{Review} When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

Title: When She Woke

Author: Hillary Jordan

Number of Pgs. 344 Hardcover

Publication date: October 4, 2011
Genre: Adult Fiction

How I got the copy: Library

From Goodreads:

Hannah Payne’s life has been devoted to church and family. But after she’s convicted of murder, she awakens to a nightmarish new life. She finds herself lying on a table in a bare room, covered only by a paper gown, with cameras broadcasting her every move to millions at home, for whom observing new Chromes—criminals whose skin color has been genetically altered to match the class of their crime—is a sinister form of entertainment. Hannah is a Red for the crime of murder. The victim, says the State of Texas, was her unborn child, and Hannah is determined to protect the identity of the father, a public figure with whom she shared a fierce and forbidden love.

A powerful reimagining of The Scarlet Letter, When She Woke is a timely fable about a stigmatized woman struggling to navigate an America of the not-too-distant future, where the line between church and state has been eradicated, and convicted felons are no longer imprisoned but chromed and released back into the population to survive as best they can. In seeking a path to safety in an alien and hostile world, Hannah unknowingly embarks on a journey of self-discovery that forces her to question the values she once held true and the righteousness of a country that politicizes faith and love.

I've been doing a new way of reviewing that I saw over at Making the Grade. It breaks the book down and makes it easier to rate. The way it works is each category gets a score out of ten points. Then you add them all up + 50 (50% automatically for each book) and that's your score out of 100.

Plot 9/10: There were so many twists in this plot, it always kept me guessing. It made me really think and question what I believe in. The ending left me wanting more so for that I'm subtracting a point, but this was a fantastic plot. I liked how she showcased how humans unite when there is injustice or hard times. If you're looking for a book that will make you question everything this is it.

Characters 8/10: Hannah's character bothered me at first because I didn't understand her or her decisions. Once I got in her head I started rooting for her. Her friend Kayla was hilarious and definitely added some comedy to this serious book. She's in inspiration to keep your head up even when life is falling apart. I hated Aiden though. I wanted to like him, but I just couldn't. Not even in the end.

Setting 8/10: This was set in the south, I guess in the future. It seemed so real though which is scary. I could picture the world turning people red for getting abortions. It reminded me of an adult dystopian. Yet it seemed like it was almost set in past times where people were so set on religion and the bible ruling everything. I think since there was lots of technology it had to be in the future though.

Pacing 9/10: It was so fast paced because Hannah doesn't stay in any place for too long. She spends a lot of time in the jail and correctional center in the beginning, but after that she's off and all over the place. It definitely kept my attention because I was always guessing where she would end up next.

Style 10/10: The writing was poetic, flowed, and the description was beautiful. It was literally impossible to put down because I would get lost in the beautiful writing. I usually don't like a lot of description and character's thoughts, but this one I actually preferred it because I could vividly picture this world she was trying to survive in.

Final Thoughts: Originally I thought this book was the second Girl With the Dragon Tattoo book because the cover is similar to the movie covered book. What a surprise I got haha. I haven't had a book make me think this much in a long time. I only decided to read it because there was a buddy read going on in one of my goodreads groups. But I'm so glad I did. This is a must read for everyone.

Total: 94/100

“One by one, she conjured all the boxes she'd been put into: The good girl box and the good Christian box...the mistress box...the bad daughter and fallen woman boxes...She saw with a painful blaze of clarity that every one of these boxes had been of her own making, either by consent or lack of resistance. She had no right to bitterness; she had put herself in them. And she would get herself out, she vowed. And once she was out, she'd never willingly climb into another box again.”
― Hillary Jordan, When She Woke