Review: The Line by Teri Hall

Synopsis:
Rachel lives with her mother on The Property. The good thing about living there is that it's far from the city, where the oppressive government is most active. The bad thing, at least to most people, is that it's close to the Line - an uncrossable section of the National Border Defense System, an invisible barrier that encloses the entire country.

She can see the Line from the greenhouse windows, but she is forbidden to go near it. Across the Line is Away, and though Rachel has heard many whispers about the dangers there, she's never really believed the stories. Until the day she hears a recording that could only have come from across the Line.

It's a voice asking for help.

Who sent the message? What is her mother hiding? And to what lengths will Rachel go in order to do what she thinks is right?

Written in mesmerizing prose, this futuristic debut examines one girl's struggle to risk crossing - not just the barrier, but the lines her mother has drawn to keep her safe from the secrets that Rachel is only just beginning to discover.

Review:

The Line started off slow, and it took a while to pick up speed. Over the first half of the book introduces the characters and describes the Unified States. I found the world that Teri Hall has created to be very interesting. The way the government controls its citizens and the secrets of the world was exciting to read about.

Rachel is a great main character who is easy to relate to. I definitely liked her. Rachel lives near the Line on the Property. She is a curious girl that wants to know more about the land on the other side of the Line known as Away. Away is not explored too much in this book, so I am curious about it. There are other things that I want to know more about. Like the maps that Vivian, Rachel's mother, has been protecting all these years. I am curious to discover what they are maps of exactly.

Ms. Moore, the owner of the Property, was an intriguing character. At first, I found her to be snobbish and hard. After hearing her back story, I found her to be likable, which surprised me. She has valid reasons for why she is the way she is.

A person I want to know more about is Pathik. Pathik is an Other, a person who lives in Away. As soon as we meet Pathik, the story picks up speed. I found it interesting that some of the Others have extra abilities. It makes them mysterious and exciting. I could not help but like Pathik. How could you not when his gorgeous blue eyes are described? It is obvious that a romance will begin to brew in future books between Rachel and Pathik.

The Line was a fun and easy read. Plus, at only 219 pages it is fairly short. Do not the slow start keep you from reading this book because the second half of the book more than makes up for it. There is a cliffhanger ending, of course. I love dystopian novels, and this one is a definite keeper. I am looking forward to reading the next book when it is released because I have a feeling that the next book in this series will be better.

Rating: 3.5/5

I am reviewing this book as a part of Dystopian August over at Presenting Lenore:

Swords are for fighting,