As with most books, I dived into Five Seven Five with little to zero idea about what the book is about (aka I didn't bother reading the summary). I live by the logic that “since it's on my to-read shelf, I must be somewhat interested in it, right?”

SYMBOLIC

Take a moment and look at the cover. It isn't exactly breathtaking, but it is symbolic. “It's just a pair of hands holding onto a piece of paper. What does that even mean??” While it may not hold much meaning right now, it will dawn on you once you have read the book. And there's the summary, that manages to somewhat catch your attention without giving away any important details about the events in the book. I honestly thought that it was just going to be another post-apocalyptic book, with the underground society and the sheltered lives they live. Oh boy how wrong I was.

CURIOSITY KILLS THE CAT

Five Seven Five is told through White's perspective, our headstrong, stubborn and often oblivious main female character. She has an insatiable hunger for knowledge about what lies outside her world (also called the Unknown), and sometimes this ends with her acting recklessly and getting into dangerous situations. There were often times where I got annoyed with her but I couldn't bring myself to dislike her. The rationale behind her actions were all explained in full, the emotions and thoughts that spurred her to do such things properly conveyed, you just can't help but empathise with her.

PLEASANTLY SURPRISING

I honestly did not expect to enjoy this book this much. As the title, cover and blurb don't really give away much about the book, you have the joy of slowly discovering the world White lives in from scratch and there was much room for surprises. Speaking of which, the world-building was simple but solid. They have their own way of life, culture, even their own way of naming people. ( )