Master Class – Christina Dalcher

More from the end of April! Just didn’t have enough time at the end of the month to finish this one up!

Thanks to Berkley Pub for the free ebook copy in exchange for my honest review

MASTER CLASS – Christina Dalcher (Released April 21st, 2020)

You can see my thoughts on VOX here!

Book Description:

Every child’s potential is regularly determined by a standardized measurement: their quotient (Q). Score high enough, and attend a top tier school with a golden future. Score too low, and it’s off to a federal boarding school with limited prospects afterwards. The purpose? An improved society where education costs drop, teachers focus on the more promising students, and parents are happy.

Elena Fairchild is a teacher at one of the state’s elite schools. When her nine-year-old daughter bombs a monthly test and her Q score drops to a disastrously low level, she is immediately forced to leave her top school for a federal institution hundreds of miles away. As a teacher, Elena thought she understood the tiered educational system, but as a mother whose child is now gone, Elena’s perspective is changed forever. She just wants her daughter back.

And she will do the unthinkable to make it happen.

My Thoughts: 4/5 stars

I had read and enjoyed VOX by Christina Dalcher, so I was curious to see what kind of suspense meets science fiction read she would bring us next! We get another thought-provoking book set in a dystopian future that doesn’t seem entirely out of the realm of possibility. I think these are the best kind of books within this genre – I like when you don’t have to suspend too much belief and I think it adds an ominous tone.

Imagine living in a world where your life is dependent on one number – a number that could make or break the success of your future and your family’s future. Welcome to a world where children are regularly tested and given a Quotient, or Q score. This number determines their futures. The higher the rating means the kids can go to the top tier schools and are given better chances at brighter futures. Score too low and you’re sent to a federal boarding school away from your family and your future prospects aren’t too promising when you leave.

Elena Fairchild is a teacher at one of the best top tier schools where both of her children attend. Elena’s belief in the educational system and the Q scoring comes into question when her youngest daughter, Freddy, fails one of her exams and is sent to the federal institute where she has limited visiting with her family (a half hour every month). She is determined to get her daughter back, no matter the cost.

That ending. I was not expecting that! This had an addictive pacing to it and the added history that Dalcher included made this feel even more possible and real. I definitely learned quite a bit and it will more than likely lead you into a rabbit hole of Google searches afterwards (I know other reviewers have also mentioned this!). This raises so many questions about the educational system and I love a thought provoking read. I did enjoy this one more than VOX and I’m really curious to see what kind of dystopian world Dalcher will create for us next.