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Sovereign
Number 332 is living to be sacrificed.
A teen with no name, she and nine other Orphans will be left in the Fields as gifts, and the town will be blessed with a decade of bountiful harvests — just as they have for the past three centuries.
But after so long, even the town Elders begin to question the decennial Sending and the very existence of the gods they worship.
What will happen to the isolated little village if they stop believing? 332 could have a life of her own, one not promised to the unknown Sovereign.
And yet, maybe the legends are true after all. Maybe the scrawled message that sealed 332’s fate along with the hundreds of others who came before her is still to be heeded.
Every 10 years.
A teen with no name, she and nine other Orphans will be left in the Fields as gifts, and the town will be blessed with a decade of bountiful harvests — just as they have for the past three centuries.
But after so long, even the town Elders begin to question the decennial Sending and the very existence of the gods they worship.
What will happen to the isolated little village if they stop believing? 332 could have a life of her own, one not promised to the unknown Sovereign.
And yet, maybe the legends are true after all. Maybe the scrawled message that sealed 332’s fate along with the hundreds of others who came before her is still to be heeded.
Every 10 years.
- GenresDystopia
202 pages, Paperback
Published February 28, 2025
2 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 23, 2024
This kind of stressed me out, but I enjoyed this short story.
I was stuck between is this an experiment, is it a cult thing, are the gods real or are the elders just corrupt child killers??? Either way this story captivated my attention and I enjoyed it.
With the story being told from the view point of a teenager who is one of the orphans, we get the wonderful inquisitive nature of children. Children naturally ask tons of questions and thankfully they were questions that I was dying to know the answer to as well.
This story will take you through a variety of unexpected emotions and keep you guessing. I’m rating it 3.75, I only wish it was longer.
I was stuck between is this an experiment, is it a cult thing, are the gods real or are the elders just corrupt child killers??? Either way this story captivated my attention and I enjoyed it.
With the story being told from the view point of a teenager who is one of the orphans, we get the wonderful inquisitive nature of children. Children naturally ask tons of questions and thankfully they were questions that I was dying to know the answer to as well.
This story will take you through a variety of unexpected emotions and keep you guessing. I’m rating it 3.75, I only wish it was longer.
August 25, 2025
Well, that was a ride I wasn't expecting to enjoy as much as I did.
Going into "Sovereign," I thought I knew what I was getting into. I was wrong. SO wrong. This book had me constantly asking myself: "Wait, is this some kind of weird social experiment? Are we in cult territory now? Are these gods actually real or are the elders just really committed child murderers with excellent PR?"
Whitney has crafted something that defies easy categorization, which is both maddening and oddly refreshing. Just when you think you've figured out the game, the author throws another curveball that makes you question everything you thought you understood about the world they've built.
The ambiguity should have been frustrating, but instead it kept me absolutely glued to the pages. I found myself staying up way too late muttering "just one more chapter" because I HAD to know if my latest theory about what was really going on was right. (Spoiler: it usually wasn't.)
Is it a fantasy? A psychological thriller? A commentary on religious extremism? Yes? Maybe? The beauty is that Whitney never fully commits to any one explanation, leaving readers in this deliciously uncomfortable space where anything could be true.
Sure, there are moments where the intentional ambiguity feels a bit too clever for its own good, but I can't deny that this book grabbed my attention by the throat and didn't let go until the very last page.
If you like your fiction with a side of existential confusion and don't mind having more questions than answers, dive in. Just don't expect to sleep well afterward.
Fair warning: You will annoy your friends by constantly asking "But what do YOU think is really happening?" after they read it too.
Going into "Sovereign," I thought I knew what I was getting into. I was wrong. SO wrong. This book had me constantly asking myself: "Wait, is this some kind of weird social experiment? Are we in cult territory now? Are these gods actually real or are the elders just really committed child murderers with excellent PR?"
Whitney has crafted something that defies easy categorization, which is both maddening and oddly refreshing. Just when you think you've figured out the game, the author throws another curveball that makes you question everything you thought you understood about the world they've built.
