Scored

Imagine a world where your every move is watched. Every decision you make, no matter how small it might seem to you, dictates how “fit” you are for society. College, a good job, a family, that all revolves around your score. You are scored on who you spend time with, how healthy you are, what you read, pretty much every aspect of your life. Welcome to Imani's world. For her and all the other teenagers in her society, this is reality.

In ScoredMcLaughlin weaves a story that is centered in a society so similar to our own that it is just eerie. Sure, we don't have cameras following us everyday. Or do we? I reveled in the fact that the author relates a lot of what is happening in Imani's world to our current world, which is the past world in the book. It adds an element of terror to the book, as the reader realizes that Imani's world actually does have a chance to become reality.

Imani starts out the story with a score in the 90s. Her life is set. For Imani, Score Corp isn't big brother. They are a benevolent company who gives people like her a way for her to transcend above the life she was handed. I liked Imani for the most part. Her strength was admirable, and her interactions with others brought her character to life. There were portions of the book where her criticism of others bordered on overbearing, but I reminded myself that she was born into a brainwashed society.

What really kept me from falling completely into Scored was that it revolved so heavily around Imani and Deigo's story. Almost the entire story they are working on a paper for a scholarship, and at the same time discovering the dark secrets that Score Corp is hiding. However at the end none of that really makes much of a difference. In fact, the climax that I was eagerly awaiting never really came at all. It was wholly disappointing.

Overall I'd say that Scored was a quick and entertaing read. Despite my disappointment at the ending, I feel like the book as a whole is rather solid. I'm not sure if there is another book in the works. If there is, I'd welcome some more of Imani's story.