The Fertile Ones: A Dystopian Novel

by Kate L. Mary

Ara Murphy never wanted to be a mother, but the law is clear. She’s fertile, which means her body belongs to the human race.

It’s the year is 2067, and the world has been ravaged by pandemics. The population has dwindled, and fertile women are a rare and valuable commodity. In hopes of preserving our species, the United States has passed the Fertility Act, forcing all women to be screened. Participation in the program is supposed to be straight forward. Three years, one baby, then freedom.

But as Ara navigates the complex and invasive procedures within the program, she’s plagued by questions. Is the government really looking out for the good of the people, or do they have hidden motives? And how much more can they take from her in the name of survival?

Perfect for fans of The Handmaid's Tale, Station Eleven, The Power, and Vox, this dystopian tale of courage and bravery will keep you turning pages!

Genres: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Book Club, Audiobook

495 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 7, 2024

About the author

I'm a mom of four, Air Force wife, and author of adult and young adult dystopian, post-apocalyptic, and science fiction. I love intense world building and character driven stories that feature strong female leads - as well as a side of romance - and any end of the world scenario. Zombies, aliens, a distant future where people have no clue how the world ended in the first place, you name it, I will create a story there!

Having lived in a lot of different places after more than a decade as an Air Force wife, I love setting my books in cities I've actually lived in to give them authenticity. I've resided in: Indiana, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, California, and Oklahoma but am currently back in my home state of Ohio where I live with my husband, four kids, two dogs, and three cats.

When I'm not writing, you can find me by my pool (in the summer), getting lost in some binge-worthy show or at a play with my husband, patronizing one of the great restaurants in my small town of Troy, Ohio with my family, or traveling. I want to see everything and make a point of visiting a new place every year!

Some of my favorite books are The Hunger Games, Pride and Prejudice, The Host, and The Stand. My favorite movies are Aliens, Jaws, Signs, Say Anything, Everything Everywhere All At Once, and The Greatest Showman.

Awards:

Outliers
Winner in the 2018 Kindle Books Awards for Sci-Fi/Fantasy Fiction
B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree
Finalist in the 2018 Wishing Shelf Book Awards For Adult Fiction
Top 10 Finalist in the Author Academy Awards for Sci-Fi/Fantasy Fiction
Cover Finalist in the 2019 RONE Awards from InD'tale Magazine

When We Were Human
2015 Children's Moonbeam Awards Silver Medal winner for Young Adult Fantasy/Sci-Fi Fiction
2016 Readers' Favorite Gold Medal Winner for Young Adult Science Fiction

Tribe of Daughters
Winner in the 2020 RONE Awards for Time Travel/Science Fiction
Bronze Medal Winner in the 2019 Readers' Favorite Book Awards for Science Fiction
Honorable Mention in the 2018 SPR Book Awards

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Reviews

[Raine McLeod · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 35%

The FMC is insufferable, the writing is SO BAD. It’s vacuous trash, which is unfortunate because the premise is great. I just couldn’t fucking deal with it for another second.

[Emilija · Rating 2 out of 5]

2020 52 Book Challenge - 11) A Book That Leaves You Thinking

This book is classed as dystopian, but honestly, I could see this actually happening considering what is happening in America to women.

The plot of this book is really interesting and kept me reading despite the main fault of the book. That fault would be the absolutely insufferable main character Ara. I wanted to scream at her through the entire novel. I couldn't stand her at all.

The other characters have barely any character development. Ginger, Vic, Malika, Hillary, Jane, Bette; they all have one defining characteristic and nothing other than that. I was waiting through the entire novel for Hillary to have some form of redemption because it felt like she would have a change of heart at some point, but no, she is just evil and nothing changes.

I found myself so frustrated at the end of the novel because Ara has gone through this entire book saying that she doesn't want a child and she doesn't want to be a mother, it is literally her driving focus through the entire novel, until the last 20% where she has insta love with one of her guards and decided that if it's his child, she has to have the baby. I know that this is something that does happen to women, but it was so inconsistent with the main character and I almost DNFed at 83%, except for the fact that I wanted to find out the ending.

