All Rights Reserved by Gregory Scott Katsoulis-- probably half my bill would be for swear words if I lived in this world, just sayin'

All Rights Reserved

On the day of Speth's Last Day speech (the day that she'll accept the Terms & Services, give her sponsored speech, and start paying for copyrighted words and gestures), things don't go as planned.  A tragedy occurs that pushes Speth to go silent.

Her public decision to keep silent has a ripple effect on the community she lives in.  Suddenly dissent is in the air.  And every day she continues to keep quiet, it becomes more dangerous for Speth and her siblings.  

I've really been in the mood for these Dystopian books lately, and this one was JUST what I was looking for.

Although the premise is a little far-fetched-- I mean, could we really get to a point where EVERY word and gesture we use is charged??-- I totally fell into the story and the threat of danger that Speth was in.  It was very interesting seeing a girl who wasn't planning on being a revolutionary, become a symbol to so many.  She didn't have any master plan, she had to figure everything out as she went, but she knew that deep down what she was doing was right.  Her inner belief in what she was doing was very inspiring.

It was odd to read a book where the main character doesn't speak one single word.  Everything is thought inside her head, but she has very little ways of communicating those thoughts with other people.  The first person narration helped to be able to "hear" Speth, and I think if it had been written another way, the reader would have a hard time connecting with her.

Although I already said this seems far-fetched, it did make me think a lot about copyright laws and how far it could actually go.  I don't think it would ever get to the point where we had to wear a Cuff to monitor our spoken words, but I could see things becoming a lot more restricted than they are now.

The thing that was missing from this book was the emotion.  There are a few things that happen that are really, desperately sad, but I didn't FEEL it the way I should have.  Also, there was no romance, which usually I'm a fan of, but a small one would have been nice here.  At the very least a glimmer of one would've been something hold on to.

I definitely think you have to suspend disbelief in this book.  I had a lot of questions that I had to push aside in order to go along with the story.  I get that it's for the good of the story, but in reality the government would have shut this girl down so fast.  They had no problem taking people away, so it's hard to believe that someone making a public statement that was causing an uprising, wouldn't be immediately taken out.   But I eagerly pushed this aside because I wanted to go on Speth's journey and see the big bad lawyers be slain .

OVERALL: A much needed Dystopian about what the world would be like if copyright laws ran a muck and EVERY word you said had to be paid for.  I really liked the main character and the family and friends who helped her along her unexpectedly silent way.  There was some suspension of disbelief needed to be able to enjoy this book, but once I put that out of my mind, I was hooked on the intense story to obtain FREEDOM OF SPEECH again.

Date Published: 8/29/2017
How I got this book: Thanks to Harlequin Teen and ALA for providing me an advanced copy to read and honestly review.
Publisher: Harlequin Teen


Add it to your To-Read List!!

My Rating: 4/5

Character: Speth Jime
Book: Silence is Goldfish by Annabel Pitcher

• Because Tess, like Speth, can talk, but doesn't in order to deal with what's happening in her world.