Book review 1: Holly Bodger's 5 to 1

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 5 to 1 by Holly Bodger | Goodreads 

I've decided to do book reviews now. Deal with it as you please, sorry though if it doesn't measure up. Cheers!

 This book has been sitting idly on the second row of my IKEA Billy's bookshelf since I bought it from BookXcess online store. It is my fault it has been there for so long, but I'm glad I bought this book. I didn't remember why I bought it, or any story line prior reading it. 

When I first started reading this book, I saw a white lady's name, Holly Bodger. Imagine my shock when I read the first chapter and realized the setting is not in a western country, but an inspired land off of India. I always thought people would write about the things that are familiar to them, but this one is different. Or it's maybe my uninformed self that probably the author has plenty experience about India. The second thing that shocked me is that this story is a dystopian story, set in 2041. Most dystopian story I read or watched are mostly based in the US, UK, China, or Japan. So, a dystopian set in India would be new to me. Which is a plus, because it's a breath of fresh air. 

Sudasa, the main character is an 18 (or 17?) year old girl who is set for an arranged marriage but with a twist. This story is like Hunger Games but for arranged marriage. But it's not her who's fighting to survive, it's the groom candidates. I won't spoil the book for those who haven't read them, but please read it. It's unexpected. And it's a light read, I finished this book in a couple of hours.

You want to know what I really think of this book? It's lovely, the description of Sudasa's life, Kiran's life, Sudasa's cousin (betrothed) life, it's so beautifully told. I imagined everything, from the lavish, to the poor house, and the place where poor males go to die defending their walls. The ending is surprising too, as it left me to my imagination towards the future of Sudasa, Kiran, and those left behind. I just love it. Will definitely loan it to my nieces to read. 

Thank you Holly for writing this book. Looking forward to the next review. 

CK, not-so-much-a-bookworm-these-days


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