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silverseamonster's review against another edition
I received this Advanced Reader's Copy from NetGalley in exchanged for my unbiased review.
Veronica Roth is, of course, the best-selling author of the immensely popular Divergent series for teens, as well as Chosen Ones for adults/new adults. Here we have another title that I would best categorize as New Adult. The protagonist, Sonya, is in her 20s and this has the appeal for older teen/younger adult readers of being an exploration of government overreach.
The name of this book, Poster Girl, refers to a formative instance in Sonya’s life, in which her father (a high-ranking politico in the ruling government called the Delegation) father nominates her to be the face on a soon-to-be-ubiquitous propoganda poster with the slogan “What’s Right Is Right.” With this background knowledge, it is not surprising that this book is a noir mystery set in a society that is exchanging one dystopian government for a new questionable government. Under the old government, The Delegation, all citizens were required to install an “Insight,” in their heads. Insights had most of the functions of our current smart phones including GPS, the ability to look up facts, and, importantly, a camera. The Delegation had constant access to everything that happened in citizens lives and uses that information to reward and remove DesCoins from each citizen based on their actions. (For example, something like: Making a scene -50 DesCoin; Waiting in line without complaining, +35 DesCoin, etc.). DesCoin is the primary currency.
This is a society that we, on the outside, clearly view as dystopian. However, Sonya having been born into it, it was the only government she had ever known. So although she was still a teenager when the Triumvirate took over, she wonders about her level of complicity and guilt. Note that the Insights were installed with a needle near your eye, and the connotations of a lobotomy are probably not accidental.
When the book opens, we meet Sonya in The Aperture, a prison colony for political prisoners. Her family was ranked highly in the previous government, the Delegation, and even the children of top Delegation members were arrested and imprisoned in The Aperture under the new government, the Triumvirate. However, Sonya has been alone in The Aperture for years when the story begins and it becomes clear why her family are not with her relatively quickly. Prisoners in The Aperture still have their Insights installed, but all other citizens under the Triumvirate have their Insights removed and now use unattached devices called Elicits.
All of this detail may seem like I should issue a spoiler alert, but, in fact, this is just a book with a really well-fleshed out backstory. Poster Girl is, at its core, a hard-boiled detective story (Sonya is necessarily tough, and does not show her emotions) set in a previously-dystopian now ambiguous world. The story follows Sonya as the Triumvirate asks for her help reuniting a now-teen girl with her family. Under the Delegation, she had been removed from her family for being an illegal second child, and the Triumvirate was returning these children to their families but having trouble finding this one. To this end, they would like Sonya to investigate the whereabouts of this child, and to that end, will allow her day-pass style access to leave The Aperture. (This initially requires some suspension of disbelief, but motivations will be explained.). There is a fish-out-of-water aspect to this, which I really enjoyed. As Sonya investigates, we discover more and more about what society is currently like, and what it was like under the Delegation, and I found the ending very satisfying.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone who likes dystopian literature (looking with significances at my sister), noir literature and/or speculative fiction regarding modern society and governments. I would not recommend it for people who have trouble with speculative literature that seems a little too likely to actually happen. If you are on the fence, 100% pick it up!
Veronica Roth is, of course, the best-selling author of the immensely popular Divergent series for teens, as well as Chosen Ones for adults/new adults. Here we have another title that I would best categorize as New Adult. The protagonist, Sonya, is in her 20s and this has the appeal for older teen/younger adult readers of being an exploration of government overreach.
The name of this book, Poster Girl, refers to a formative instance in Sonya’s life, in which her father (a high-ranking politico in the ruling government called the Delegation) father nominates her to be the face on a soon-to-be-ubiquitous propoganda poster with the slogan “What’s Right Is Right.” With this background knowledge, it is not surprising that this book is a noir mystery set in a society that is exchanging one dystopian government for a new questionable government. Under the old government, The Delegation, all citizens were required to install an “Insight,” in their heads. Insights had most of the functions of our current smart phones including GPS, the ability to look up facts, and, importantly, a camera. The Delegation had constant access to everything that happened in citizens lives and uses that information to reward and remove DesCoins from each citizen based on their actions. (For example, something like: Making a scene -50 DesCoin; Waiting in line without complaining, +35 DesCoin, etc.). DesCoin is the primary currency.
This is a society that we, on the outside, clearly view as dystopian. However, Sonya having been born into it, it was the only government she had ever known. So although she was still a teenager when the Triumvirate took over, she wonders about her level of complicity and guilt. Note that the Insights were installed with a needle near your eye, and the connotations of a lobotomy are probably not accidental.
When the book opens, we meet Sonya in The Aperture, a prison colony for political prisoners. Her family was ranked highly in the previous government, the Delegation, and even the children of top Delegation members were arrested and imprisoned in The Aperture under the new government, the Triumvirate. However, Sonya has been alone in The Aperture for years when the story begins and it becomes clear why her family are not with her relatively quickly. Prisoners in The Aperture still have their Insights installed, but all other citizens under the Triumvirate have their Insights removed and now use unattached devices called Elicits.
