I am not sure why, is it a dig at the Hunger Games series? If it is, then it's hard to understand why the author is clearly trying to get the same ball rolling with this character-strong girl, discovering herself, besting adults on the way. The other thing that comes up over and over is a fascination with 'dystopian future novels', the author seems to hate these and takes at least three instances to point out that they exist, with a certain amount of disdain. It's not about the physical stuff, it's more about the tenor of the thing, would a girl who lost her father be flirting with a boy she doesn't know within the week? It's hard to say I guess, but the setup and the payoff don't seem logical in many places. I liked the story, and I liked the ideas and the writing in general, but it just isn't believable as it is. I believe that if this were about an older person, and male, it would actually be pretty good. For instance, how could a young woman who never really drinks surmise that a wine is from Argentina and describe it's character in specific terms? By the same token, how does this young woman know so much about so many things in general? Maybe it would have been better in third person of some sort? That way the political and cultural development of cities in the Czech Republic could be exposed more believably, but otherwise how would a 17-year-old know these things? It also seems to need an editor, as the author's presumed gender and age shows through many times. It smacks of 'first novel', overwritten in some parts (slow in the beginning around things and people that don't end up meaning much in my view, and weirdly descriptive about New York in negative ways that are curious) and jumping from one setting to another in a confusing way-how does the main character get robbed on a train without any description of how it happened when we are supposed to believe she is facile with self defence soon after?

There are no real plot spoilers below, though I do point at some specifics in this review. This would be a good, solid book with a nice plot and character development, if it weren't about a teenaged girl.

The Cruelty by Scott Bergstrom