(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).
(This review may contain spoilers).
I actually originally read this book when I was at school. I remember it having quite a different cover, but when I started reading this book again, I found myself remembering a lot of the storyline.
The idea behind this book was a pretty unique one. It was the first book I ever read that was about a dystopian society and it was also a book that stayed with me for quite a long time.
I really liked Jonas as a character, although I felt his evolution wasn’t as strong as it could have been. It seemed very much like there was one event in particular that was the turning point, rather than that he realised the society wasn’t perfect gradually.
It was interesting to see Jonas’ relationships with the other characters and particularly with his family. The way the society differs so much from today’s society is actually a really interesting thing to see.
I think it would have been nice to see more of the other characters, particularly Asher and Fiona. Although the film had some issues, I did like the fact that it did more with the minor characters.
I also particularly liked Lily as a character. She was quite sweet and I would have liked to see more of her interactions with her brother. I also really liked Jonas’ relationship with Gabriel. The ability to give and receive memories was quite an interesting one.
It was quite interesting to see the different types of jobs there were in this society and how the family units worked. I also liked the hints of the Giver’s personal life.
The book had a bit less action than the film, but I felt it worked fairly well as a character-driven story. The ending was quite ambiguous, but I did find this book to be a really easy read. If there are other books set in this world, I would probably read them. And I’d also read other books by this author at some point in the future.
Ink of Blood 