All of this detail may seem like I should issue a spoiler alert, but, in fact, this is just a book with a really well-fleshed out backstory. Poster Girl is, at its core, a hard-boiled detective story (Sonya is necessarily tough, and does not show her emotions) set in a previously-dystopian now ambiguous world. The story follows Sonya as the Triumvirate asks for her help reuniting a now-teen girl with her family. Under the Delegation, she had been removed from her family for being an illegal second child, and the Triumvirate was returning these children to their families but having trouble finding this one. To this end, they would like Sonya to investigate the whereabouts of this child, and to that end, will allow her day-pass style access to leave The Aperture. (This initially requires some suspension of disbelief, but motivations will be explained.). There is a fish-out-of-water aspect to this, which I really enjoyed. As Sonya investigates, we discover more and more about what society is currently like, and what it was like under the Delegation, and I found the ending very satisfying.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone who likes dystopian literature (looking with significances at my sister), noir literature and/or speculative fiction regarding modern society and governments. I would not recommend it for people who have trouble with speculative literature that seems a little too likely to actually happen. If you are on the fence, 100% pick it up!
cedarmiddleton's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lets_go_jenno's review against another edition
4.0
Veronica Roth delivers an excellent dystopian novel reflecting ten years post-aftermath about an individual, Sonya Kantor, who was also the “Poster Girl” for the Delegation’s propaganda. Roth takes us along Sonya’s journey of reflection and discovery about her family and the Delegation in a fast-paced, well-detailed way that keeps the suspense throughout. I loved it.
emileec95's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I think it might have been too close to the election to read a dystopian, but this was hard to get through.
Nothing I hated, just wasn't the most engaging story. Easy to understand social structure- though the plot was predicatable.
Overall, Veronica Roth is talented and I love that she is still churning out books.
Nothing I hated, just wasn't the most engaging story. Easy to understand social structure- though the plot was predicatable.
Overall, Veronica Roth is talented and I love that she is still churning out books.
ctoakes's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting tail, and a little scary. But overall it's a fun read.
moodyserena's review against another edition
5.0
You deserve way more than an average than 3.67. It's a mystery destiopan book, with answers about boundaries over technology. And so much more. There is a smidge of romance, but it's more than just that. You need to read it.
emequalsme's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Enjoyable, quick read. At times this book can be a bit derivative. There are not a lot of new ideas here, and most of the characters we’ve seen before: the independent, stubborn young woman surviving in solitude by growing vegetables and fixing old radios; the father figure-esque neighbor who has become her constant companion in their dystopian open air prison of old project apartment buildings; the young man who was once a childhood friend that betrayed her and she now hates/has sexual tension with; the sexy, unpleasant, mysterious underground tech woman Sonya is forced to team up with despite their open hostility towards each other, etc.
The tech described in the story isn’t very far fetched, especially now that AI is becoming more mainstream. The main character, Sonya, goes through some development that is engaging and interesting enough. The “twist” about 3/4 of the way through isn’t mind blowing or earth shattering, but, still, a clever enough revelation that speaks to how our perception of our parents and upbringing as children changes as we develop a more worldly understanding in young adulthood. I would say the weakest aspect of the book is the ending — it feels super rushed, somewhat anti-climactic. There’s a weird subplot about a guerrilla group, the “Analog Army,” that is a thread through most of the first half or so, and the author attempts a sort of half tie-in to the twist at the end of the book that fizzles out and falls flat.
BUT, still a good book. Not intellectual but a fun way to spend your time when you want an easy escape into what could easily be the aftermath of the near-future.
The tech described in the story isn’t very far fetched, especially now that AI is becoming more mainstream. The main character, Sonya, goes through some development that is engaging and interesting enough. The “twist” about 3/4 of the way through isn’t mind blowing or earth shattering, but, still, a clever enough revelation that speaks to how our perception of our parents and upbringing as children changes as we develop a more worldly understanding in young adulthood. I would say the weakest aspect of the book is the ending — it feels super rushed, somewhat anti-climactic. There’s a weird subplot about a guerrilla group, the “Analog Army,” that is a thread through most of the first half or so, and the author attempts a sort of half tie-in to the twist at the end of the book that fizzles out and falls flat.
BUT, still a good book. Not intellectual but a fun way to spend your time when you want an easy escape into what could easily be the aftermath of the near-future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Suicide, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Child death, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
sara_reads_things's review against another edition
4.0
I forgot how much I love a good dystopian.
Although this book was short, there was a lot going on in the pages. The pacing was good and the characters relatable. I felt the pains of the world, as they were deeply rooted in the pains of today. A grim reminder of human nature. Veronica Roth has an amazing story here. Worth the read.
Sara | Book Confessions of an ExBallerina | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
Although this book was short, there was a lot going on in the pages. The pacing was good and the characters relatable. I felt the pains of the world, as they were deeply rooted in the pains of today. A grim reminder of human nature. Veronica Roth has an amazing story here. Worth the read.
Sara | Book Confessions of an ExBallerina | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter