Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien

My suite mate works at a bookstore, and she was reading an advanced copy of the novel Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien. I saw it on the common room table and was intrigued, so she let me read it. It's a young adult dystopian novel about a sixteen-year old girl, Gaia, who assists her mother, a midwife. She must deliver the first three babies born every month to the Enclave, a walled city which she resides outside of. These advanced babies are taken from their mothers within the first 90 minutes of their lives. When Gaia returns after her first delivery by herself, she discovers her parents have been arrested and taken inside the Enclave, and she embarks on a journey to rescue them and discover the mysteries within the Enclave.

The inside flap included an editor's note describing the book as a cross between The Handmaid's Tale and Hunger Games. I've never read The Hunger Games, but The Handmaid's Tale was one of my favorite books that I had to read for school and I definitely see a resemblance between the two books. I liked Birthmarked, although at times I definitely felt like I was reading a book targeted for younger girls (middle school or early high school age). The world was interesting, intriguing, and my biggest problem with the novel as a whole would be underdevelopment. I wish I could have seen a little bit more of both the outside of the Enclave and within, as I feel my picture of those places is vague and gray around the edges (then again, this could be due to a fast reading). I also felt some of the characters were a little vague as well. Overall, I just wanted more, especially with the ending. I feel like it's open for a sequel as the ending does not really resolve much ... unfortunately the book isn't even out yet! So waiting for a sequel will take awhile. Alas.

While I did enjoy this book, I would recommend this book for younger audiences. It comes out March 30, 2010. If you liked The Handmaid's Tale, you'll probably like this one. See the book on Amazon.