[Tilly MB · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not finish this book, I don’t understand the high review score it has got. It is ridiculously long, I was 20% of the way through with 5 hours left to go and I’m a fast reader so I gave up. The premise is good, but definitely a copycat of the handmaid’s tale. How many times can one author say ‘decimated the human population’ in 20% of a book. Every other sentence apparently. It felt to me like a vanity publish with very little editing or input. The tone of voice was unbearable and would benefit from understanding show and don’t tell. It also embeds a lot of stereotypes about Mexican/Middle Eastern and African societies. Honestly I can’t finish it, I’m mainly reading it to send me to sleep at this point.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! This is an amazing story! A brilliant tribute to Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale. It stands on its own two feet as an amazing story though, a personal account of a Fertile One in this twisted dystopian virus decimated world! A possible look at the future if Trumps idea are followed through.. makes you wonder! Brilliant levels of tension & excitement, you feel the stress with the main character & are completely swept up in this intriguingly additive story! I can't wait to read the next part & I do strongly recommend! Not for the faint hearted!

[Michelle Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be BANNED!! THAT'S how good it is!!

As a retired librarian, I am an advocate for banned books! Controversial fiction should make you think; make you question; make you have conversations with others. This book fits the bill! Unfortunately, it's those types of books that are being banned.

Kate, I love your stories - all of your stories! They are written well and flow so easily from one chapter to another. I'm on the edge of my seat most of the time. I look forward to the next and the next...

Yes, the main character was selfish. But she had reasons to be. She didn't want to be forced to do something she didn't want to do. Who would? What would you do in her shoes? Again, that makes good conversation. I will say there were some slow parts, but I believe they are meant to build you up for the climax. (I would still like to know what happened to her friend that had the baby and the non-binary character.)

Until the next one...

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I HATED the main character - the idea was great but the writing was terrible. The main character was a self-centred woman-child and the whole thing could have been done so much better. I was ready to give up 20% into it but I forced myself to finish and spoiler alert… it does not get any better.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book very much had a hand-maids tale feel about it, the concept drew me in.

I did struggle with the main characters very fixed mindset of being super duper angry but not wanting to do anything about it for the first 3/4 of the book, it got a bit “samey” and there was little to no character development of anyone but her. Life’s unfair but I am going to wait for someone else to do something about it, oh no it’s too late, it’s getting much worse, and then finally being rescued by her lover… I think I just wanted HER to do a bit more for herself, but maybe that was part of the point? Maybe…

Definitely readable but not a book I would go out of my way to recommend.

[Nancy (The Avid Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fertile Ones is by far one of the best books I have ever read. The plot/world-building is the best I have ever read. I was pulled into its depths from the first page or maybe it was more like with the summary. Once I picked it up I didn’t want to stop reading. I actually got very frustrated when the world around me interfered with my reading.

I want so badly to see The Fertile Ones made into a TV Show. I would watch it over and over. The more I read The Fertile Ones the more I wanted to read. This is one book that I never want to see the end. I love stories like this so much. I can never get enough of them and their worlds.

When I was reading The Fertile Ones I had no problem seeing what I was reading in my head as if I was standing there witnessing it all. The descriptions were so well written. I loved all the characters even the ones you are supposed to dislike.

I could never imagine living in a world like this but it sure is a lot of fun to read or watch. The Fertile Ones is very similar to The Handmaid's Tale. I am always looking for books or TV shows like The Handmaid's Tale or The Walking Dead. I can’t tell you how many times I have watched The Walking Dead or The Handmaid's Tale.

I must say that Kate L. Mary has definitely outdone herself with The Fertile Ones. This is one story that is going to stay with me forever and ever. I sorely hope to see more from this world in future books.

I loved The Fertile Ones very much and highly recommend it to all fans of The Handmaid's Tale and The Walking Dead fans. Grab a copy of The Fertile Ones today!

[Jamie Sass · Rating 1 out of 5]

One Star – A Promising Premise Undermined by Weak Execution

I approached The Fertile Ones with high hopes, intrigued by its dystopian premise: in 2067, after devastating pandemics, the U.S. enacts the Fertility Act, compelling fertile women to bear children to repopulate the nation. Ara Murphy, the protagonist, is one such woman forced into this program. 

