REVIEW: Captives by Jill Williamson

“Captives” by Jill Williamson is one of those hard to find books that I couldn’t put down. From the prologue I was drawn in, and the tug to keep reading never stopped. (I finished the book in a day, which for a girl who likes the draw out the enjoyment of reading for a week, rather than gobble it all up, is pretty fast)

The book is incredibly fast paced, jumping between the POV of four various characters. While it certainly kept things interesting, I didn’t become as attached to the characters as I have in previous books with fewer characters. Mind you this isn’t because of lack of character development, Jill is fantastic with developing faulted, lovable, unique characters. We simply don’t have to opportunity to spend as much time with the characters. On the flip side we get to skip over boring parts and see what’s going on with a variety of characters. This is simply an observation, as there’s really no way to resolve the issue, and wouldn’t want Jill to have written it any other way.

Jill does touch on some more mature topics now and then, however nothing is explicit and all instances only further the plot and are tastefully handled. I would not recommend the book to younger readers though. I’m fairly conservative in my reading choices, however even at 13-14 I would have found the vaporizing (aka smoking) club life and various lifestyles squirm worthy. As I said, everything is to further the plot and/or development of various characters and excluding them would have made the “gilded cage” much less cage-like and shocking.

One of my only gripes is the book does end on a cliffhanger. (As far as cliffhangers go I’d rate it a medium) Which for a series is almost a requirement, but I prefer an ending that’s a little more wrapped up with a few loose ends and minor cliffhangers. This is more personal preference, and not a big deal, just be forewarned you’ll be searching Jill’s website for the release date of “Captives” sequel. :)

If you enjoy Sci-Fi, Dystopian, or anything in between you’ll certainly enjoy “Captives”. Jill has weaved a unique and drawing story that lucky for us, spans more than one book. Now get out there and dive headlong into the story world and character's in Captives. Enjoy!