Review: The Declaration by Gemma Mally

BOOK INFORMATION
Title: The Declaration
Series: The Declaration #1
Author: Gemma Malley
Genre:  Young Adult, Dystopian
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Source: Brought
Published: Oct 7th 2007 by Bloomsbury

Summery: In the year 2140, it is illegal to be young. Children are all but extinct. The world is a better place. Longevity drugs are a fountain of youth. Sign the Declaration, agree not to have children and you too can live forever. Refuse, and you will live as an outcast. 

For the children born outside the law, it only gets worse – Surplus status. Not everyone thinks Longevity is a good thing, but you better be clear what side you’re on. . . . Surplus Anna is about to find out what happens when you can’t decide if you should cheat the law or cheat death

“Because no one needs to live forever. I think that sometimes you can outstay your welcome.”

Why I read this book

I bought this book as an impulse buy on Amazon one night, after reading the summary and the positive reviews I couldn't say no.

My thoughts


In the year 2140, illness, aging and even death are no longer a problem, all thanks to a little drug called longevity. Longevity has the power to keep you young forever. But it has a downside with no one
dying the world is starting to become over populated and resources are starting to run out. The government decides to act fast and creates a law which forces everyone when they hit the age of sixteen to choose to opt in or opt out of longevity.

If you choose to opt in you sign the declaration and can take longevity and live forever but are never allowed have children, and if you opt out you will grow old naturally and are not able to have children. Some people break the law and have illegal children which are called surplus, if you are found with an illegal child the parents will be sent to prison and the child will be given to a surplus hall which is kind of an orphanage for 'illegal' children.

Like all Surpluses, The main character Anna is living in a Surplus Hall being trained as a housekeeper and learning how to make amends for the selfish act her parents committed in having her. She is quietly accepting of her fate until, one day, a new inmate arrives. Anna’s life is thrown into chaos. He says things about her parents and the Outside that couldn't possibly be true . . . Or could they?

I was really intrigued with the idea of a drug that could keep you young forever and how that would affect the world. The plot line in this book was very interesting and entertaining, this book is definitely a page turner and kept me on edge wondering what was going to happen next.

Gemma Malley created a world that was so engrossing I couldn't look away for one minute. I thought her writing style was very charming and fun to read. The only bad thing about this book would be at times the characters seemed a little young, I sometimes found it a little hard to connect with them.

I grew to love the main character Anna throughout the book, at the beginning of the book she was so naive and clueless, I wanted to shake her and tell her to open her eyes. As her character grew and developed I began to like her more and more. The romance that blossomed in this book between the two main characters was very sweet. It was lovely and refreshing to read a YA book that didn't involve a love triangle as one of the main plot points.

Overall Impressions – Great

Unexpected and very unique, this book is a must read for everyone. The Declaration had me excited until the very last page and I cant wait to read the other books in the series very soon.