The Flawed Duology by Cecelia Ahern | Book Review

Our understanding of the world is a little twisted at most times. It takes a lot for us to understand that to err is human. Nobody is perfect. And our flaws are what make us what we are. They define our personality.

And this is what Cecelia Ahern explains in this duology. And boy, oh boy, it is such a wonder!

Flawed begins with Celestine North’s perfect life morphing into one that society deems flawed, all thanks to a Guild, headed by Judge Bosco Crevan, her boyfriend Art’s father. And why is she termed flawed? Because she helped a person who was branded Flawed. Celestine loses everything, no thanks to this judgment. This one incident that changes her life, changes the way she sees life, too. Her morals, her beliefs, her truths – everything is thrown into doubt. Celestine must find a way to show that she is innocent. And it’s her word against Crevan’s. The word of a Flawed against that of the man whose ancestors created the Guild.

Flawed is gripping in a way that makes you want to scream in anguish at the unfairness of it all. You become Celestine North as the story progresses and Celestine North becomes you. There is absolutely no difference. It leaves a simmering anger in its wake, making you want to rip limb from limb every unfair, unjust person in this world. Because there’s so much that filters down from the real world into this story.

It made for such brilliant reading that even though I vacillated between buying and not buying the second book, I caved in, bought it, and finished it in less than two days. And I wasn’t let down by it. Not one bit.

Perfect is Celestine’s journey of running through the nooks and crannies of the flawed system in a bid to prove her innocence. She cannot trust anyone, bar a select few. When it comes down to leading a rebellion, Celestine has to make many tough decisions – those that will make or break her life, along with the thousands condemned alongside her. Will she be able to expose the Guild for what they’ve unfairly done to her? Will she be able to garner enough support to overturn the unjust? Will she be reunited with her family? Will she find love again?

There are very few series of books that make it without scattering the plot all over the graveyard. The Flawed duology is one such. Cecelia Ahern writes this account with such ease that she leaves no doubt as to why millions across the world are fans of her work. She reiterates the basic fact that we are human. Our flaws make us. And most of the times, people love people because of their flaws.

Every character in the books has a definitive, well-built arc that doesn’t seem hastily put through. Celestine, her sister Juniper, her parents, Carrick, Bosco Crevan, Art Crevan – no one strays from their character descriptions.

And this makes sure that when the difficult scenes come – and boy do they come – you grit your teeth, trying not to throw the nearest object against the wall. Both books stimulate your senses, because you cannot know what anyone in the book is going to do next. You think something is going to happen, but it doesn’t. And when something completely bonkers happens, you go, “oh shit!”

Because of the un-put-downable nature of the book, it won’t take you long before you are pulled into the streets of Humming, into the glass cells of Highland Castle, into the screaming walls of the Branding Chamber, and into the squiggly minds of the characters, the directions of which you absolutely have no idea.

My verdict: If you like Cecelia Ahern, then READ THEM! If you don’t, then I’d suggest you give these books a try. I’m sure you won’t regret it!

Rating: 5/5 stars

Until next time, keep reading and add melodrama to your life! 🙂

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