Prized (Birthmarked Trilogy Series #2)

A page turner!

Wow, I seriously couldn't put this book down! In fact, I read this in one sitting because I couldn't put it down.

The hopelessness, the fear, the anxiety, these were so well instilled in this book. Knowing that she doesn't have anywhere else to turn, Gaia ends up in a different dystopian society. Except that this one is run by women, as opposed to men, which is obviously very different from the Enclave. Gaia has her baby sister taken away from her because she's been deemed incapable of providing for her.

To go back to the traveling, Gaia traveled for two weeks and then was rescued and taken by horse to Sylum. I found myself wondering exactly how far she had walked, and how far the horse ride back was. It wasn't entirely clear in the book, but to me it seems like the two societies are pretty close to one another. Which is sad considering people in the Enclave feel like they're the only people who exist.

I was ecstatic when Leon arrived into Sylum, although his entrance wasn't that grand. I wanted to be furious with Leon. I tried, I really did. But I couldn't help but see his point of view regarding this new life. He made some really good points regarding Gaia and the society they were now in.

Prized ends with a nice set up for the third book, which obviously I'm going to want to read since I could barely put down the first two books.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Liked it but......

I have to say this book was a very entertaining read for me. At the same time i didnt like gaias attiude in the middle of the book. One moment her soul is broken the next shes her old defiant self. Still a huge fan of the series and eagerly awating the next one.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Another good read

I loved her first book Birthmarked and this sequel doesnt disapoint. It starts directly where birthmark left off, which was a good move on the authors part, it keeps you drawn in, especially if you liked the first one as much as i did. Although i like the plot better in the first book the second is where Gaia becomes herself and grows into the type of character she'll have as a woman. She tries iut a new lifestyle and finds what she truly believes through all the chaos around her. Her relationships get compliated considering more then one comes up. But Leon remain her grounding post to remind her of everything shes thinks she can forget. Leon is what makes the difference in this book, he becomes more of a person as he sheds his layers so you can feel his turmoil over what hapoens. Great read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Loved this book!

Birthmarked was good, but Prized was even better. I found myself giggling with excitement like a teenager during some passages. Love the main character and love the storyline. I can't wait for the next book!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A great sequel to Birthmarked!

The sequel to Birthmarked finds Gaia struggling to save her baby sister as she tries to reach her grandmother. But when she is rescued by a stranger and taken to the town her grandmother use to run, Gaia finds the rules of that society are also constricting. The number of men far outweigh the number of women and so the women hold all the power. But power can be corrupting and the men are getting tired of being the underdogs. Gaia finds unfairness at each turn along with someone from her past who provides another source of conflict for her. While there is no such thing as a perfect society, it seems that all Gaia can find is dysfunctional ones. This time she moves to one where the rules seems unfair to her and, frankly, chaffed me as well. The Matrarc of the town immediately takes away her baby sister and her freedom. And it left me angry at how quickly Gaia or any stranger is treated like a criminal simply for being from somewhere else. The action moved pretty quickly even as Gaia is kept locked up. But the romance angle felt like it was too much and it was a little unnecessary. I am curious to see what happens next with Gaia and her tendency to overthrow dystopias. This series is turning out to be a real page turner.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great read but doesn't quite live up to the first

I ADORED Birthmarked, as you can tell from my review of it way back in March. I have been waiting on pins and needles for this second book ever since then and as a result, I believe my standards were simply set too high. This book, while quite the enjoyable read, didn't quite live up to my expectations.

Prized begins with Gaia alone in the wilderness, running away from the Enclave with her baby sister. Her sister is clearly suffering and Gaia herself is weak. The pair has long since run out of most supplies and is barely getting by when they are kidnapped/rescued by a mysterious man on horseback. He takes them to Sylum, a whole new world that is different that anything that Gaia has every imagined. The women run everything, despite a population of mostly men, and relationships are strictly controlled.

O'Brien's world-building really shines in this second book as she creates a whole new dystopian society. A part of me felt like this was a bit unnecessary since we already had an established society in book one, but I guess I understood that she had to create something new since Gaia was entering unknown territory and leaving behind the Enclave (and these new people had no real knowledge of the Enclave).

While the world-building was superb, the characters--specifically, Gaia--suffered a bit in this book. Gaia goes from the incredibly smart, strong girl who saved a dead woman's baby and escaped the Enclave prison to a weak, timid, and easily manipulated young woman. I couldn't believe the ease with which she seemed to fall into the woman's role in Sylum and leave behind her strong beliefs. I understand that she faces some really difficult things when she first gets there, but she seems (to me) to concede far too easily to the demands of the Matrarc. When she first submits, I hope that it's a show and in private we'll still see the strong, courageous Gaia of Birthmarked, but it was not so. Towards the end when things finally get crazy, Gaia seems to rediscover her passionate, courageous nature and finally stand up for something. She finally makes the tough decisions that she knows in her gut are right. She redeems herself quite a bit in the final chapters.

