There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

Gregory Scott Katsoulis' heoine, Speth, will speak to teens who feel their voices are ignored or considered unimportant. She does so in an unusual way.... she becomes silent. What starts as a reaction to her friend's suicide, as she will be billed for every grief stricken word or act of condolence, becomes a movement. How can she survive let alone thrive in a society that has handed over basic communication to rights holders that profit from every word and gesture? Katsoulis paints a dark vision of the future in perverted combination of socialism and capitalism. Perhaps this will serve as a wake up call to those who gladly share personal information for the "free" app or website. Maybe we too are gradually giving up all sense of privacy... at what cost?

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC; all opinions are my own.

The clever premise in All Rights Reserved sets up a dystopian world ripe for rebellion. In the future all words, gestures and sounds are trademarked, cataloged and monetized, and everyone over the age of 15 is required to wear a cuff that charges them for every word they speak, causing many to go bankrupt. When Speth is about to give her last day speech and be inducted into the paying world, her boyfriend commits suicide, rather than work off his family's crippling debt. Shocked and distraught, Speth refuses to read her speech and elects to remain silent. Her defiance of tradition incites a media frenzy and inspires others to follow her lead and rebel against the powers that be, who have a stranglehold on communication. Speth is a reluctant hero, who pays a high personal price as the figurehead of the "Silents" movement. The ending, although satfisfying, sets up the upcoming sequel. I would recommend this to fans of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies and other series about teen rebellion against a repressive dystopian society.

Interesting concept that was well fleshed out. From the start, this book was very bleak. It had humor and adventure as well, but never lost the overwhelming gloom. The story was good, although some of the names and products got to be annoying and a few of the situations were a bit to conveniently wrapped up.

Solid interesting and unique book.
Didn’t fall to typical YA tropes. Content felt unique and the reader didn’t know where or how far the story line would go.
Small critiques of some parts of the world weren’t fully fleshed out, or skipped over. Indentured parents, more school scenes and the ability to function after Speth makes her vow of silence, and the movie star subplot.

I couldn't get into this. The concept was interesting, with all words and gestures costing money, but the execution wasn't there. The main character was boring, the cost of words didn't seem to keep people from spending a ton of money on sentences, and it just didn't grab me in any way. When you try to start a revolution like Katniss, you have to have the appeal of Katniss as a character. A friend's suicide is a perfect reason to rebel, but don't be so cardboard about it!

The best dystopian novels feel plausible based on current events, and All Rights Reserved hits that sweet spot of uneasiness. Reminiscent of MT Anderson and Neal Shusterman, the story is more about the insidious oppression that has become the norm of daily life in the Future and less about the main character's love life. The characters at times felt one-dimensional, but they succeeded in moving the plot forward, and the universe that Katsoulis has crafted makes up for their shortcomings. It is rare to find a YA novel that examines actual consequences of its protagonist's actions, and this one does it well.

I thought this was a really great dystopian novel which I haven't seen as much after the major Hunger Games and Divergent curve in the book industry. It was so nice to see a new novel in this genre that was something completely new and intriguing. The plot was easily my favorite thing about this book, I had to keep reading once I started just to see what would happen. The idea of every word having a copyright or a trademark and essentially creating this poverty driven society where people could quickly find themselves majorly in debt just from the words they use. I also really liked following a main character who was choosing not to talk and just hearing her thoughts as she attempted to interact with people in her world without being able to share what she was thinking. The ending and the twist that came really threw me for a loop and I was not prepared for what happened. I will admit that the ending seemed a little more directed at the audience of readers rather than staying within the story which seemed strange, a little preachy. But all in all I was fascinated by this book and any book that I read constantly for two days just to find out the ending is worth a good rating from me.

Let's talk about the really good first. The premise, plot and world building in this book is phenomenal. If you love dystopian fiction, you will not be disappointed with just how messed up everything is. Speth's decision to keep her silence has such far-reaching consequences, including ones I never really thought of. I spent a good chunk of the book feeling just as trapped as Speth because of the threat of the Lawyers restricting her ability to communicate even the most basic of reassurances. Also, just thinking about how touch-starved the entire populace is because practically every gesture - from nodding and holding hands to hugs and kisses - costs money horrifies me. So yeah, a+ dystopian set-up.

I'm kind of glad this is a series, because the ending felt like a non-ending to me. So knowing this is #1 makes me feel a little better about that.

And now for the bad. For all that I felt just as restricted as Speth, I never really connected with her as a character. She makes some really stupid decisions and never seems to learn from them. And there were parts of the book that just felt kinda...cheap? Like they were meant to instigate a genuine emotional impact fitting with the plot, but instead came across as scenes where you as a reader know this is how the author wants you to feel. So you should feel it! Don't you feel it?! And that just cheapened the whole thing for me.

Overall, though, this is a pretty refreshing book, especially when we are saturated with dystopian novels these days. The premise is unique enough and I'm invested in more of the minor characters enough that whenever the second comes out, I'll read it. I just wish the author wouldn't oversell his emotional punches.

I didn't' love it, but I didn't hate it either. I found it to be a decent book and think that it will be popular with a select group of kids!

I highly recommend All Rights Reserved. The world in the novel is so detailed and the content felt very relatable. From the constant barrage of advertisements the characters face, to the immense gap between the characters living in poverty and the affluent, the world Katsoulis' creates doesn't feel drastically different from 2017. In All Rights Reserved after citizens turn 15, they are fitted for a bracelet so that all their speech and body language can be tracked and charged accordingly because they are now copyrighted. After witnessing the tragic death of own her classmates, Speth, the protagonist, refuses to speak. Although unintentionally, this small act of rebellion sparks a movement. A great addition to the dystopian genre.

