The Institute by Kayla Howarth
In a future where the population has been decimated by
disease and a nuclear explosion, some humans have come to possess special
powers. The authorities deem these people to be defective and have started to
round them up and place them in The Institute to be cured of their dangerous
abilities.
Allira Daniels lives with her father and ‘defective’ brother
Shiloh. They move around a lot and Allira has perfected living her life being
almost invisible. Then one night she helps two car crash victims and everything
changes.
Kayla Howarth is on familiar territory with a dystopian
society where being different is not tolerated, but what makes this such an
entertaining read is the main character Allira. She struggles with putting
herself before others, harbouring a secret while falling in love for the first
time. She is narrating the story and we experience her thoughts, fears and
insecurities first hand. Her love life is complicated to say the least which
leads at times to hilarious situations. She is a sympathetic character I could
easily relate to. The story moves at a quick pace and I was glued to my kindle
for hours at the time. There is plenty of action and a great ending that sets
the book up for the sequel.
What I liked about the book is that even though it is set in
the future, it still is a society we easily recognise. People still ride the
train and use telephones which made this story easy to follow and relate to.
The characters are well drawn out and believable. I certainly look forwards to
reading the sequel.
