Hit by Delilah S. Dawson
Author: Delilah S. Dawson
Reader: Rebekkah Ross
Short Review: Hit by Delilah S. Dawson is an engaging, at times painful YA story about what happens when the banks completely take control of America.
Long Review: Valor National Bank has taken over America. There is only the United States of Valor. 911 calls get relayed to Valor voicemail. And then the men in black start showing up at the doors of a few select debtors. Each of them is given a choice; be killed or hunt down the debtors whose name appears on their list during the five days of service they sign over. Patsy has been a good girl all her life whose most rebellious act has been yarn bombing. But her mother’s been sick and the bills have been piling up. When given a choice of going on a killing spree or watch the man in black kill her mother, the choice is obvious.
What follows is the harrowing journey of a young woman being forced to grow up in a rather brutal fashion. She has five names on her list and she has to give each of them a choice: pay the debt on the spot, agree to work as a contract killer, or be killed at the hands of the person offering the choice. Because it’s YA, the talk never gets too maudlin but all the feels are present and accounted for. The main character Patsy’s loss of innocence is heartbreaking to follow. On top of that, the book is a really interesting take on connecting dystopia and the world that we know and at least sometimes love.
Rebekkah Ross, the narrator, has only narrated YA and New Adult books as far as I can see and that shows. She has a voice that is very well suited for the genre, capable of delivering so much emotion without becoming hysterical, despite the character’s occasional bouts of the same.
Overall, I think Hit is a good choice for anyone who likes dystopian YA books. It’s fresh and original without veering too far from the genre norms. It’s engaging enough that even though there are undoubtedly holes in the plot or the world, I never noticed them. This is a book that will grab hold and won’t let go until the very last words.