Book Review: The Institute by Kayla Howarth
The Institute by Kayla Howarth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Institute is a place where Defectives live out their lives away from the rest of the population. Many Defectives are aggressive so it is thought safer to isolate them in this way. Allira’s brother, Shilah, is a Defective. He knows the future before it happens and Allira and her father are determined to keep Shilah out of the Institute. Allira wishes her mum was around but her mum has been missing for years and then her best friend Ebbodine, also goes missing.
School friends Drew and Jax have a car accident and Allira rescues them. Jax dies and Allira becomes friends with Drew.
In this story all children have to visit the Institute once a year. When the next visit occurs it is announced that every young person will be given a blood test, which will show whether or not they are a defective. Allira is frightened for her brother, but is that her only problem?
This is a well written tale of the future, where the characters are clearly drawn and the places are easy to visualise. The reader gets a profound sense of the injustice of the treatment of Defectives.
The author has written an ending that sets up the continuation of the story in book 2, The Resistance.
I highly recommend The Institute as a great YA novel.
pennyluker 