Freeset: A Novel

The Four Cities #2

by Sarina Dahlan

Sequel to the #1 bestseller Reset , Freeset is an intricate sci-fi story about found family, building hope, and learning to trust your inner voice. Can true love break you free? When calamity destroyed most of humanity, the Four Cities survived by carefully predicting and meticulously controlling everything in the survivors' lives--even love. As part of this new normal, every four years the citizens face down Tabula Rasa, a process that wipes away their memories of each other. But nothing can be controlled completely, and love will always strive to be free. A brave handful of Dreamers, aided by Eleanor the Crone, have repeatedly managed to find each other again after Tabula Rasa, proving that the desire to connect is eternal. Scientist Aris and musician Metis, star-crossed lovers, have found each other again ... along with a clue to a hidden library that could contain the memories erased by Tabula Rasa. At long last, there is a chance for a brave, free, new world--if they can escape before the next reset.

Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia

1 pages, Audio CD

Published May 21, 2024

About the author

Sarina Dahlan was born into an Indonesian family in Thailand, and immigrated to the United States at the age of twelve. While children in the west grew up on fairytales, she learned parables through ghost stories, mythologies, and Japanese manga.

A graduate of the University of California, San Diego with degrees in Psychology and Visual Arts, she has blended both disciplines in careers as an advertising producer, corporate marketing strategist, small business owner, and a writer.

She finds inspiration for her stories in traveling, the people she knows, and the places she has lived. She currently resides in San Diego, California with her family.

Reviews

[Shannon Miz · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is so bittersweet when a great series ends in a phenomenal way: you're sad that it is over, but also really happy that it was satisfying. That is where I am now, with Freeset. The ending was kind of perfect, and I am so eager to recommend this series to everyone! But I will miss it- the world was just so creative and well thought out, I enjoyed the characters, and the story immensely.

This series is thought provoking, twisty, exciting, and really provides some great commentary on what makes us human. The world building is great (we get so many answers to questions), and the characters are well developed. Even new characters that we meet for the first time in this installment feel very fleshed out. I want to tell you so many more things about this one, but because it is a series, I shan't. I shall, however, insist you grab the first book and dive in!

Bottom Line: This entire series is absolutely ::chef's kiss::. Cannot wait to see what Sarina Dahlan does next!

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

[Sarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s a sweet sadness that comes with completing a series. For seven years I lived with my characters—loving with them, understanding them, being afraid for them, and finding hope in love as they do. Each book is its own special quest. Freeset’s story is one about community. It isn’t dystopian fiction with one hero. It is about people coming together after realizing that no one is free until everyone is free. It’s about love for others being a fuel for change. About letting go of the past to embrace a new beginning. And it is my act of hope.

It has truly been my honor to have spent the last seven years sharing the lives of those in the Four Cities with you, dear readers.

With gratitude,

Sarina

[Melissa Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It should be noted that I haven’t read the previous works in this series, and it may have impacted how I feel about this particular book. I did try to reach out to the publisher for a copy unsuccessfully (note for authors: it’s awesome if you re-release your previous uncorrected ARCs when approving new reviewers).

Beef #1:
I was super intrigued by the world building. That said, a map would not go amiss. I couldn’t tell if we were in SoCal -> Yosemite or if we went all the way north to, like, Redding. Maybe this was covered in a previous book, but since it talked a lot about how much time it took to get to Mem, I kept getting distracted thinking about where these cities were.

Beef #2:
This has more to do with my disclaimer at the very beginning. I know I was suppose to care about these characters, but it was really hard without knowing their ‘full’ 4 yr history. I’d recommend including really thorough recaps when published.

Beef #3: The ending was a little too simple, compared to the monumental issues that would occur if the ending happened exactly as was written. I’m hopeful there’s another book that covers the ripple effect of those two characters suddenly disappearing. Maybe a really good epilogue? It just felt unfinished, as satisfying as it was.

