Book Review: Plus One by Elizabeth Fama



Plus One by Elizabeth Fama
April 8, 2014
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
373 pages
Genre: Mature Young Adult Science Fiction
Contains: strong language, sexual references, sex
Source: eARC for Honest review

Book Blurb:

Divided by day and night and on the run from authorities, star-crossed young lovers unearth a sinister conspiracy in this compelling romantic thriller.

Seventeen-year-old Soleil Le Coeur is a Smudge—a night dweller prohibited by law from going out during the day. When she fakes an injury in order to get access to and kidnap her newborn niece—a day dweller, or Ray—she sets in motion a fast-paced adventure that will bring her into conflict with the powerful lawmakers who order her world, and draw her together with the boy she was destined to fall in love with, but who is also a Ray.

Set in a vivid alternate reality and peopled with complex, deeply human characters on both sides of the day-night divide, Plus One is a brilliantly imagined drama of individual liberty and civil rights, and a fast-paced romantic adventure story.

My Review:

This was a fascinating read into a world divided by day and night. I'll admit at first I wasn't sure I was going to buy into why the world was divided this way, but the way Fama set it all up was truly interesting. Using the flu pandemic of 1918, society split in two - Night (Smudges) and Day (Rays). Of course there are strict rules separating the two, and the Smudges are less privileged than the Rays. But this is just the background, because there are so many layers to this story.

The first half of the book goes back and forth between past and present, and it slowed the pacing down for me a bit, but I'll tell you that the second half was hard to put down. I had to know what was going on and felt at the edge of my seat until the very end. The entire story had such amazing twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I loved not knowing what to expect. I loved the action sequences intermixed with the heartfelt moments. The entire story was put together fantastically.

Sol, our female protagonist, was amazing, kind-hearted, sacrificial, feisty, tough, and everything you want in a heroine. I loved her. D'Arcy, our male protagonist, was a mystery to get to know, but quickly became swoon-worthy. The way Fama blended their story together was so sweet and beautiful and a real treat to read. I felt their connection. I did have one issue, but otherwise completely loved Sol and D'Arcy and their story. And then there is a terrific blend of secondary characters that complete this unique story.

Elizabeth Fama has written a really incredible standalone dystopian novel. I didn't realize until I finished it that it was a standalone, and was only disappointed in the end that there wouldn't be another book because I loved getting to know these characters so much. The ending may not wrap everything up in a pretty pink bow, but it does leave the reader with a complete story and a hopeful ending, and I loved it.

4-1/2 STARS

Book Links:

Amazon  *  Goodreads