Liza

Warning: Big spoilersDisappointing! The idea of a society separated into castes by languages intrigued me, and I thought the heroine, Charlie, having the secret ability to understand all languages would make an interesting plot. However, the author didn't put her brilliant idea to use. It's only mentioned over and over, that Charlie shouldn't be able to understand this person or that person, but she does. Not once does she overhear something that adds to or enhances the plot. The caste system, the languages, Charlie's ability- were all just background for an average girl instantly falling in love (lust?) with a prince in disguise (saw it coming, but Charlie doesn't) then finding out she's a princess and has to defeat the evil queen. Sigh. She never uses her ability to find out anything of use, even in spite of falling in with a rebel army. At one point, Charlie's childhood friend finds out what she can do and says "Imagine the fun we could have had with that!" Seriously!!! That was like salt in the wound.After thinking about it for a few days, I realized there was much more I didn't like about this book, or that stood out as undeveloped. It has some really high ratings, so I don't know if it's just not my thing or what. The ending once again, seems to set up an intriguing plot for a second book, but I was so frustrated with the way this one fizzled out, I won't be wasting my time.

♥Rachel♥

I think this was a great start to a promising series. I really enjoyed it!Seventeen-year old Charlaina, Charlie, lives in the kingdom of Ludania ruled by cruel and ancient Queen Sabara. Her subjects are divided by classes, languages, and strict rules that govern them. A person can be put to death for small infractions, so all must be careful. The country is currently in turmoil because there is a war going on. There are revolutionaries that have risen up to change the oppressive conditions. Charlie can speak and understand all languages, and that is strictly forbidden. Charlie must never let on that she understands any but the languages of a daughter of a Vendor.Charlie however, starts to attract the attention of a newcomer to her city, Max. She hears him speaking in a language that she's never heard before, and this fascinates her. Somehow, Charlie senses that Max knows she can understand his language. She wants to stay away from him because this frightens her. Max for his part, knows that Charlie has some secrets, but he has a few of his own. But the chemistry between the two is undeniable, and they can't seem to stay apart. I loved this quote: He disarmed me by smiling. Then, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, his voice rumbled low, caressing my heart. "I would have found a way for us to be together even if you'd been a servant's daughter, Charlie. You do intrigue me, but not for any reasons you suspect." He leaned in then and kissed me again, sweet and soft and tender, silencing my arguments and stealing my breath, making me wonder how one simple gesture could be so tragically lovely. I know this book was labeled as a dystopian novel but I felt it had a fairy-tale quality to it with the evil queen, and the magic element. I enjoyed Charlies's relationship and devotion to her friends and family. My favorite was the shared affection and love between Charlie and her sister, Angelina. It really touched my heart. I also liked her best friend Aron and his loyal

Abby

Charliana can read, hear and speak other languages. All of them. Including those she shouldn't know. But when a mysterious Max appears, will she be exposed for who she really is?This book drags on, and on, and on. It's at such a slow pace, it's redonculous. And the plot. Oh geeze, the plot is stupid. I can't believe I gave this book my time. Charliana, why are thou so annoying?The only thing I liked was that it was dystopia and YA, but I didn't enjoy it.

Bern

This had so much potential. Kimberly Derting had the right idea, came up with some nice details to her dystopian society, she had everything she needed to make a great story. And then it all went downhill in this jumble of cliches and boring storytelling that came together in one snooze festival in which you're left as that one bored person wondering what the hell are you going to eat for dinner tonight since you haven't gone grocery shopping ever since Jesus died the second time. So the story of The Pledge takes place in a war torn country in which each class is segregated by the language they speak; each class has its own language and the higher you are on the hierarchy of Ludania (some crazed, medieval-matriarchal society that is supposedly in a futuristic US), the more the people beneath you on it can't look you in the eye. Or else. Sabara, the Queen, rules the whole queendom (yes, Derting, we see what you did there) with cruelty, rigidity and, um... dark magic? Anyway, in the midst of all this mess lies this very dull girl with a very special gift - yep, another one of those. They should all start a club or something. Now, don't get me wrong. I didn't buy this book because I wanted to read it for the shits and giggles. Neither did I buy it for it's uber gorgeous cover - although that was a contributing factor, I mean, come on, am I right? But my point is, I thought this here was going to be good. As the linguistic enthusiast that I sometimes am, I thought the concept of different classes speaking different languages and this one girl who understood them all was a really good idea. And it would've been, had Derting totally not messed this one up. All the stereotypes, pretentious writing laced with bits of awkward out-of-place slang here and there and more cliches than any movie of Adam Sandler to ever be released is able to contain contribute to make The Pledge a terribly slow train wreck, happening in front of you right now and yet you can't seem to stop glari

