Monday, July 27, 2015

"Vanquished" by Katie Clark

{{This is an updated review. Originally posted July 27th, 2015, it was updated on January 10th, 2020 to the Official Rating System.}}

 About this book:

  “When Hana's mom is diagnosed with the mutation, she confesses to Hana she doesn't know what will happen if she dies. Fischer, a medic at the hospital, implies there is Someone who can help-but religion's been outlawed. Hana embarks on a dangerous journey, seeking the answers Fischer insists are available. But when the truth is uncovered, will Hana stick to what she's been taught? Or will she join the rebellion and take a stand against an oppressive society?”




Series: Book #1 in the “Enslaved” series.


Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are read, mentioned, & discussed; Many t
alks about God, Jesus, the Bible, & what happens when we die; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Hana becomes very curious in what happens after you die for her mom’s sake and looks for the answer; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading (and burning Bibles or books that deal with religion); Mentions of Heaven & Hell (and the thought that people are going to Hell because they haven’t ever heard there is a Hell);
             *Note: All religion is outlawed and it is mentioned to have caused division and wars prior to the dystopian time period of the story; Reincarnation is believed to be what happens after you die (told by the government, Hana has a hard time believing it); Meditation is required (Hana thinks it helps & mentions of it; semi-detailed); A few mentions of gods.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘shut up’, five forms of ‘dumb’, and twenty-two forms of ‘stupid’; A mention of using ‘hell’ as a curse word; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Hana sneaks out (to learn about God) & lies (to guards to protect the group); Hana’s father threatens that he’ll turn in her if she doesn’t obey the law; All about mentions of cancer (called mutation), Hana’s mom being diagnosed with it, chemo drugs, radiation, dying, & deaths (up to semi-detailed): Mentions of injuries & pain (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of drugs & being addicted; Mentions of crimes, criminals, & stealing; Mentions of bullies & bulling (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of rumors; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of people killing others & murderers; A few mentions of threatening to execute someone; A few mentions of violence; A few mentions of alcohol & drinking; A few mentions of starvation; A couple mentions of wars; A couple mentions of a woman harming herself & bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of a place being set on fire; A couple mentions of a prison; A couple mentions of smoking; A couple mentions of jealousy;
             *Note: A mention of most pets ending up as meals during the winter months.


Sexual Content- It is illegal for teens of the opposite gender to be alone together and for a boy to touch a girl (it is said to be a form of birth control); A possible almost kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing; Many mentions of Hana’s best friend, Jamie, getting pregnant & how the government will force her to get an abortion (Hana does not believe that killing a little baby is the right thing and Jamie does not want to have an abortion, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of sneaking out to meet a boy or girl; A few mentions of kisses, kissing, & imaging being kissed; A few mentions of a guy making comments towards Hana; A couple mentions of jealousy; Some boy trouble & emotions;
             *Note: A few mentions of birth control pills (which aren’t available, but Hana assumes if they were, they would be required to be on it); A mention of fresh underwear; A mention of butting into a conversation.

-Hana Norfolk, age 17
                                       1st person P.O.V. of Hana
                                                {Dystopia}
                                                        271 pages

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens-
New Teens-
Early High School Teens-
Older High School Teens-
My personal Rating-
While this may seem like typical dystopian plot—religion outlawed, government says they know best, an upcoming rebellion, a possible love-triangle, and a main girl wanting to know what really is happening—it’s interesting and engaging to see how it all plays out. I think dystopian books are a favorite of mine because of the anticipation of if the rebellion will be successful. With Hana in this trilogy, we quickly see her passion and leadership skills but by the end of the book I can’t help but smirk at what she’ll do next. 
It’s been years since I read this trilogy, so most of this first book it was like reading it for the first time again. Definitely looking forward to rereading the other two books. 


See y’all on Wednesday with a new review!


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

No comments:

Post a Comment