Precisely Terminated

DAVIS, AMANDA L.
PRECISELY TERMINATED

With microchips implanted in their skulls at birth, the slaves of Cantral and Cillineese have labored under the tyrannical rule of the nobles and their computers for centuries. Monica, a noble who avoided the implanting and escaped a death sentence at the age of four, is now sixteen and is in hiding. She lives with the slaves inside the walls of the Cantral palace, pretending to be one of them while the slave council plots a way to use her chip-less state to destroy the all-powerful computers that strike down any hint of rebellion.

The fate of millions rides on Monica's shoulders. As the only chip-less person in the world, she must find a way to destroy the computers and free Cillineese from the nobles' iron fist before they strike with the ultimate punishment--death for everyone inside the city walls.

My Review:

Kudos to the teen author for crafting such a clever tale filled with lots of futuristic angst.  Packed with action and desperation, Precisely Terminated meets all the criteria of the dystopian genre -- an impossible quest, a doomed society and only one person who can save them all.

While Monica is definitely a strong heroine, her struggles seemed overwhelming at times. I kept hoping for an ally -- a special friend -- someone who could offer support and comfort to buffer the harsh reality of her destiny. But though she receives help from different individuals, their connection is too fleeting to make a lasting impression.

Some repetitive threads could have been edited down in order to enhance the plot and tighten the story.  Too many fruitless errands down dark tunnels under duress bogged down the flow for me.

That being said, the author held my attention and kept me reading because I just had to find out what happened next. The nail-biting climax had me wincing and cringing and turning pages at a frenzied rate.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Foundation Distributing, Inc and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from AMG Publishers".