hal

I was seriously contemplating giving this one star. The Pledge had an interesting premise, but it utterly failed.The sole reason I didn't give this one star was Xander and Brooklynn. They were definitely the most interesting characters (far more so than Max and Charlie) and if the story was written from one of their perspective, it would have been so much more fun to read.I really didn't like Charlie. Something about her rubbed me the wrong way. But I hated Max a hundred times more than Charlie. Max was a condescending smug ASSHOLE. He follows Charlie. He lies to her. He acts strange and then pretend like he doesn't know what she's talking about when she calls him out on it. He's super protective of her, and he met her, like what, two days ago? Come on! Stop being a stalker, Max. But it's not like Charlie cares. She likes him and he's "intrigued" with her from the moment they meet. Can you say Insta-love? Yup. This "dystopia" world that the author tried to create did not work. So, apparently Ludania at war and there's a lot of "restriction" and "rules" and stuff. Yet they're allowed to go to parties and clubs and stuff? And school? They're free to just wander around the whole city, basically. What? It doesn't make sense.So I was unhappy about how The Pledge turned out. Then I read the author's note at the front of the book, and found out this was based on an interview with a woman who was a child during the Holocaust. WHAT THE FUCK?! How about instead of making a FAKE "dystopia" world (and a crappy one at that), you write a historical fiction that pays homage to the REAL VICTIMS!!! Huh? Is that too hard, Ms. Derting?! If you can't tell, I don't recommend this book.

Jay

I have been hesitant to read The Pledge because I have not read that many great reviews, but when I found it in audio, I just had to give it a try, and i am SO GLAD I did because this book was incredible! The light dystopian element, the historical themes, the revolutionary plots. Every single minute of listening to this audio kept me on the edge! I would stay a couple of minutes in the car after I parked because I just didn't want to leave this world. In the end I ended up getting the ebook and finishing it because of how impatient I was and how addicting and exciting The Pledge was. The story is set in a world that is segregated by class, and where each class has its own language, however the protagonist, Charlie, has the gift of understanding and speaking every language; A lowly class girl understanding the sacred language of the higher classes? a transgression that would result in immediate death if found out. However Charlie is like any girl, working at her family's restaurant, going to school, and hanging out with her friends. However when she and one of her friends go to a club, she meets Max, an alluring and attractive man that speaks a language that is unheard of, of course she understands it. This is when the clues and subplots fall into place. Charlie finds herself implicated deep into the center of the dictatorial and deadly regime. If you do not enjoy historical fiction, I would still recommend this book to you since the 'politics' in the book never truly make an appearance, yes there is a royal family and a tyrant queen, but the story centers around Charlie and only a chapter or two is dedicated to the queen. Kimberly Derting delivered a unique and amazing book with another amazing female protagonist and a tight plot and writing that would make you fall deep into this dystopian world.