Overall, I really did end up enjoying this novel, simply not as much as the first book. Since this is set to be a trilogy, my hope is that book three will continue with Gaia as the strong woman that we know she is and possibly (hopefully) return our characters to the original setting--the Enclave. As Sylum has a lot of problems, I see this as highly likely and look forward to the confrontation that would seem to loom on the horizon. My hope is that this book simply suffers a little from "middle book syndrome" and Ms. O'Brien will once again completely "wow" readers in book three. Despite some of my problems with this book, I am definitely still looking forward to a fabulous conclusion to this trilogy!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great dystopian novel!

Prized is the second novel in the Birthmarked series. It picks up right where the first book (Birthmarked) leaves off, but it can be read as a stand-alone novel. Still, I recommend reading them in order.


For a fairly new author, Caragh O'Brien is very polished. The story starts off fast and just keeps going, never dragging. Prized is in such a different setting than Birthmarked that if not for the characters Gaia and Leon, I might have felt I was reading a different series. That was fine with me, I was impressed with how O'Brien masterfully created two different worlds and bridged them together in the two books.


This is a fascinating dystopian series. It will be published on November 8, 2011. Officially it's for young adults, but us older kids are allowed to enjoy it, too!


*Disclaimer: I received this book for review from the publisher through Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The prizes are...

For beating 1 legendary:500 pokedollars. 2 legendaries:1,000 dollars and 1 SuperPotion. 3:1,200 pokedollars and 7 Ether. 4:1,200 dollars 10 SuperPotions 5 Ether. 5:1,500 dollars and 1 SuperPotion and 1 ThunderStone and 1 MoonStone. 6 and above:2,000 dollars 15 SuperPotions 2 Fire stones 3 MoonStones. and for every legendary above 6 you get 1 Ether. (If you beat 7 you get 1 Ether. Beat 8 you get 2 etc.) If you can beat every single legendary using only 6 none legendaries you get every single prize.

I love this book! It is a fast paced book that I got through ve

I love this book! It is a fast paced book that I got through very quickly. The book is about a girl named Gaia Stone. Finally escaping the enclave, she thought she was safe, but litte did she know how hard it would be to survive in the wastelands with her sister with her. Seeking help, she comes across a society called Sylum. Appearing to be a perfect place to live with her sister she decides to stay, but when a friend from the past and secrets surface, will that opinion stay the same? Will Gaia have escaped the enclave for their controlling and extreme actions? Will she ignore her sense of justice, and conscience, or will she fight back? I liked this book because the author did not dissapoint me. After a great first book, Prized was a sequel that matched the great content of the first story. I liked how the author brought out all of the dilemmas Gaia was going through in her head, instead of leaving that for us to assume that it was there. I didn't like the many more love relationships she brouhgt into the story, the previous book was more straight forward and simple.

Great

Another great read!

Another great book

If you like the Hunger Games you will love this series!

Gaia Stone has escaped the Enclave with her newborn baby sister

Gaia Stone has escaped the Enclave with her newborn baby sister Maya. Out into the wasteland she ventured, but with little food, water and baby formula, they’re doomed to die if they don’t find help soon. Days pass and just when death looms near, a hero on a horse rescue Gaia and takes her and Maya to Sylum.
Sylum is a community where the women are in charge. Something is happening to all the newborn babies, they’re always male. Females are in high demand and marriages are a battle. Kissing is outlawed and when Gaia joins the people of Sylum she doesn’t understand why everyone isn’t equal. Sylum isn’t better than the Enclave, it’s almost worse.
Gaia is determined to figure out the mystery of Sylum, but her heart is distracted. As a new female she gathers the attention of every eligible male. When a familiar face returns Gaia must look inside her heart and trust what she feels if she, Maya and the people of Sylum have any chance of continuing their existence.
I loved the first book in this series, Birthmarked. I was looking for something that would grab my attention like The Hunger Games and Birthmarked filled all that criteria. However, once I leaped into Prized, I found myself disappointed. It started off great, and finally here is a scenario where women have all the power and treat men like they have treated us for thousands of years! Power to women! What a fantastic choice to move the story I originally thought.
Instead I found myself being embarrassed to keep reading. The women in power were just as bad as stereotypical male lead characters and it was a huge disappointment. What had the potential to be a great story line got somehow lost. My disappointment grew as the lack of originality progressed. I still want to read the last instalment in the series. The ending at least in Prized wasn’t a disappointment and I’m happy O’Brien captured my attention. I’m excited to see how things end for Gaia in Promised.  

Great book!

Can't wait to read the next one!!!

AMAZING SEQUEL

Don't pass this trilogy up. It's one of the best series I've ever read. So good!!! And don't forget the free bridged story "Tortured" between Birthmarked and Prized!

Amazing

I an not much of a reader myself, but a friend introduced me to this book and I fell in love with the whole story line. I read continuously and finished reading each book in a days time. Especially when leon comes back into play....they HAVE to get married. I bet she will become pregnant....i'm ecstatic waiting for the third book

Amazing

My librarian got these books because I let a couple friends read them and they fell in love with them.

Luv

Better than birthmarked....glad i stuck with this series....i almost didnt finish reading the first book and i now i am anxiously awaiting the 3rd installment! Luv Gaia and Leon!

