The Essence Book Review

 Author: Kimberly Derting. Release date: 2013. Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books. ISBN: 9781442445598.

Annotation: Now the queen of Ludania, Charlie is coping with her newfound rule over her troubled kingdom where her demolishing of the caste system isn’t as accepted as she’d hoped. To make matters worse, Sabara’s essence which, unbeknownst to anyone else, was transferred when the evil queen was killed is lurking deep inside Charlie, threatening to take control at any moment.

Personal thoughts: I seem to keep being disappointed by sequels to novels that I really loved and, unfortunately, The Essence is yet another sophomore slump for me. The Pledge was a really interesting and entertaining story, with the language-based caste system, Charlie uncovering her role as heir to the throne of Ludania and her relationship with Max. In The Essence, Charlie is now a bit of a brat, whining constantly about all of the issues she has to deal with as queen. The plot is also slow and never seems to pick up a lot of speed at any point in the novel. I hope that the author can turn the series around with an excellent third novel, but I’m sorry to say that my hopes aren’t very high.    

Plot summary: Now that she is settling into her newfound role as the queen of Ludania, Charlie is struggling to cope with unrest in her troubled kingdom. The caste system that used to strictly divide the country by language has been abolished, and Charlie, Max and Brooklynn are trying to ensure that the transition to equality goes smoothly. Unfortunately, not everyone in Ludania is thrilled about what Charlie has done. Threats against the queen are uncovered on a daily basis, making Charlie fear for the safety of her family, especially her younger sister, Angelina. Charlie’s biggest threat, however, is not something outside the castle walls, but lives deep inside of her: the essence of the evil queen Sabara, the one Charlie supposedly killed to become queen, is trapped in Charlie and wants nothing more than to get out. The longer Sabara’s spirit lives within Charlie, the more their thoughts and memories become linked, and Charlie soon realizes that there is much she didn’t know about the former queen of Ludania. What do the dreams of Sabara’s previous lives mean? Why does Charlie find herself drawn to a mysterious strange, Niko Bartolo, from a neighboring kingdom? Can Charlie keep the presence of Sabara’s essence within her a secret from the people she loves?

Review: Following the popular first installment in The Pledge trilogy, veteran author Kimberly Derting continues her latest series with The Essence. Beginning shortly after the events of the previous novel, Charlie, the vendor’s daughter turned queen of the kingdom of Ludania, finds herself in a series of increasingly dangerous situations. Her people aren’t as crazy about her as she’d hoped they be, it seems like someone is trying very hard to kill her, she’s not that into being treated like royalty, and the spirit of the evil queen Sabara, who also happens to be her boyfriend’s grandmother, is living inside of her. A lot of Charlie’s spunk that was present in the first novel is absent in the wake of all of these challenges, turning her from a likable leading lady to a bit of a whiner. Things go from bad to worse when Charlie is sent to a summit where the queens of neighboring kingdoms meet to discuss official business and try to out shine one another. Charlie doesn’t know the etiquette that the other queens have had years to learn, plus her trip is especially rocky considering that someone really wants her dead. Much of what was enjoyable about the first novel, the dystopian nature of Ludania, the caste system, Charlie’s budding romance with Max, is completely absent in the sequel. While The Essence isn’t necessarily a poorly written or “bad” story, it’s drastically different from its predecessor, making it unclear if fans of The Pledge will like it. For readers who don’t mind the story veering off from a mix of adventure and dystopia into full on fantasy territory, The Essence will prove to be an entertaining read. For those who aren’t into battles, commanders, armies, and dead queens, however, the likelihood of enjoying the novel enough to pick up the third and final installment is slim.

Genre:  Fantasy

Reading level: Grade 8+

Similar titles: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting, Chemical Garden trilogy by Lauren DeStefano, Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth, Cinder trilogy by Marissa Meyer.

Themes:  Royalty, war, queens, magic, danger, assassins.

Awards/Reviews:  Positive review from Kirkus.

Series Information: Second installment in The Pledge trilogy. First installment, The Pledge, released in 2012. Third installment announced, but no release date yet.  

Discussion questions:

-         How has Charlie changed since assuming her new role as Queen of Ludania? How have Brookylnn and Aron changed?

-         How would you explain the relationship between Charlie and Sabara’s “essence”?

-        Why is Charlie so drawn to Niko? How does this attraction threaten her relationship with Max?

-        Why do you think some people in Ludania are not in favor of Charlie’s “New Equality”? Do you think social or political change is hard for people to accept in the real world?

-        Why was it so important to Avonlea when Charlie gave her a name?

-         Which of the queens at the summit did you like the most? The least?

