Synopsis: 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.
My Review:
I am having a hard time rating this book that it’s driving me crazy! I really had high expectations for this book. One because of the beautiful cover and two because of the alluring synopsis. Overall this was an enticing read. I found myself wanting to know more about the world and its characters but unfortunately after reading I still feel cheated in some ways…
The main character Charlaina was extremely hard to relate too. During the entire read I tried to force myself to like Charlie’s character so I could enjoy the story line better but the author just didn’t give it to me. 
Charlie’s character was not fully developed for me I didn’t fully understand what she was about personality and thought wise which lead me to question her actions while reading. I didn’t understand why Charlie didn’t ask her parents about her hidden “talent” as she grew older? I understand she would be scared to ask at a younger age but as you get older and are experiencing things you didn’t understand as a child why not ask? It would just have made more sense to me if she would have tried to ask about it to be aware than to just be unaware of her own being. I also thought the story dragged a bit in the beginning towards the middle of the book and there weren’t a lot of scenes to keep me interested or more scenes to get to know the main character more UGH! I also never got why she was so attracted to Max in the beginning. At times she was angry with him and then the next second she was like “ooh Max…” Their relationship developed way to fast in a short amount of time to where sometimes it was unbelievable and annoying. I was also very disappointed on the paranormal aspect of the book. Everyone can tell by reading that Charlie and her sister had some kind of Paranormal ability but we never got to see what all they were capable of which was a bummer.
Besides all the things I didn’t like there were a lot of things that I really enjoyed like the creativeness of the storyline! I really loved the idea of a dystopian world ruled by a queen and its people divided by their language which determines their class. When I read the blurb I thought this was freaking awesome and this should make for an awesome book! The author could have went so many ways and done so many things with this idea that could have blown me away(Kudos for the overall idea!). Besides not relating to the main character I loved the supporting characters like Max the love interest! Max was everything I could hope for as Charlie’s love interest; he was cute, funny, charming personality wise and mysterious were as Charlie was dull and lacking. I also loved Charlie’s little sister! She was so cute even though she didn’t say hardly a thing during the whole book. Now on to the good stuff! The main character was okay but the Villain was crown worthy! The Queen took bitch to a whole other level, she was evil, wicked, smart, and dangerous. I really felt scared for the Charlie and everyone apart of the rebellion against her thrown. I was totally blown away on how the author portrayed the Queen’s character and I felt her evil ways seeping off the pages to get me! It was Awesome and so believable that it was scary!!
The world building was AMAZING!!! I liked how in the beginning the author gives you a time and a place and a detailed explanation of the people and their surroundings. I was blown away by the world and how the writing took you through the streets of where the characters lived and their living conditions and how the pledge and its Queen affect the town’s people way of life and demeanor. The author really takes you into the world and story that she has created and leaves you turning the pages and fearing the inevitable until the very end.