I like The Pledge. 
 ***** 
 Now I get what my Goodreads friends are talking about: a lot of YA books nowadays, especially tagged as dystopian, are just romance books in disguise. I actually did not mind Charlie's and Max blossoming love affair, but it did plant a seed in my head that yes, YA dystopia genre is teeming with more romance and less dystopia. What i did mind though, was that The Pledge is more fantasy than dystopia. I was geared up for dystopia before reading this, so imagine my disappointment when i encountered magical queens and a princess with a knack for healing. *sigh* 
 At first, i thought the class system (serving class for servants, vendor class for merchants, council class for politicians) was a shallow reason to build a dystopian future. but when the history on how the class system came about, it made sense. It actually reminded me a little of the Tower of Babel story from the Bible. Anyway, it became a qualified plot for me... until the fantasy elements start showing up. Man, that really destroyed my reading enjoyment. Was Charlie a strong heroine? i don't think so. although i have to note her winsome trait of unconditional love for her sister. Was Max a formidable hero? A little too perfect, but yes. 
 Do you want your romance cloaked in a dystopian novel? If yes, then The Pledge might work for you. I loved the Body Finder, but The Pledge fell short on my Derting's standards. Even if i'm a little disappointed with this book, Derting still got my attention with her storytelling. Too bad it didn't fit the bill of my dystopia taste.