However, the novel quickly falters. Ara’s vehement opposition to the program lacks depth; her resistance is rooted solely in a generic desire for freedom, without any personal trauma or nuanced reasoning to make her stance compelling. This absence of a well-developed motivation makes it challenging to empathize with her plight.

The narrative suffers from excessive telling rather than showing. Key plot points and character emotions are often stated outright, leaving little room for readers to engage or infer. This approach diminishes the impact of the story’s more intense moments.

Set in a future society, the world-building feels inconsistent. Despite being set in 2067, the story is peppered with contemporary references and technologies, making the setting feel more like present-day than a plausible future.

Furthermore, the story’s progression is marred by redundancy. Ara’s internal monologues and the plot’s central conflicts are reiterated without significant development, leading to a sense of stagnation. The narrative’s climax, involving Ara’s sudden romantic entanglement with a guard and a drastic shift in her stance on motherhood, feels abrupt and unearned, undermining the character’s previously established convictions.

It’s impossible to overlook the striking similarities to The Handmaid’s Tale. From the oppressive fertility program to the protagonist’s escape to Canada, the parallels are numerous and, unfortunately, make this novel feel derivative rather than a fresh take on dystopian themes.

In summary, while The Fertile Ones presents a concept ripe for exploration, its execution falls short, resulting in a narrative that feels both unoriginal and emotionally disconnected.

[Amanda Eskelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love Kates books. They are always great easy reads. This book is no different, the world has gone to hell and the government thinks controlling women and their bodies is the answer to all the countries issues.

I think this book brings to light a lot of the issues we face today as women, and honestly it’s a hard topic to talk about because even in the book you see people who are ok with women’s rights being taken from them and people who are not ok with it and the line that is drawn in the sand.

Kate tackles this issue in a beautiful way giving a voice to both sides of the argument.

It was easy to fall in love with the characters and even hate some (Hilary), however I thought I felt some reluctance from this character (later in the book) where she perhaps thought for maybe a second that she was not doing what was right but rather what was expected of her. I really would have liked the relationship with Marc to have blossomed a bit more earlier on in the book as it did feel a bit rushed. The start of the book was slightly slow but it definitely picked up and there was no way I was going to sleep without finishing the book.

Definitely a great read and I recommend you give it a shot!

[Ruanne Fensham · Rating 1 out of 5]

finished it but weak

Good ideas
And controversial issues discussed
But repetition of thoughts and ideas - over and over and over .

Story really only got legs about 80% in … I literally skipped and skipped so that I could see the story to the end
And not in the same class as the handmaids tale as is advertised .. even though references made throughout ??
Also references to Netflix texting and fb - surely things will have moved on in 2062
Even reference to a landline ??? What ?
Disapointing

[Ally Patierno · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down due to the number of blatant editing issues that irked me. This book felt like the prequel to The Handmaids Tale and explores the path of the US Government taking complete control of fertile women’s bodies. The premise was great, the execution less so.

The beginning of the book was so rich with detail that I fully expected this would lead into a second book. However, the last 20% very quickly wraps up the plot with a nice epilogue bow at the end and I feel like it was a disservice to the characters who are so present in the first half of the book to basically be dropped and never spoken of again. I really liked the concept and would have loved a bit of a redemption arc for some of the unlikable characters but unfortunately that didn’t happen and the ending left me with a lot of questions as to how it could wrap up so nicely.

[Adeliniche · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a couple of issues with this book. First, the editing, sentences that don’t make any sense because SOME WORDS ARE MISSING.

Second, I get that the author is writing inclusively but a trans male character should be called a he, not a they.

Third, I absolutely hated the main character, could not accept the change of heart. I feel like the first 30% of the book could have been chomped off to solely focus on the Stanley location and take it from there.

The concept was super interesting, but the delivery not so much, in my opinion.

