ARC Review: 5 to 1 by Holly Bodger ♥

5 to 1
Holly Bodger
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (May 12, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-0385391535

Genre: Dystopian, Young Adult

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Nobles

Source: Review Copy was sent free of charge via the author Holly Bodger. Thank you Holly.

Synopsis: Part Homeless Bird and part Matched, this is a dark look at the near future told through the alternating perspectives of two teens who dare to challenge the system. In the year 2054, after decades of gender selection, India now has a ratio of five boys for every girl, making women an incredibly valuable commodity. Tired of marrying off their daughters to the highest bidder and determined to finally make marriage fair, the women who form the country of Koyanagar have instituted a series of tests so that every boy has the chance to win a wife. Sudasa, though, doesn’t want to be a wife, and Kiran, a boy forced to compete in the test to become her husband, has other plans as well. As the tests advance, Sudasa and Kiran thwart each other at every turn until they slowly realize that they just might want the same thing. This beautiful, unique novel is told from alternating points of view—Sudasa’s in verse and Kiran’s in prose—allowing readers to experience both characters’ pain and their brave struggle for hope.

• 5 to 1 is the latest dystopian novel about child marriages. Now, India has a ratio of five boys for every one girl. This makes women quite valuable. The women who formed the country of Koyanagar have created a series of tests that gives every boy a chance to win.. a wife. Kiran is a boy who is told to complete the series of tests in order to win a wife. Sudasa has no choice but to pick a boy to wed. However, they both have plans of their owns. They want the same things, it's not marriage but freedom. The tests aren't really fair though because they ask questions about the female that you probably don't even know. This is a novel about two teenagers who rise up and challenge the government and their system.

• This is one of my most highly anticipated books this year, I had previously done a WOW post on it, and the author had noticed and offered me a copy to read and review on my blog! I do love the cover of this novel, the henna covered hands look beautiful, and the black background is quite catchy. The cover is the very first thing I noticed about the novel. I do believe it does have a fantastic concept. Dystopian books are one of my favorite sub-genres, I find the concepts of each dystopian book unique but the plot can either be a hit or miss with me. The gender imbalance does currently still exist in India. With 5 to 1, I did like how the author took it from there. It does have plenty of potential to be an amazing book. I do feel quite down overall, this book was not what I expected it to be.

• There is no romance in 5 to 1, yep, it pretty much has nothing. I don't mind that much, but this book is about marriage between two people so it's surprising overall. There is way more character development which is a great thing. This is clearly a character driven book than plot driven. Kiran and Sudasa's characters are appealing, they're both strong minded and quite similar actually, there's nothing about them that I actually disliked. Although, in one scene Sudasa slaps her cousin because she is insulted, she should have kept her cool and not used violence. The novel is told from both the male and female perspective's, the lyrical writing was intriguing as well. Kiran's perspective is in prose and Sudasa's perspective is in verse.

• The author Holly Bodger emphasizes on the role of girls in this dystopian society, realistically, many cities in India prefer a male child over a female child. Some cultures still practice killing baby girls or abandoning them. This doesn't just happen in India, but also in my country Pakistan too from what I have learned. It's a unique side to see reversal roles now, women now dominating over men. Women are more prized, while men are discarded. The plot is what disappointed me the most. This novel only took place only in the first couple of days. There is no world building plot actually, it's just mainly about the tests which quite frankly depresses me, because the author had a wonderful idea and it was not executed the way it could have been. This happens to have a sequel which isn't that necessary. This could have been one justified whole novel. I do look forward to reading the sequel though, but I am not hyped about it as I was for the first book. 

Recommended for fans of The Book of Ivy, and Radiance.

Shukran for reading this! Leave your blog links in the comments & I'll be sure to check them out & drop by :) Stay in tuned pretty creatures..

“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” —Nora Ephron 

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