All Rights Reserved has such a unique, original concept. This is unlike any other dystopian novel I have read, which is really saying something when so many are carbon copies of each other. The world-building is outstanding with quite the creative take on the future. The story is unputdownable. Highly recommended to readers of YA dystopian fiction.

What will draw you in and keep you reading is this unique world created by Gregory Scott Katsoulis. A world where every gesture and word is copyrighted is such a fascinating take on the future! I haven't seen it done before. The author's world building never falters; new elements are introduced often and subtly. The writing flows, making for an easy and enjoyable read. You can't help but become more conscious of your words and actions as you read this story. "How much would that have cost me?"

The characters are all believable. We get to know them at a reasonable rate, taking time to grasp each one before another is introduced. I quite like the unusual names and roles that many of them play in the future society.

Herein lies my problem: I did not like the main character. At all. Until the final pages of the book. And even at that, I didn't feel like it was enough to redeem her. Here's my beef with Speth: SHE HAD NO IDEA WHY SHE CHOSE TO MAKE THE MOTION THAT MEANT SHE COULD NEVER SPEAK AGAIN. Speth acknowledges repeatedly that she doesn't know why she did it. Even in the moment, the gesture is less significant to her than it is to the audience. It's a very purposeful gesture! She just looked at her speech, decided it wasn't what she wanted her first paid words to be, and decided not to speak at all. WHAT? In that moment, it wasn't an act of revolution, although that is what it turned into later. This indecisive inner dialogue permeates the narrative and kills every ounce of caring I had about Speth. If she had been passionate, even in the moment, about the whole thing, I would have been with her through the self doubt period. But the self doubt is all we get.

So, would I recommend it? Yes actually. Just because I don't like Speth doesn't mean you won't. We all have different friends for a reason. The world in this book is JUST THAT GOOD. I do plan to read the second book because Speth makes some improvements throughout this one, and I want to see what happens next.



Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for allowing me to read and review this book.

This is such a cool concept for a book - words and gestures cost money in this dystopian world. By the middle of the book, though, I really just wanted it to end. It took too long to get to the climax and I didn't quite care enough about the characters (one of the issues with communication costing money, I guess). I still really liked the idea, but I'm not necessarily dying to read the next book.

I had high expectations for this book. I was excited to read it after SLJ Day of Dialog but it never quite caught me. I love the concept. I never connected with the characters and kept waiting for it to grab me and take me on a ride. I finished the book because I was sure something big would happen. It didn't materialize for me.

I'm a bit speechless by this! While I wasn't *completely* blown away, I was rather surprised--this is a dystopian novel I never expected and it was done in an evocative and meaningful manner!

An amazing concept I'd never seen anywhere else. A good twist on dystopia. I had to keep reminding myself as I read that it was ok for me to talk to people! This book really got inside my head.
I would have liked some more at the end - I felt like it ended very abruptly - but that's a personal preference. One particular part of it nearly broke my heart! But that's just good writing. I'll be looking out for more from this writer.
Thank you for the chance to read this book.

As a librarian, copyright has always been a concern. Now more so than ever, with the prevalence of social media. I thought this book was well-crafted, and it took several turns that I was not expecting. The main character made some hard decisions, but the end was very satisfying. I would be interested to see what comes next.

We all know how most dystopian revolutions begin: with one brave character (usually the protagonist) doing something to defy the leaders of this society in a small way that ultimately leads to social change. Think of Katniss' "I volunteer" from the Hunger Games. Well, this book is no different, but the actual plot and execution of this story is really quite different from anything I've read before that makes this new novel stick out in my mind.

The main character Speth lives in a society where all words and means of communication have been trademarked and copyrighted, meaning that all citizens must pay for every single word they say--every. single. word. This paying also applies to nods, gestures, shrugs, screams, hugs, everything that can be used to communicate. Naturally, this can be especially expensive, so many citizens are in debt and forced to work in grueling conditions to pay off impossible debts.

On the day of her 15th birthday when Speth would have to begin paying for her communication, she does something that no one has done before; she goes silent. Was it an act of rebellion, dissidence, grief, or something else? No one is sure of the real reason behind her actions, least of all Speth. In a world where people make money off of other's communications, how will they continue to make money if people no longer communicate?

It was really fun going through this journey with Speth, especially since we only have internal dialogue from her for almost the entire novel (when, and if, Speth breaks her no speaking role is something you'll have to figure out yourself). I was worried that having no verbal dialogue from the main character would leave to little characterization of herself and result in no relationships among other characters, but this book has plenty of that. I thought there was excellent characterization of Speth and the supporting cast, and it was so fun to see how her decision affected her family, her friends, and their entire community.

What I didn't like about the book, and why it didn't receive five stars, is that the world building felt a little lacking. We're given the prices of several different words throughout the books, and they're all hella expensive. It would've been cool to see how much these characters make in a month to better understand how easy it is to go in debt or how easy it is to stay out of debt. The main villain felt a little too flat for me, but I ultimately really liked the way he was taken down at the end.

Do yourself a favor and read this book when it's released later this month; you won't want to miss this new series.

Reading this book, I would often forget that I was allowed to talk without having to pay for my words, and it would take me a few minutes to forget that it wasn't the case. Excellent job to Katsoulis for completely absorbing me into this book.

Thank you very much for allowing me to read this title; I am trying to read as widely as possible ahead of the Carnegie/Greenaway nominations and awards for 2018 and your help is much appreciated.
As a Carnegie/Greenaway judge, I'm not allowed to comment about my opinions on specific titles so I can't offer an individual review on any title as I stated on my profile.