Now, the good (and I promise there was good). The concept itself was really intriguing. I love good speculative fiction (post apocalyptic spec fic?), especially when it uses kind of a roundabout time trope - not as a means to travel, but as a means to sort of pre-correct the future by way of memory erasure. Think about who you would be without your memory. It’s a pivotal question in fiction about amnesia. What happens when you can’t even remember yourself? What parts of your personality do you lose?

See, humanity got a little war crazy at some point in the past (centuries) and this totally wealthy dude had to start humanity over. But he became so intent on his success he forgot that human nature is imperative to the human spirit. So every four years this tiny existence of humanity loses their memory as a means of preventing war from ever occurring again. They’ve all become stifled cogs in a system built to save them, like a gilded cage.

This latest book is about a group of people who have had it with this dude’s control issues and you’ll be witness to how the human spirit helps these survivors, from very different walks of life in this ‘system’, come together to say enough is enough.

It was a cool idea, and I think our author should keep writing. I gave it three stars on the plot alone. Dialogue wasn’t half bad (this is what usually trips up newer authors), but some of the characters felt extraneous (I still don’t understand the purpose of the two kids, I’m sorry) and our villain was a bit too much of a caricature. Maybe he makes more sense if I’ve read the other books. (Edit: I’ve just remembered who he reminds me of! The Chancellor in V is for Vendetta.)

(Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review)

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really satisfying conclusion to the series.

After reading Preset (the prequel?) in between the duology felt a bit weird at first, but as the story progressed I understood why it was important to do so - a lot of plot points from the first book made a lot more sense with context, whilst giving Aha! moments in the second book when things aligned.

A lot of story threads at the end were directed to their closure without fully seeing them through (almost open ended to an extent) which worked for me.

Genuinely enjoyable series.

[The Page Ladies Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freeset was a fantastic conclusion to an exciting and thought provoking series! All series must come to an end but I'm sad to see this one end, but freeset gave us a great ending! The world building is fascinating and it's been fun learning about the Four Cities! It has been exciting to get to know each of the characters, even the new ones! It's a fast moving story with multiple perspectives that works really well for this story! I can't wait to see what's next for Sarina Dahlan! Thank you Bibliolifestyle, Sarina Dahlan and Blackstone Publishing for sharing this book with me!

[Olivia]

FREESET is a consuming and engaging dystopian read. I found this world to be endlessly fascinating and the characters compelling. The story gripped me from the start. It is a sequel, so I would recommend checking out the first book before starting this one, but enough background is provided that you can leap into this second book. I think this would have crossover appeal for YA audiences with some young characters alongside some older ones. The romance was well done, as were the dangers from society and understanding how they got there. The plot moves quickly, and the multiple perspectives worked well. I would definitely recommend checking out this series if you enjoy dystopian reads! Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved this series so much and I am sad that it's over. Freeset was an amazing conclusion to the story, and I truly love how the author left it. The book jumps right into the action and was fast paced, while taking you deeper into the world of the Four Cities and the people who survive there. New characters are added that make the plot richer. I don't want to spoil anything, but you should definitely pick up this exciting and emotional Sci Fi series (Preset, Reset and Freeset). Also, I think the covers are so cool and dreamy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for access to this arc!

[Rebecca Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this after reading Preset a few months ago. Interesting premise with some great characters. There were a couple of things I found left unexplained - like how did each person who had their memories wiped move from where they were at the time it happened? For instance, if they were hiding out, clinging to a loved one at the point of reset, how did they not recover from the reset in the same position… other than that, I really enjoyed this.

[Emma Frontin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe 3.5? Very cool world, I like the new characters and areas added in this one. Though the ending was exciting, it was a little too… simple. There wasn’t enough pushback, or trouble that would have resulted from certain decisions. So even though the ending was good, it still left a lot of unanswered questions.

Also a map would have been an excellent addition.

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freeset is an ambitious and radiant story about the beauty in surrendering to the truth, each other, and most importantly, love. A brave tale steeped in memory you won't soon forget.

[Jenn Delgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Sarina for giving us a wider view of this world! There were still surprises and new things to learn about the characters and history. I really enjoyed this story.

[Roxanne Lowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually book 3 in the series.