The ambiguity should have been frustrating, but instead it kept me absolutely glued to the pages. I found myself staying up way too late muttering "just one more chapter" because I HAD to know if my latest theory about what was really going on was right. (Spoiler: it usually wasn't.)
Is it a fantasy? A psychological thriller? A commentary on religious extremism? Yes? Maybe? The beauty is that Whitney never fully commits to any one explanation, leaving readers in this deliciously uncomfortable space where anything could be true.
Sure, there are moments where the intentional ambiguity feels a bit too clever for its own good, but I can't deny that this book grabbed my attention by the throat and didn't let go until the very last page.
If you like your fiction with a side of existential confusion and don't mind having more questions than answers, dive in. Just don't expect to sleep well afterward.
Fair warning: You will annoy your friends by constantly asking "But what do YOU think is really happening?" after they read it too.
January 5, 2025
First my thanks to Blue Handle Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity for an ARC copy of this novel 🫶
This book gave me strong The Village/Hunger Games/Maze Runner vibes. A small group of orphaned children are chosen to be sacrificed to The Sovereign every 10 years to keep their town safe and crops growing.
You read from two POVs- one of the Orphans (number 332) point of view, you find out that not everything is as it seems and the other, from one of the village founders who lived 300 years in the past.
The first half of the books is a little slow, background information and setting up for the second half of the book in the exposition The second half definitely has the riding action and climax in the last few chapters that will get you hooked.
I will say- this book is probably more appropriate for a younger YA/teen audience. I could have seen myself reading this between the ages of 10-14 and being OBSESSED with it. That being said, reading it as an adult, there is much to be desired by the sentence structure, basic word choice, and in your face story telling.
While I found it a little juvenile for an adult read, like I said, I think this would be an AMAZING story for your young teen to get their hands on and will for sure be recommending it to my niece to read!
This book gave me strong The Village/Hunger Games/Maze Runner vibes. A small group of orphaned children are chosen to be sacrificed to The Sovereign every 10 years to keep their town safe and crops growing.
You read from two POVs- one of the Orphans (number 332) point of view, you find out that not everything is as it seems and the other, from one of the village founders who lived 300 years in the past.
The first half of the books is a little slow, background information and setting up for the second half of the book in the exposition The second half definitely has the riding action and climax in the last few chapters that will get you hooked.
I will say- this book is probably more appropriate for a younger YA/teen audience. I could have seen myself reading this between the ages of 10-14 and being OBSESSED with it. That being said, reading it as an adult, there is much to be desired by the sentence structure, basic word choice, and in your face story telling.
While I found it a little juvenile for an adult read, like I said, I think this would be an AMAZING story for your young teen to get their hands on and will for sure be recommending it to my niece to read!
June 4, 2025
First of all, I’d like to thank NetGalley and Blue Handle Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Sovereign.
This novel features a dual POV—one from the past, told through the perspective of a grey-haired woman, and one from the present, following 332. I’ll admit, I was a bit confused at first, but as the story unfolded, everything began to fall into place.
332 is one of ten orphans chosen for sacrifice to The Sovereign, a ritual meant to ensure the continued prosperity of their community. The grey-haired woman’s perspective reveals how this sacrifice came to be. Throughout the book, I found myself really invested in 332, 331, and 333 as they navigated their fate and grew as characters. And then—boom! The final three chapters completely caught me off guard. I did not see that twist coming, and what a cliffhanger!
I can’t wait to read the next installment of this saga. This book is perfect for YA audiences as well!
This novel features a dual POV—one from the past, told through the perspective of a grey-haired woman, and one from the present, following 332. I’ll admit, I was a bit confused at first, but as the story unfolded, everything began to fall into place.
332 is one of ten orphans chosen for sacrifice to The Sovereign, a ritual meant to ensure the continued prosperity of their community. The grey-haired woman’s perspective reveals how this sacrifice came to be. Throughout the book, I found myself really invested in 332, 331, and 333 as they navigated their fate and grew as characters. And then—boom! The final three chapters completely caught me off guard. I did not see that twist coming, and what a cliffhanger!