[Sarah Tee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a middle of the road read for me. I think it was too long however the story and subject had me hooked. This is a dystopian novel, but i can believe something like this happening in real life. It is quite scary.
The problem is the book is littered with errors, and has lots of repetition. Unlike a lot of reviewers, I didn’t have a problem with the main character and could understand where all of her points were coming from. But did find the U turn towards the end of the book frustrating.
The subject gave enough to keep me interested, and I generally had a good time reading

[Carol Stefanik · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a terrifying story. Well written. Totally believable in today's world. I love that the middle of the story incorporated a landmark I spent summers near. Nice blend of political and social commentary buried in a moving and compelling story. I identify with the main character in sooooo many ways. Please read this one.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lorrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I love this author’s Broken World Series, but unfortunately, this one just didn’t resonate with me. I didn’t particularly like Ara, and I never warmed up to her. She frustrated me a lot. The story was too similar to the Handmaid’s Tale also IMO. I’m obviously in the minority though given the high rating.

[Laurie Tell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dystopian in theory but chillingly possible

I was really sucked into this story. It was well written and I really liked the characters.
However,, based on what's going on in the political arena right now, this book rang all too possible. It was difficult to enjoy thus book as much, when I kept stopping to think how real it all felt.

[Ashley Hyatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. While I enjoyed many parts of this book a lot of it was pretty slow and at times predictable. There were parts that kept me reading and engaged but overall it could have been a shorter book.

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do NOT let a Republican congressman get ahold of this book omg

[Heather D · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting

This was a very interesting book. I had no idea where it was going to go or how it was going to end so I wasn’t at all prepared for a HEA type ending. This book felt long and dragged, especially in the middle 1/3 but I overall enjoyed it.

[Rae Rivers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too much of the main story beats are a direct copy of the Handmaid’s tale. The book references this story too much for it not to be intentional too.
Seriously, she has a fertility minder, she escapes to Canada bc of her baby, she tears down the regime by sharing her experiences , Hilary is just Aunt Lydia.
Other problems:
Nothing noteworthy happens until around the 60% mark.
The book is about 100 pages longer than it needed to be.
Bette, Hilary and other characters never get a defined character ending. I wanted to know if Bette was okay but she’s literally never shown after her leaving.

Hilary is evil to the point she’s more of a plot device than a character. She’s literally just Lydia from the Handmaid’s Tale.

The main character is one of the most dislikeable people it’s not even funny. She’s horrible to Bette for ages who has literally never done anything wrong.
Seriously, Ara is morally right abt the whole thing but the way she goes around it is like a child told she can’t have a cookie. She endangers herself and Marc so much for literally just her anger. It’s obvious from the beginning that the fertility thing is going to escalate so she should really remain polite. It’s so stupid to act like this, seriously don’t copy her if you ever end up being kidnapped like her. You will not be cool or quirky, more likely hurt.

Only thing I agreed with was her escaping to Canada, punching Hilary and writing that note.

[Brigid McClelland · Rating 1 out of 5]

Actually one of the most poorly written books I’ve ever read. No depth, the most self-centered and whiny main character, and an entire change to rationale in the last two chapters? I truly cannot understand how this book has anything more than 1 star.

[Sewster]

DNF

The FMC is snarky and defiant just cuz. She gives no reason for why she’s so violently opposed to being a mother, other than someone told her she had to. She even has this very hot male bff who offered to be with her to do it and she was like ‘nahh, I’ll just be mad.’ The process doesn’t seem horrific like other books (DNF’d before knowing for sure, but seemed like normal/boring doctor appts). She’s annoying. If you’re going to be me a defiant and sarcastic FMC, at least give a good reason for it.

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will start to say, I love almost all the books that I have read from Kate L. Mary, and like me I know there are a lot of people who share the same opinion and while this is true, it is also true that this book is not for everyone. Its the first time that This author uses inclusive language, and I don’t think it was the right place to use it, a trans man, don’t want to be a they, he wants to be a he, wants for you to look at him and see a guy, even thou his biological sex may be female, there are a lots of non binary that want attention but they aren't really trans, and this is the reason why because the “non binary” confusion is installed in the LGBT family… but this situation was only brought two or three times in the book and the character mysteriously disappeared.

