Prized

Prized by Caragh O'Brien is the second book in the Birthmarked Trilogy,  In the first book Gaia a teenage midwife escapes from the enclave, a society who has problems with reproduction, with her baby sister after the death of both of her parents.  This book follows Gaia as she enters a new society that has it's own problems.  In Sylum women are not only a minority but they are the rulers of the society presiding over the men and each other with an iron fist allowing for no flexibility.  Gaia finds herself quickly embroiled in the politics of this society through her midwifery and her unwillingness to compromise.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book as I felt that the author did a fantastic job wrapping up Birthmarked and found myself pleasantly surprised.  The author took readers into a society that while being quite different than the enclave still faced many of the same types of  problems.  Quite like the differences in The Giver and Gathering Blue two societies that are very different but still face the same sorts of problems, in this case of reproduction, genetics and a large part of the population not having control over their society.  Gaia continues to be a strong heroine and her romantic entanglements and midwife skills make for an interesting story.  I finished the book quickly and look forward to the final book in the series.

Appropriateness:  Part of the plot involves drugs that are smoked by members of the community.  It in no way glorifies drug use and I wouldn't find it questionable for even young children.  The romantic relationships involve nothing more than kissing.  I would recommend this book to fans of dystopian fiction 14+ however it is not inappropriate for younger readers.