The Registry by Shannon Stoker

The Registry by Shannon Stoker is a debut novel that shows a dystopian American society that sells pretty young women to the highest bidder. Not all is as it seems, and for one young woman, we see that getting out of the cycle is not as easy as it may seem.

Book Description

“Welcome to a safe and secure new world, where beauty is bought and sold, and freedom is the ultimate crime.

The Registry saved the country from collapse, but stability has come at a price. In this patriotic new America, girls are raised to be brides, sold at auction to the highest bidder. Boys are raised to be soldiers, trained to fight and never question orders.

Nearly eighteen, beautiful Mia Morrissey excitedly awaits the beginning of her auction year. But a warning from her married older sister raises dangerous questions. Now, instead of going up on the block, Mia is going to escape to Mexico—and the promise of freedom.

All Mia wants is to control her own destiny—a brave and daring choice that will transform her into an enemy of the state, pursued by powerful government agents, ruthless bounty hunters, and a cunning man determined to own her . . . a man who will stop at nothing to get her back.” – The Registry

My Thoughts

The Registry is a fictional novel that has a very intriguing story that shows how the world could be, and thankfully isn’t – at least not yet. As a woman, I would never want to be bought and sold, or have my freedom taken away from me. The main character, Mia, also doesn’t want to see her future like this, and so she wants to escape to Mexico.

This is the author’s debut novel, so I’m not going to be too harsh on the writing style. It wasn’t my favorite; she could have left more things open, and not so bland and overtly obvious for the reader to understand. However, I did enjoy the story and think that this writer has big potential on future novels, which I would definitely like to read to see her progression.

Overall, this is just an “okay” book. It isn’t one that I would want to read again, and not one that made me want to stay up all night to finish. If you like the idea of the story, try it out, you may enjoy it.

* Thank you to the publisher of The Registry, William Morrow, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.