Morgan F

When I read Derting's The Body Finder, I was not impressed. After reading the start of her second series....I am still not impressed. The marketing is all there. Gorgeous cover, creative dystopian premise, the promise of romance....All of this is very in right now. Unfortunately. The weakest part of The Pledge was the world-building. As a dystopian, it was very weak. There is no reason for this world, no how, no why. Supposedly, it was set sometime in the future, as it alludes to current cities, but no world I know would end up like this. This world has magic powers, evil queens, lost princesses, and hidden princes. Sounds like a fantasy, right? Perhaps thats what it should have been: a fantasy. As a dystopian, there are too many logic gaps, which Derting doesn't even begin to explain. Where do the powers come from? What's their purpose? Why the matrilineal monarchy? It's possible she'll get around to it later, but I doubt that. I believe she's hoping we'll just close our eyes and go along with it. What originally was an intriguing concept, the idea of languages being barriers, soon got mushed into typical YA tropes. The book was basically set up for a romance, one I didn't particularly enjoy. The main character, Charlie (love that name for girls, btw), is a level-headed enough girl in the beginning but quickly dissolves at the first sign of a hunk. It goes as far as there is bombs going off, and Charlie doesn't know if her parents are alive, but all she can focus on is being jealous of some innocent hand-holding. Really, now. And sure Max is good-looking, but he's borderline stalker, and he always tries to get the narrator to do things she doesn't want to do because he wants it for her. And his only excuse for this is he finds her "beautiful and intriguing." Charlie overall isn't particularly special, sure she's got powers, but she doesn't have much personality besides. Her most admirable trait is how much she cares for her sister. But I feel like whenever authors

Jonababez

Captivating. Moving. Engaging. This is a really good dystopian world. However, I was a bit surprised to know that it has fantasy in it. It reminds me somehow of Cinder by Marissa Meyer, they both have the same heroine, hero and villain qualities.This book is hard to review without spilling some spoilers. Ugh. It has all a dystopian world can have - war, resistance, ruler, and danger. It's one dangerous world. But I love everything about it. I can't believe how I easily became attached with all the characters. Charlie, the girl with a secret she must protect because it will mean death to her. Max, it's too obvious, who he really he is. Oh my, I can't help but fall in love with. Especially when he said to her, "I pledge to keep you safe". It means so much. There are also other characters: Angelina, Charlie's sister, is one powerful little girl. I think I like her more than Charlie. Haha. Brooklyn, her bestfriend, I'm surprised with her secret. Xander also surprised me. I don't know, maybe my guessing skill is not that good to predict the whole book. LOL.Anyway, I highly recommend this book to all who love dystopian stories. ;)

Merary

I've never read The Body Finder and I don't have any intention to do it. When I realized that The Pledge was from the same author, that didn't discourage me to read it because the plot premise sounded interesting.One thing needs to be clear: This is not dystopian and shouldn't be considered as such.Do I see paranormal powers in a distant future? Eeeh, I don't think so. Division of people by the language they speak? Possibly.This is plain fantasy, period.And also, monarchy in the distant future is not believable. Just like Kira said in her review of The Selection, 300 years ago, people were against monarchy. That's why the Declaration of Independence was written. Why would people want monarchy in the distant future? Can someone answer that to me?The beginning(first 100 pages) starts very slow but once you continue reading the pace was quick and easy to follow.The main character, Charlie, sounded promising . . . until she fell in love with Max. Seriously, stop the insta-love!! The romance was more or less well-made. It wasn't creepy and forced but it was very . . . average.Max does have certain . . . qualities . . . that makes me shudder(*cough* Stalking *cough*), though. And he fell in "love" with her at the same time. Derp.Another problem I faced with this book was its predictability. Many things that were happening in this book, I was already seeing it coming. (view spoiler)[Charlie comes from a long-lost royal family? Yeah, no shit. >_> (hide spoiler)]

Nafiza

Another book with a very interesting premise. Language being the boundary that separates one social class from another. I liked the idea and I loved the world building. The thing that spoiled the book for me is the extremely cliched writing. This book could have been so much better had the author chosen not to employ dialogue that reads like it came waltzing straight out of a sappy romance movie. I also saw a lot of Mary Sue-ish development from the main character and well...I like my heroines flawed. Would I recommend this? I didn't like it but you might so I'll say make up your mind. If you don't mind the writing, I dare say you'll enjoy it more than I did.