I can’t wait to read the next installment of this saga. This book is perfect for YA audiences as well!
March 3, 2025
In this dystopian, for centuries orphans have been sacrificed to the gods for abundant harvests. Now it's time for orphan Number 332's along with nine others' turn.
While this book was short, it was fun and easy to read. This book was really good. There's gods. There is some sort of cult feeling. The only bad thing? It's so short, it's below 250 pages.
Thank you to Blue Handle and NetGalley for the e-book.
While this book was short, it was fun and easy to read. This book was really good. There's gods. There is some sort of cult feeling. The only bad thing? It's so short, it's below 250 pages.
Thank you to Blue Handle and NetGalley for the e-book.
July 9, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up
This was a fast, easy read with an intriguing premise. I wasn’t expecting the YA tone going in, but it worked for the story. What threw me was the cliffhanger ending. I usually wait for a series to be complete if that’s the case, so I wish that had been mentioned upfront. Still, it was a solid, quick read that kept me interested.
Thanks to NetGalley & Blue Handle Publishing for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
This was a fast, easy read with an intriguing premise. I wasn’t expecting the YA tone going in, but it worked for the story. What threw me was the cliffhanger ending. I usually wait for a series to be complete if that’s the case, so I wish that had been mentioned upfront. Still, it was a solid, quick read that kept me interested.
Thanks to NetGalley & Blue Handle Publishing for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
January 18, 2025
Starts slow but the set up is necessary, once this book has its hooks in you it won't let you go. YA Dystopian Literature fans will devour this. I am BEGGING for a sequel!
July 10, 2025
Read Full and Detailed review: https://cynthology.blogspot.com/2025/...
Ten Orphan children, named 331 to 340, have been selected for the decennial Sending, a ritual in which the children are offered to the Sovereign, the reigning deity, in the woods, in exchange for a bountiful harvest for ten years for an unnamed settler/survivor community. Raised in the Orphan Home, the children await the festival.
332, the protagonist, and her best friend, 333, are looking forward to the Sending, until something they overhear leads them to realise that their position isn’t quite as privileged as they imagine it to be.
The description, though minimal, helps evoke the setting to some extent, but large parts still happen in a vacuum. We know nothing about the place or time, or what kind of an economy this is. There’s no timeline to the events, nor any reference to whether this is Planet Earth or a different world. They are the only community alive for miles, so we get no idea about what happened to the rest of the world.
The writing could have been tighter. Early on, I got a sense of a society where everything seems perfect on the surface, but the details that could have fleshed out that impression, details that could have helped us imagine this dystopian and distinctly non-industrial world, were missing.
As a Main Character, 332 didn’t have as much spirit as she thought she had (Incidentally, Harper, the name that 332 takes after she is adopted, is an odd unisex name in an otherwise traditional community). That things weren’t right was not something she realized on her own. It is others trying to fight the system that gets her attention. Also, the manner in which she figures things out is not satisfying. The tension, if any, is subdued.
There is no inciting incident that happens to her. Nor is she forced into a situation where she must act or something dire will happen.
The 1st person account came across as idyllic. The characterization of the children was weak. Life was altogether too peaceful. Till the 24 percent mark, the children had no clue about their fate. With the core conflict having fizzled out, we plod on in this bucolic world where everything is pleasant.
I understand that the book is for younger readers but not giving agency to the Main Characters weakens the story. Just because a book is meant for middle-grade students is no reason for leaving so many plot holes strewn through.
Also, the discussions on the part of the council are too tame and simplistic. The people agree unanimously that the 10 children should be adopted. Everyone but two are in agreement and those two are easily overruled. At a supposedly critical meeting, the Elders busy themselves relating history lessons to each other for the benefit of the eavesdropping children.
332 hears the truth at the secret meeting for the very first time and yet, afterwards, she is able to repeat the words verbatim despite having heard them only once.
