The Commandment

The Quick Cut: A girl resistent to a God erasing vaccine finds herself agreeing to an experimental treatment in order to avoid a far worse fate: being institutionalized by the government & never coming back out. Chaos ensues when things do not go as planned and relationships form in unexpected ways.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Pelican Book Group for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

God and religion are very sensitive topics to discuss in any book, but when I read the summary for this book? I couldn't help but be intrigued considering the method and form that the author here was choosing to discuss the topic in. Using a physical method to actually remove God and the desire to worship from a human being is a very curious idea, especially when placed in a YA book. It's an opportunity that I wondered would be well used or not.

While I enjoyed the executed, I couldn't help but find myself still disappointed here. The world building here is solid and well done, but the issue is that there are questions I had that didn't get answered or even touched. The SAP and experimental treatment abstergent are used to remove the issue of Christianity and the Christian God as a problem from society. There's a solid argument made as to the reason why and the social events that led up the moment that caused this to occur. However, I still have one issue: what about all the other religions? It's never questioned or asked, brought up at all in conversation. Maybe its my questioning nature, but this was the first thing that came to mind. What about other religions? Why is this only Christianity and what happened to the other ones? Do they also no longer exist or were they removed using other methods? Its a major plot point that still bothers me after having finished the books.

That being said, there are still some worthy points here. While Briar herself is exactly what you would expect from a character who believes in God and isn't responding to the anti-God treatment, the other characters who are actively on it certainly create an interesting dynamic. Lukas, the head of the experimental lab and primary contact point for Briar, sympathizes with her and starts to develop feelings even though his disbelief in God continues. It's fun to see how they interact together when put in a room and forced to work in a small space. Take discrimination and allow it openly, freely - that's what happens here.

Even with plenty of questions left unasked, this story is one that brings forward plethora of character dynamics that will make you question your feelings on faith, discrimination, and the strength of the human heart.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Commandment is an awesome science fiction fantasy with a great plot. It is illed with suspense and great relational tension, this book is a fun read with a surprising ending. I highly recommend it.