View source for Skylark by Meagan Spooner

{{infobox2
|title=Skylark
|author=Meagan Spooner
|reviewer=Catherine Bakes
|genre=Teens
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=978-0552565561
|pages=352
|publisher=Corgi
|date=February 2013
|aznuk=0552565563
|aznus=0552565563
|cover=0552565563
|website=http://www.meaganspooner.com/
|video=
|summary=Lark has never seen the sky; all her life she's lived behind a wall that protects her city. This city is runs on magic, harvested from teenagers. Lark's time to be harvested has come, but she doesn't want to just become part of the city's power supply. Her only choice is to leave the city, escape over the wall that has kept her safe, and venture out into the wilderness where nature and monsters rule. 
}}
I admit that this was one of those books that took me a little while to get into; I picked it up a few times, flicked through it, and swiftly put it back down again. When I did eventually force myself past the first chapter I was glad I did. The story follows Lark, a girl who lives in a city that's surrounded by a wall for their protection against the outside. A great War destroyed everything outside of the wall, and the city is the last place for humans. 

Lark's city is run on magic - they've found a way to use it like electricity, it powers everything. This magic comes from teenagers. When a child comes of age they find their magical power, which is then harvested. Once this is done, your magical abilities have gone. However, there are stories about people who are Renewable, there magic just keeps coming back. Someone like this would be invaluable to society, and unfortunately for Lark, this is exactly what she is. Determined not to be a slave, and having been tortured by the government for her powers, she escapes (with the help of another Renewable who is a prisoner of the city) and leaves. She begins her journey to find others like her - Renewables - her only clue to ''follow the birds''.

I did really enjoy this book, it started off slow and was a bit confusing until you got your head around the plot. Lark's journey was a fun and slightly terrifying journey and what she found was heart-warming: friendship and belonging. My favourite aspect of her story was her unlikely friendship with the wild boy, Oren; he was an amazing character full of mystery and completely feral. 

In places I found myself getting really frustrated with Lark's naivety - she's escaped from her city where things are easy, and now has to travel through the wild, where survival is going to be tough. One part that especially frustrated me was her stubbornness when it came to eating what Oren has hunted, it showed her to be a child. But, I am pleased to say she very much became a woman by the end of the book. 

If you love Dystopian stories, then this is the book for you - a story full of suspense, mystery and possibly a sequel? 

Thank you to the lovely people at Corgi for sending me a copy of this thoroughly enjoyable book. 

If you enjoyed reading this book, and would like to read something similarly magical try [[Magus of Stonewylde by Kit Berry]]. For more Dystopian drama, if you haven't read [[Delirium by Lauren Oliver]] then you need to get yourself a copy. 

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