The Rule of One

Authors: Ashley Saunders, Leslie Saunders

Publisher: Skyscape

Release Date: October 1, 2018

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

When telling the truth becomes more dangerous than telling a lie, a young girl’s life is turned upside down when her secret is exposed and she has to find the strength to fight for the truth.

In the future, the United States is not what it once was. A strict one child only policy has been enforced making everyone subject to the Rule of One.  Ava Goodwin is the daughter of the head of the Texas Family Planning Division, one of the highest positions in the country, and is therefore always under scrutiny.  This makes her secret even harder to keep, she has an identical twin sister, Mira.  The two have been living as one for the past eighteen years.  They have to keep every detail of their lives in order as they trade places day after day.  All is going fine until one day they are exposed and told to run by their father as he is taken into custody.  They are all labeled as traitors and the girls fugitives.  As they rush to find safety in a world out to get them, they find unlikely allies and an underground group favoring for the old America.

I thought the premise of this book sounded very interesting for several different reasons. First of all, I am a twin and wanted to see how the story would play out in that aspect.  Secondly, dystopian novels are all the rage right now and this one did a great job of world building in the future but keeping things relatable and easy to follow.  I enjoyed the back and forth between Ava and Mira, especially the way they came into their own as the book progressed.  Being a twin, I am aware more than most of the fact that it is easy to label twins as one person but each is their own individual and needs to be treated that way.  When times were tough, Ava and Mira were actually able to express themselves as individuals and we got to see them grow as characters.  A few of the minor characters could have been developed further and seemed too short and then abruptly ended.  The ending was just enough for this book, but left open for a follow up which I intend to read.  My one big critique would have to be the language, I know harsher language is becoming more common but I have a problem when it is in young adult novels.  The words were not strung out on every page but the few that were in the book were harsher than I would like to see in these novels for young readers.  Overall I would recommend this to a more mature audience and those that enjoy a good dystopian read.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.