Prized is a hard book to give a rating to that reflects its qual

Prized is a hard book to give a rating to that reflects its quality. On the one hand there are a few things that are very well done, such as the idea of a matriarchal society—truth is, I don’t think there are any YA books that explore this idea—and the gradual way Caragh M. O’Brien transforms Gaia from a headstrong leader into a submissive follower. However, there are some things that prevented me from giving it the five stars I wanted to.

I’ll start with those to get them out of the way. Throughout the story there are three guys declaring their undying love for Gaia. You heard me. Three. Still, it’s not that ridiculous if you place it in the context of Sylum’s matriarchal society where the men outnumber the women nine to one.

What irritates me is that Gaia becomes a pile of mush and is plagued by guilt from the desire she feels for the other two whenever she’s near one of them. Um, who are you and what have you done to the Gaia who never lets anyone tell her what she wants? Plus, there was absolutely no need for this angst because even the most clueless reader could guess Leon would turn out to be the lucky guy.

And now for the things I liked. Unlike with Birthmarked, this time round I felt more connected to the characters. The writing seemed to have improved, really drawing me into the story and enabling me to relate to characters more so than the first book. I realized this when I almost threw the book when Gaia gives in to the Matrarc’s demands.

Believe me, there’s nothing worse than reading about a strong heroine who has to submit and put herself under another’s power. From that point on the story flowed smoothly and I read it right to the end in one sitting.

The word “abortion” is never mentioned throughout the whole book, not even once, which is very crafty especially since this is one of the main themes of the book. I love how Gaia’s view is neither for or against it and believes the choice is ultimately up to the mother.

With this kind of controversial issue it’s always best to have an open mind relative to the situation; if she had taken an absolute stance on something like this that’s neither black or white, as we saw in Birthmarked, she wouldn’t be the Gaia we know and love.

All in all, Prized is a well-rounded book that in some ways is better than Birthmarked and in others falls short. Nevertheless it’s a solid continuation of the series and I will definitely be reading the next book.

Can't wait for the next book !

Oh Prized , There are things that i liked and disliked about this book but its still a awesome sequel .

It started when Gaia escaped the Enclave with her baby sister , Maya . I loved the whole , running away for your life thing in this book , it made different from other books. Gaia was rescued by a man later known as Peter ( Oh my god Im so mad at Gaia for getting involved with him ). Anyway he takes her to the Dead Forest or also Sylum . There Gaia was forced to give up her sister and never look for her again .That was so cruel and sad . I wish Gaia could have her sister , Shes been through so much , Shame on M'lass Olivia for taking her away from her , even if it is the law .

Then finally Leon comes ! I was so excited and was so surprised to finally see him in the story again. But he wasn't the old Leon anymore , he was so cruel and mean to Gaia ,He hated her . I understood Gaia a little when she got involved with Will and Peter, because Leon was pushing her away so much that she was looking for love and happiness with someone else . Oh Leon i can't believe how mean her was being, even though he knew he loved her with all his heart. I wished the author gave me more romance , i understand its not a romance book but i begging for a teensy weensy more romance . PLEASE AUTHOR.

While in conclusion , Im eagerly waiting for the last book .So many questions not answered and life's at stake . I will try to wait patiently till fall .You should read it , This book is different from other books now a days :)

Enjoying this trilogy so far...

What I Liked: 1) Leon. Leon, well, honestly, he wasn't too nice in this book. Except that he actually was nice, Gaia just didn't perceive it as nice at the time. Through his...animosity towards her, he is actually able to snap her out of the mindset she's fallen into while being held in Sylum. 2) Sylum. Okay, I didn't so much like it, as I liked being able to make Sylum the antagonist. I guess you could say I liked hating it, the societal rules that were driving Gaia to change to drastically. It was almost like brainwashing. But despite wanting to hate Sylum, I found myself understanding why they did some of the things they did. Not agreeing with it, but at least seeing their point of view. I think that's a great quality in a book. 3) The introduction of new characters. Because Gaia has traveled from the Enclave to this new community of Sylum, we're introduced to many new characters, several of them I hope stick around for the next book. Many of them become very real, because they are very likeable and personable. I particularly liked Peter and Will. 4) The plotline. The storyline and details all flowed very well, without many big skips and jumps, or a lot of stopping and starting that can plague a novel. It moved with deliberate pacing, which I always appreciate. I know that when I can read a book uninterrupted for hours, and have to pull myself back to reality when I'm through, then I was really immersed in the story.

What I Didn't Like: 1) Gaia, whom I thought was great in the first book, had changed drastically in this book. Her strength and rebelliousness was zapped from her personality, and she became very two-dimensional. I do think that this was part of the story, because, as I mentioned before, she's become kind of brainwashed, I look forward to seeing her strength and leadership return in the third and final book, Promised.

Overall thoughts: I always get worried right before I open book 2 of a series that I really enjoyed the first book. No need to worry with this one, Miz O'Brien delivered an interesting continuation of Gaia's story and kept me engaged and intrigued with new characters and new problems for the MCs to face. I had the teensist of issues with Gaia's personality changing so drastically, but I have a feeling in the next novel, she'll be back to her old self. Maybe just a more mature, grown-up version. Excellent companion novel, can't wait for the next one!