As the Dystopian genre continues to grow, it suffers the same tendency to become repetitive that other genres have suffered. It has also become increasing popular to publish young authors since the meteoric success of Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle. So while I was eager to give Precisely Terminated a try if for no other reason than I love the many books published by the author’s father, Bryan Davis, I wasn’t expecting anything more than a fine book. Maybe a good book at best. One afternoon plus a sleepless night reading later, I can attest that it is, in fact, a great book.

It seems strange that a teenager should have authored one of the most mature dystopian books I’ve read, but there it is. Precisely Terminated grapples with some of the most complex questions and potential evils I’ve seen this side of Fahrenheit 451, but unlike many of its secular counterparts, it approaches the issues with a rare grace. A fallen humanity and the sin that springs from it might have destroyed the world, but people are the solution rather than the cause. A mindboggling future society and a truly Shakespearian body count vividly drawn bring real darkness to the story. But as Lao Tzu said, “Without darkness there can be no light.” I have heard many authors use this concept as an excuse, but Miss Davis uses it as a tool and wields it with deadly precision.

In many ways, though exacerbated by slavery and the fate of the world on her shoulders, Monica’s story is that of many teenagers. She has many questions and many worries as she tries to find her place in her world. She is told she has been given a gift – that she is gift – but there are many times when she can’t see it. There are times she catches herself doubting what “has always been true.” But unlike many coming of age stories, and many real life stories for that matter, Monica uses her questions and fears to grow and not as excuse to be less than she is or to simply do as she pleases. Again, I can’t stress the word “mature” enough when it comes to this book.

Yet what really sets this book apart I find is that the character doesn’t actually find the answers. She rises above them. She wrestles with them and decides on a course of action. But she never actually looks back and says, “I see now!” And I can’t help wondering if this is a function of the age of its author. People with a bit more life experience seem incapable of not bringing their acquired wisdom to bear on a story. Whether a mentor spells it all out or an older heroine looks back on her life and ties it all neatly together, somehow things are never left as open ended as they were in Precisely Terminated. And for the first time, I find myself entertaining the idea of writing at your audience’s level. Too often this technique is used to cram books full of unnecessary angst. But here is used quite differently. Growing up is about asking questions, and rather than patting the readers on the head and telling them it will all make sense someday, Precisely Terminated joins them in the trenches and says, “We’re stuck here for a bit, but here’s how to rise above it and better ourselves with it.” And I can’t help but feel that that will appeal far more to YA readers than one more rant about how the whole world hates them.

My thanks to Living Ink Books for providing me with a copy of Precisely Terminated via NetGalley, in return for my honest opinion of the book.