The Killables by Gemma Malley ~ Review

The Killables (The Killables #1) 
By Gemma Malley

Rating: 5


“Imagination shows an ability to lie, to pretend the world is different than it is.”  


My thoughts on the book:

This. Book. Was. Amazing! 

The Killables, a definite must-read by Gemma Malley, came into my possession on one of my frequent trips to buy out my local Dymocks. I was searching the shelves for something good to read when...bam. There it was. 

I had read The Declaration (and loved it) and I was intrigued by the blurb, so I decided to give it a try.

And I did not regret it!

A great dystopian novel, this book was made all the better by its female protagonist. Evie's struggle for understanding becomes your struggle - as she has to come to terms with whether or not the laws and regulations of the society she has known her whole life, and the society itself, are truly as 'good' as they make out to be. 

She seems to be in a state of semi-conciousness. She knows that something is off about what is happening, but she has been conditioned to ignore that feeling and to doubt herself her whole life. 

When she gets angry at her parents? That's gotta be an evil inclinations and she should repent and try harder! 

When she has bad dreams? It must be her fault because she refuses to try and be good and she is evil!

It is a tiring life Evie lives and you empathise with her. You also want to shake her and show her the truth. 

So here is a 'crash-course' on The Killables:

• Evie lives in 'the City' where the Goods live. 
• Goods are people who are not evil, but have the capacity to be 'tempted' towards evil
• Outside the City live the Evils
• They are evil and long to lead the Goods to the 'dark side' (sorry...a little too Star War-sy, perhaps?!)
• The Good's society is strict, regulated and stifling. People are graded - A, B and C being acceptable. D means you are in Danger of becoming an Evil.
• Evie longs to come to terms with how she feels about her Society.
• She keeps having weird dreams about being carried to safety by a man and a woman
• She is to be engaged to a boy who has the emotional capacity of a Siberian wasteland and whom she does not love
• She is in love with that boy's brother who is trying to find a means of escape
• The City has eyes everywhere. No one is safe. It is all-knowing.
• There is a final grade. K. It stands for Evils, so they are told. Evils are given a New Baptism, to help them become good again. But really, K stands for Killable. Which means, they are to be killed without a moment's hesitation.

This book really makes us ask ourselves whether our identity is linked with our society and the environment we grow up in or whether we ourselves have to break away from the norm and discover our own identity. 

Oh, and I loved Raphael. And Lucas. Though, personally, I couldn't pick between the two if my life depended on it. It would be like choosing between books or chocolate...you just don't go there! XD