Want by Cindy Pon Pages: 328
Published by Simon Pulse on June 13, 2017
Series: Want #1
Genres: Young Adult, Dystopian
Source: Finished Copy from Publisher
Jason Zhou survives in a divided society where the elite use their wealth to buy longer lives. The rich wear special suits that protect them from the pollution and viruses that plague the city, while those without suffer illness and early deaths. Frustrated by his city’s corruption and still grieving the loss of his mother, who died as a result of it, Zhou is determined to change things, no matter the cost.
With the help of his friends, Zhou infiltrates the lives of the wealthy in hopes of destroying the international Jin Corporation from within. Jin Corp not only manufactures the special suits the rich rely on, but they may also be manufacturing the pollution that makes them necessary.
Yet the deeper Zhou delves into this new world of excess and wealth, the more muddled his plans become. And against his better judgment, Zhou finds himself falling for Daiyu, the daughter of Jin Corp’s CEO. Can Zhou save his city without compromising who he is or destroying his own heart?
Want is the first book in the young adult Want series by Cindy Pon. The Want series is a Dystopian that has a really cool world setup. If you are a fan of books set in the future that feature all kinds of cool technology, which is personally what I love to see in my dystopians, then I think the Want series is one you should check out. The sequel Ruse is already releases, so you can binge both books back to back! It was an ok read for me, but I can see it really appealing to a lot of readers.
In Want we meet out main character Jason Zhou. Zhou is part of the meis, aka the have-nots. Sick of watching the rich (the yous) get richer, live longer and better lives, at the expense of the meis, Zhou decides he is going to finally do something about it. He links up with a group of activists whose goal it is to take down the Jin Corporation- the main company responsible for so much of the world’s pollution, which is the main factor that led to his mom’s death.
Zhou sets out to infiltrate the corporation by befriending the CEO’s daughter, Daiyu. As you can possibly imagine, things get out of hand and Zhou starts to develop feelings for Daiyu. I enjoyed the world setup and the gang of characters. The book felt a little info-dumpy at parts when I was trying to gain my bearings on the world and a little heavy handed as I was learning about the environmental problems. I actually really appreciated the issues that were present in this book, with pollution, smog and illnesses that they can cause, I just felt like I was being hit over the head with it, which sometimes took away from my reading enjoyment. It was a heavier read that I was expecting, that is not to say it is a bad thing, just not what I was expecting. I think many readers will really enjoy the message being sent in Want- especially in the current climate of the world.
My favorite aspect of the story were the ensemble cast of characters and the friendships that were forged throughout the book. If you are looking for a dystopian read set in a futuristic society that with heavy environmental issues present, Want is going to be a great series for you to check out.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2020 Tackle My TBR Reading Challenge
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