I didn't have high expectations for this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. Flawed by Cecelia Ahern is the first part of a dystopian duology that centers around the idea of perfection. It takes place in a fictional society where people can be found flawed by a moral court. Once they are found flawed, they are branded with an F and doomed to live the life of second-class citizens. Flawed people are no criminals. In order to be found flawed, you need to be found guilty of morally reprehensible behaviour.

Since Flawed is Cecelia Ahern's YA debut novel I was quite unsure about what to expect from the world building and I am very picky when it comes to world building. However, throughout the novel I was staggered by how much depth this world had to offer. Honestly, a fictional country called Highland (seated next to present-day countries like Spain) and a capital called Humming didn't strike me as particularly witty at first, but the concept of being flawed turned out to be a lot more moving than I initially expected. Cruelty, violence and injustice are inevitable when you're found flawed and those repercussions hint at a deeply flawed society that - on the surface - strives to be perfect.

I really came to admire Cecelia Ahern's gift for characters. Flawed follows 17-year-old Celestine North whose life couldn't be more perfect until she dooms herself due to one instinctive decision. Celestine is smart, highly pragmatic and logical. She stays true to herself throughout the entire plot. There are love interests, but Celestine is independent and acts self-confident. For this reason, she has a special place in my heart. There ought to be more female leads like her in YA. She's resilient, strong and incredibly brave. When her life is turned upside down she's faced with nearly unbearable pain and seemingly insurmountable challenges, but she survives because she bethinks herself of her strengths and stays strong without leaning too much on other characters.

The overall plot starts small and expands throughout the novel. After the incident that is supposed to change her life forever, Celestine is thrown into a world beyond her wildest dreams and soon enough there is plot twist after plot twist that keep you quite unsure about the ending. Flawed grabs your attention till the very last page and the cliffhanger will make you want to read book two in an instant. So prepare yourself for a story that will stick with you long after you finished the book.

I did not expect to love Flawed as much as I did. Even though there are certainly (like in any YA dystopian novel!) parts that remind you of the Hunger Games, Flawed has its own heart, its own rhythm. It's hard to explain, but there's something so special about this book. It's moving, enraging, thrilling. Self-discovery is only partly what Flawed is about. More so, it's about relationships, it's about family, it's about doing what's right and the importance of staying true to yourself.

In a nutshell, Flawed is the story of a young woman who's rather right than safe. Therefore, in comparison to other YA dystopian heroines, Celestine chooses her path for the sake of morality and compassion whereas Katniss and Tris react to unfortunate events. Celestine stands out, it's just not obvious from the first page.

Have you read Flawed yet? If so, what did you think? Let me know in the comments down below so we can chat about it 😉 As always, I wish you all a wonderful day and see you in my next blog post.