While the actions of surveillance states are chilling, it’s Sonya’s journey that carries the reader through this walk into dark places, as the deeper she looks into the mystery, the more is revealed about her and her family’s crimes ... Roth’s latest is highly recommended for readers of dystopian fiction, lovers of Philip K. Dick’s thought-police science fiction, and anyone who wants to see how far 'If you see something, say something' can be led astray.
Dour Sonya becomes a character worth rooting for as she discovers the truth about her past, and a hint of romance amid the danger gives the story additional stakes. Roth has spun an interesting premise into a taut futuristic thriller.
One could imagine a dystopian novel set during the uprising that toppled the Delegation in which someone like Sonya is a villain, righteously imprisoned when a new government is formed. But Roth isn’t interested in easy victories or happily-ever-afters. Instead, Sonya grapples with the inevitable failure of even the most optimistic governments, the risk that exciting and helpful new technologies can be used for evil, and the responsibility she still bears for who she was and what she did during the Delegation’s heyday. The novel manages to be an elegant social commentary without resorting to preachiness, and even the most cynical readers will be as surprised as Sonya when they reach Roth’s big reveals about the depths of the Delegation’s depravity ... A wonderfully complex and nuanced book, perfect for readers who grew up on dystopian YA.
... sluggish ... The worldbuilding is fascinating, but Roth only scratches the surface, with more time spent developing Sonya’s life in prison than exploring the outside world or the ramifications of using Insight. This lack of depth extends to the protagonist; though readers will appreciate Sonya’s journey to self-awareness, her lack of interiority makes her difficult to invest in. This won’t go down as one of this talented author’s better works.
While there is a mercurial heroine facing tough choices and a requisite romance, the book is a worthwhile work of speculative fiction that stands on its own against similar stories ... This is a very human tale, albeit one that coexists with supercomputers and proto-cyborg technology ... An engaging and ultimately entertaining look at power and integrity, Poster Girl succeeds in balancing out expected dystopian tropes and characters with thoughtful and humane insights.
