The Line by Terri Hall

The Property, where sixteen-year-old Rachel and her mother live, and Away are just barely separated by The Line and everyone knows to stay out of Away. Sounds simple enough right? Rachel does as she's supposed to and follows all the rules to stay in Ms. Moore's good graces, as she is the owner of The Property.

Everything is as hunky-dory as it can be, until Rachel uncovers a mysterious recorded message. They're all alone on The Property, but given their proximity to Away, that's the only logical conclusion for the recording's origin. The message is dire though and asking for help. Rachel decides to heed that call and do the unthinkable. She's going to Away and her life will forever be altered.

Terri Hall's debut novel The Line is equal parts suspenseful mystery and dystopian fight for survival. Terri does a fabulous job outlining the changes the United States had to undergo in order to devolve into their current existence. Her detailing allowed the reader to glean a fuller understanding of the trials these people faced. Unfortunately it also made the book dull to start off. Although it became increasingly more interesting and fast-paced, the beginning really took some working to get through.

Rachel was a fun, spunky kind of girl. I really enjoyed reading about her growth under Ms. Moore's tutelage in the hot house. Her attitude could chafe sometimes, but it was certainly understandable. I really admired that fact that her character felt it imperative to help those in Away, despite everything she knew about those who inhabit Away.

While not the quickest read I've ever had, this was definitely an attention-grabber. It reminded me of Restoring Harmony in a way because it was slow to start-off, but really good once it gets going. Be on the lookout for Away, the second book in the series, in 2011!!

This book was graciously provided by Around the World Tours.