READ THIS BOOK

See this book? It's The Initiation by Chris Babu. Now go read it.

Yes, that's right; for once in my book-reviewing life, I am strongly recommending a book. One testimony in favor of the book is the fact that this review is going to be short; I'm writing it at night after shotgunning the last chapters. Those of you who know my stalwart support of Trenton Lee Stewart know, then, how high a compliment I'm giving when I say the The Initiation is like a dark, dystopian The Mysterious Benedict Society. It's that good.

What can I say? It's well-paced and has a recognizable story arc. The main characters--even the less savory ones--are distinguishable and even sympathetic. There's natural tears and natural humor. There's a love triangle (can this really be Benjamin Sonnek saying this?) that sorta makes sense and doesn't bog down the plot. The writer doesn't fall into the rich-people-bad-everyone-else-good trap of other YA dystopia; there is nuance and reasoning behind the world that is built up. The adverbs and filler words I've lamented in recent reviews are hardly a presence, and therefore the writing sucks you in. The descriptions are vivid without being too lengthy. It's complex and doesn't pander. The brainteasers in the story are legit puzzles, which was one factor that brought me back to The Mysterious Benedict Society.

Basically, this is the YA dystopia I've been trying to find for a while now. It's one of the few books I know about that I, in all probability, will buy when I see it in the bookstore. The sequel to The Initiation--namely, The Expedition--is already out, but before I read it, I might wait a little longer for the next book in the series to come out too. After all, if this is going to be a trilogy, I don't want to be left hanging while I wonder whatever's going to happen next. Well done, Chris.