Tuesday, March 8, 2011

ARC Review: BUMPED

The Book: BUMPED
The Author: Megan McCafferty
The Publisher: Balzer & Bray (an Imprint of Harper Collins)
Release Date: 04/26/2011

Summary:
In the year 2035, no one over the age of twenty is fertile.  As the world population shrinks and shrivels, more and more teenage girls are "bumping" for profit.  It's a fad began by Melody Mayflower when she famously signed a six-figured deal with a barren couple to deliver them with their very own, made to order baby.  That was when Melody was fourteen.  Since then, going Pro in the bump market is all the fad and all of Melody's friends have bumped at least once, but because the couple who signed Melody still have not made up their minds as to who Melody's sperm will be, she remains un-bumped.

Harmony is from Goodside, a church community that spreads the Word, hoping to convert as many Othersiders as possible.  When Harmony turns sixteen (the legal age of adulthood), she is finally able to unseal her adoption records...and she discovers a twin sister she never knew she had.  Now, Harmony is on a mission to find her sister and turn her from the immorality of Otherside, hopefully in time to keep Melody from bumping for profit.

My Take:
I will be honest.  It took me more than a few pages to get into this book.  First, I was a little confused as to all the technology (Only near the end did I actually begin to understand how the MiNet thing worked).  Also there was the dual POV.  Not that that was hard to follow.  It was surprisingly easy, actually. 

My problem lay in the fact that in the beginning, I couldn't find it within myself to care overmuch about either Harmony or Melody.  The two sisters are polar opposites: Melody is all about material gain and she's very selfish while Harmony is a bit too pious and preachy.  In my mind, it was as if McCafferty wanted me to be put off a little by both of them.  I mean, who wants to care about someone who only thinks 'me, me, me' or someone who is appalled at every little thing around her and sees only sinners?

Exactly my point.

But, about halfway through it, I really got involved in the story.  I began to see the cracks in Melody's facade.  It wasn't her fault she was raised as she was, constantly thinking about the money she'd make bumping.  And in Harmony, the reader sees her own doubts about her beliefs.  Once the separate girls begin to slide toward introspection about their own lives and futures, I was hooked. 

And Zen?  Well, I liked him right from the get-go and just wanted him to kiss Melody already...even if he's just worm, due to 'lack of verticality'.  Not so much Jondoe, but he definitely has promise as Harmony's love interest.

All in all, BUMPED was a decent read.  Word of caution, this story does end on a cliffhanger, which had me shouting out, "No!" on the last page.  Now, I must wait for Ms. McCafferty to come out with the sequel because even though it might have taken a little minute for the story to hook me, hook me it did.

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for the cliffhanger warning. I believe I'll wait to read this one. ;)

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  2. holy cow, woman. how do you get so many arcs?

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  3. ahh, I love reading your reviews. they always give me a good feel of what to expect and a youch of your personal experience with the book.

    I'm plannign on reading this one, hey ~ but maybe not super-mad-crazy for it :)

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