Truth [Paperback]

Julia Karr (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 19, 2012

An exciting dystopian thriller, and sequel to XVI

Nina Oberon's life has changed enormously in the last few months. When her mother was killed, Nina discovered the truth about her father, the leader of the Resistance. And now she sports the same Governing Council–ordered tattoo of XVI on her wrist that all sixteen-year-old girls have. The one that announces to the world that she is easy prey to predators. But Nina won't be anyone's stereotype. And when she joins an organization of girls working within the Resistance, she knows that they can put an end to one of the most terrifying secret programs the GC has ever conceived. Because the truth always comes out . . . and the consequences can be deadly.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Julia Karr (juliakarr.com and leaguewriters.blogspot.com) lives in Bloomington, Indiana.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Puffin; Original edition (January 19, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142417726
• ISBN-13: 978-0142417720
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #970,747 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Julia Karr was born in Indiana, and moved to Chicago when she was fifteen. After the initial culture shock of going from quiet, small town living to Carl Sandburg's, "stormy, husky, brawling," metropolis, she fell madly in love with the city. Her schooling in the art of writing came from reading, voraciously. While students were being forced to read the classics, Julia was busy going on author binges. As a young mother, reading books to, and eventually with, her daughters, she fell head-over-heels for children's literature. Not a far stretch for someone who had loved reading since the age of three. While still working a nine-to-five job, after hours Julia can be found at home, sitting on the couch tapping out stories on her laptop, with one of several cats draped behind her and her dogs sleeping nearby. 

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Felt like a bridge between books one and three January 19, 2012

By The Compulsive Reader VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Nina Oberon's life was turned upside down when her mother was murdered and the secrets about her family's involvement with the Resistance were revealed. The anonymous challenging of her little sister's custody case sets off a string of events that put Nina in a very precarious position with the Governing Council and underground resistance, where the stakes are higher than ever. No matter what happens, Nina will have to fight to stand by the truth.

Julia Karr's sequel to her debut novel, XVI, is full of conflict, suspense, and strong themes of fighting for the truth. The custody issue and its subsequent consequences were drawn out well, leading Nina and Dee to seeking shelter with the Jenkins family. Nina is shocked at how quickly things can change, but she still stays determined to help the resistance in any way possible, even if it's just by saving Joan, a broken character first introduced in XVI. However, her relationship with her boyfriend Sal does suffer--are they really in love, or even on the same page? The issue of what's happening to their relationship when he's gone throughout most of the book (and eyed by another girl in the resistance), coupled with Nina's growing attraction to Wei's brother, make for some interesting angst. The book picks up towards the end as Wei, Nina, and friends engineer a risky escape plan for Joan that goes wrong, taking Nina to places she didn't expect to go. While some of the dialogue feels a little awkward, the story is quite solid. There are a lot of questions that go unanswered in Truth that will leave readers wondering, and the open ending indicates a third book that will hopefully clear things up and find Nina is a better place than where she's left off.

Cover Comments: I like how this cover is a little bit lighter than its prequel--you can see the title and the image a lot better. Very nice.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Than the First One March 7, 2012

By Claire M. Veade

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I literally just finished reading this book on my kindle and I finished it in two days. Truth takes off a lot faster than it's prequel. I think the pacing and the amount of stuff happening in this book was what I liked. I liked seeing Nina put her art skills to use in the rebellion, loved the idea of the Sisterhood and to see Nina and Dee's relationship get fleshed out a bit more was really enjoyable. Joan is also a bigger character in this book, though I won't spoil what happens.

Can't say I'm sorry that the romance seems to be falling apart. I didn't like Sal before Chris was in the picture and now that Chris is I absolutely want Sal gone. Never felt he was quite worthy of Nina. Though of course who knows what will happen there.

I felt the divisions between the tiers more strongly in this book, which is good, because I got a good sense of the self consciousness that Nina felt. The way people treat homeless and lower tier is more in your face this part of the story. A lot about this book made me feel angry when I was reading it - which is how you are meant to feel, because this book covers a lot of dark stuff. So much that was happening to the characters and the way the Media made things appear was just so unfair, I wanted to fling my kindle across the room on certain parts. LOL. But good writing is supposed to make you feel strong emotions.

I was on the fence with the first book, but I'm glad I decided to continue. Give Truth a chance. Even if you didn't love XVI, you might love this one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A realistic dystopia January 30, 2013

By Alissa

Format:Paperback

I loved this sequel to XVI! I think it was even more exciting. The dystopian world that Julia has created is that much more frightening because of its believability. The novel's exploration of women's issues, the influence of the media and rape culture make this a great book for book club or classroom discussion.