Giselle

In Kimberly Derting's The pledge, we embark on a fairy-tale like story set in a dystopian future where language dictates your class standing. I was first attracted to this book by it's intriguing premise and original setting. Unfortunately, I found myself unable to connect to the characters nor was I very invested in the story.As a reader, I'm very character oriented. I feel the need to be able to relate to the characters. Feel their emotions, understand their decisions and connect with their personalities. I didn't feel any of this with Charlie, the protagonist in The Pledge. I felt very detached from her. She didn't have any distinct traits or strengths. I also never felt the connection between her and Max - the love interest. It was never clear why Max was so infatuated with her. She simply "intrigued him", whatever that means. The one part I did enjoy was Charlie's relationship with her sister. She was deeply devoted to saving her sister and making sure she was ok. I was also happy about the presence of the parents in the book.Charlie has a big secret, she can understand all languages. In this world, if you even look at a person while they are speaking a language of a higher class, that is punishable by death. I did find this to be a bit harsh, but not necessarily unrealistic. If we take the present, there are already a lot of problematic prejudices caused by language, so I could see, in a dystopian future, that it could come to this. The part about the world building that I had a problem with was that I couldn't fathom how society would put a full worldwide matriarchy in place of a democracy. It wasn't very well explained, how it came about. World building is especially important in a dystopic setting, and The Pledge did not have me convinced. I was never surprised by the events that occurred during the story. It was as expected and went in a fairly straight route. The pacing was pretty decent, but the action was mild and the excitement was short lived. I never

Jennifer Armentrout

Man, only 30 some pages in, and it's so good. Have agent edits to do, but I wanna read!

Kathleen

Intriguing and suspenseful, The Pledge is a fantastic story woven behind a realistic fantasy/dystopia setting.Charliana lives in a world that is divided by the language they speak and judged by status – the lower and higher class. If the lower class ever looks a member of the higher class in the eye while speaking their own language, the penalty for this is death. As Charliana and her family try to keep under the radar and work to the best of their ability to help her families restaurant stay afloat. But Charliana is hiding a secret. Somehow she can decipher any language or text from any other class, when she’s only supposed to know her own class’s language. If anyone finds out her secret, she knows she will be in danger. So when she meets the mysterious Max who talks in a language she’s never heard before, her secret is nearly revealed, but what Charliana doesn’t know is that there is something much bigger going on and she and her family are in more danger than ever.Why ‘o’ why did I not read The Pledge sooner? I seem to be wishing this more and more lately while I’m trying to tackle some of my own books rather around my review books. I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf since it first released – I remember one of my friends gifting it to me and me being so excited to read it and here I am like 3 years later JUST reading it. If you haven’t already guessed, yes I loved it. It was amazing and that was totally unexpected because I’ve read both of the first books of Kimberly Derting’s other series and yeah they were okay, but nothing like The Pledge. Nothing! I guess this is third times the charm right?As I mentioned before The Pledge is a very intriguing read. From the moment I started it I didn’t want to put it down. Charlie’s world is dark and brutal and I immediately felt sorry for her. She has this gift that she can’t share with anyone other than family and being able to hear every different language, she had to be careful every minute of the day in case she sli

Ceilidh

The more YA books I see being released amidst the continuing dystopia trend (a fad that seems to have a lot more mileage than I originally anticipated, although the sales figures are a more mixed bag), the more I find myself questioning what makes a book dystopian. With “The Body Finder” author Kimberly Derting's latest, the first in a planned trilogy, I hesitate to call it, for lack of a better term, pure dystopian since it mixes more fantastical elements into the story. This discussion aside, what elements that the book uses that are clearly in a dystopian vein are unsuccessful. The setting, the country of Ludania, is frequently described in terms of its oppressiveness and constant threat of danger but neither of these things were shown on the page. For a supposedly highly guarded society, there was a lot of freedom allotted to its residents. There seemed to be no real adult supervision of the secret club visiting teenagers, except for a few guards now and then, but when one of the characters is described as using heavily guarded security check-points as an opportunity to practice her flirting techniques, it sort of detracts from the sense of fear and urgency. This is an issue I've had with a few dystopian YA novels in recent times. We're frequently told of the dangers and need for constant vigilance but what we are presented with is a series of plot convenient instances and loopholes that detract from the atmosphere needed to create a truly tense story. A strong sense of urgency and fear is a must for dystopian set stories, in my opinion. On top of all this, Derting includes a more fantasy oriented element that is the driving force behind the central premise of the story. Charlie can understand every language, a dangerous skill in a world where social groups are broken up by which language they speak. As a student of semi-dead languages, this premise was a potential gold-mine for me, and I think there is a genuinely interesting world to be built from the idea of

