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Alliance #1
Escape
Book One of the Alliance Series.
What if everything you knew about the world around you was a lie, and the very people you were taught to fear were your salvation, your escape?
Meet Amelia, raised in the safety of a Replenisher compound, a protectorate for the few Alliance females who can bear children. In two months, she will have to choose a mate and begin her duties, except it doesn't happen like that.
When she witnesses a Zoriner boy fall over the wall of the compound, the very wall designed to keep those like her safe from those like him, the injured boy becomes her burden and maybe, if she lets him, her escape from the life she is meant to have, and the key to unraveling of the many secrets and lies on both sides of this conflict and each other. This is the very beginning of her journey.
What if everything you knew about the world around you was a lie, and the very people you were taught to fear were your salvation, your escape?
Meet Amelia, raised in the safety of a Replenisher compound, a protectorate for the few Alliance females who can bear children. In two months, she will have to choose a mate and begin her duties, except it doesn't happen like that.
When she witnesses a Zoriner boy fall over the wall of the compound, the very wall designed to keep those like her safe from those like him, the injured boy becomes her burden and maybe, if she lets him, her escape from the life she is meant to have, and the key to unraveling of the many secrets and lies on both sides of this conflict and each other. This is the very beginning of her journey.
230 pages, ebook
First published March 15, 2016
55 people are currently reading
457 people want to read
About the author
Inna Hardison
6 books26 followersInna Hardison lives in a small coastal town on the Atlantic with her husband, two boys and two adopted pit mutts. When she is not writing, she is most likely reading something.
For new releases in the series and occasional freebies, visit my website at innahardison.com
If you want to read a preview of Escape, just go to this link: https://innahardison.com/previews/esc...
For new releases in the series and occasional freebies, visit my website at innahardison.com
If you want to read a preview of Escape, just go to this link: https://innahardison.com/previews/esc...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
April 26, 2016
**** 4 Cranky Stars ****
This is the first book I’ve read by Inna Hardison, but it won’t be the last. She is a beautiful writer and her melancholy tone drew me in.
The premise of Escape reminded me a little of Children of Men and The Handmaid’s Tale. Set in the aftermath of a world ravaged by illness and controlled by a totalitarian government, it is told in multiple points of view.
Hardison also takes the reader through differing time periods where explanations of how the current situation came to be.
Divided into groups where one is seemingly privileged over the other, what is slowly unveiled to the reader are layers of horror. In a world dedicated to safeguarding the survival of the human race, what is lost is people’s humanity.
When the two groups collide, a chain of events is set in motion that upsets the finally balanced structure those in power seek to maintain.
Hardison weaves an engrossing tale with likable characters and something rare in dystopian-apocalyptic works: the gift of kindness. The leads and secondary characters retain their humanity when it would be so easy to fall into cruelty.
Some of my criticisms of this work are that with the multiple points of view and time periods, the story turned in on itself. Differing characters and time periods are some of my favourite literary devices, but at times it took me out of the moment and threw me into another one when I didn’t want to be.
Two characters, sisters, had similar names, and I had to read twice for clarification in order to determine who was narrating that section.
The pacing slowed at thirty percent and then recovered its groove, drawing me in again. Although I won’t spoil, I did find the ending a little unconvincing and convenient.
In saying that, I look forward to continuing on with this series and learning the fate of the characters.
Highly recommended.
http://twistedbookcur.blogspot.ch/201...
June 20, 2016
I received a copy of this book directly from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to like Escape by Inna Hardison, but to be honest, I had to push—really push—to get through it.
As far as the technical bits go, the book was pretty well edited. I only ran into one error in the entire book—which is pretty damn amazing. The characters were complex and interesting, the plot, while not a new concept, was well-detailed and engaging. The world building was well thought out, and the pace of the narrative was pretty steady throughout.
… but the narrative voice lacked soul and a sense of fluidity. Regardless of how much I liked the plot, the world building, and the characters, I just could not get past the oddly detached way that the narrative was written. It was like the author had sucked out every sense of genuine emotion or fluid language and replaced the narrator with an alien creature that had only the barest understanding of how human’s see the world. The story was told, events happened as they should, but every bit of beautiful prose, colorful description, and tension was shoved into a box and hidden in some dark recess out of sight. And the worst, most unbelievable thing happened… the escape scene that I can only assume this book was named for, was completely left out. One minute the characters are plotting their escape, and the next, they’ve already escaped and are on the run. I could only sit back and wonder how on Earth the most important scene had been skipped over.
