Want is the first book in the young adult Want series by Cindy Pon. The Want series is a Dystopian that has a really cool world setup. If you are a fan of books set in the future that feature all kinds of cool technology, which is personally what I love to see in my dystopians, then I think the Want series is one you should check out. The sequel Ruse is already releases, so you can binge both books back to back! It was an ok read for me, but I can see it really appealing to a lot of readers.

In Want we meet out main character Jason Zhou. Zhou is part of the meis, aka the have-nots. Sick of watching the rich (the yous) get richer, live longer and better lives, at the expense of the meis, Zhou decides he is going to finally do something about it. He links up with a group of activists whose goal it is to take down the Jin Corporation- the main company responsible for so much of the world’s pollution, which is the main factor that led to his mom’s death.

Zhou sets out to infiltrate the corporation by befriending the CEO’s daughter, Daiyu. As you can possibly imagine, things get out of hand and Zhou starts to develop feelings for Daiyu. I enjoyed the world setup and the gang of characters. The book felt a little info-dumpy at parts when I was trying to gain my bearings on the world and a little heavy handed as I was learning about the environmental problems. I actually really appreciated the issues that were present in this book, with pollution, smog and illnesses that they can cause, I just felt like I was being hit over the head with it, which sometimes took away from my reading enjoyment. It was a heavier read that I was expecting, that is not to say it is a bad thing, just not what I was expecting. I think many readers will really enjoy the message being sent in Want- especially in the current climate of the world.

My favorite aspect of the story were the ensemble cast of characters and the friendships that were forged throughout the book. If you are looking for a dystopian read set in a futuristic society that with heavy environmental issues present, Want is going to be a great series for you to check out.