Andy

WOW I AM SO DISAPPOINTED!I read this book like 8-10 years ago or something and I freaking adored it so much. It was like the BEST BOOK EVER. HOW WAS I SO WRONG!?This book really annoyed me. Like the plot was super choppy and the characters were quite ridiculous. Especially Charlaina and Brooklynn. Brooklynn's defining quality was that she was "boy crazy". I'm not even kidding, it says exactly that. She was described this way so many freaking times that I wanted to hit something. Then, to make matters worse, Charlie looks down on Brooklynn for this and gets so high and mighty about it. Like being comfortable in your sexuality is a bad thing! (PSA ITS NOT). Their whole friendship continued to mystify me throughout this book, I do not understand it. Then there was Max and Charlie. Wow I really loved them the first time and now not so much. Yeah they had some chemistry, but things moved way too fast for this book. It was not my cup of tea. Ugh. Lastly, this book was basically propaganda for this false country. There were pages I would read and think "Wow I literally read straight propaganda for the crown of Ludania" and Charlie was like "these freaking rebels need to stop it". Ugh I just can't with this.

Krys

Well, I read that really fast. I started The Pledge by Kimberly Derting late last night/early this morning and I just finished it. Before you ask, yes I do sleep. Quite well, actually.The Pledge marks a departure for Derting into the world of Dystopic Fantasy. Having been a fan of her Body Finder series I was very eager to get a look at her newest work. I'm not disappointed, far from it. Derting has cemented a place on my auto buy list of authors.The aging Queen of Ludania has no heir - no female heir anyway. She seeks a proper replacement for herself even though she is near dying. Throughout Ludania language is a mark of distinction and of separation of the classes. It serves to keep everyone in their place. In the Vendor district a girl named Charlaina (Charlie) has trouble keeping a dangerous ability from being known. She can hear and understand every known language; Serf, Upper class, Military, tactile... you name it. Charlie has difficulty hiding this, particularly when she meets a young man named Max. In Max Charlie hears a language she has never heard and understands it, and he knows she does. Will this charming man be her downfall?Derting explodes onto the Dystopian field in high style. This book is gorgeous, vivid and imaginative. Derting uses her trademark style of narrative, switching back and forth between pro and antagonist as the story progresses. In this she makes a really smart choice though: not only does she switch narrators but she also plays with First and Third person for represent Charlie and Queen Sabara respectively. This adds a flair to the telling, and renders the two characters with very distinctive, different voices. I adore alternating narrators but some authors don't know how to pull it off. Derting does, and it makes for a superbly dynamic telling.Beside that this story is gripping. I sat down with it today and could not put it down. This is a tremendous world that Derting has set up. As of yet I am not sure if it is the beginning of a

Shannon

Charlaina "Charlie" Hart is seventeen and a member of the Vendor class, the class of merchants. Her parents have a restaurant, she attends a school for vendor children, and her friends are the children of other vendors. As a member of this class, she's only allowed to speak two languages: parshon, the language of her class, and Englaise, the universal language and language of the Serving class, the lowest class in Ludania. But Charlie has a unique and very secret gift: she can understand all languages, even pictorial ones. And no one other than her parents can ever, ever know because it would be an instant death sentence for her.Then one night at an illegal club with her best friend, Brook, Charlie meets Max, a young, handsome man who speaks a language she's never heard before - but that doesn't stop her from understanding it. Terrified that he's realised she can understand him, Charlie is determined to keep him away and maintain her low profile. But when she stumbles upon the underground resistance movement, led by the enigmatic Xander, and learns the truth about Ludania's powerful Queen, Charlie must decide just what part she will play in the coming conflict.I read this as a standalone novel, especially considering the epilogue gives it a sense of finality, but learned afterwards that it's the first of a trilogy (mostly at the publisher's urging). It would have been fine - not great, but fine - as a standalone, but as the first in a series it's definitely lacking. The motivator for continuing to read it would be a really fleshed-out world (I get the sense that the characters will change in the next book, but that may not be the case), and I didn't get one. The Pledge continues my on-going disappointment with YA fiction these days, especially the sci-fi/fantasy kind.Though, to be honest, I'm starting to wonder just how much of it is because I'm an adult, with different expectations, and an imagination that works in different - and perhaps less effective - ways. I'm

