Plot or Premise

Harper’s future in a dystopian society is all mapped out. She’s an ace developer, and she’s expecting to get picked high for a great job in the annual Bid Day selection of who gets what jobs for life. Wealth, perks, clean living. Except she doesn’t get picked for the best job; she gets picked by no one, except for the last-chance job.

What I Liked

There are lots of other series that have a similar premise — selection to a specific group of young people. Except rather than ending up in the right house via a sorting hat or in the right faction by choice or volunteering to be tribute, this one has the opposite spin. The choice goes wrong instead of right. And Harper has to deal with her new life that is very different than she expected. There are signs that things in society are not all on the up-and-up, with hints of corruption at multiple levels. Until it becomes clear that even Harper’s bid day experience was rigged.

What I Didn’t Like

Unfortunately, her romance with Eli is rather predictable and some of the antagonists seem one-dimensional. The ending raises the stakes, but a bit too much of a gap for me from earlier, just jumps up too abruptly. I’ll still read more in the series, though.

The Bottom Line

Come for the dystopia, stay for the soldiering