Words choose people for a reason.

Where should I start? I definitely don't know because each and every moment and line of this work is overwhelming, meaningful and dimensional. Now I think of it, I had really struggled with it at the beginning as it was dark, extremely violent and an unpleasant atmosphere....picking it up was just another miracle, which I don't regret. It's a work of theories that you cannot dismiss from your memory nor ignore no matter how much you disagree with the content. Simply the plot was woven cleverly that it awakes our inner doubts that we've always had about humanity, morals, ethics, perfection and finally soul.

So lemme start with the main plot lines and setting....

It's marked as Dystopia, but unlike what we see in all of those Sci-fi works that copy paste the same setting over and over again Shinsekai Yori or 'From The New World' pictures a Utopian society differently. Utopia means perfection, and this world's perfection was something different from everything I've seen before...it pictured the perfection of the human as a spiritual existence and as a part of a society of morals and no violence.

Set in time after our current time so-called savage civilization is totally wiped out with no traces of its existence, not even in history. Why? No one knows, no one questions, and no one wonders as if nothing but their society ever existed and the heroine, Saki Watanabe is no different if not for her worries of not being chosen the by the Spirit.

A rumor had been striding around the kids that those who weren't chosen by the spirit will fall victims for the murderous CopyCats. They're just rumors, aren't they? Maybe and maybe not. Saki starts seeing the a huge cat tracing her, and her mother's night argues with her father about not wanting to lose more children anymore didn't ease her doubts and confusions. Finally, the spirit comes to her and she's blessed with her power awakening (also becoming an adult) and after a ritual to strip her soul from her earthy desires, seal her Cantus (power), and summon another spirit she rejoins her friends.

Soon after entering the academy she finds out that not everyone made it there, not everyone were chosen...and were forgotten just like the siblings she didn't know of. It's not over--yet. Copycat's rumors keep haunting around with more terrifying stories of Gods, spirits and curses as some kids from her academy with weaker control over their PK power are mysteriously disappearing and soon forgotten by people as if they were never there.

It becomes quite fast-spaced ahead this point with the group of five friends catching a Fake Minoshiro, which is rumored to explode and bring death to whoever stands in its way. The Minoshiro turns out to be a kind of creation that serves a moving library that under Saki's threat of being ripped tells them about the truth of their history, and their society's formation. The children learn from the Minoshiro the truth about the tragic history since the advent of psychokinetic powers 1000 years ago and about the 4 groups of people the ruled lands ever since the war : The PKer, The PK hunters, The scientists, and finally the rouges. And no one remained but the Pk users.

Doubts are what leads to truth....they continue to doubt and question the Minoshiro about everything. A society where parents are silent when their kids are exterminated just because they have less abilities than other. Copycats that roam around under someone's order to get rid of those who're different.....Why to do that? Why when every person may be physically unable to kill or hurt with their DNA altered to make remorse deadly. A society of love that's similar to bonobos built only to reduce stress and thus reduce the possibilities of Power Leak. The question comes: is such world a Utopia? Of course not. But Shinsekai Yori makes you believe in something before totally turning it upside down.

Finally, the action wasn't the typical suspense you'd get from fights, good and evil or...etc. No. What would lit under your butt is the formation of the world itself and how intriguing it becomes for you to read on and find out more about the world of Shinsekai Yori.

Characters :

The most thing I loved about them is that we get to witness three parts of their lives :12, 14, and 26 years old. Each character lured me into empathizing and loving them, though after some time I'd found myself confused whether to hold into my feelings or start antagonize them. Once you have fully committed to one side and agree with its ideals, the story goes against wind's directions and suddenly reveals how a terrible person you were for judging the character/s like you did.

I loved them all! From Saki, the main heroine who the story is told from her side,

to Shun, the boy I couldn't help but boycott on the work for a while to wipe my tears after his death...he's the character that stands for those PK users who lose control over their power and allow it to slip from their subconsciousness and affect the world till lastly making them a Karma demon, or a fiend. It's just another evidence of how humanity is something uncontrollable...and that there's nothing that can seize our thoughts, feelings, and desires because differences are what change the world. What we cannot tell is how it'll be changed, and how massive it'll be.

An amazing work that bled into both my heart and mind that it had become so hard for me to justify my feelings, thoughts, and ideas about it.

The book had been sitting on my To-Read bookshelf and I didn't get the inspiration to check it until I saw the movie trailer in the cinema. Getting a movie adaption...it must be a good novel, I thought, and gave it a try. When I was halfway I heard that Calre's characters and main plot lines were a plagiarized materials, but I still went on with the book since I've not read the 'Draco trilogy', which means I'm not in a position to judge her copied material.

So my review will be based on book itself, not the rumors..and stuffs. Hopefully.

First comes the characters.

Hmm-mm..They're shallow! Or how should put it? You don't develop any feelings towards them. I have to admit, Clare has a good-okayish writing style for a YA author, which is waaaay better than other works, still it took me a lot of time to get hooked with the character and live the moments they're going through. Most of scenes weren't written and placed well, by that I mean (from the character's side) the author should've chosen more better times to show that side of her characters...another point : She lacks good-timing, and hence most of times the emotional part of the scene or the character's personality twists/changes...aren't fully shown. Sometimes they're not even convincing. Honestly, the last 3-4 chapters of the book were the only parts I felt something towards Clary and Jace...even Luke. In fact, that part was the only taken care of from the whole book...I felt FINALLY my heart move for the characters.

Clary: Just give me a chapter when I didn't want to smack her across the face.

Okay. She's supposed to be the Main-Main character, yet I can't help to dislike her..no! Actually I don't understand her. She's so ignorant, self-centered, useless, and most of her actions/reactions makes no sense.

Jace: How can I put it?

The typical hero, or badass material. And here I realized he's a mixture of the asshole/sarcastic jerk and the good boy. Yeah...he's shallow too and that appears of how easily he becomes Valentine's doll/puppet. (I wonder if he has an inferior complex) Ugh!
I felt he was dumb in the end...how arrogant he seemed at first, and how weak-hearted he became at the end. Sigh.


Simon, Isabelle and her bro...
Gosh. I wish they get their share of spotlight...it would've been a little more better if the author was to give them more space and scenes of their own.

The Plot:

Leaving aside all the comparing to J.K Rowling's world of magic and the similarities. I found Clare's ShadowHunter world original, and fun. Though - I say it again- there are lots of scenes that makes no sense, and don't add anything to the plot especially that vampire Hotel chapter and those weapons and instruments...the author should've explained more about her world, instead of leaving the reader with a wondering/facepalming expression while reading.

The writing style was interesting and generally good, and compared to the crap language in House of Night or Shadow Fall series it was GREAT! The describing and the setting is detailed, though sometimes it made the Clare sound like a narrator. I mean she looked like she was an observer..not someone living the scene. God, there're looots of mistakes I could point out if I wasn't lazy to review. O.o

Generally, the book was a light reading and an entertaining fantasy to pass time so I guess I'll continue with it for now.