THE SECLUSION JACQUI CASTLE
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Patricia lives to work for the Board, a totalitarian government that rules a futuristic version of America surrounded by a giant wall. When she and her friend Rexx make a discovery from the past however, she starts to question everything she has ever believed…
The Seclusion for me is very reminiscent of 1984 or Equilibrium - not that that is particularly a bad thing as I enjoyed both of those stories, it just makes it a little predictable in places. An indoctrinated protagonist who find something that tears their vision of the regime to pieces and makes them question everything they have held dear – it’s very standard. I must admit it’s well written, engaging and easy to read which got me to power through and finish it in 2 days so I can’t really hold its predictability too much against it.
The plot describes a world not too dissimilar from our own – particularly when you consider Trump and his Mexican wall – which makes it all the more chilling to read. This book is very much the start of a series – it ends on a cliff hanger which inspires you to want to pick up the next in the series to find out more. I did think occasionally the plot skipped over certain parts of the history of the world which I would have perhaps wanted to find out more about – but I think this may be explored later in the series.
Whilst I enjoyed the world building, the characters lacked a bit of depth for me. I loved how we are introduced fully to Patricia in her indoctrinated state which can be glazed over in other dystopian stories but felt the character progression wasn’t as deep as it could have been – both her and Rex felt two dimensional in places. I was particularly sad that Oliver’s character wasn’t as explored as he could have been – I would have liked him to open up a little more as a character.
Overall I did enjoy reading The Seclusion; it’s well written and chillingly focused on a world so very close to ours, however it’s predictability and lack of character depth let it down in places. Thank you to NetGalley and Inkshares for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seclusion-Jacqui-Castle/dp/1947848518/