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Anomaly by Krista McGee Review

Happy Wednesday Everyone :)


I hope you're all doing well, and I thank you all for joining me today on The Preppy Book Princess.


Anyone who's been reading my blog for awhile knows that I'm usually a pretty big fan of young adult dystopian novels. For some reason they just really appeal to me, and I've read some pretty amazing ones over the last few years. However, I haven't had the privilege to read too many inspirational dystopian young adult novels. So I was really excited when I discovered Anomaly by Krista McGee a couple of years ago. I'd previously read First Date, Starring Me, and Right Where I Belong by this author, all of which I'd enjoyed, so I was definitely looking forward to diving right into Anomaly. Unfortunately it took me until now to get on with reading it, but alas, I finally did, and now I'd like to share what my thoughts were on it with all of you guys.


Anomaly by Krista McGee:



Source: Gift from my hubby

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publication Date: July 9th, 2013

Genre: Young Adult/Dystopian/Inspirational

Synopsis

Thalli has fifteen minutes and twenty-three seconds left to live. The toxic gas that will complete her annihilation is invading her bloodstream. But she is not afraid.

Thalli is different than others in The State. She feels things. She asks questions. And in the State, this is not tolerated. The Ten scientists who survived the nuclear war that destroyed the world above believe that emotion was at the core of what went wrong—and they have genetically removed it from the citizens they have since created. Thalli has kept her malformation secret from those who have monitored her for most of her life, but when she receives an ancient piece of music to record as her community’s assigned musician, she can no longer keep her emotions secreted away.

Seen as a threat to the harmony of her Pod, Thalli is taken to the Scientists for immediate annihilation. But before that can happen, Berk—her former Pod mate who is being groomed as a Scientist—steps in and persuades the Scientists to keep Thalli alive as a test subject.

The more time she spends in the Scientist’s Pod, the clearer it becomes that things are not as simple as she was programmed to believe. She hears stories of a Designer—stories that fill her mind with more questions: Who can she trust? What is this emotion called love? And what if she isn’t just an anomaly, but part of a greater design?
 


My Review:

I really applaud Krista McGee for taking the dystopian setting, and twisting it perfectly into a faith based novel about what happens when the world's population has been drastically reduced, and of those that are left, very few remember who God is. This is the world that Thalli has been born into. She's never known differently, and she's been brought up in an underground facility that believes science is the answer to everything, and showing emotions like love, sadness, or grief is a sign of weakness, and blatant indication that there's something wrong with you. Thalli has always felt she's different from the rest of her pod mates, and at first she goes to great lengths to hide this fact. However, circumstances arise where her secret is let out, and she's soon branded as an anomaly. While undergoing testing that will determine the fate of her existence, she comes into contact with an elderly gentlemen named John. At first she assumes he must be going off his rocker, as he's insistent in his beliefs about a Designer who created each and every person for a purpose, and how His greatest gift to his people was the gift of life. Suddenly everything Thalli's been taught to believe seems to be called into question, and she soon finds herself wondering if maybe John's not so crazy after all, and maybe just maybe there might be more to her life than she's been lead to believe.

Anomaly has such a unique premise and plot line, and I was really impressed with the way Krista McGee weaves her tale with such vivid descriptions, and courageous, selfless characters. In particular I loved John as a character, and the way he continues to try and share the message of God and love, despite everyone in the compound thinking he's crazy. Thalli herself was a character I found myself connecting with, as her journey to truly discover the truth about everything she's been taught, and what else might be out there really resonated with me. Berk was also a character I enjoyed reading about, as his selfless heart really made him a great addition to the story, and seeing the means he would go to just to keep Thalli safe, even at the risk of his own life, further illustrated what an amazing person he was. I loved the heart wrenching way that Krista McGee showcases what a world where love is not welcomed would be like to live in, and how it would affect everyone growing up without it. 

All in all, I really enjoyed this story, and it was definitely worth the read. The story telling was crisp, and didn't drag, the character's were well developed, and felt three dimensional, the love story was a cute addition, and I enjoyed the fact that it wasn't the primary purpose of the novel. As well, Thalli's journey to faith never felt unrealistic, and I appreciated the fact that Krista McGee illustrated to the reader the doubt and disbelief she's plagued with when she first hears about the Designer and his grand plan for his people. I definitely can't wait to continue on with this trilogy in the next weeks, and I hope the second and third books will be just as enjoyable as the first was.

Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐


Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day, and I'll see you all again on Wednesday.

This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners. 

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