The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Release Date: 15 November 2011
Format: e-ARC
Series: The Pledge, #1
Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab

In the violent country of Ludania, the language you speak determines what class you are, and there are harsh punishments if you forget your place—looking a member of a higher class in the eye can result in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina (Charlie for short) can understand all languages, a dangerous ability she’s been hiding her whole life. Her only place of release is the drug-filled underground club scene, where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. There, she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy who speaks a language she’s never heard, and her secret is almost exposed. Through a series of violent upheavals, it becomes clear that Charlie herself is the key to forcing out the oppressive power structure of her kingdom…. (Summary from Goodreads)

I absolutely love the cover! It's so dark and seductive, and I think it fits the story perfectly. I thought I would read this book slowly in my spare time, but once I picked it up I didn't want to put it down. I was thinking about the story and the characters even when the book wasn't in my hands.

There are so many amazing relationships in this book. Kimberly Derting didn't write about a dysfunctional family, but about people who genuinely loved and cared about one another. They were willing to sacrifice anything and everything for each other. The friendships weren't flimsy or wishy-washy, but meaningful and important. I really liked the bond between Charlie and her sister Angelina. They were so close they were able to communicate without words.

Charlie was a really great main character. At first she was scared, apprehensive, and confused. Later, she became more confident and less afraid. I really saw her growing throughout the book and becoming the person she needed to be at the end.

There wasn't really a love triangle in this book, and I felt like the romance came naturally. It wasn't something the author forced together; there was no "love at first sight." Like in any relationship, there are secrets and questions in the beginning, but I believe the push and pull of their relationship was believable and normal.

The story was incredible, I was caught off guard on more than one occasion, and the ending left me feeling satisfied. However, I am left with the knowledge that there is a lot that I still don't know, and I'm itching to find out what that is.