Author: Lauren DeStefano
Series: The Internment Chronicles #1
Publication: October 3rd 2013 by HarperVoyager
Genre: Young Adult ~ Dystopia
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD
Cover Rating: 5/5 (so pretty!)
Overall Rating: 5/5
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Chemical Garden trilogy: On the floating city of Internment, you can be anything you dream. Unless you approach the edge.
Morgan Stockhour knows getting too close to the edge of Internment, the floating city in the clouds where she lives, can lead to madness. Even though her older brother, Lex, was a Jumper, Morgan vows never to end up like him. If she ever wonders about the ground, and why it is forbidden, she takes solace in her best friend, Pen, and in Basil, the boy she’s engaged to marry.
Then a murder, the first in a generation, rocks the city. With whispers swirling and fear on the wind, Morgan can no longer stop herself from investigating, especially once she meets Judas. Betrothed to the victim, he is the boy being blamed for the murder, but Morgan is convinced of his innocence. Secrets lay at the heart of Internment, but nothing can prepare Morgan for what she will find – or whom she will lose.
My Thoughts:
Being a huge fan of Lauren DeStefano and her Chemical Garden trilogy, I didn't know quite what to expect of Perfect Ruin. It could be either just as amazing or a huge disappointment. But, really... can Lauren write bad books? I think not. She's a brilliant writer. I absolutely loved Perfect Ruin. I loved every single beautifully written word of it.
Perfect Ruin introduces a whole new world to us. Internment, a floating city in the clouds, where people are betrothed before they are born, worship a sky god and sometimes get lured by the edge and jump from it. This world? It was nothing like I've ever seen before and I read my fair share of dystopian books.
We also get introduced to Morgan Stockhour who lives there. Her older brother, Lex, was a Jumper but even so she's always been fascinated with the edge of Interntment. Life seems to go on as always until the unthinkable happens. The first murder in a generation of a girl from her academy. This one event makes the city go into chaos. Fires happen, more deaths occur and before Morgan knows it she's in the middle of it all.
I really liked the main character, Morgan, though it took me a couple of chapter to really get a grasp on her. I found her a bit too naive in the beginning but as everything she knows started crumbling around her, the real her was starting to show. I loved it.
I also love her relationship with her betrothed, Basil. I liked how they were already together and even though their betrothal was set up for a long time, they do have great feelings for one another. Basil, as a character I also liked. I was very much impressed when he chose Morgan and left everything behind for her.
There were a lot of other very interesting characters. My favorite has to be Morgan's brother, Lex. I don't know if it's just me feeling this way but I felt very fascinated with him. I wanted to know more about his experience when he jumped off the edge. I also loved his wife, Alice. She was so sweet and caring for both him and Morgan. I felt absolutely awful when I read about what they made her do when she got pregnant. That was so sad to read.
Aside from Lex and Alice there was also Morgan's best friend Pen and her betrothed Thomas. I'm not so sure I like Pen. I mean, sometimes I liked her spirit, other times she kinda freaked me out. So, eh, I don't know. Thomas was a total different story. I really liked that guy. You can clearly see he adores Pen. I wish she'd treat him better though.
And less but not least there's Judas and Amy making an appearance. Both of them are intriguing in their own way. I won't say too much as to not spoiler the story but they were pretty awesome.
I didn't expect at all where this story was going. There were also some serious shocking twists. Where I was throwing my book away and trying to put distance between it and me. Seriously, I did this. But, oh, I love unexpectedness like this. It only makes me want to read faster.
As for world building and character building, it was perfect. Not that I would expect any less. I absolutely loved the scenes where Pen or Morgan would recall a story from the history book which had some remnants of stories even we know. Lauren DeStefano is a genius, people, and oh she can write such awfully gorgeous things!
The ending was pretty unexpected, too. I was so nervous for it and what was going to happen and I didn't see what did happen coming at all. And now I'm wondering how the story will continue. What will happen to them all? It just drives me nut!
Overall, Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano was a stunning and exquisite book. It's definitely a worthy successor to The Chemical Garden trilogy. Gorgeous writing, a brilliant story that's just screaming originality and astonishing twists that rocked this book. Just... wow!
Favorite Quotes:
“So many of the things I've wanted are the things I've been taught to fear.”
“He gathers me up and I'm weightless before he sets me on the railing. He's the only thing keeping me from falling back, out of the reach of daylight. I'm not afraid of falling. I don't fear the sky beyond the train tracks like I did before. I can go anywhere just so long as it's with him.”
“I wonder if the people of the ground ever feel that their children are too big for their world, too.”
“He knows that I'm not like the other girls--the normal ones--that a part of me is slipping off this floating city, and he doesn't care. He doesn't care. Maybe we're both beyond saving.”
About The Author:
Lauren DeStefano was born in New Haven, Connecticut and has never traveled far from the east coast. She received a BA in English from Albertus Magnus College, and has been writing since childhood. She made her authorial debut by writing on the back of children's menus at restaurants and filling up the notepads in her mom's purse. Her very first manuscript was written on a yellow legal pad with red pen, and it was about a haunted shed that ate small children.
Now that she is all grown up (for the most part), she writes fiction for young adults. Her failed career aspirations include: world's worst receptionist, coffee house barista, sympathetic tax collector, and English tutor. When she isn't writing, she's screaming obscenities at her Nintendo DS, freaking her cats out with the laser pen, or rescuing thrift store finds and reconstructing them into killer new outfits.
I loved the relationship between Basil and Morgan too - it was awesomely adorable, and Pen disconcerted me as well! I didn't want to trust her, and it's just going to get worse with the next book, I'm sure! I also loved Judas and Amy, and was upset when I read that thing about Alice's baby. :/ Lex is super interesting, though.. and the writing is so so pretty! Awesome review - I pretty much agree with everything you said, LOL.
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