The Juvie Piles: Fearless

Hello there!

So today, I'll be recommending cum reviewing my first book to juvenile readers (readers aged between 7-11), that is.... *drumroll please!*

FEARLESS by Tim Lott

Isn't the cover eye-catching?

Summary

FEARLESS, like most other stories in mainstream fiction,  is set in a not-too-distant dystopian future where offenders and outlaws are sent to reform schools. The protagonist of the story, Little Fearless, is one of those unfortunate juvenile offenders. She had been sent to City Community Faith Schools when she was a young child (god knows what crime she committed) and has been locked up in the compound since then.

Little Fearless goes into juvie jail :(

In the compound, she is stripped of her name and rights, hence causing her to lose her individuality.  Though she makes friends in the school, and learns to adapt to the internal caste system, she can't help but wonder how her life might be outside the compound. Determined to make a change, she relies on her wit and silver tongue to escape the compound and to tell her oppressed story to her community. Yet, as each attempt fails, Little Fearless becomes more desperate and begins to fear for the safety of her friends and her own life.

Ultimately, FEARLESS offers a haunting story that questions the courage and sacrifice that one must make in order to expose the truth to the public.   

Review

The first thing that caught my attention was, (obviously), the cover of the book. In my opinion, it is one of the most eye catching book covers I have seen so far. Heterochromia, the trait of having differently colored irises, is featured on the cover and it is also the most defining characteristic of Little Fearless. In addition, this characteristic is a main plot point of the story, so it is extremely apt for it to be portrayed on the book cover! :D

Another plus point for this book is its relatable characters. Despite having a great number of supporting characters, namely, Beauty, Tattletale, Soap Dish and Star Gazer, I felt that I could understand the personalities of each individual character. I could almost imagine their tone of voice, facial expressions and even habitual actions because Tim Lott did a splendid job in characterization.

Thank you Tim Lott! :)

However, no book is without sin! A downside was the lack of consistent usage of symbols, which left me a tad bit confused  towards the end. What did the white rose, as pictured on the cover, symbolize? Don't ask me, because up till now, I still dont have a clue :<

Also, the plot began to become a bit mechanical and repetitive towards the end, because Little Fearless escaped out of the compound three times and returned three times with no visible progress in plot development. This may bore more experienced, older readers as the plot becomes predictable and boring. But the structured plot may  also help younger readers to understand the flow of events easier.

To conclude, I felt that it was an interesting read. The plot flowed smoothly and there wasn't a bombardment of difficult terminologies that would turn off young readers. I was able to relate to the book and could feel Little Fearless' fiery determination as the plot progressed.

FEARLESS is definitely a book that I would recommend to juvenile readers with a thirst for dystopian fiction!

Stay tuned for more reviews and recommendations! :DDD

-Crystal