On Bliss Island, the people are Characters, and
the show is Blissful. Blissful Days is the show that the
mainlanders live for, the thing that keeps them from
losing all hope in their war-torn world. The Characters
who live their lives in the world of the television show
have to act in themes and patterns to get high ratings.
If they don't they are cut from the show, made into
Patriots with an uncertain future. Nettie Starling's
ratings are not what she wants them to be, and there
doesn't seem much chance of them improving. Until she
joins the Initiative, that is. The Initiative provides
suggestions that help Nettie gain ratings, style, and the
boy of her dreams. And as long as Nettie doesn't question
the Initiative, things will go perfectly.
SCRIPTED is a debut young adult novel with a
beautiful new twist on a classic story idea. A reality
television show where people are cut for low ratings
almost daily and no one knows what happens to them? It's
nothing we haven't heard of before, but the elements are
woven in with such excellent prose that everything is
surprising and fun. The Characters are all concerned with
their ratings and their story lines, but they also have
to worry about their personal lives and what they're
going to do if they get cut. They are so fascinating even
on the page. It's remarkable how cool the concept and
characters are.
This is a great novel, but there are a few things
I would have liked to be different. The pacing is really
great until it reaches the last few chapters. The ending
comes at such a rush and it's so different from what it
seemed to be building up to. Don't expect what you think
will happen, or you will be disappointed. It's not that
it's bad; it's just so diametrically different. Another
issue comes with the dynamics of the world. There are so
many different, complicated rules you have to understand
if you're going to understand the book. These rules are
so many and so sparsely explained, they often distract
from the novel rather than enhance them. If you don't
like complex rule systems, this might turn you off.
On the whole, SCRIPTED by Maya Rock is an excellent novel. I
would recommend it to teens and adults alike, and
especially to reality television buffs. If you like your
reality shows, you will like this book. Fascinating
characters, concepts, and a world unlike our own make a
force to be reckoned with.
To the people suffering on the war-torn mainland, Bliss
Island seems like an idyllic place. And it is: except for
the fact that the island is a set, and the islanders’
lives are a performance. They’re the stars of a hit TV
show, Blissful Days—Characters are adored by mainland
viewers, yet in constant danger of being cut if their
ratings dip too low. And no one really knows what happens
to cut Characters.
Nettie Starling knows she’s been given the chance of a
lifetime when a producer offers suggestions to help her
improve her mediocre ratings—especially when those
suggestions involve making a move on the boy she’s been
in love with for years. But she'll soon have to decide
how far she's willing to go to keep the cameras fixed on
her. . . especially when she learns what could happen to
her if she doesn't.
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