ARC Review: The Glimpse by Claire Merle

Once you've seen into the future, can you change your destiny?

In a near future, society is segregated according to whether people are genetically disposed to mental illness. 17-year-old Ana has been living the privileged life of a Pure due to an error in her DNA test. When the authorities find out, she faces banishment from her safe Community, a fate only thwarted by the fact that she has already been promised to Pure-boy Jasper Taurell.

Jasper is from a rich and influential family and despite Ana’s condition, wants to be with her. The authorities grant Ana a tentative reprieve. If she is joined to Jasper before her 18th birthday, she may stay in the Community until her illness manifests. But if Jasper changes his mind, she will be cast out among the Crazies. As Ana’s joining ceremony and her birthday loom closer, she dares to hope she will be saved from the horror of the City and live a ‘normal’ life. But then Jasper disappears.

Led to believe Jasper has been taken by a strange sect the authorities will not interfere with, Ana sneaks out of her well-guarded Community to find him herself. Her search takes her through the underbelly of society and into the pits of the human soul. And as she delves deeper into the mystery of Jasper's abduction she uncovers some devastating truths that destroy everything she has grown up to believe, but she also learns to love as she has never loved before.

Review:

The Glimpse has to be possibly one of my most anticipated reads this year. And I am estastic to say that it did not disappoint.

I'll admit that I initially found the beginning to be slow. The first few chapters is basically the events of the blurb to put the plot in action and I found that there was a bit of a drag afterwards as the world is introduced and such. But once you hit half way (or maybe a bit before that) this book really picked up and had me up in the late hours of the night!

This is a different world to some dystopians, even when there's a corrupt government. The world is basically divided into two social standings: pure and crazies. To be pure, you have to have no genetic potential for mental illness. The crazies are the ones that are mentally ill, hence the name. I think Merle handed this world really well. I felt like overall we got enough of each aspect to get a true feel of the world we were in--and I loved it.

The characters were outstanding too. I liked how we really got to know Ana before we had a love interest thrown into the plot. It was made obvious early on that it wasn't Jasper who was the love interest. The slow and budding romance are the kind I like most and The Glimpse ticked that box three times over. I felt the characters emotions (not just theirs, but to each others) and honestly believed them to be like real people. Not to mention the decisions some of the characters made--I was probably a little emotionally distraught towards the end.

The Glimpse is an amazing dystopian with rich characters, a unique and fleshed-out world, and a plot that has me hanging on the edge of my seat. The Glimpse is a must-read.

Review: 5 stars
Date Published: June 7th 2012
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Source: Received for review
Format: ebook
Date Read: May 2012
Page Count: 432
Series/Stand Alone: The Glimpse #1