B

Kimberly Derting's The Pledge has a lot going for it: it has an interesting and original concept, fascinating (albeit mostly lacking) world-building, great writing that allows the novel to flow easily and makes for a quick read, some interesting relationship dynamics, and an explosive ending making way for an interesting sequel. However, that being said, The Pledge also has a lot that is not going for it, most prominently the characterization, the predictability of the plot, and, last but certainly not least, the romance, each of which I guess you could say I deducted about a star or so for. The characterization in The Pledge, much like the world-building, is lacking for the most part. We're never really given any depth into who the characters are and what they're like, and because of that, I never cared much for the characters and their struggles. Each character was just their own little cardboard cutout: there's Charlie, the protagonist, who is special and doesn't realize her beauty and power; there's Brooklynn, the sexually promiscuous, incredibly gorgeous, and rebellious best friend whom our protagonist lives her sexual - and really any other - life through; there's Angelina, the protagonist's cute, innocent, and loyal younger sister who doesn't speak (considering I just finished Delirium and it was fresh in my mind, that direct comparison was a bit too much to get over at first); and lastly, Max, the mysterious love interest to Charlie who has secrets and is broody and overall just a 'meh' (at best) character.The predictability of The Pledge's plot wasn't as big as an issue for me as I expected it to be, because while I did have most of the story and plot twists sorted out by the very beginning (though there were one or two twists to surprise me), it wasn't as detractive of an element to my enjoyment in The Pledge as the characterization (or lack thereof), or the romance (which I will get to next) were. While the predictability of the central plot in The Pledge

Danielle (The Blonde Likes Books)

This was a really interesting premise for a dystopian book, and I loved it! Charlie lives in a society separated by languages. Each class has it's own language, and lower classes are not permitted to to speak languages of the higher classes - they aren't even supposed to understand them. Charlie has a secret though...she can understand all languages, and she doesn't know how or why. As her country is in the midst of an uprising, she meets mysterious Max, who speaks a language she's never heard before. She's immediately drawn to him, but she doesn't know why. I absolutely adored Max, so I didn't even mind the insta-love in this book, which was absolutely present! I figured out most of the twists in the book pretty quickly, though there were a number of twists, and all of them interesting! Ultimately, I read this book in one sitting and really enjoyed it!

Liza Koppens

I loved the cover and the discription of the cover. I was looking for some more books for my tbr list and this book kept popping in my mind.The characters felt a bit flat. I didn't care for the MC, her friends or what she went trough. I had a hard time following the story and more than once i had to stop reading. Turn the page back and read again becouse it felt like I missed a part. Three pages being vague about what a letter to the MC said (who read it when we where in her head, and only I as the reader didnt know what it said) to have it finaly be revield and have the felling that the past pages were a waste to read.I noticed I kept looking how far I was in the book, knowing if I didn't power trough I would stop reading.The MC's "super power" if you can call it that was pretty much useless, her sister was way more interesting (power wise). The story felt like it drag along while dumping plot progression on my head with no explenation, forshadowing or logic. There was even a point where I joked to myself about something, that was compleetly impossible in my mind to have it happen...It felt like the writer used plot twist for the sake of shoking you, what yea sometimes it did, most of the time I felt like I missed something and after spending most of my time rereading I just skipped some stuff when I didn't understand. The world felt weird and I could hardly imagene it beiing lived in.Things that where explained made no sence to me. And the epilogue trew me for such a loop it left a bad after taste in my mouth. It felt like a waste of 3,5 good hours I could have spent reading an other book.Everything went so fast, I did not undersatand the story at all. And it was more of a chore to read than becouse I wanted to. O god and the villan... She was just evil for the sake of beiing evil. And her chapters just took away the little bits of tension there could have been. O yea next chapter I will.... And this happend to the MC, dont forget to use the verry evil queen to te