This is one massive and boring ‘tell’ exercise. As though mere talk couldn’t have changed things at any time in the last 300 years. As if revolutions are won by sitting across the table.
For the most part, we have teenagers talking like philosophers, in a most unreal manner. The dialogue is a boring recounting of what has taken place.
Then suddenly at the 74 percent mark, the tension is upped, without warning. But it is a case of too much too late. After this, the pace picks up with more action trying to compensate for the lack of it earlier.
The book ends on a cliffhanger, inviting us to read Book 2 in the series. I don't plan to.
(I received a free copy of this book for the purpose of writing a review).
Ten Orphan children, named 331 to 340, have been selected for the decennial Sending, a ritual in which the children are offered to the Sovereign, the reigning deity, in the woods, in exchange for a bountiful harvest for ten years for an unnamed settler/survivor community. Raised in the Orphan Home, the children await the festival.
332, the protagonist, and her best friend, 333, are looking forward to the Sending, until something they overhear leads them to realise that their position isn’t quite as privileged as they imagine it to be.
The description, though minimal, helps evoke the setting to some extent, but large parts still happen in a vacuum. We know nothing about the place or time, or what kind of an economy this is. There’s no timeline to the events, nor any reference to whether this is Planet Earth or a different world. They are the only community alive for miles, so we get no idea about what happened to the rest of the world.
The writing could have been tighter. Early on, I got a sense of a society where everything seems perfect on the surface, but the details that could have fleshed out that impression, details that could have helped us imagine this dystopian and distinctly non-industrial world, were missing.
As a Main Character, 332 didn’t have as much spirit as she thought she had (Incidentally, Harper, the name that 332 takes after she is adopted, is an odd unisex name in an otherwise traditional community). That things weren’t right was not something she realized on her own. It is others trying to fight the system that gets her attention. Also, the manner in which she figures things out is not satisfying. The tension, if any, is subdued.
There is no inciting incident that happens to her. Nor is she forced into a situation where she must act or something dire will happen.
The 1st person account came across as idyllic. The characterization of the children was weak. Life was altogether too peaceful. Till the 24 percent mark, the children had no clue about their fate. With the core conflict having fizzled out, we plod on in this bucolic world where everything is pleasant.
I understand that the book is for younger readers but not giving agency to the Main Characters weakens the story. Just because a book is meant for middle-grade students is no reason for leaving so many plot holes strewn through.
Also, the discussions on the part of the council are too tame and simplistic. The people agree unanimously that the 10 children should be adopted. Everyone but two are in agreement and those two are easily overruled. At a supposedly critical meeting, the Elders busy themselves relating history lessons to each other for the benefit of the eavesdropping children.
332 hears the truth at the secret meeting for the very first time and yet, afterwards, she is able to repeat the words verbatim despite having heard them only once.
This is one massive and boring ‘tell’ exercise. As though mere talk couldn’t have changed things at any time in the last 300 years. As if revolutions are won by sitting across the table.
For the most part, we have teenagers talking like philosophers, in a most unreal manner. The dialogue is a boring recounting of what has taken place.
Then suddenly at the 74 percent mark, the tension is upped, without warning. But it is a case of too much too late. After this, the pace picks up with more action trying to compensate for the lack of it earlier.
The book ends on a cliffhanger, inviting us to read Book 2 in the series. I don't plan to.
(I received a free copy of this book for the purpose of writing a review).
January 2, 2025
Sovereign follows 332, a teen orphan who will make the ultimate sacrifice with nine other orphans. They are to be left in the Fields so the town can be blessed with a decade of prosperity. This practice has been going on for three centuries, but things are changing. Whispers and secrets spur 332 and her younger sister, 333, to eavesdrop on the Elders meetings. With change brewing, 332 could finally have a life of her own, but with the possibility that the sacrifice is truly needed, 332 could lose everything.
This is a really fun story that is quite easy to fly through. It’s only about 200 pages and makes the perfect read to binge. The story is really fascinating and its one of those lovely concepts where you’re not entirely sure what’s going on. Is it a cult? A supernatural force? I love stories that toe this line and the author did a great job at keeping you guessing. The ending sets up a very intriguing sequel that I’m really excited to read.
