The Quick Cut: The much anticipated annual school lock-in goes awry when a small group of students hold everyone hostage in a form of eco-protest.
A Real Review:
Thank you to Inkyard Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Everyone has something they believe in, but some would put everything on the line for what they put their faith in. Where do you stand on the spectrum? Would you put everything on the line for the beliefs you hold dear? This is the case for a girl named Marisa.
The Central International School’s annual lock-in is the stuff of legends. Its the event where unexpected friendships are formed, passions developed, and long held secrets told. This year, however, all the fun comes to a halt when a girl named Marisa chains herself to the entrance of the school and locks herself in place (along with enough friends to do the same and cover each exit). The only way they will unchain themselves and let everybody go free is if their list of eco demands are met - all thiry of them. Will the sudden party turned hostage situation end well? Or will it turn into carnage instead?
The description for this book is an intriguing one and it absolutely pulled me in. The problem is in the details that come within its pages. Between the litany of characters introduced (and tracked) along with the main storyline, there are so many trouble areas that disturb me in different ways.
First off, Marisa and her "eco protest" is far more than what is described. This group of teenagers feel such a passion for the planet that they hold a group of their classmates hostage and refuse to let them out - even when they have no access to proper resources like food. And this protest doesn't last a day... it lasts a week! Anyone who holds people against their will and uses it as a method to force change (which be honest, its what happened) is a terrorist. This girl put the lives of her classmates on the line along with her own to make environmental change occur. While I can applaud the passion, this isn't the way to initiate change and with the way this story plays out, I genuinely fear that anyone of the YA age group will NOT get the right message. This book in its own way seems to applaud and approve of the methods this girl uses... and it could inspire others to get the wrong message and do this in their own way (worst case scenario).
Second, the writing style here is not conducive to a powerful and impact-filled story. This story is told in the third person, which just felt kind of creepy in a way. It would have made for a more persuading story if the chapters were told from specific character's perspectives. I did enjoy the way that the time was tracked throughout the chapters though.
A story that means to say something profound and misses the mark.
My rating: 1 out of 5