-          What would you like to see happen in the third installment of this trilogy?

The Pledge Book Review

 Author: Kimberly Derting. Release date: 2011. Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry Books. ISBN: 1442422017

Annotation: In the country of Ludania, citizens are divided into classes separated by language, each forbidden to speak to each other in anything but the common language, Englaise. Seveteen-year-old Charlaina “Charlie” Hart has always been able to understand all the languages, something she has had to keep hidden. After she unwittingly becomes involved in the rebellion against Queen Sabara, however, her secret might be the key to ending the cruel oppression of the people of Ludania.

Personal thoughts: I had heard many good things about The Pledge, and, after reading it in the span of a few hours, I now understand the hype! I was surprised by how engrossing the novel was, especially because it wasn’t particularly lengthy. I think the author really knows what she’s doing, and managed to create something thoroughly interesting but also succinct enough to be entertaining for even the most reluctant teen readers. I also think that the concepts in the novel make for a great jumping off point for a classroom discussion about class warfare or oppression in our current society. Overall, a very thought-provoking read that is difficult to put down. I’m really looking forward to continuing this series when the next installment in published!

Plot summary: In the distant future, the world is divided into countries that tenuously coexist. Each is ruled by a queen who oversees their country with an iron fist. The country of Ludania is home to seventeen-year-old Charlaina “Charlie” Hart and is governed by the fearsome Queen Sabara. For centuries, Ludania’s citizens have been divided into four classes: the Counsel class, the Vendor class, the Serving class, and the outcasts. Classes are differentiated by the language they speak, each class having its own language that the other classes are unable to understand. Englaise, the universal language, is the only way for members of different classes to communicate lawfully: if someone from a higher class is speaking in their native tongue, members of the lower classes are forbidden to even make eye contact until they are spoken to in Englaise. For Charlie, life as a member of the Vendor class is fairly mundane: she attends school every day with her best friends Brooklynn and Aron, works in her parents’ restaurant, and helps take care of her little sister, Angelina. But Charlie has a dangerous secret that she’s been keeping since she was a child: she has the ability to understand every language spoken in Ludania. If her ability was discovered by the authorities, she would be executed and her whole family would be put in danger. One night, at one of the underground clubs that Charlie and Brooklynn like to frequent, Charlie meets Max: a handsome and mysterious soldier who speaks a language Charlie has never heard before, but seems to understand. Charlie’s confusion is furthered when Max seems to know her and understand her ability. In the meantime, the threat of revolution in Ludania grows, and Charlie begins to realize that she might hold the key to the future of her country.

Review:  From the author of The Body Finder, comes this first installment in a new series for young adults that takes the always popular dystopian concept and mixes it with magic for a story that is certain to intrigue and entertain readers. The Pledge is set in the very distant future, and civilization as we know it has been replaced by a Bradbury-esque collection of countries ruled with an iron-fist by ruthless queens. The author does an excellent job of creating the world of Ludania, taking care to make sure that the history of the kingdom is clear as are the rules of language that govern its citizens. In Charlie’s school, typical situations like being made fun of by the wealthy and popular girls can turn deadly since the lower classes are not only forbidden to communicate with their higher-ups, but are not supposed to even comprehend the language they speak. Derting creates many tense situations where Charlie’s ability to understand all the languages in her kingdom puts her in mortal danger. This makes for a very suspenseful novel, and greatly adds to the reader’s enjoyment of the story. The secondary characters, such as Charlie’s friends Brooklynn and Aron, Max’s lackeys, Claude and Zafir, and the mysterious Xander, are as well developed as the plot, making for an overall engrossing book that is difficult to put down. The pacing of the story is excellent, particularly once the action really picks up in the second half of the novel. The second installment in The Pledge series, which has yet to be titled, is expected to be published in 2013.

Genre: Science-Fiction

Reading level: Grade 8+

Similar titles: Wither by Lauren DeStefano, Divergent by Veronica Roth.    

Themes:  Dystopian, class warfare, language, royalty, war, oppression, rebellion.  

Awards/Reviews:  Positive reviews from VOYA, Kirkus, Booklist and Publishers Weekly.

Series Information: First installment in The Pledge series. Second novel (not yet titled) to be published in 2013.

Discussion questions: 

-    Why do you think language was such an effective way to separate the classes in Ludania?

-    Do you think that language separates different groups from each other in our society? Why or why not? 

-     If you were Charlie, would you have helped Sydney? Why or why not?

-     Who was your favorite character in the book? Why?

-    What would you like to see happen in the second novel in this series?

-     Do you think that The Pledge would make a good movie? Why or why not?