After reading Daggermouth, I feel like I need to read everything dystopian. Conform is a book that’s been on my radar for quite some time and I finally sat down to read it. Today I want to tell you all about this book and what I thought!
A big thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an eARC to read and review. This doesn’t affect my opinion in any way.
In the far future, one young woman finds herself torn between two loves—and two sides of a rebellion boiling under the surface—in the first novel of a sweeping dystopian romance trilogy.
Centuries after a catastrophic world war nearly decimated the human population, a city arose from the ashes, ruled by an elusive and technologically advanced group called the Illum.
At twenty-seven, Emeline lives in limbo, wasting away her days in a job sorting ancient human art for destruction and waiting to be selected as a Mate for a procreation contract. Where others look forward to being chosen, Emeline has never felt like she fit into a society where a person’s worth is determined by constantly monitored genes, health, and the ability to procreate. She’s struggled to keep her discomfort secret, but when she is finally chosen, her Mate is revealed to be a member of the Illum named Collin, a man who seems to be harboring secrets of his own.
It is the first time an Illum has taken a Mate in decades, leaving Emeline—and others—baffled as to why she was chosen. Soon, she is swept into the dangerous game of Courting, filled with ballgowns, lavish dinners, and watchful eyes, where one wrong move can mean elimination. While parts of this elite lifestyle are unexpectedly appealing, the more embroiled she becomes, the more she sees its dark underbelly—and a rebellion rising in secret. Collin is confusing, both cold and protective, and worse, she finds herself drawn to the very last person she should be falling for: Hal, one of the resistance leaders.
As she draws closer to both Collin and Hal, the Illum exercise their power in increasingly brutal ways, forcing Emeline to question everything—most of all whether she’ll have to give up her heart and even her life to stop them.
Review
Conform is a book I keep seeing everywhere since it released. Even more so when Beneath released in March. I can understand the hype because I read this book in just one sitting. I’ve been into dystopian romances lately and this one checked off all of the boxes I look for in these books.
Emmeline lives in a post apocalyptic world with a class system. She was born to an Elite family, but her two colored eyes have her seen as a lesser class. To get herself bumped up into the world, she needs a procreation contract. This world seems very cold and dark. Love and friendship isn’t tolerated. The goal is to make the most elite people. Emmeline is an interesting character. Her goal is to get that contract. When she does and with someone pretty important, her world gets opened in so many ways. This makes her question what’s really right and why things are the way they are. Especially when a rebellion seems to be taking place.
The politics in Conform were rather interesting. As the book progressed, it got intense. I really didn’t know who could be trusted and there were some twists I didn’t see coming at all! There are definitely some villains and people you hope are good. All I know is that I need the next books ASAP!
I can’t forget the romance though. I will say love triangles aren’t my favorite and I’m still not sure who I should be rooting for here. They both have their positive sides and things that are major red flags, haha. It’ll be interesting to see how this develops in the next book. We’re still left with so many questions!
I will say that this really makes me want to read even more dystopian themed books! If you have any recommendations, please let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!