I really enjoyed that this is told in two timelines. The present with 332 and the past with when the sacrifice first began. It made for a very interesting premise. The setup of the town was so well done and I loved seeing the parallels between the timelines.
332 is great main character with a lot of heart. I loved the journey she went on and I can’t wait to see where she’ll go in the sequel with what happened in this book. I loved her relationship with 333—their sisterly bond was so sweet. Also really enjoyed the sweet, budding romance with 331. The author did a great job with characterization.
If you love stories that keep you guessing and have great pacing, this is definitely one you’ll want to pick up!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is a really fun story that is quite easy to fly through. It’s only about 200 pages and makes the perfect read to binge. The story is really fascinating and its one of those lovely concepts where you’re not entirely sure what’s going on. Is it a cult? A supernatural force? I love stories that toe this line and the author did a great job at keeping you guessing. The ending sets up a very intriguing sequel that I’m really excited to read.
I really enjoyed that this is told in two timelines. The present with 332 and the past with when the sacrifice first began. It made for a very interesting premise. The setup of the town was so well done and I loved seeing the parallels between the timelines.
332 is great main character with a lot of heart. I loved the journey she went on and I can’t wait to see where she’ll go in the sequel with what happened in this book. I loved her relationship with 333—their sisterly bond was so sweet. Also really enjoyed the sweet, budding romance with 331. The author did a great job with characterization.
If you love stories that keep you guessing and have great pacing, this is definitely one you’ll want to pick up!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
February 24, 2025
I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and this review is voluntary.
Sovereign by A.J. Whitney is a dystopian young adult novel about an orphan named 332 whose destiny is to be sacrificed for the good of her community. When the practice is questioned, debate rages about its continued relevance, leading to 332 questioning everything she believes in.
At its heart, Sovereign is a good concept, even if it has been done to death in the genre. The world is not as it seems. The status quo has been in place for centuries but one person comes along to challenge it. The problem with Sovereign is that the main character isn’t the one doing the challenging.
She’s pulled along by forces out of her control. The adults in her life, and in particular the loving caretaker Maggie, are the ones who try to affect change. It leaves the story feeling disjointed and distant, as though we’re looking at events from the outside. That’s not to say that she doesn’t have any agency, but it’s hard to get a sense of them against the world when half the world is on their side. For the most part it feels as though the plot is just going through the motions and hitting plot points as it needs to with very little tension to keep things interesting.
The physical descriptions of characters are quite good and I felt as though I could really visualise them, but there isn’t the same level of description for the village itself. The prose is simple, which can be forgiven somewhat due to the genre, but I think that it might be too simple even for young adults. Ultimately, it feels like things could have been more focused and 332 could have had a greater part to play in the narrative than she did have.
Sovereign by A.J. Whitney is a dystopian young adult novel about an orphan named 332 whose destiny is to be sacrificed for the good of her community. When the practice is questioned, debate rages about its continued relevance, leading to 332 questioning everything she believes in.
At its heart, Sovereign is a good concept, even if it has been done to death in the genre. The world is not as it seems. The status quo has been in place for centuries but one person comes along to challenge it. The problem with Sovereign is that the main character isn’t the one doing the challenging.
She’s pulled along by forces out of her control. The adults in her life, and in particular the loving caretaker Maggie, are the ones who try to affect change. It leaves the story feeling disjointed and distant, as though we’re looking at events from the outside. That’s not to say that she doesn’t have any agency, but it’s hard to get a sense of them against the world when half the world is on their side. For the most part it feels as though the plot is just going through the motions and hitting plot points as it needs to with very little tension to keep things interesting.
The physical descriptions of characters are quite good and I felt as though I could really visualise them, but there isn’t the same level of description for the village itself. The prose is simple, which can be forgiven somewhat due to the genre, but I think that it might be too simple even for young adults. Ultimately, it feels like things could have been more focused and 332 could have had a greater part to play in the narrative than she did have.
