Captives Book Review

Well, I finally got around to doing this! Yay!

Author: Jill Williamson, who has a great writing blog here.

Captives is the first book in the Safe Lands Trilogy. She also just released the final book in the trilogy, Rebels.

Back cover: In a dystopian future, eighteen-year-old Levi returns from Denver City with his latest scavenged treasures and finds his village of Glenrock decimated, loved ones killed, and many–including his fiancée, Jem–taken captive. Now alone, Levi is determined to rescue what remains of his people, even if it means entering the Safe Lands, a walled city that seems anything but safe.

Omar knows he betrayed his brother by sending him away, but helping the enforcers was necessary. Living off the land and clinging to an outdated religion holds his village back. The Safe Lands has protected people since the plague decimated the world generations ago … and its rulers have promised power and wealth beyond Omar’s dreams.

Meanwhile, their brother Mason has been granted a position inside the Safe Lands, and may be able to use his captivity to save not only the people of his village, but also possibly find a cure for the virus that threatens everyone within the Safe Lands’ walls. Will Mason uncover the truth hidden behind the Safe Lands’ façade before it’s too late?

What I liked: As I might have stated before this, Jill Williamson is an amazing author. This is my third book I've read from her and it was just great. I read on the way up to Savannah last month. I wanted to save it, but it was just too exciting. It captured my attention and didn't let go until the end. The plot was unique.

The romance was well done. It wasn't in your face and mushy. Instead, it was sweet and believable, even though I didn't see the couple before they were engaged. More than that, it showed the consequences and the pain that can come out of a relationship with no commitment. It opened my eyes to see the problems of rejecting traditional family.

Even though this book was narrated by three boys (and a girl), I still loved it. The POV characters were at particular age levels. I liked all of them. Each was different. Like all her other books, God was played a big part in this story as well.

What I didn't like: Some of the advanced technology was hard to understand. Most of the time, Omar was an idiot. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but when he finally did come around, it was a last option thing. I wasn't sure if he wanted to help or if he just wanted revenge. There were some details about taking drugs (an advanced, future world way to take drugs. I'm unsure if it was real) that I thought didn't have to be mentioned.

Content: Instead of showing the actual sinful scene, Ms. Williamson showed what happened afterwards. A girl asks Mason to spend the night with her after he spent the evening at her house. (They're friends at this point) He firmly refuses. On the other hand, Omar, who is much more immature, apparently does spend the night with his girlfriend. The actual scene is not showed, but the aftermath is. I didn't know this until it was mentioned in Outcasts, the second book. I missed it. There quite a few kisses with married and unmarried couples. All of this is showed as sin and the consequences are made clear.

People are shot. Omar beats up someone. (not shown, just mentioned) There are a few other violent scenes, nothing graphic. Omar does drugs and drinks. Other characters do as well, but he does it mostly. Women are described to be dancing in immodest outfits since they go to a "dancing club" some of the time.

Conclusion: I loved this book. It was spiritual and down to earth. The sin was showed as evil so much that it didn't bother me as another normal book would have. Realistically, it described a world that has rejected Jesus and the traditional family. I love the characters and the plot. This is a great book,  but I would definitely discuss the content with my parents first. I'm almost finished with Outcasts and love it too.