Candor by Pam Bachorz
Posted on: September 28, 2009
Title: Candor
Author: Pam Bachorz
Rating: 8/10
Good If…You enjoy books set in a world similar to ours but also different.
Summary: In the model community of Candor, Florida, every teen wants to be like Oscar Banks. The son of the town’s founder, Oscar earns straight As, is student-body president, and is in demand for every club and cause.
But Oscar has a secret. He knows that parents bring their teens to Candor to make them respectful, compliant–perfect–through subliminal Messages that carefully correct and control their behavior. And Oscar’s built a business sabotaging his father’s scheme with Messages of his own, getting his clients out before they’re turned. After all, who would ever suspect the perfect Oscar Banks?
Then he meets Nia, the girl he can’t stand to see changed. Saving Nia means losing her forever. Keeping her in Candor, Oscar risks exposure . . . and more.
My Thoughts: Candor is one of those books that I’ve had a hard time writing a review for – it wasn’t quite good enough for me to write a fangirly review about but at the same time I don’t really have anything negative to say about it.
The first few chapters passed by quite slowly and the story never really picked up until about halfway through. Then it got really good.
Bachorz does an amazing job at creating a world so similiar to ours yet so terrifyingly different at the same time that it’s impossible for the reader to not be drawn in. The scariest part about the world she creates is that it seems so possible – it’s truely not that far-fetched and that itself is terrifying.
The ending is my favorite and least favorite part. It’s my favorite because it was completely unexpected. I’m not sure what I was expecting to happen but it certainly wasn’t what happened. It left me with my mouth hanging open, going “oh. my. god.” in my head. It’s my least favorite because, well, it’s the end. While most things were tied up nicely, I was hoping that a sequel would be in the works because I felt like there was so much more to be explored with the characters and the world.
Overall, this is recommended.
2 Responses to "Candor by Pam Bachorz"
September 29, 2009 at 4:44 am
I wanted to like this more than I did. I loved the concept but it was a little slow moving. I sort of saw the end coming and am hoping there will be a sequel.
Harmony Book Reviews 
September 28, 2009 at 10:22 pm
I don’t know what I was expecting from the ending either but I REALLY loved how it ended. Very realistic for the story, I think.
And did you like take that entire last paragraph straight from my brain? I think you did. I’m not sure about a sequel, but I know there is so much to the world and I want to know about it SO BAD.