February 7, 2025
This felt like it was a children's book. Everything happened too quickly and easily, people's thoughts and feelings changed instantly, it wasn't great. It wasn't awful either and the glimpse we have in the epilogue does make me a little curious where the story will go, but I probably won't seek it out when it is released.
This story started off really great. That first chapter hooked me and I was ready to see what would happen....only then it jumped to a teenager in an orphanage and the story from their point of view in a different time. Which I didn't love. I was enjoying the grey haired lady's chapters, but they were few and far between and started getting just okay as well as the story went on. Like I said it felt like it should be a children's book, but the characters also didn't really feel like real people. I...it wasn't terrible, I kept reading even though a lot of what happened was really obvious, but it wasn't great either. It felt like a very familiar story done in an okay way. The only real interesting part for me was the epilogue and if the other books were out already I might give the second one a try just to see what is going on. As it is I will probably forget about this one by the time it comes out so I am not sure I will seek it out.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.
This story started off really great. That first chapter hooked me and I was ready to see what would happen....only then it jumped to a teenager in an orphanage and the story from their point of view in a different time. Which I didn't love. I was enjoying the grey haired lady's chapters, but they were few and far between and started getting just okay as well as the story went on. Like I said it felt like it should be a children's book, but the characters also didn't really feel like real people. I...it wasn't terrible, I kept reading even though a lot of what happened was really obvious, but it wasn't great either. It felt like a very familiar story done in an okay way. The only real interesting part for me was the epilogue and if the other books were out already I might give the second one a try just to see what is going on. As it is I will probably forget about this one by the time it comes out so I am not sure I will seek it out.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.
January 1, 2025
Thank you to the Author and NetGalley for the e-ARC.
My rating: 3.5 stars
This short book was certainly something quite unique and I wasn't 100% sure where it was going so the ending was quite a surprise (in a good way).
I enjoyed the start of the book and like that it is told from two POVs - one in the past and one in the present, but I found myself enjoying the past POV a lot more from the perspective of the grey haired woman. There was a lot more action in this POV and the paced seemed to be a bit quicker. The POV of 332 in the present seemed to be a lot slower and was in 1st person, whereas the other POV is third person so that was a bit odd. Considering it's only a short book, I did find myself getting a bit bored around the 50- 60% mark, but stuck with it and it did pick up again. All of the action seems to come in the last 25% and it's very fast from this point on.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but I probably would have rated it lower if it wasn't for the last quarter of the book because this set it up really nicely for the next one.
My rating: 3.5 stars
This short book was certainly something quite unique and I wasn't 100% sure where it was going so the ending was quite a surprise (in a good way).
I enjoyed the start of the book and like that it is told from two POVs - one in the past and one in the present, but I found myself enjoying the past POV a lot more from the perspective of the grey haired woman. There was a lot more action in this POV and the paced seemed to be a bit quicker. The POV of 332 in the present seemed to be a lot slower and was in 1st person, whereas the other POV is third person so that was a bit odd. Considering it's only a short book, I did find myself getting a bit bored around the 50- 60% mark, but stuck with it and it did pick up again. All of the action seems to come in the last 25% and it's very fast from this point on.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but I probably would have rated it lower if it wasn't for the last quarter of the book because this set it up really nicely for the next one.
February 19, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy for my honest review.
