The Line Review

The Line - Teri Hall
*March 4th, 2010 Dial

An invisible, uncrossable physical barrier encloses the Unified States. The Line is the part of the border that lopped off part of the country, dooming the inhabitants to an unknown fate when the enemy used a banned weapon. It’s said that bizarre creatures and superhumans live on the other side, in Away. Nobody except tough old Ms. Moore would ever live next to the Line.

Nobody but Rachel and her mother, who went to live there after Rachel’s dad died in the last war. It’s a safe, quiet life. Until Rachel finds a mysterious recorded message that can only have come from Away. The voice is asking for help.

Who sent the message? Why is her mother so protective? And to what lengths is Rachel willing to go in order to do what she thinks is right?

Teri Hall's The Line is an intriguing introduction to a new dystopian series.

At 220 pages, The Line is a pretty fast read - I was able to read it in one sitting, actually. It has an engaging concept, and it's pretty high in entertainment value. Language-wise and content-wise, it did feel as though the novel is geared towards the younger spectrum of YA.

One of the most important aspects of successful dystopian science fiction - regardless of whether it's YA or adult - is the ability to make readers think. The Line does that - quite well, I might add. It was really interesting to see the way that the society depicted here functions, how certain aspects pertain to our society. Hall managed to intersperse the information throughout the course of the book to enhance world-building, which was great to see.

I'll admit - at the beginning, I was a little wary; the story was starting out kind of slowly, there were some events where I was like, "just did what?" and there was a fair bit of telling (as opposted to showing). But if you find yourself having those same doubts when first starting out - hang in there! The story really picks up, and the intricacies of the plot start to come to light.

It's odd though; in spite of everything, The Line just has that extra little quality, that sort of charisma, that simply makes it a likeable book. More than anything, The Line feels like it's really just setting the stage for what's to come. And considering the ending it left off with? Definitely looking forward to finding out what happens next. (Away, the follow-up, will be published in 2011).

What's also super-cool is the fact that The Line has been optioned for television! It would definitely be awesome to see how they would bring the story to the screen with live-action.

All in all, Teri Hall's The Line is an entertaining and likeable quick-read.

Teri Hall | Goodreads | IndieBound | The Line Excerpt

In My Mailbox [34]

I went to the bookstore today, and it was actually a little bit painful. There were all these great books, books that I really wanted to get. But it was a guilty sort of feeling. Basically, the next month is going to be brutally busy - it's IB exam season. In fact, our English teacher has basically said that we're not supposed to be reading any books that we're not using for our exams until they're over - yeah, she said this a couple of weeks ago, actually. Well, there goes that.

In the end, I ended up getting If I Stay by Gayle Forman in paperback. This was first released sometime last year, back when I first started Lucid Conspiracy. The reviews that circulated about this book pretty much declared it to be amazing, so I've been meaning to get my hands on a copy of this. Man, this book seems to have so many cover variations!

I also received The Line by Teri Hall, which I'd almost thought wouldn't show up after all, so that was nice. Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr showed up as well, which is also exciting. I remember once upon a time, I used to like reading stories about these sorts of things, land of Faerie, magic, etc. I mean, I absolutely adored the Firebirds and Firebirds Rising anthologies (edited by Sharyn November). (Alas, I haven't gotten around to Firebirds Soaring yet.) It'll be fun to get back into that realm.

So there you have it - my week in books. Your turn now - what was in your mailbox this week?

*In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren

**Also - don't forget to enter to win a SIGNED copy of D.J. MacHale's Morpheus Road: The Light!

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

The Line - Teri Hall
Dial - March 4th, 2010

Set in the near future, THE LINE chronicles the adventures of fifteen year old Rachel Quillen. Since her father died in a war, Rachel and her mother, Vivian, have lived in relative isolation on a place called The Property. It's the home of Ms. Moore, a taciturn woman who makes her living growing orchids. She hired Rachel’s mother as a housekeeper, even though she sensed Vivian was in some sort of trouble. Ms. Moore couldn’t be too picky, for there are reasons that good help is hard to find when you live too near the Line.
The National Border Defense System is an impenetrable barrier intended to protect the Unified States from invasion. Because of an impending attack, construction of the System had to be rushed, and the last section—called the Line—was built inside the U.S. border. When it was hastily activated, it created a permanent division between those lucky enough to be on the U.S. side and those who were not. Families were ripped apart, lovers separated. The territory left unprotected became known as Away; the abandoned unfortunates who survived the enemy attack became the Others. Over the years frightening stories circulated about the Others, stories about strange abilities and evil intentions. The Line became a place to avoid.

For Rachel, the activation of the Line is just a history lesson; it happened long before she was born. Life on The Property has been good, if rather dull, and the Line is just something that has always been there. But things are about to change in ways she never imagined and suddenly the world outside The Property—a world of government control and corruption, where people without power or influence have few choices—begins to intrude.

What's not to anticipate about The Line? It's from a Tenner, it's dystopian, it's science fiction... (and okay, so I'm kind of still on that rampage.) The cover's simplicity and lighting is pretty captivating, and the synopsis sounds intriguing!

*WoW is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine

Things have been pretty hectic recently, and I've got a pretty major project pretty much hurtling towards its finish, and of course there's the last minute summer rush, but hopefully things'll slow down a bit soon and more reviews etc. will abound! I'd also like to say thanks a ton for the BBAW nomination! You guys rock :)