This is a great first book for the new year! It of course is one of my favorite genres; Dystopian society. Now as time keeps going by all these novels with this premise seem less far fetched then before.
Gaia Stone is the daughter of one of the only two midwifes in her Sector.It has come to pass that disease lack of food and other factors the privileged (whom reside in the Enclave) of the area can not have children of their own. So they request (more so tell) the women in the lower sectors to pass on the first 3 born children each month to the Enclave where these children will be the future and raised with much love and care. She is trained by her mother whom has already given up two of her own children; and due to an accident Gaia has as a child which scars her face she was allowed to keep her. On her first solo midwife job she sees first hand how hard it is for the mothers to give up their child to the Enclave; she also does as her mother trains her to do in marking each child with 4 dots; little does she know what those 4 dots hold for her later on. That same day she also sees that something is just not right with whats happening in the Enclave; her parents are arrested; she is questioned; the other midwife disappears. She is left to be the midwife of the sector alone and as she discovers there is much more to it then just delivering newborns. She comes to find a friend in the local baker who helps her enter the Enclave to help her mother. While there she makes a decision that changes her as a person and also makes her a heroic figure for those who want change. She enlist help of people you would not expect. She finally gets her mother but this also causes her to make a choice that will alter her view on everything. I dont want to spoil the story for anyone so I'll stop there but this is going to become on of those that Everyone will be talking about.
I give this book 5 Wiggles out of 5.
Book Name: Birthmarked
Author: Caragh M O'Brien
Pages: 361
Book 1 of 2012