⋙ PDF The First Principle A Novel Marissa Shrock 9780825443572 Books

The First Principle A Novel Marissa Shrock 9780825443572 Books

Download As PDF : The First Principle A Novel Marissa Shrock 9780825443572 Books

The First Principle A Novel Marissa Shrock 9780825443572 Books

After my review of The Liberation, I felt compelled to check out The First Principal by Marissa Schrock, especially since I​ already owned the ebook anyway. And I have to say, I liked this one quite a bit more. I finally got an answer to the age question of that one character (he’s 21 when she’s 17) and I found the ​majority of the book much more believable​.

The blurb explains the story well – Vivica is already questioning the laws against teenage pregnancy when she discovers she herself is pregnant and has to make a choice. At the same time, some political machinations are occurring, both ​in regards to the rebel group and with her mother’s bid for the presidency. The adventure Vivica finds herself on was tense, nail-biting and fairly believable for a 17-year-old teen. There was more detail and description – I really enjoyed the book.

I still had some minor qualms. For one, 21 is a bit young for me to really buy someone as such a high-level Emancipation Warrior. Also I’d been feeling guilty for how unbelievable I found book #2 compared to book #1 and then the big climactic ending happened and made me lol. I may have never felt a single labor pain prior to my emergency c-section but I know childbirth is rarely quite the way it went in the book. (And I say that while having a friend who has literally given birth so quickly that the paramedics barely made it to the house in time for her third child.)

But those were minor and altogether I found The First Principal a stronger book than the sequel and I definitely think teen girls would like it.


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The First Principle A Novel Marissa Shrock 9780825443572 Books Reviews

Vivica Wilkins is the sixteen-year-old daughter of a prominent governor, and presidential candidate, in the futuristic "United Regions of North America" where government control is out of hand (but not unrealistic). The population is controlled through pregnancy-preventing vaccinations, so that only women within a particular age range are propagating, with a high tax on families with more than two children.

Vivica is a hacker (mostly using her skills to change the grades of other students), but she otherwise is okay with the "system"--that is, until she discovers she is illegally pregnant, and is no longer sure she is comfortable with the mandatory abortion. The baby's father is a repentant Christian, working with an underground group of "Emancipation Warriors".

I love how this book deals directly with Christian issues and political scenarios within the futuristic, government controlled setting that is so popular amongst teen literature. The faith element is not subtle. The characters talk and question God and faith in a way that is great for young readers. And despite dealing with the difficult topics of abortion and teen sex, there is not a sexual or even emotionally-romantic vibe to the story, which I really appreciated as it kept the emphasis on the more important issues of politics and faith. There is a little bit of purposefully placed violence as the story moves rapidly in an exciting action-oriented mystery and chase.

This would be enjoyable for teens or adults because of the thought-provoking themes and action packed plot. Adult readers could finish this in a day or two. I also think it could be a great resource for parents and teens to discuss some of these issues together.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kregel Publications.
Dystopian fiction is one of the major players in the “young adult” book space these days. Put shortly, these types of books present a world that has not gone well and has the main characters dealing with that reality. Whether that says good things about our society or not is a discussion for the long-term, but I have my doubts—rather than a hopeful view of the future, we seem to be taking a dim view of the likely outcomes.

Dystopian fiction typically picks up on the specific fears or concerns of the author. Thus, some show an environmental collapse while others show violence and war. The First Principle, today’s book, takes a look at the collapse of religious freedom.

Marissa Shrock’s novel is set in a future world where the United States has collapsed into a consortium of regions. Her main character, Vivica, is the daughter of one region’s governor. The situation of religious freedom and government tyranny moves up close and personal to Vivica—and we see how she responds.

How well does Shrock execute this?

1. Believability of the setting there is no future projection here that is too far to believe. The idea of a government-approved Bible “version” that is sanitized of all controversy fits some current trends in public religion. The use of public schooling to automatically force-deliver birth control and deal with teen pregnancy is perhaps a stretch, and perhaps not.

2. Believability of the plot teenage girls and boys get into trouble? People rebel against an oppressive government? One can believe that.

3. Believability of the characters you have a teenage boy who is struggling with living his faith and having been sexually active. That’s real. The other characters? Skeezy politicians? Yep. Sacrificial and hypocritical people? Indeed.

4. Believability of the events there’s one event that I think strains credibility, because I have been present at the birth of three children. I think a scene where an individual gives birth but then carries on without much difficulty? Without immediate and present medical care? It doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the setting, where there is an attempt to pamper over and medically control everything, that an individual would have that ability.

Beyond that, the rest seems to fit well.

Appropriateness? This is a “young adult” novel, so it’s aimed into the teenage market. I think that’s a good aim, but I’d watch the low-side of the ages. If they are already reading works like The Hunger Games, then there’s no new innocence lost in thinking through this dystopia. If you haven’t gotten there yet, then waiting another year won’t hurt.

Is it smooth to read? Yes. One can definitely knock back a chapter or two at a sitting and keep up with the plot line. In all, a good book. I am curious to see how the series develops from this starting point.

The First Principle is by Marissa Shrock. Learn more about her here, at her website.

(Free book in exchange for the review.)
After my review of The Liberation, I felt compelled to check out The First Principal by Marissa Schrock, especially since I​ already owned the ebook anyway. And I have to say, I liked this one quite a bit more. I finally got an answer to the age question of that one character (he’s 21 when she’s 17) and I found the ​majority of the book much more believable​.

The blurb explains the story well – Vivica is already questioning the laws against teenage pregnancy when she discovers she herself is pregnant and has to make a choice. At the same time, some political machinations are occurring, both ​in regards to the rebel group and with her mother’s bid for the presidency. The adventure Vivica finds herself on was tense, nail-biting and fairly believable for a 17-year-old teen. There was more detail and description – I really enjoyed the book.

I still had some minor qualms. For one, 21 is a bit young for me to really buy someone as such a high-level Emancipation Warrior. Also I’d been feeling guilty for how unbelievable I found book #2 compared to book #1 and then the big climactic ending happened and made me lol. I may have never felt a single labor pain prior to my emergency c-section but I know childbirth is rarely quite the way it went in the book. (And I say that while having a friend who has literally given birth so quickly that the paramedics barely made it to the house in time for her third child.)

But those were minor and altogether I found The First Principal a stronger book than the sequel and I definitely think teen girls would like it.