oofsharkz73 's review for:

Daughter 4254 by Leigh Statham

4.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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"My Dearest Daughter4254 --
We used to be a people surrounded by beauty. We even had beautiful names like the apple tree and muslin cloth. My name is Imani. I wanted you to know this before I left you. The world wasn't always so rigid. I know it's hard to believe, but Neurodeficient people like us used to be the majority. There were millions of us. There are still a few left and many learned to blend in, like myself. You just have to find your place..." 

Though it's been years since I read The Giver by Lois Lowry, Daughter 4254 instantly felt similar. The novel takes place in a dystopian society where the government dictates your life path based on intelligence and social status—both shaped by whether you're classified as Neuroadvanced—analytical and calculated—or Neurodeficient—emotional and free-spirited. At its core, the story explores conformity, something Daughter 4254 struggles with even before grappling with the grief of losing her mother.
We quickly learn that this society operates on strict compliance—any waste of resources, disobedience, or rule-breaking leaves a permanent mark on one’s record. It becomes clear that things weren’t always this way; when her mother was her age, the world was different. Despite the odds stacked against her, Daughter 4254’s mother hopes for a better future and urges her to apply to Secondary School.

The novel opens with imagery of grayness, rigidity, and cold, immediately conveying a society stripped of life's beauty and warmth. Overtime throughout being in jail and in the alternating viewpoint of her time at the Secondary School, Daughter 4254 starts to see how important art and creativity are, and longs to live like Thomas and his group did - in their own little commune away from the harsh society. 

The story progresses quickly and neatly, and the plot was very compelling. Delighted to know there's a sequel!