The Ivory Prison

The Ivory Prison

Ashlyn Daube

Sci-fi

Length

Teens

Warnings: Violence, mentions of death

GAB-27 has lived his whole life in one room. He's been educated and experimented on, but never given an identity or allowed to visit with other children. For a short time he is allowed a mirror, then a window into the hall, but is always trapped inside of his room. All of this changes when the facility is taken over by Dr. Mercier. His door is open, his room is painted, he is named Gabriel and he has a friend, Dr. Mercier's son Lukas. Still, he knows he is not human and he knows that he isn't making the progress that they want and his life comes with deadline.

Writing Style: 9/10

Excellent style. The description's are easy to picture in your mind, but aren't overly detailed and there isn't an excess of dialogue. The writing is natural and there's a real attachment to the characters. There was at least one spelling error, leading to a deduction, but overall it was excellent.

Plot: 8/10

The plot was good. It was clear and had a great flow to it. Gabriel's background was throughly fleshed out before jumping into the part that he wants to tell, the part where he is treated humanely by Lukas, another boy like him and his first and only friend, and Dr. Mercier and to the worry towards the end of him meeting the mysterious goal that has been laid out for him to acheive or to die.

Originality: 6/10

The idea of a locked up experiment isn't anything new. It's something that is used commonly in science fiction and isn't anything to write home about. There are many different ways you can go with such a story. Is Dr. Mercier going through this to later betray Gabriel? Why does Lukas care for his new friend so much? Is Gabriel going to meet his goal? If he is, how? If he's not, what's going to happen to him? The answer to these types of questions are where the originality really shines through, but also give away spoilers.

Enjoyability: 10/10

Gabriel was an interesting character and his interactions with Lukas were perfect. They contrasted so well, Gabriel having had no freedom, while Lukas had an abundance. Dr. Mercier was also well written. The characters were so good that I truly wanted to find what happened to them next and I didn't get distracted like I do with some of the stories I don't like as much.

End: 8/10

Although it became more and more predictable how the story was going to end as time went on, it was still a good ending that tied up all the pressing questions of the book while still leaving it open for her to continue into a series.

Overall: 41/50

Get The Ivory Prison on the Kindle, Nook, iPad and other devices.

Visit Ashlyn Daube's website.

What did you guys think? Was it worthy of my praise or just another book?