Review: Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony

Title: Restoring Harmony
Author: Joelle Anthony
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Pub. Date: May 13, 2010
Genre: YA
Main Themes: Dystopia, Love, Family, Crime
Pages: 300 (ish)
Plot (from back of arc):
"Heading off on her own to a big American city might have been a fun adventure for sixteen-year-old Molly McClure in the good old days before the Collapse, when nearly all the oil ran out; but in 2041, when family calamities strike all at once and Molly must leave her isolated farming island in Canada for the very first time, the world she meets is anything but fun. Food is in short supply, crime is rampant, and once-bustling cities stand abandoned and crumbling - danger lurking around every corner.
No one is as they seem, and Molly has to make some fast, tough decisions about whom to trust, especially when a dangerous crime organization sets her in their sights. Luckily, Molly is a determined, can-do kind of girl, and with the help of a handsome stranger, she may just make it home alive."

I found Restoring Harmony to be a quick and interesting read. I love dystopian novels, so I was intrigued by this 2010 novel. While I liked it, I found some aspects to be lacking and the dialogue awkward at times.

The portrayed world of 2041 is definitely a different world than that of today's 2010. I liked that Anthony focused on oil one of the main contributors to the Collapse, as that is a definite possibility. I found the story that much more believable because of that detail.

I really liked Spill, the boy that Molly meets in America. I felt a stronger bond to his character than to Molly's actually. I found Molly somewhat one-dimensional and found Spill to be much more dynamic.

I did find some one the dialogue awkward though. And sometimes I felt like the story was flying along and then it would slow to a stop. I think part of this might be attributed to the fact that in some parts of the book I felt like the author had more detail and then other parts would be kind of bland. Since I felt like there were inconsistencies I have a hard time rating this novel.

Ratings (Out of 10):
Plot: 9
Characters: 7
Writing: 7
Romance: 9
Originality: 10
Total: 42/50 (B)

Fans of dystopian novels should defintely check out Restoring Harmony when it is released in 2010. I really did enjoy it, even though there were some parts that I felt dragged - I still finished it in one sitting! :)