But let me go straight to the book and the story. Our main character in this book reminded me very much of Grace from the old show “Will & Grace” the only difference was that Ara wasn’t a red headed and didn’t work in interior designer, haha but Trevor her best friend and almost a brother, was a lawyer and gay, I think Trevor was my favourite character, because he really was Will, down to his description in the ending hahah. Ok going back to the story, grab the main characters from Will and grace, change their names to Trevor and Arabella, mix them in a Handmaid’s Tale, setting, with the difference that for fertilization is used a medical setting, and not actual sex to impregnate, a very controlling regime (1984 type of controlling) and we have the setting for this book. Ara wasn't like the other Main characters from other series, while I understand the situation she was in, she was too much about herself for me to really connect with her, but being truthfully, I think opinions about Ara will be a bit all over the place from fans and readers.
I didn’t understand why teenagers that get pregnant couldn’t stay with their family and let the baby be adopted by their parents, and if they chose to give the baby away couldn’t their time in the system be already given as fulfilled, that would be better than going underground and having a secret abortion, why kill a baby? Yes our personal believes will influence how we read this book, but that is for all the books that exist.

Women in the beginning of this book, are tested when they are 16 years old, and are forced to have at least one baby, if they are fertile, and need to enrol in the program before their 26 birthday… and with that comes a kind of clock that controls “everything” you do… one thing that is told you in the beginning is that you could change your mind at any time, that means, if you don’t want the baby you could almost until birth to change your mind… but basically women are cattle, everything they say to you or ask your to sign, take with a grain of salt…

in sum, this was a very scary dystopian book, and I have read last year, books that are very similar in nature with this one “The auction” by Elci North and “the farm” by Joanne Ramos, “the Fertile ones” feel more complete by comparation, and again, there will be characters you love, others you hate and many in between…

Thank you BookSirens for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

[Susan Rice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love anything dystopian and especially anything to do with the government superseding personal rights of any person. This hit the mark for me on both of those.

If you read all the way to the end the author addresses certain facts, one which I wish she had put in the front of the book. This book is based on 2067 but nowadays stuff and even close past stuff is constantly referenced. Netflix, Handmaid's Tale, landline phones, Starbucks. I was like, hummm interesting to me that those particular things have lasted 40 years.....the author does say she was aware of it and did it deliberately, I just kind of wish she hadn't. Let the future be the future.

What really held my attention was the way the story was told about how the government manages the mass public. Being a woman who is now out of her child bearing years but did birth children, I would have been a Fertile. Which is terrifying. The shockingly easy way the government took control and possession of women's uteruses was not that surprising but totally horrifying.

What didn't hold my attention was Ara. I actually don't dislike her as much as some reviewers do, but I just never connected with her. I was angry FOR her, I was appalled at what was happening TO her, but didn't actually like her. I didn't expect her to become a freedom fighter or start a revolt but she could have been a little less whiny.

Spoiler ahead!!

I absolutely hated the ending. What a gigantic cop out. The girl who hates babies, pregnancy, has no interest in men in general, suddenly falls for what seems to be the only good soldier who is "just doing his job". What utter horseshit. The author needed a way to have a feel good ending and decided having a man rescue her was the way for that to happen. A man, who to us readers, is an appallingly shallow character with very little development. He's just there. I actually would have more respect for the ending if it was bleak and dark and without hope. They keep her locked up until she gives birth, sells the baby to the highest bidder and ships her off to a prison hospital to become a brood mare.

Also, we are supposed to believe in this tightly controlled environment she was being held in, someone found her writings and not only didn't destroy them, managed to sneak them out and copy them onto social media. Again, complete and total horseshit. The author wanted to wrap things up in a neat little bow hoping we would cheer the ending with tears of happiness in our eyes. That did not happen to me.

If an author wants to write dystopian nightmare novels, have the balls to bring the story to its true conclusion. Which are almost always sad and horrible and never have the good guys win.

Oh well. On to the next!!

[Jes Logan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not convinced this is a tribute to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale so much as a poorly written spin-off or prequel. The writing often feels clunky, weighed down by excessive use of “buts” and overly long, comma-stuffed sentences. A paragraph should not be a single meandering sentence.

My recommendation of this book would entirely depend on the reader’s familiarity with feminist dystopian fiction. If you’ve read The Handmaid’s Tale, The Power, or The Book of the Unnamed Midwife — don’t bother. The Fertile Ones won’t bring anything new to the table, and you’ll likely find its execution frustrating. But if you’re new to the genre and looking for an entry point, it might be a palatable introduction — just don’t stop here. There’s far better work out there that does justice to the genre’s potential.




