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Bound to Ashes
If only the virus that wiped out nearly all of humanity seven years ago had finished the job... Dev and the other remaining genetically Altered supersoldiers wouldn't be facing what could be their final days scraping by. Because of humans, they went from being science experiments to vermin—and today is the last straw. Their plan to finally end the fighting backfires, and now they face an even more frightening reality. The new human leader, Alessandra, doesn't want them dead.
She needs their help.
Alessandra’s goal: get into the Ecodome, humanity’s only chance for recovery. But the dome’s automated security systems stand in her way. She offers Dev and his friends an opportunity to help the humans break through the defenses and, in exchange, start a new life free of prejudice. Dev, unsure if his decision will save his friends or just get them all killed, accepts.
Alessandra (harboring hidden motives) must find a way to convince the supersoldiers that the problematic past of the Ecodome isn't what it seems.
And, for the sake of his friends and their future, Dev must find it in himself to believe her.
Bound to Ashes is a science fiction novel at ~90,000 words and is the first in The Altered Sequence trilogy.
Readers are saying:
"You can't help but become connected to the characters through their journey and be drawn into the mystery of the Altered."
"There is plenty of raw action and interesting plot turns in this book, but the shining feature is the development of the 'not quite human' characters that reveal the quintessential human struggles of self-identity, loyalty, and trust, and ultimately how to keep moving forward in the face of an uncertain future."
She needs their help.
Alessandra’s goal: get into the Ecodome, humanity’s only chance for recovery. But the dome’s automated security systems stand in her way. She offers Dev and his friends an opportunity to help the humans break through the defenses and, in exchange, start a new life free of prejudice. Dev, unsure if his decision will save his friends or just get them all killed, accepts.
Alessandra (harboring hidden motives) must find a way to convince the supersoldiers that the problematic past of the Ecodome isn't what it seems.
And, for the sake of his friends and their future, Dev must find it in himself to believe her.
Bound to Ashes is a science fiction novel at ~90,000 words and is the first in The Altered Sequence trilogy.
Readers are saying:
"You can't help but become connected to the characters through their journey and be drawn into the mystery of the Altered."
"There is plenty of raw action and interesting plot turns in this book, but the shining feature is the development of the 'not quite human' characters that reveal the quintessential human struggles of self-identity, loyalty, and trust, and ultimately how to keep moving forward in the face of an uncertain future."
232 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 30, 2014
1 person is currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Maranda Cromwell
1 book8 followersI am an artist and author and lover of the natural world. I engage in projects as far and wide as paintings, novels, taxidermy, scavenging, homesteading, and mycology. For more, see my website.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 25, 2016
“I mean ‘apocalypse’, of course, but I hate using that term. It seems too impassable, too big. A ‘collapse’ you can recover from.” (Page 36).
Alessandra is only human, but she knows that to survive in this collapsed world, she will have to find a way into the Ecodome her father created. The only problem: it’s automated security system. System security is not the only issue that stands in the way of Aless and her friends’ survival. The only way in is to make friends with the genetically altered super soldiers who were never meant to be alive and could kill a human with their thumbs. What does Aless have to offer them to get them to help her and how does she really know so much about these Altereds in the first place?
Bound to Ashes is told from multiple points of view. The many characters that trade off telling the story really give the story more breadth since each POV is from first person, from the point of view of the character. The story is rich from each perspective.
As dystopian literature goes, Bound to Ashes is well told and a unique twist on the common dystopian stories and subplots. If you enjoyed the Maze Runner books, especially the Scorch Trials, by James Dashner, you will love this book. Bound to Ashes is everything I wish Maze Runner was. Bound to Ashes has the action and adventure and fighting to survive. It has the harsh world and the need for friendships. It has the fight to get out and the fight to find a better life. It also has a balance of genders that Maze Runner never did. Bound to Ashes also has a more realistic explanation for the collapse and a less stereotypical world the characters live in.
The only letdown in this book was Heydrich. He became a stereotype, but this didn’t detract from the book and only became a disappointment to me toward the end of the book. The rest of the characters were well written and had different personalities and back stories.
As genetically altereds go, this book had a great variety. They were unique in their abilities and Cromwell gave them faults as well as limitations to their powers. I loved seeing the interactions between the super soldiers and the humans.
I look forward to book two in the series, even though the author expertly ended book one. Everything that needed to be tied up and concluded was finished, even though there is much more to tell of this collapsed world.
Alessandra is only human, but she knows that to survive in this collapsed world, she will have to find a way into the Ecodome her father created. The only problem: it’s automated security system. System security is not the only issue that stands in the way of Aless and her friends’ survival. The only way in is to make friends with the genetically altered super soldiers who were never meant to be alive and could kill a human with their thumbs. What does Aless have to offer them to get them to help her and how does she really know so much about these Altereds in the first place?
Bound to Ashes is told from multiple points of view. The many characters that trade off telling the story really give the story more breadth since each POV is from first person, from the point of view of the character. The story is rich from each perspective.
As dystopian literature goes, Bound to Ashes is well told and a unique twist on the common dystopian stories and subplots. If you enjoyed the Maze Runner books, especially the Scorch Trials, by James Dashner, you will love this book. Bound to Ashes is everything I wish Maze Runner was. Bound to Ashes has the action and adventure and fighting to survive. It has the harsh world and the need for friendships. It has the fight to get out and the fight to find a better life. It also has a balance of genders that Maze Runner never did. Bound to Ashes also has a more realistic explanation for the collapse and a less stereotypical world the characters live in.
The only letdown in this book was Heydrich. He became a stereotype, but this didn’t detract from the book and only became a disappointment to me toward the end of the book. The rest of the characters were well written and had different personalities and back stories.
As genetically altereds go, this book had a great variety. They were unique in their abilities and Cromwell gave them faults as well as limitations to their powers. I loved seeing the interactions between the super soldiers and the humans.
I look forward to book two in the series, even though the author expertly ended book one. Everything that needed to be tied up and concluded was finished, even though there is much more to tell of this collapsed world.
September 3, 2015
I really liked this. The characters become your friends and I found myself so immersed in the story, I cried at a dramatic moment. Bound to Ashes is the start of what promises to be an intriguing, exciting and heartfelt series. Watch for more from Maranda Cromwell - you won't be disappointed.
Post apocalyptic story with unique survivors on their way to sanctuary. Challenges along the way develop the story and the characters in a way that is both relatable and fantasy. Adventure, humor, conflict...it sucked me in and then begged me to stay.
Post apocalyptic story with unique survivors on their way to sanctuary. Challenges along the way develop the story and the characters in a way that is both relatable and fantasy. Adventure, humor, conflict...it sucked me in and then begged me to stay.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews