The Feral Sentence
G.C. Julien
YA/Dystopian/SciFi
Women convicted of murder are being sentenced to the wild.
A fast-paced, award-winning action-packed thriller.
The year is 2087 and the federal government is no longer sending murderers to prison. Instead, convicted felons are being stripped of their belongings and dropped into the waters of Kormace Island—the Island of Killers—to fend for themselves.
Lydia Brone, an eighteen-year-old girl who is convicted of murder for having accidentally killed her mother’s abusive boyfriend, finds herself being transported by helicopter to this mysterious island. She knows that her sentence will be difficult, but what awaits her is far more terrifying than anything she could have ever imagined.
Uncaged Review: Lydia Brone is sentenced to a three year exile on Kormace island. It’s a new form of punishment for those convicted of first-degree murder. Despite the fact that she only killed in self-defense, she is sent to this tropical island, which is filled entirely with other female murderers. When she arrives, she is quickly given a role and initiated into the existing society on the island. She soon learns that her community is not the only one on the island, and although some try to live in peace, others are out for blood. Can she survive among wild animals and feral women?
If you enjoyed Orange is the New Black, you will love this book. Not only are criminals placed together, but they are expected to survive without basic necessities. They have to work together to find food and water. The community that Brone finds herself in has existed for a while, but there are still challenges, and each day is a true struggle. I found this story very compelling. Lydia Brone starts out as a very weak and shallow girl but develops into a strong and capable person throughout the story. There are a lot of emotions, there is a lot of heartbreak, and there are a lot of shocking and disturbing moments. It is a wild environment, but I was very intrigued by the concept that a very structured society had been built out of necessity. The island is a huge place, and the possibilities for this universe are vast.
What’s fascinating about this story is that it is set in a contemporary universe. It’s not really a dystopian or post-apocalyptic setting, but the way they have to survive is very similar to that setting/genre. I am extremely interested to see what happens if people from the real world catch on to what’s really going on.
The story is written in parts (kind of like a TV series). I read the compilation edition, and I am glad I did. The story is quite full of cliffhangers. I am definitely going to be getting the next book. I will probably wait until the whole second book is out before I read it though, to avoid the large cliffhangers. My single complaint is that this book was slightly too tame for me. It is YA, so the language, sex, and gore is limited. However, that is pretty great for younger readers, although there are still some things that might be a little too graphic for young readers. Brone becomes a hunter, and there are some intense battle scenes where people are hurt and killed.
This was a great book, and I am very much looking forward to the next in the series!
Reviewed by Emily
4 1/2 Stars