Honestly, it was exhausting to read through. I did make it to the end of the book, and I can tell you that I liked the story and the characters… but I don’t know that I’d read it again, and I probably won’t continue on with the series. I’m just not a fan of narrative that dry. If you like dry, maybe even quirky dystopian, you may appreciate this book, but I don’t think it’s going to be the right book for every dystopian reader.
I wanted to like Escape by Inna Hardison, but to be honest, I had to push—really push—to get through it.
As far as the technical bits go, the book was pretty well edited. I only ran into one error in the entire book—which is pretty damn amazing. The characters were complex and interesting, the plot, while not a new concept, was well-detailed and engaging. The world building was well thought out, and the pace of the narrative was pretty steady throughout.
… but the narrative voice lacked soul and a sense of fluidity. Regardless of how much I liked the plot, the world building, and the characters, I just could not get past the oddly detached way that the narrative was written. It was like the author had sucked out every sense of genuine emotion or fluid language and replaced the narrator with an alien creature that had only the barest understanding of how human’s see the world. The story was told, events happened as they should, but every bit of beautiful prose, colorful description, and tension was shoved into a box and hidden in some dark recess out of sight. And the worst, most unbelievable thing happened… the escape scene that I can only assume this book was named for, was completely left out. One minute the characters are plotting their escape, and the next, they’ve already escaped and are on the run. I could only sit back and wonder how on Earth the most important scene had been skipped over.
Honestly, it was exhausting to read through. I did make it to the end of the book, and I can tell you that I liked the story and the characters… but I don’t know that I’d read it again, and I probably won’t continue on with the series. I’m just not a fan of narrative that dry. If you like dry, maybe even quirky dystopian, you may appreciate this book, but I don’t think it’s going to be the right book for every dystopian reader.
June 8, 2018
Interesting but
Now that may or may not be a bad but....even I'm not 100% sure. I enjoyed the book, I mean, it was well written, the characters were great and here's that word again, BUT, I just can't shake the feeling that a little something was missing. For all I know though book 2 will have it, so I will give it a go
Now that may or may not be a bad but....even I'm not 100% sure. I enjoyed the book, I mean, it was well written, the characters were great and here's that word again, BUT, I just can't shake the feeling that a little something was missing. For all I know though book 2 will have it, so I will give it a go
August 5, 2016
I once worked for one of those evil multi-national corporations that are so well omnipresent in Dystopian fiction. You know, cultural imperialism up the wazoo, buying up national companies to turn them into their own vision of society.
And their motto was “Think Global. Act Local.”
This book, and its world-building specifically, is great at that. Although we only see a glimpse of a corner of one country in 2100AD through to the 2250AD, we know the whole world has changed. And we can see the world has changed incrementally, not in one world-shifting moment. There was no bomb. No 28 days later. This isn’t post-apocalyptic, it’s post-civilisation. Post civility, if there is such a thing. Somebody decided to try to fix something they perceived as wrong and accidentally broke what we know as society.
And now a group of teenagers (I don’t think their ages are ever specified but they feel like teenagers) have to deal with a culture built on misinformation, suspicion, segregation and slavery. They have been split up, broken down and built back up, thrown away or brain-washed, but somewhere within them, there’s still a spark of humanity, which is a real relief to see.
It’s easy to see how the society broke down to become this New Order, but it’s also a great allegory for puberty too. (I have no idea if it’s supposed to be or if I’m reading too much into it, or if it’s a normal thing in this genre.)
Our characters crave how things used to be, when things were simpler and their families were there for them. They gaze longingly out of windows, yearning for someone they can’t help but be drawn to, desperate to be understood but fearful of trusting anyone in case they look foolish or give away some secret. Which is much like my teenage years, not sure about yours.
All the adults are tortured by their former lives, by their own mistakes, and they are violent in some way towards our poor lost teens who are still finding themselves. The world is a dangerous place, peopled by over-controlling freaks happy to dole out painful punishments, or a crazy wildland full of crazy people driven over the edge by what they’ve seen. Which is much how I saw the world and adults when I was a teenager.
