Birthmarked by Caragh O’Brien

Release Date:  March 30, 2010
Pages: 320 pages
Genre: Dystopia
Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary: After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopian world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It’s Gaia’s job to “advance” a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the night one agonized mother objects, and Gaia’s parents are arrested. Badly scarred since childhood, Gaia is a strong, resourceful loner who begins to question her society. As Gaia’s efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she herself is arrested and imprisoned.

Review: As one of my favorite books for 2010, I wanted this to be my first review.  I love dystopian stories and this one has great characters and an awesome story line. I was captivated by so many aspects of this story: Gaia as a teenaged midwife, her love interest Leon as a soldier serving the Enclave, the very establishment that enforces such harsh rules on the residents. The writing style and world the author has created keeps you from putting this book down.  The ending is a cliffhanger and I am really anxious to see where the romance in this story goes. Prized, the sequel to Birthmarked, is scheduled to be released in 2011. Can’t wait!

Content: A clean read, no profanity or innuendo to speak of.