Release
Date: September 2, 2014
Publisher:
St. Martin’s Griffin
ISBN:
978-1250057716
e-ARC Source: Netgalley
When I first saw the cover of Feuds, I was wary; I didn’t really want to read a book about a
dancer. After the first chapter, however, I realized it wasn’t just about
ballet; in fact, Davis is a sixteen year old living in a dystopian society
where the rich, beautiful, and talented (the Priors) are segregated from the rest
of the world, known as Geneserians (or in derogative terms, Imps). My first
impulse at this point was to stop reading because I didn’t like the use of the
name Prior after reading Divergent. I
couldn’t stop picturing Tris every time Davis talked, but I tried to put that
out of my mind and focus on the world according to Avery Hastings.
Davis is one of the most talented priors alive. She
is the daughter of a mother who competed in the Olympiads, and so she has a lot
to accomplish. This is made easier for her by her genetics which were
programmed before her birth. She is designed to be faster, stronger, and better
than the Imperfects (“Imps”). All she has to do is stay focused and make it
through the PA testing (physical aptitude) where she must prove her speed, strength,
and improvisation through dance.
Cole is a Geneserian who has to fight in a cage to
make enough money to help his mother and survive. He takes a job for a lot of
money where he must get close to Davis and take a picture with her, giving the
current ruler a chance to crush Davis’s father’s contention for the upcoming
election. An Imp seen with a Prior simply won’t be looked upon with much
respect (very Romeo and Juliet, eh?). Once Cole meets Davis and realizes she is
not the bad person she’s made out to be, he instantly falls for her. Now he
must save her from her father’s campaign, the current ruler’s insistence on
ruining her image, and Narxis, a genetic virus that is killing Priors.
As a teacher, this is easily paired with R and J or can be used in a dystopian book club. I think my students would enjoy it as much as I did.
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