called 12. Dinitra and 12 will help in the final battle for their home, the Weave. They’ll destroy the rebels who stand in the way of the Weave’s ultimate goal: a world without males. In a surprise attack, rebels kidnap Dinitra and 12. She learns that rebels also engineer children, but they make males, lots of them, to topple the Weave. All of her beliefs are challenged as she learns the ugly secrets the Weave has kept from most of its citizens.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review form Robin Kirk and Blue Crow Publishing. I had the honor of hosting Robin’s cover reveal a few months ago as well as interview her. I’ve been itching to get my hands on this book since then. Robin was grateful enough to send me an advanced copy and wow- guys- you are going to love this book!
While this book does have a unique world and fantastic plot, and I’ll talk about those a bit later, the true heart of this story is with it’s main character Dinitra. She starts as an interesting narrator that reminds me a lot of myself at her age, self conscious and unsure, but also restless to get out into the world. She starts out questioning a lot of things about her world, which is always interesting in a Science Fiction dystopian story, but watching her go through the journey to learn the truth about her leaders and her home while also challenging the views she had of the world and of herself, was a true joy. Her growth and development from the first page to the last was beautiful.
The world of The Weave, where Dinitra is from, and the rebel space outside of it where much of the story takes place, were also beautifully developed. The author does a great job of giving the reader information about the world, so you don’t feel lost and confused, without bogging them down with backstory and irrelevant details. This is something I struggle with in my own writing, so I was impressed by Robin’s ability to achieve this balance. I’m sure her fascination with dystopian literature and its influence of her writing helped with this, as you can see traces of some of your favorite feminist dystopian stories throughout.
The plot of this book is fast paced and filled with twists and turns that you will not see coming, even if you are familiar with this genre. I found it difficult to put this book down but also read through it fairly quickly for the length of the novel. I enjoyed seeing Dinitra’s relationship with her dog, 12, and the other characters around her, as well as piecing together clues that author left throughout the book, but, as I said before, Dinitra is truly the center of this book and the fun-filled plot, in my mind, is just the background to her development.
The Bond, Robin Kirk’s first novel, is a fun, beautiful and engaging read. Fans of The Hunger Games and Margaret Atwood, will love her interpretation of the dystopian genre. And even if you're not an avid Science Fiction or Dystopian reader, you’ll fall in love with Dinitra and her journey.