One Test. One Serum. One Truth.
Axiom Book One
Axiom is my first book of the year. I picked it up because I kept seeing it on TikTok. Normally, I don’t read dystopian novels — I prefer watching the movies (even though I know the books are usually better). Plus, I stopped reading books recommended on TikTok a while back. But since I’d been in a reading slump for months, I needed something to read, and this seemed like the right choice for my mood.
Surprisingly, I didn’t dislike it as much as I thought I would. It was an enjoyable read, and I loved the story.
As I always say, what stands out most for me when reading is the story a book tells and how it makes me feel. So, regardless of the grammatical errors and info dumps, I enjoyed this one.
Axiom Book One Blurb
Seventeen-year-old Amrey X has one fatal flaw. She can lie in a city forced to speak the truth.
For 200 years, citizens of Axiom have been subjected to a truth serum. Forced to stand oath from the age of seven. And for 10 years Amrey has conformed.
Until now.
Things are changing. The Axiom Government has caught wind of an immune and will stop at nothing to hunt them down. Amrey must leave, but it will have a cost.
Unsure who to trust, she finds herself drawn to a boy, whose wit and charm may be more of a distraction than she can handle. And when confronted by a figure of her past, Amrey must deal with a shocking truth she wasn’t prepared for. And make a choice that could change everything.
Axiom Book One Review
Axiom is a familiar dystopian story, inspired in part by Divergent, as the author acknowledges. Axiom follows Amrey X, a teenager living in a dystopian society where everyone is chemically forced to tell the truth. For ten years, she has hidden her immunity to the truth serum, but when the government starts hunting for someone who can lie, Amrey is forced to run.
Along the way, she becomes entangled in a love triangle, uncovers secrets about her past, and learns that her unique ability may hold the key to unravelling the oppressive system she’s always known.
While it doesn’t stray far from the tropes of the genre, it is a compelling and enjoyable read.
The Characters:
Amrey: I liked Amery because she’d do anything to protect the people she loves makes her relatable and easy to root for.
Kale: Kale’s character is likeable and charming, which made me immediately drawn to him.
Jaxon: I wasn’t a big fan of Jaxon at first because I was already rooting for Kale. Plus, we didn’t know much about Jaxon’s motivations at the start, so I didn’t fully trust him. But by the end of the book, I was about 60% Team Jaxon.
World Building – The world-building in Axiom is intriguing, though it comes with heavy info dumps. The way the information was presented wasn’t always natural—no one talks like that in real life—but it served its purpose. Since this world operates under unique rules, the information was necessary to help readers understand the setting.
The premise of a society where lying is impossible due to a mandatory truth serum was fascinating, but I wished this concept had been explored more deeply. The story mostly focuses on characters who can lie, which meant we didn’t get to see the societal implications of forced honesty as much as I’d hoped. Still, the story keeps you invested from the start.
The relationship dynamics were interesting, and I ended up enjoying the love triangle, even though it’s a pretty common trope.
Final Take
The story has its share of grammatical errors and uneven pacing, but it’s the emotions and stakes that truly shine. Fans of dystopian novels like Divergent will likely enjoy this book, and even readers who don’t typically go for the genre might find themselves pleasantly surprised, just as I was.
Axiom was a fun read, and I’d recommend it if you’re in the mood for a light dystopian story. It’s not perfect, but the story makes up for the flaws.
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