The concept of this book had a lot of potential, however, I felt as if I wasn’t a reader in the target audience (adult/mature YA) as I wasn’t drawn into the story as much as I had hoped. The writing style bounces between two points of view, and I found myself speed-reading through parts. I did finish, so the plot wasn’t terrible, but it was also on the shorter/novella side in length - if it were any longer I may have felt the urge to skip sections where not much happened to further the story. I would recommend this book to a younger audience that may be interested in mystery novels, but is t ready for more mature reads
The concept of this book had a lot of potential, however, I felt as if I wasn’t a reader in the target audience (adult/mature YA) as I wasn’t drawn into the story as much as I had hoped. The writing style bounces between two points of view, and I found myself speed-reading through parts. I did finish, so the plot wasn’t terrible, but it was also on the shorter/novella side in length - if it were any longer I may have felt the urge to skip sections where not much happened to further the story. I would recommend this book to a younger audience that may be interested in mystery novels, but is t ready for more mature reads
January 3, 2025
Well this was a book of three phases for me. It started with a Sci Fi mystery which I found intriguing but then it moved on to something which felt like a middle grade novel and I was quickly losing interest. But then there was a sharp turn and quite a bit of action. I became interested again and was eager to get to the conclusion and find out what was going on. Needless to say I was frustrated to find that there was a cliffhanger and I would need a second book to answer all my questions.
I didn't hate it but I didn't love it. And I'm still confused as to whether it's an adult or a teen novel.
I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I didn't hate it but I didn't love it. And I'm still confused as to whether it's an adult or a teen novel.
I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
April 10, 2025
I could not put this book down. It had glimmers that reminded me of some of my favorite series such as The Giver, Divergent, Hunger Games, Handmaids Tale, and Little House on the Prairie. The sacrificial love shown even whispers of the Jesus way. But, don’t get me wrong, this story stands on its own. 332 and the gray-haired woman captivated me and took me along on this great adventure and mystery that I am not ready to finish just yet. I am ready yesterday for the next books. AJ Whitney has a beautiful and mesmerizing way with words and story. She most definitely has something worth reading. I recommend this book for teens and adults.
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June 29, 2025This story sets up a dystopian world where orphans children are sacrificed every ten years to keep the community safe and prosperous. This is revealed fairly quickly in the story (and resolved as the community votes to abolish the age-old practice.) The middle of the story is —unusually— happy and safe for our main character… but there is an insidious undertow. What will happen when the sacrifice doesn’t appear?
Would maybe compare the mysterious vibes to M.Night Shamalan’s “The Village” but a crazy ending that has me wondering, “What now?”
Would maybe compare the mysterious vibes to M.Night Shamalan’s “The Village” but a crazy ending that has me wondering, “What now?”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2025
A unique story line that follows the legacy of a town that sacrifices 10 orphans every decade to the "gods" to insure a good harvest. Told in two parts with two POV, we see the original Sending.....sacrifice.....and see the current year's Sending through the eyes of one of the orphans. The story moves between the two timelines, setting the reader up for an ending that takes a step forward an unknown future. Short read that raises several questions then leaves the ending open to a sequel.
March 8, 2025
I was blown away by this book. I wasn't expecting it to amp up the way it did when it started out slow.
I had no idea why it was happening. I felt wrong footed and it was delicious. I had soooo many questions. I wish it had been longer. I feel like this could have been a full novel. The writing was amazing and I loved all the emotions I felt reading it.
Is there going to be a sequel? Here is hoping!!
4 stars
I had no idea why it was happening. I felt wrong footed and it was delicious. I had soooo many questions. I wish it had been longer. I feel like this could have been a full novel. The writing was amazing and I loved all the emotions I felt reading it.
Is there going to be a sequel? Here is hoping!!
4 stars
February 9, 2025
This was a slow unfolding story of a delightful group of children you really felt like you got to know and care for. The mystery was amazing. I look forward to the other books in the series. Bravo!
January 10, 2025
This was a very easy read, easy to get through. The language and vocabulary was slightly advanced in some areas, which I appreciated. The plot was intriguing and quick moving throughout, and kept me completely guessing. A good few twists, and the ending left me wanting more. Pretty sure this is the first in a trilogy(?).
I am super excited for this to be published! Thanks to Netgalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an early review. As soon as I knew I could, I went and grabbed it. I've known this author for years, went to elementary school together! I will be buying a copy, for sure!
I am super excited for this to be published! Thanks to Netgalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an early review. As soon as I knew I could, I went and grabbed it. I've known this author for years, went to elementary school together! I will be buying a copy, for sure!
November 9, 2025
I really enjoyed the story and I am looking forward to the next book in the series!
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