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Book Summary and Reviews of Poster Girl by Veronica Roth

Poster Girl by Veronica Roth

Poster Girl

by Veronica Roth

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  • Oct 2022, 288 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

For fans of Anthony Marra and Lauren Beukes, #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth tells the story of a woman's desperate search for a missing girl after the collapse of the oppressive dystopian regime - and the dark secrets about her family and community she uncovers along the way.

WHAT'S RIGHT IS RIGHT.

Sonya Kantor knows this slogan—she lived by it for most of her life. For decades, everyone in the Seattle-Portland megalopolis lived under it, as well as constant surveillance in the form of the Insight, an ocular implant that tracked every word and every action, rewarding or punishing by a rigid moral code set forth by the Delegation.

Then there was a revolution. The Delegation fell. Its most valuable members were locked in the Aperture, a prison on the outskirts of the city. And everyone else, now free from the Insight's monitoring, went on with their lives.

Sonya, former poster girl for the Delegation, has been imprisoned for ten years when an old enemy comes to her with a deal: find a missing girl who was stolen from her parents by the old regime, and earn her freedom. The path Sonya takes to find the child will lead her through an unfamiliar, crooked post-Delegation world where she finds herself digging deeper into the past—and her family's dark secrets—than she ever wanted to.

With razor sharp prose, Poster Girl is a haunting dystopian mystery that explores the expanding role of surveillance on society—an inescapable reality that we welcome all too easily.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"The novel manages to be an elegant social commentary without resorting to preachiness, and even the most cynical readers will be as surprised...when they reach Roth's big reveals about the depths of the Delegation's depravity. A wonderfully complex and nuanced book, perfect for readers who grew up on dystopian YA." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Highly recommended for readers of dystopian fiction, lovers of Philip K. Dick's thought-police science fiction, and anyone who wants to see how far 'If you see something, say something' can be led astray." - Library Journal (starred review)

"The worldbuilding is fascinating, but Roth only scratches the surface...This won't go down as one of this talented author's better works." - Publishers Weekly

"Poster Girl is a captivating story full of twists and turns—and no easy answers. Veronica Roth's latest outing will draw you into its broken world, and make you think more deeply of our own. I couldn't put it down." - Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of Girl, Forgotten

"Roth weaves a tale of redemption and regret that kept me riveted and guessing until the last page." - Hugh Howey, New York Times bestselling author of Wool and Across the Sand

"An intelligent, raw, emotional dystopian thriller that asks deep questions about human nature, society, and freedom. With searing prose, deft world building, and a layered, propulsive plot that will keep you turning the pages, the supremely talented Veronica Roth is at the top of her game in Poster Girl. Don't miss this!" - Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six

This information about Poster Girl was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Gloria M

Perfect Beach Read
I approached "Poster Girl" by Veronica Roth with a tiny bit of trepidation.   She has never been in my TBR stack (dangerously high and on the verge of tipping over, lol) though I was aware that she had created the popular Divergent series.  I am confident nearly everyone has watched those movies!  I was pleasantly surprised by this novel!  The character of Sonya quickly captured my interest and provided a fun read.

Sonya is captured and then detained in a tiny enclave of former devotees of the Delegation which has been overthrown by the Triumverate.  As history shows us, often new regimes begin with proclaimed dedications to freedom and equality only to once again travel down a path of rules and regulations and restrictions.  Sadly, to quote Lord Acton, "power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Our lead character, is compelling and one I found myself rooting for, is assigned a seemingly impossible task to gain her freedom.  Along the way she discovers many truths about her past and struggles to unearth her true nature.  It is a satisfying read and I found myself visualizing the limited series or perhaps a movie that might be generated from these pages. 

This is definitely worth your time, whether you consume it on a beach, or on vacation or in your favorite cozy reading spot!

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Author Information

Veronica Roth Author Biography

Veronica Roth is the New York Times bestselling author of Chosen Ones, the short story collection The End and Other Beginnings, the Divergent series, and the Carve the Mark duology. She is also the guest editor of the most recent The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.

Link to Veronica Roth's Website

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