Child of Privilege by Ross PondersonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ross Ponderson’s debut Child of Privilege was a wonderful surprise. From the moment I read the synopsis I was intrigued, yet I wasn’t entirely sure what I would be receiving. It promised plenty, but I did not know if I would receive it all. Such is always my fear when I read a synopsis that promises such a high level of intensity, one that seems to deal with so many issues.
Fortunately, Ross Ponderson managed to deliver exactly what you would hope for from such a read, offering all the emotion and intensity you could hope for.
From the very first chapter, I was sucked into this novel. It pulled me in instantly, and refused to let up until I had reached the very last page. I kept turning pages, telling myself I would read just one more chapter, only to find myself unable to put the book down. It’s a story that constantly leaves you wanting more, one that leaves you desperate to see how everything comes together in the end.
I will be honest, despite the synopsis making it clear there would be heavy topics, I was surprised by how dark this one was. Then again, perhaps dark is not quite the right word. Gritty is a more apt description. There were so many heavy elements, moments showing us the darker side of the world, and throughout we have the persistence to move forward. It is not a light read, not in the slightest, and I adored how deeply into the world we were sucked.
In all honesty, with so much going on, I’m unsure as to what genre I would place this book into. It deals with so much, and seems to cross beyond more genres than I’d expected. There was action and suspense, real life issues, some romance, plenty of drama, many thrills, and so much more that ensured my mind was sucked deeply into the world and unable to back away. Without a doubt, this book gives so much – setting the standard extremely high for where Ross Ponderson will take us with his next release. I’m expecting big things from him, and will certainly be reading more of his work in the future.
It wasn’t just the many elements that grabbed me with this one. A good storyline is one thing, but it is nothing without the right characters to tell the tale. With this one, we have both. We mainly follow the emotional journey of our leading lady, but there are plenty of scenes throughout this one that show us the other side of things. We follow the good, the bad, and the morally grey. We get to see the good, the bad, and the questionable. I had been expecting to simply follow one individual, so the additional points of views were a pleasant surprise I really enjoyed.
I really could say so much about this one, but to do so would be to give spoilers. Just know this one will grab you, and you’ll probably finish feeling pleasantly surprised. It’s certainly a read that sticks with you, one that hits hard, and I’ll be thinking about this one for some time to come.
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