Obedience

by James Kennedy

After an anomaly known as The Truth wiped out most of the U.S. population, Manhattan was sealed off by a force field generated from the Freedom Tower. To protect the last survivors, each year, every eighteen-year-old male is shipped to a military facility in Lower Manhattan to protect the Barrier.

All are trained to fight. No one is exempt from that.

John Madoc has never trusted the draft, not since his father's presumed death. But a shocking discovery might just be the key to unlocking what really happened and exposing the lies holding the draft, and his existence under the Barrier, together.

The truth might kill him, or it could set him free.

Follow John into a relentless fight for survival and freedom in dystopian New York City, perfect for fans of Divergent and The Maze Runner.

414 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 16, 2025

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Courtney Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Obedience

I might be a little biased, but I absolutely loved this book! The pacing is perfect — it moves smoothly while keeping you hooked the entire way through. Each character feels real and fully developed, and the story pulls you in from the very first chapter.

What makes this even more special is knowing how much heart and passion went into every page. I’ve seen firsthand how hard James has worked on Obedience, and it truly shows in the writing. I’m so proud of him and couldn’t be happier to see this story out in the world!!!

I’ve read the first version and half of the final version, but I wanted to go ahead and review it hehe. I CAN NOT WAIT to hold and read the final hard copy version now!

#forevermyfavbook#theauthoristhebestever#pleasereadandshare#obeypreserveprotect

[JJ Rosales · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Wow. Wow.

When I first picked up this book I didn’t think I would love it as much as I did. Not to say it was bad but I try to go into every piece of media with a clean slate and no pre-conceived notions. I was hooked by the third chapter. I flew through the book in three days. That’s the fastest I think I’ve ever read book. Not only were there twists but there was action, humor, fear, and love. Two big twists that I truly did not see coming but blew my mind when they did. I already want the second book because I want to know more of this world. This is Maze Runner meets Enders Game but I won’t tell you which other story the twist brings in.

You NEED to read this book.

[Tanner Eisenmann]

Wowwwww, what a wild ride this book was! Starts off slow and takes a minute to get into and build the world and characters, but once it does man it just doesn’t stop and had me hooked all the way through. John is such an intriguing character and truly loved the themes of breaking barriers, and also there are more twists than I was expecting honestly! I need book 2 asap please James, can’t wait to see what’s next in this world!

[Melanie Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t wait to read this book! I had the privilege of reading the original version and have followed James throughout the rewrite process. His writing style is incredible — so vivid and descriptive that you can see every scene unfold in your mind. Obedience is the kind of story that will keep you turning pages late into the night, completely hooked from start to finish. I’m counting down the days to read the final version! This is an absolute must-read — the perfect book to gift to everyone you know this Christmas.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all phases of this book and got to read the most recently revised version as one of the early beta readers. This brings me back to the days of dystopian series like Divergent, Maze Runner, Hunger Games. Really cool setting and atmosphere…and just mysterious enough where you cannot stop reading because you have to see what happens! Can’t wait for others to read and looking forward to the next one!

[Caleb Flanagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Obedience was a thrilling, can’t-put-it-down read. I started it on the first day of vacation and somehow finished it by the second! The writing is fast-paced, full of twists, and hooks you from page one. If you love the Fourth Wing series or enjoy imaginative dystopian worlds, this book is absolutely for you.

Between the captivating competition, strong character development, and an underlying message about breaking barriers, this story offers far more than just an exciting plot. John Madoc is the kind of main character you can’t help but root for.

I can’t wait for the next book in the series. A fantastic debut that reads like it was written by a seasoned author. Highly recommend!

[Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m always nervous to read a book by someone I know because, what if it’s bad?

This book was not bad. It was INCREDIBLE. This book cured my Grey’s Anatomy addiction because I couldn’t put it down. McDreamy? More like Mcdon’t care anymore.

It is masterfully crafted. I was engrossed, couldn’t put it down, and had a hard time falling asleep because I was so anxious about what would happen next. I never saw the last twist coming.

Spoilers below:

I don’t typically enjoy zombie storylines. They stress me out. I didn’t realize there were zombies in this book (maybe I didn’t read the synopsis), but I probably would have read it anyway. That being said, it was FANTASTIC and my stress reading it is testament to how well-written this book is. The next one better not take seven years to write, because I need to know what happens next ASAP.