Promised by Caragh O'Brien ADVISABLE

O'Brien, Caragh Promised, 304 pgs. Roaring Brook Press, October 2012. Language - PG (2 swears); Sexual Content - PG; Violence - PG (people are shot and die, but it isn't gruesome). 

Promised is the third and final book of the Birthmarked trilogy. It has Gaia returning to her old home of Wharfton with 200 refugees from Sylum. All they want is to make a new life for themselves, but to do so they need water and the Protectorat of the Enclave isn't interested in negotiations. 

O'Brien is a master at creating believable dystopic societies, as well as real characters who behave in realistic ways. I find it amazing that she has written a whole YA series based around genetics and babies. However, I was rather disappointed in this book. I got really upset with the decisions Gaia made throughout the book and put herself in situations that frustrated me. If you have the series and it's popular, then this is an essential purchase, but if not then I wouldn't worry about. 

MS, HS - ADVISABLE rebekah, public services librarian