~☆Review☆~ Meritropolis by Joel Ohman

Meritropolis by Joel Ohman
(Meritropolis, #1)
Publication date: September 8th 2014
Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult

☆¸.•¨★☆Review☆★¨•.¸☆

Following in the footsteps of other Young Adult Dystopian series, Meritropolis is the first book in a two book series (don’t worry, the second book is available). In much the same Katniss became a hero for girls everywhere, Charley is the is likely to be the same for boys, and for good reason. At seventeen Charley is facing many issues teenagers in the regular world face – uncertainty and anger toward a myopic system; and judgement from the same system and his peers for things outside his control.

The tagline on the cover compares Meritropolis to The Hunger Games and The Village, but while there are similarities, it reminded me of the 1948 short story/play The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. The premise of the play is that once a year, villagers gather and draw slips of paper from the lottery, in order to decide who will be put to death.

Meritropolis is and epic adventure full of challenges, battles, and coming of age as a boy becomes a man and a leader for the downtrodden and oppressed. It’s an engaging read and I recommend it for parents and kids like.

☆¸.•¨★☆Synopsis☆★¨•.¸☆

In Meritropolis everyone is assigned a numerical Score that decides their worth to society and whether they live or die. After a young boy is killed because of a low Score, his brother plots to take down the System.

The year is AE3, 3 years after the Event. Within the walls of Meritropolis, 50,000 inhabitants live in fear, ruled by the brutal System that assigns each citizen a merit score that dictates whether they live or die. Those with the highest scores thrive, while those with the lowest are subject to the most unforgiving punishment–to be thrust outside the city gates, thrown to the terrifying hybrid creatures that exist beyond.

But for one High Score, conforming to the System just isn’t an option. Seventeen-year-old Charley has a brother to avenge. And nothing–not even a totalitarian military or dangerous science–is going to stop him.

Where humankind has pushed nature and morals to the extreme, Charley is amongst the chosen few tasked with exploring the boundaries, forcing him to look deep into his very being to discern right from wrong. But as he and his friends learn more about the frightening forces that threaten destruction both without and within the gates, Meritropolis reveals complexities they couldn’t possibly have bargained for…

☆¸.•¨★☆About the Author☆★¨•.¸☆

Joel Ohman is the author of the Meritropolis series –“The Hunger Games meets The Village with a young Jack Reacher as a protagonist”. He lives in Tampa, FL with his wife Angela and their three kids. His writing companion is Caesar, a slightly overweight Bull Mastiff who loves to eat the tops off of strawberries.