Book Review :: Atlantia, by Ally Condie

Atlantia by Ally Condie
on November 6th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 298
Goodreads

Can you hear Atlantia breathing?

For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamed of the sand and sky Above—of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all Rio’s hopes for the future are shattered when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected choice, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self—and the powerful siren voice she has long silenced—she has nothing left to lose.

Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother’s death, her own destiny, and the corrupted system constructed to govern the Divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths.

Last updated on 6 April 2022

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What is Atlantia by Ally Condie about?

Atlantia tells the story of Rio, twin sister of Bay, daughter of the late Minister and niece to the mostly-un-talked-about Maire. When Bay makes the decision to leave their underwater home of Atlantia, after Rio has made her decision to stay, Rio is crushed.

It was Bay who always loved the underwater city, with its metal trees, its grand temples and community. It was Rio who always dreamed of going to the Above.

As Rio tries to understand why Bay left her, she makes friends with True, a boy with a knack of making beautiful things, and as he helps her make money in races so she can afford to buy a black-market air tank to swim to the top, her Aunt Maire is ever watching.

“Sometimes you can’t speak, not because others won’t let you, but because you are afraid of what you’ll say.”

As Rio tries to hide the fact that she is a Siren, one of the few left who can use their voices to manipulate and control people, she works hard to earn the money so she can follow her sister to the Above. As she battles with her work, her race, with her feelings towards True, she is also trying to figure out whether or not to trust Maire, who she isn’t convinced didn’t kill her mother.

My thoughts on Atlantia by Ally Condie

When I first heard/saw that Ally Condie had another book out, I was super excited. I really enjoyed her YA dystopian series, Matched, so I was looking forward to reading another story from her. I managed to find Atlantia by Ally Condie on sale and snatched it up, and for the most part, I did enjoy it.

With creative underwater cities, magical Sirens, a witch-like Aunt, and the need to find out the truth, Atlantia is a good read, and not as predictable as I was expecting.

“Under star-dark seas and skies of gold
Live those Above and those Below
They sing and weep, both high and deep
While over and under the ocean rolls”

The plot, while interesting and intriguing, was a little slow, and I think that before I picked it up I was expecting something like Bay leaves for the Above, Rio follows soon after, realises that the Above isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, there’s drama, probably a love triangle (because it’s YA…come on), and all is well in the end. But it’s not like that at all. I did like the storyline, but I think I wanted to have Rio up in the Above world for longer than she was.

The characters were good though, and while I didn’t feel the love connection between Rio and True, even after they *spoiler* got together, I did enjoy their friendship. The writing was a bit…odd. I really enjoyed Condie’s writing style in the Matched series, but in Atlantia…I don’t really know.

But anyway, it was enjoyable, and I liked the concept. If you liked the Matched series, well this is nothing like it. But if you enjoy dystopian, a bit of fantasy, and stand-alone books, give Atlantia by Ally Condie a go. Tell me what you think. Also, that cover is beautiful.

Have you read Atlantia by Ally Condie?