Genre: YA Dystopian
Published: May 8, 2012 by Thomas Nelson
Series: #1 (Swipe)
Length: 275 pages
Source: bought (at Barnes & Noble)
Amazon | Goodreads
“Everyone gets the Mark. It gives all the benefits of citizenship. Yet if getting the Mark is such a good thing, then why does it feel so wrong?
Set in a future North America that is struggling to recover after famine and global war, “Swipe” follows the lives of three kids caught in the middle of a conflict they didn’t even know existed. United under a charismatic leader, every citizen of the American Union is required to get the Mark on their 13th birthday in order to gain the benefits of citizenship.
The Mark is a tattoo that must be swiped by special scanners for everything from employment to transportation to shopping. It’s almost Logan Langly’s 13th birthday and he knows he should be excited about getting the Mark, but he hasn’t been able to shake the feeling he’s being watched. Not since his sister went to get her Mark five years ago . . . and never came back.
When Logan and his friends discover the truth behind the Mark, will they ever be able to go back to being normal teenagers? Find out in the first book of this exciting series that is “Left Behind” meets “Matched” for middle-grade readers.“
In Swipe, 13 year olds are treated as 18 year olds. When they turn 13, they get this “mark” – a tattoo planted on their wrist so they are able to have access on everything. But does everyone survive when they get the mark? Hm.. Does everyone choose to get a mark? It is told from a 3rd person point of view, and although I enjoy reading books with 1st person, I think this book is better as being told from 3rd person because it adds a mysterious effect to the book. Swipe is quite unique because the chapters are broken off into sections by numbers. At first I thought it would switch off to 3 alternating viewpoints because in the summary it said “Swipe follows the lives of three kids caught in the middle of a conflict.” It is a fresh dystopian read that really started with a bang. The first chapter was really creepy (in a good way) and you really want to keep on turning the page. I had trouble in the middle though. The pacing was starting to be a bit slow and I lost interest in the story for a bit because of that. Not much action was taking place; it was more about background info on the characters.
About 3/4 of the book though, wow. There was a lot of action and twists that I was totally unaware of. I really did not see those coming. I wish there was more of that in the middle of the book though too. Anyways, I am talking about chapter 8 till the very last chapter. Yes, I even remember what chapter the surprises were coming. I couldn’t help but read till the very last page. I HAD to know what was going to happen to Logan! And boy, Logan is really an interesting character. You’ll know what I mean once you read the first chapter. Yup. He is a mysterious and unique protagonist. Also, I think he’s mature for his own age which surprised me and made me like him more.
The characters were all awesome and reminded me of those “elementary/middle school” times. There were puppy love mixed with adventure and all sorts of craziness in this book. Overall this book falls in the middle for me. It’s not bad, but I didn’t loved it. I enjoyed it (especially the ending) and recommend it to ya/middle-grade dystopian lovers.
