Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Nina Oberon is a few short months away from turning 16. Though Nina’s best friend Sandy, can’t wait to turn “sex-teen” and dreams of the day she’ll get the required “XVI” wrist tattoo signifying that she is now legal and fair game for the boys— Nina can think of nothing worse.

Then, just weeks before Nina’s birthday, her mother is viciously attack. Kept alive in a special machine, Nina hears her mother’s dying words: deliver a baby book to her father and keep her little sister, Dee, away from Ed—Ginnie’s abusive boyfriend and Dee’s father.

Raised with the belief that her father died in an accident after she was born, Nina will have to find the father she never knew, while preventing Dee’s father from putting her little sister into a life of servitude as a Cinderella girl.

With so much to deal with, Nina tries to clear her mind by going to a place she and her mother often went and meets the very attractive, but mysterious Sal. Afraid to trust anybody, Nina finds herself falling for Sal and experiencing feelings she’s never had.

With the help of her friends and the love of her grandparents, Nina will find out that things are not always what they seem, as she finds the strength to carry out her mom’s wishes, protect the ones she loves and above all learns to trust herself.

XVI is Julia Karr’s debut novel and the first of three in the series. A dystopian tale set in 2025, when the USA as we know it no longer exists. Written in a clear and vibrant voice, XVI moves at a rapid pace, supported by well-developed and interesting characters.

XVI resonates with many o f the important societal pressures that teens must deal with today and the author does a great job of illustrating that despite everything, you can still be an individual and make well-informed decisions.
-------------------------------------
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Speak; Original edition (January 6, 2011)
ISBN-13: 978-0142417713