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A review by charmaineac
Honor Code by Kiersi Burkhart
5.0
Wow, what a compelling story. It's dark, it's shocking, and it's unpredictable. There's more to this story than meets the eye, and that's the chilling part. Or maybe the resolution was chilling: we've read it in the news before. We've heard this story. We've seen how justice is handed out in the smallest possible way. Like the guy from my all my university classes who got sentenced to jail, but just on weekends. Like the other guy in my university program whose story is OUT THERE on an online blog, but still walks free and faces no consequences. Like Brock Turner from Stanford. It's infuriating.
There's a twist in there that threw me for a loop. I've read too many books in this space, and that's the one thing that made this one stand out for me. You wonder why Sam is so insistent on keeping in touch. You get a weird feeling, just like Harper. Something doesn't add up, until it does. Getting the reporter's perspective adds an interesting flavour. But if anything, this twist makes the story MORE realistic. We're not all fearless and brave. And all too often, victims aren't the ones who can handle that fallout.
(Semi-spoiler: don't read the following paragraph unless you don't want even a hint at the big twist!)
The only thing that didn't corroborate that well were the blog posts. I have to say, after the truth becomes apparent, I went back to read all the posts. You get misled for sure, but the voice doesn't sound authentic to the character. Rich kids typically grow up in that system and don't know anything different. You could chalk it up to strange lies, or a prominent family's fall from grace, resulting in a more humble upbringing. But truth be told, I can't fathom a world where she's a so-called "newb" to this scene. Maybe it adds to the anonymity? Maybe she was trying to emulate the voice of a scholarship student?
In any case, this story is dark, haunting, and probably quite realistic. It's drawn out, people are cruel, and others provide support. It's an intense read, for sure. I couldn't put it down, and for that, I have to commend Kiersi Burkhart. It definitely leaves you with something to think about.
There's a twist in there that threw me for a loop. I've read too many books in this space, and that's the one thing that made this one stand out for me. You wonder why Sam is so insistent on keeping in touch. You get a weird feeling, just like Harper. Something doesn't add up, until it does. Getting the reporter's perspective adds an interesting flavour. But if anything, this twist makes the story MORE realistic. We're not all fearless and brave. And all too often, victims aren't the ones who can handle that fallout.
(Semi-spoiler: don't read the following paragraph unless you don't want even a hint at the big twist!)
The only thing that didn't corroborate that well were the blog posts. I have to say, after the truth becomes apparent, I went back to read all the posts. You get misled for sure, but the voice doesn't sound authentic to the character. Rich kids typically grow up in that system and don't know anything different. You could chalk it up to strange lies, or a prominent family's fall from grace, resulting in a more humble upbringing. But truth be told, I can't fathom a world where she's a so-called "newb" to this scene. Maybe it adds to the anonymity? Maybe she was trying to emulate the voice of a scholarship student?
In any case, this story is dark, haunting, and probably quite realistic. It's drawn out, people are cruel, and others provide support. It's an intense read, for sure. I couldn't put it down, and for that, I have to commend Kiersi Burkhart. It definitely leaves you with something to think about.