Book Review: Flawed Series by Cecelia Ahern

Flawed

Genres: YA, dystopian, fiction, science fiction
Pages / Hours: 324 / 11h27 mins
Format: Audiobook
Rating:
Goodreads summary: Celestine North lives a perfect life. She’s a model daughter and sister, she’s well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she’s dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.

But then Celestine encounters a situation where she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found flawed.

In her breathtaking young adult debut, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society where perfection is paramount and flaws lead to punishment. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her everything.

Perfect

Genres: YA, dystopian, fiction, science fiction
Pages / Hours: 341 / 10h46 mins
Format: Audiobook
Rating:
Goodreads summary: Ever since Judge Crevan declared her the number one threat to the public, she has been a ghost, on the run with Carrick, the only person she can trust.

But Celestine has a secret—one that could bring the entire Flawed system crumbling to the ground. A secret that has already caused countless people to go missing.

Judge Crevan is gaining the upper hand, and time is running out for Celestine. With tensions building, Celestine must make a choice: save just herself or risk her life to save all Flawed people.

Initial Impressions & Motivation 

This series was recommended to me by a coworker—who’s really more of a friend. A few months ago, we discovered we have nearly identical taste in books, and we’ve been besties ever since. It turns out we also share similar taste in music, TV shows, musicals—pretty much everything. We’re basically soul sisters, just forced to work in different time zones across oceans. But that’s beside the point.

She recommended this series to me a while ago, and after working through a few books already on my list, I decided to finally give it a chance. I’ll admit, I initially pushed it off because I don’t read YA as much anymore, and the summary didn’t hook me. I also hadn’t read any of Cecelia Ahern’s work before. But I trust my friend’s judgment, so my expectations were medium-high.

Worldbuilding & Premise

The story is set in London, England, which gives it a certain familiarity. But the differences lie in what constitutes a “flawed” person. Any mistake—or step out of line—can get you branded with an “F” on your body, depending on the nature of your flaw. It’s very Scarlet Letter-coded. Lie? Tongue brand. Poor judgment? Head brand. Theft? Right palm brand. And so on. There are five brands in total. The Guild, aka the government, determines who is flawed.

The whole concept feels archaic. The idea of anyone being “perfect” is inherently flawed, and this society punishes people for being human. People live in fear—of mistakes, of being compassionate, of doing the right thing. It’s a chilling version of justice. The Guild is powerful, controlling, and scary. They justify everything in the name of the greater good—but like any system of power, corruption seeps through: favoritism, lies, double standards. It’s all there.

Main Character & Development

I found Celestine so annoying in the first half of Flawed. I remember thinking, “What did my coworker get me into?” because… this girl. There’s nothing worse than an irritating main character—it’s their book, after all!

She came off with a superiority complex, overly obsessed with her boyfriend (whom she had been dating for, what, a month?), and she looked down on Flawed people as if she were above them. She really rubbed me the wrong way for the first third of the book. But—thankfully—she grew on me. If she had stayed insufferable, I probably wouldn’t have made it through.

Her character growth is what won me over. She goes from self-righteous to self-sacrificing—from blindly trusting the system to becoming its most powerful challenger. She’s punished, beaten down, and branded—but she holds her ground. By the end of Flawed, Celestine North had become one of my favorite female main characters.

In Perfect, her growth continues. She’s strategic, brave, and quick-thinking. On the run and in hiding, she navigates a dangerous world while trying to do the right thing. It’s impressive to watch her evolve.

Themes & Social Commentary

This series makes one thing clear: there’s no such thing as a perfect society. Everyone makes mistakes, including those in power—especially those in power. The branding system oversimplifies morality, punishing people the same way regardless of context. But not all acts are created equal. A person with a stolen goods brand could just as easily be a mother taking baby formula she couldn’t afford. Stealing is wrong—but the system refuses to ask why people do what they do.

That’s where compassion comes in, and that’s what Celestine stands for. The deeper message of this duology is that real change starts with one person who chooses not to stay silent. Flawed people aren’t broken—they’re human.

Plot, Pacing & Tension

I wasn’t hooked right away with Flawed. Celestine’s attitude made her hard to root for at first. She was a goody-two-shoes obsessed with her boyfriend and it made me sickkkkkkkk.

But everything shifted the moment she stood up for that man on the bus. That scene—with the sixth brand—had my jaw on the floor. From then on, the pacing picked up and didn’t let go. Perfect turned everything up a notch. I flew through it in 1.5 days. I was obsessed. I was canceling plans to read. Ignoring my phone. Every spare moment was spent with this book.

That’s when I know a story has me: when it takes over my brain.

Relationships & Side Characters

The romance isn’t a major part of the plot, and that’s fine. Celestine’s relationship with Art felt meh to me. They were only officially together for a month, and once her situation escalates, his role felt… unimportant. Honestly, with a few edits, Art didn’t even need to be in the story.

Celestine’s family, however, had more compelling arcs. Her mom transforms from being image-obsessed to fully unbothered, and her sister—initially seen as the bold one—freezes when Celestine takes a moral stand, showing how complicated courage can be.

My favorite side character by far was Grandpa. That man was dropping wisdom like nobody’s business. He constantly reminded Celestine to trust herself and choose what’s right. My favorite quote?

“A weed is just a flower growing in the wrong place.”

Beautiful. It hit me hard—because it’s true. Sometimes we’re labeled or misunderstood, not because we’re broken, but because we’re in the wrong environment.

Final Thoughts & Rating

I give this duology 4.5-deer-stars. The plot is unique, the message is strong, and the storytelling kept me fully engaged. Celestine had real development, and the themes around justice, compassion, and resistance really landed for me.

If you prefer traditional fantasy, this might be outside your comfort zone—but if you enjoy dystopian stories with big ideas and strong emotional payoffs, I definitely recommend giving this a try.

Just a heads up: there are content warnings around character harm and bullying.