I seriously wish I could give half stars. 3 1/2

I liked this, especially the oddball main character, Codi. She lives in a world where everything is cookie cutter, no differences amongst the people, nothing exciting... then there is some excitement in the form of a child in a childless village. Codi learns there is more out there, and she has the power of choice, BIG choice.

I wish this were a bit longer. There was so much that could have been expanded, if done right this could be a great story.

Princess Fuzzypants here: I confess fantasy is not my favourite form of fiction. It can take me a bit longer to get into something that is anything but linear and let me tell you, this is anything but linear. Yet, it is worth wading through as there are some interesting ideas and themes running throughout.
Codi lives in Oath where everyone conforms but Codi. She knows she does not belong but it is not until a younger version of herself arrives and takes her to other worlds where one part of her soul exists without any other part. It is rather convoluted concept but in order for a soul or a person to be fully formed, they must meet and be able to co-exist with the opposite sides of themselves. I know it sound a bit odd but it does work.
There is creativity, there is denial and grief, there is the childlike innocence and there is the strength and courage. They live in these separate bubbles but until they can meet and join forces, they cannot be born into a new baby.
There are many challenges and dangers Codi and her counterparts meet, not the least being a rather vindictive being who wants to destroy Codi and all the people she loves. He also wants to take over the baby who is destined for Codi.
I cannot tell you how or why but it works. In fact, I was pulled along and became quite engrossed in the story. If you cannot go with the fantasy, this is not for you.
But if you can, I give this four purrs and two paws up.

A clever and inventive tale with a valuable lesson at heart, I loved the clever concept of this book. Cori stands out in her home town for all the wrong reasons, she is a vibrant , curious and vivacious character, trapped in a town full of boring and safe, where people refuse to even acknowledge that there is a problem. One day she meets a younger version of herself and when she follows her , she discovers that there is much more to the world than the town of Oath, and she will have to reconcile and reunite the various versions of herself if she want's to truly live and love.
The concept is really well executed, and the book , though short moves at a snappy pace and kept me intrigued and entertained.

I absolutely LOVED this book! It was so original (at least to me) and so different from anything else I've read lately. I love the idea of the four towns, and what they each represent...

Oath = Grief
Word = Creativity
Bond = Children
Pledge = Passion

I really can't explain too much about this book without feeling like I'm giving something away, but I recently finished "Elsewhere" by Gabrielle Zevin, and it really reminded me of that book. Completely different story and completely different vision, but the subject matter was similar (if that makes any sense).

Overall, I definitely, definitely recommend this book. It's a super quick read, and I loved every page of it.

*Arc received in return for an honest review*

The title drew me to this book straight away. And the story within the pages definitely did not disappoint either!
I lvoed the idea of parallel towns/universes etc and it was brilliantly explored in this book. Teenagers upwards would definitely enjoy this book.

ARC Copy...although i feel there are some loose ends that need to be tied up, I liked it for the alternate world approach and how alternate selves of one person can mean something about a person.