Review: The Limit

Title: The Limit
Author: Kristen Landon
Genre: Young Adult (Middlegrades?) Dystopian
Age restriction? None
Published: September 7, 2010
Recommended for:Young readers, readers new to Dystopian, readers looking for something easy-going
Buy: The Limit @ Amazon

Good introduction to the Dystopian genre, incredible concept but lukewarm execution.

DESCRIPTION (via Goodreads): In a world not too far removed from our own, kids are being taken away to special workhouses if their families exceed the monthly debt limit imposed by the government. (...more)
 

REVIEW: A fun "quickie" to read when you're feeling a bit nostalgic for the times when you thought one administrator with delusions of grandeur who will stop at nothing, including exploiting children, was villainous and monstrous instead of... pretty damn ordinary.

Liked:

• Fast-paced and action packed.
• This is like Dystopian Lite. It's easy and fast to read and its a fantastic concept that so much more could've been done with.
• Tight writing with some moments of stunning brilliance.

Disliked:

• The plot and characters stay pretty shallow. I don't know if it's because of the target audience (middle school) but it seemed too damn shallow, never going below any surface.
• There were some plotting inconsistencies, the main of which being how did Matt's family overspend in the first place? I'm all about showing how easily one can find oneself buried in a mountain of debt without being a bad, lazy or unorganized person, but well, then that has to be actually shown.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Very young readers or readers new to the Dystopian genre, writers who are aiming at the middle school level maybe, and readers looking for a satisfying yet simple two-hour read.