Trials of Sacrifice

by J.P. Cawood

Addiction. Greed. Twisted family secrets.  
 

Despite Jackie’s attempts to end Life Rite’s genetic engineering, the serum has gone underground. If immortality falls into enemy hands, Alpha’s deadly Redistribution Program will trigger global genocide. 
 
Jackie must survive the prestigious Hampshire Academy, breeding ground for the elite’s darkest sins and secrets. But no matter what she does, there will be blood on her hands. 
 
She’ll face the biggest trial of all; either she sacrifice her family or millions of Climbers will die. 
 

Perfect for fans of Divergent, The Hunger Games, and The Host, The Phoenix Gene: Trials of Sacrifice is the second book in the gripping YA dystopian sci-fi series with high-stakes rebellion, dangerous love, and a multiverse you won’t want to leave.

305 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2026

About the author

JP Cawood is a Hollywood-based author who also works in TV, comic books, and video games. Between binge watching dystopian sci-fi shows like Last of Us, Dark Matter, Silo, and Severance, and reading articles about the universe, she mixes in some guilty-pleasure reality TV. She loves dreaming up captivating stories with strong female protagonists in apocalyptic worlds.

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Reviews

[Armando Ramirez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trials of Sacrifice had a strong premise and an important story to carry the series forward. I really enjoyed the first book, so I went into this one excited to see where the story would go, and the overall plot still had plenty of potential.
Unfortunately, the execution fell a little flat for me. Much of the book felt repetitive, and the same ideas and conflicts seemed to come up again and again without adding much new momentum. As the story went on, the characters also began to wear on me to the point that I stopped feeling especially invested in whether they survived by the end.
There is still a genuinely good story here, and I can appreciate the direction J.P. Cawood was taking the series. I just think the book would have benefited from another round of editing to trim the redundancy and strengthen the pacing. Readers who enjoyed the first installment may still want to continue, but this one did not fully live up to the promise of its premise for me.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book and was interested to continue Jackie's story. While I thought the premise had a lot of potential and was genuinely intriguing, it unfortunately fell a bit flat. In particular, the pacing wasn't as strong as the first book for me, and I felt the story lacked momentum by revisiting the same ideas repeatedly, without offering something new. I didn't feel as connected to the characters, which lessened my investment. With a tighter pacing, and less repetition, the book would have engaged me more fully. Nevertheless, the core of the story is strong, it's just the execution that could be enhanced in parts.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jackie's Mission . . .

Jackie is on a mission to eradicate Alpha from every timeline. She has already saved one timeline from global genocide from a killer drone, but could that be done over and over throughout every timeline before she is thoroughly exhausted? And if she can't succeed, Alpha’s deadly Redistribution Program will trigger global genocide. 
 The Slipstream’s secrets are hard to master and she is beginning to worry as her brain warns her that billions of lives are at risk and every probability matters. So which stream should she focus on now?

I found it difficult to get into Book 2. I felt sympathy toward Jackie as I did sense her frustration, exhaustion, and determination. But it just didn't come together for me this time.

[Ginger Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've read the first book, you would kind of know what to expect here. Dystopian YA, evil AI, and phoenixes. There is a lot more time traveling in this one, with frequent talk of multiple universes. Some of it was a little confusing, but not enough to ruin the story. I also liked how Grace was more fleshed out as a character, and the antagonist was properly detestable. Some of the pacing felt off, and I did feel like the story could have been tighter. All in all, I had a good time with the second in this series. I received a free copy via BookSprout. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Dane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jackie survived Alpha and was reunited with her father and grandmother. Now, she must face the roots of evil—greed, addiction, and harsh truths most prefer to ignore. Sometimes, the person we love the most can do the greatest harm. Have you ever wondered how you'd persuade a stranger to help save the world? Now imagine that stranger is battling addiction.
What are you willing to sacrifice for humanity's future? This gripping dystopian sci-fi fantasy will pull you in and keep you hooked.

[Ani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great second book in this series. Just as great as the first book in this series. This series just keeps getting better. Jackie, Firestorm and Beatrice continue to fight in many timelines trying to defeat Alpha. This time Jackie meets her teenage mother, Grace and her controlling boyfriend Feraz. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series called Culling of Tomorrow.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Alayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review of Advanced Reader Copy

I love, love, love the concept and ideas behind these books! The first book did a great job of really sucking the reader in with the world building and idea of the book. The second book built on that, but unfortunately it wasn't as easy to get into. The storyline felt very repetitive and the characters were not as easy to care about.

[Susan Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. I like the concept of going and fixing past mistakes and learning about your parents especially since the FMC did not know them. There were some slow moments in the story, but it is still worth the read.