Birthmarked, by Caragh M. O'Brien

Birthmarked, by Caragh M. O'Brien
YA, 2010

from Booklist:
Gaia is 16 and works in Western Sector Three with her mother delivering babies, “advancing” the first three per month to live a better life inside the city. It’s a wrenching routine Gaia doesn’t question until her parents are mysteriously arrested by Enclave authorities. Gaia’s rescue attempt is fraught with peril—the burn scar on her face marks her as a “freak” who would never be allowed into the Enclave’s exclusive gene pool—and soon she herself is tossed into a cell with other female physicians.
Raspberry: O'Brien's ideas are fascinating - for those of you that have read The Line, this is what you were hoping for: a dystopian society with inequality, revolutionaries, and a kick-butt heroine. I liked that Gaia (great name for the type of character she is, by the way) acted 16 in the beginning, but slowly seemed to 'grow up' as she figured out what was really going on. I liked that she had the innocence to plunge into the adventure head first, and the knowledge to handle it. A few scenes were a bit hazy - almost like the action was going too fast, and the romance, while exactly what you wanted, felt a little under-developed since it happened in such a short amount of time. I was very upset with the ending, since it was a bit of a cliff-hanger, but I understand that it was a set-up for book 2. (According to O'Brien that should be in 2011.)
Graded a B+.

For Caragh's website, click here - more reviews are listed on her website.