** Spoilers below **




Unlike The Handmaid’s Tale, which grounds its dystopia in a psychologically and politically plausible narrative, The Fertile Ones lacks that realism. The main character is insufferable — and unfortunately, you’re stuck inside her repetitive, internal raging monologue for the entire first half of the book. This monologue goes nowhere; it doesn’t build to constructive action or even meaningful reflection.

For instance, the protagonist claims to love her best (gay) friend more than anyone else — he’s her rock, her soulmate. He wants a baby, but given the regime prioritises straight couples (an all-too-familiar reality), it’s clear he won’t qualify to adopt one of program’s babies. Rather than choosing the option which would have aided this said best friend to fulfil his needs or resisting the system in any way, she decides to be inseminated with a stranger’s baby; a baby that will be adopted out to a stranger at the regime’s discretion. Her decisions are baffling and completely detached from any believable emotional or logical framework.

Perhaps the most unrealistic part comes in the second half of the book. Here, the protagonist suddenly falls in love with one of her captors and does a complete 180 on her views about motherhood. It’s abrupt, unearned, and undermines whatever thematic weight the first half attempted to build. Changing one’s values based on a rushed romance with a man, groundbreaking.

[Emmeline Everdeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfection. A must-read!

Absolutely enjoyed and was terrified by this book. It’s written in a way that makes you feel completely connected with Ara from the start. Her struggle, her defiance, her acceptance, all feels authentic.
Honestly, this book could be labeled as “horror” for now realistically terrifying it is. Are we really that for away from this reality? 10 years ago I would have said no way but now?
What I really loved the most is that the author captured the struggle between fighting against the control and realizing that if you fight you will lose everything. The second part is how they keep those they wish to control from fighting back. How Ara wished she had done something more to fight when she could but always was just hoping to push the thought of what was going to happen away. We are here right now. So many of us have so much to lose if we stand up against those who are trying to take our HUMAN rights, but we have to find a way.

Read this book. Find a way to fight. I know I am going to. I have to. We all do.

[Abigail Cannella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really need to stop reading books like this because they freak me out too much. Okay so I generally liked this but the details brought it down. I think the book needed an editor (or a better one) because one persons name completely changed for one chapter before going back, and there are some discrepancies with dates and timing. I also thought I’d was questionable how the main characters never had a conversation about how/ why the guy worked for a repressive agency. The thought of the main girl falling in love and immediately disregarding her vow to never raise kids after knowing the guy for like a few weeks was pretty frustrating and really turned me off. At one point, a letter the main girl wrote gets exposed to the press which makes no since because they literally don’t have internet access?? Lastly, I was so annoyed that she never bothered to expose what she went through to the press when it very easily could have helped the other women.

[Amber Hruska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I absolutely devoured this book. I was able to picture everything so vividly in my mind, from the characters to the settings. I love how she intentionally wrote this to be in the future, but the setting felt like present day because all the day to day technology was the same as it is now. This one will definitely stick with me.

It is hands down a 5⭐️ for me but I do want to mention one little thing. The UK kindle version really needed another proofread. There were quite a lot of sentences where words like “the” or “to” were left out, or the tense was wrong— things that likely just got overlooked in proofreads. There was a spelling mistake in the acknowledgements. No idea if this is the case with the print version, but just a heads up to anyone like me who picks up on these things a lot. Absolutely still worth the read, and for me, was not worth docking a star.

[Fawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fertile Ones

The scary part of this book is just how easily something like this could happen. It would truly be just that easy to control people by taking them hostage, move them to the middle of nowhere, remove any form of communication, and what could you do about it? There was a slow beginning before it got interesting. And I had some difficulty with Ara and her personality, but it might have to do with trying to get the point across that she felt like the only person who didn't agree with having a choice taken from her. I feel like I didn't fully get to see who she was as a person as most of our time with her was mostly filled with her anger. Things change towards the end so you can finally see a new Ara. The story idea was interesting and watching how it plays out was a good read after things started happening.