Official Review: City of Hidden Children

[ALynnPowers]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "City of Hidden Children" by Victoria Randall.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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City of Hidden Children is the third book in the Children in Hiding series by Victoria Randall. I have not read the previous two books in the series, but I had no trouble at all following this story. Because books one and two have different main characters and occur at separate periods of time, each book appears to easily stand on its own.

City of Hidden Children is a YA dystopian thriller which takes place in the city of Seattle, just a couple of decades in the future. The city follows very strict laws overseen by the Bureau of Population Management, which forbids the birth of any child who is not licensed. Unlicensed children are taken to the Children’s Center, but the public does not know what happens to them from there. Katy is now seventeen years old, but as a child, she once spent time at the Children’s Center after being confiscated by the BPM. She doesn’t remember those days, but she comes across an old photo that shows her with two friends from the Center. With the help of a boy who managed to escape the system, a rogue police officer, and a lot of impulsiveness, Katy goes on a mission to rescue her friends from the inhumane conditions that unlicensed children are forced to experience.

After reading this book, I am curious about the stories from the other books in the series, but I’m really glad that I read this one first. The characters that I met within this story are enjoyable to follow, and I immediately latched on to Katy as well as the police officer, Zander. The villains are appropriately despicable, and I found a bit of pleasure in disliking them.

To be honest, I had a really hard time deciding on a rating for this book. Personally, I loved it from start to finish, and once I got into the heart of the story, I couldn’t put it down. I think I read the second half of the book in one long sitting. It is fast-paced and lives up to its name as a thriller, and the rather realistic dystopian premise only adds to the thrill. However, the book wasn’t without its flaws. The ending of the book, from the climax onward, felt very rushed, and there were a couple of minor side-plots that didn’t seem to get wrapped up by the end of the story.

In the end, I asked myself the following questions, and my final rating is reflected by the answers. Did I like the book? Absolutely. Would I recommend this book to others? Definitely. Were the flaws in the story enough to keep me from enjoying the book? Not at all. Was the conclusion of the story satisfying, despite the flaws in the book? Yes.

That settles it. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. Anyone who is a fan of dystopian fiction or YA thrillers would likely enjoy this book just as much as I did.

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City of Hidden Children
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[PashaRu]

Thanks for a good review. I liked that you mentioned things you didn't like about the book, even though you gave it four stars. No book is perfect, right?

Oh, and I'll be sure to avoid Seattle in twenty years or so.

[LivreAmour217]

Excellent review!!! I love how you presented the book in such a balanced way--your acknowledgment of the flaws in spite of the high rating makes me want to read the book even more than if only its positive points were discussed. I also love truly despicable villains! I will be adding this one to my list!

[bluemel4]

Fantastic review! This is exactly the kind of book I am obsessed with. I am putting it on my to-read list.

[ALynnPowers]

I think I was trying to be more "objective" with how I reviewed this book, but when it came down to my rating, I decided to go with my "feeling" rather than my "thoughts"... but I wanted to acknowledge that other, more critical readers might find some things about this book less than perfect. Personally, I hate it when everything is wrapped up neatly at the end of a book... so that just added to my love of this book!

[VinuW]

Nice review! I love YA dystopian novels, and I'll definitely give this book a try.