The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Pledge
Author: Kimberly Derting
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Publication Date: November 15, 2011
Source: Galley Grab

Summary: In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed. 

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.
Review: The Pledge is a fast-paced book set in a world where only queens rule, and your set apart from everyone by social classes.

Kimberly Derting is one of my absolute favorite authors. I'm in love with her Body Finder series, yet this was not the book I was expecting it to be. My expectations were a high and sadly, The Pledge fell short.

I'm not saying The Pledge is a bad book. It certainly isn't. But I was expecting a little more from Derting's third book.

Charlie, the main character, can understand all languages. She was a sweet girl but she, like other characters, just didn't have that relatable-ness that I wanted. The love interest Max confused me. I just didn't get why he was attractive. He was just off-putting to me. He certainly didn't wow me. I did like some secondary characters, such as Xander, Charlie's sister and her friends from school. The Pledge wasn't all bad with its characters.

One of the things that I liked the most was the world. I would have liked to know so much more, but overall the world Charlie lived in was very unique. The class systems that have their own languages are very believable and are well done by Derting. There is not a doubt that I want to dive back into this world again.

The plot moves along at a fast speed. Though it was a tad predictable there were some things that just shocked me! There were definitely some interesting twists and turns that I enjoyed.

Overall, The Pledge could have been better. It succeeds, though, because of its unique and believable world. I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series.

Rating: 3.5 stars