That said, this is not some dry Kafka-esque study book. Hardison breathes life into her characters so we understand how they interact, why they bounce off each other or grow closer. Except for the fathomless adults, most of the teenagers are extremely easy to sympathise with, including those who are introduced as shallow, evil bullies in the first instance.
This is one of the things I really loved about this book. I need to avoid spoilers, but there’s a humanity, a humility on show here even for the worst people that is at odds with the world on show. It’s a welcome respite from a book that shows the worst that can happen when the wrong choices are made.
The plot wraps in the world building successfully and organically. I got into the rhythm of the story-telling and the characters are all well-defined. There are twists and turns, some you see coming, some smack you in the face. Which is nice.
I’ll be picking up books 2 and 3 undoubtedly, as the world is intriguing and the characters are still growing.
I recommend it to readers of all ages who appreciate a cautionary yarn, and are more into The Handmaid’s Tale than Mad Max. It’s a damned fine book, told at a sedate pace with real heart.
March 30, 2016
"Escape (Alliance) (Volume 1)" by Inna Hardison is my first read from this author and I really liked it. If you are into Science Fiction/Fantasy novels you'll love this book. The author creates a mystical world where the walls of one world are kept separate from another. There are people in the same world where you find that something is just not quite what it seems. I'm being very vague because I don't want to give too much away. It was a quick read for me, and I didn't want to put it down because it enthralled me to find out what was going to happen next.
March 30, 2017
I enjoyed this book.
December 14, 2016
I picked up a copy of Escape while it was free on Kindle, and something about the description (and that bleak but beautiful cover) caught my interest. I started reading it shortly thereafter. While it did take me a while to read (Since I was reading it on my phone, I kept getting side-tracked by other books on my to-read list), it was one that I consistently wanted to come back to and continue following the story.
I enjoyed the style of the book, in which the prose is sort of flowing but raw (at times in need of editing), but lends to the bleak, dystopian feel of the narrative itself. The story is slower paced than some, but works well to let you return to the novel at a later time and still remember exactly what happened (or close to it).
At times, I did have trouble following which character was which, but that may be in part to my tendency to read the book in spurts, rather than all at once. My biggest complaint was that the "escape," the namesake of the book, was completely skipped over. One moment they were planning the escape, the next, they were in the wild. Granted, they were still "escaping" after that, but I wouldn't have minded seeing a bit more. I also would have liked to see more of the scientist character from the past, as she has a few scenes at the beginning of the novel but she seems to be forgotten later. I was also a bit confused at what happened at the empty city with the fire, but I think I may have missed the detail that explained that.
Regardless, the overall detail and description was certainly enjoyable. Be warned, though, that while the ending of the first book isn't a cliffhanger (well, it sort of is, but it worked for me), it does leave an unresolved plot. The story itself left me wanting to know more about the world. It's a little out of the norm in terms of the faster-paced books I have been reading, and it's nice that the romance is allowed to breathe, rather than be the main focus of the plot. Plus, the switching viewpoints gives us a nice view of multiple aspects of the world and what's going on. If you enjoy reading dystopias, Escape is worth taking a look at.
I enjoyed the style of the book, in which the prose is sort of flowing but raw (at times in need of editing), but lends to the bleak, dystopian feel of the narrative itself. The story is slower paced than some, but works well to let you return to the novel at a later time and still remember exactly what happened (or close to it).
At times, I did have trouble following which character was which, but that may be in part to my tendency to read the book in spurts, rather than all at once. My biggest complaint was that the "escape," the namesake of the book, was completely skipped over. One moment they were planning the escape, the next, they were in the wild. Granted, they were still "escaping" after that, but I wouldn't have minded seeing a bit more. I also would have liked to see more of the scientist character from the past, as she has a few scenes at the beginning of the novel but she seems to be forgotten later. I was also a bit confused at what happened at the empty city with the fire, but I think I may have missed the detail that explained that.
Regardless, the overall detail and description was certainly enjoyable. Be warned, though, that while the ending of the first book isn't a cliffhanger (well, it sort of is, but it worked for me), it does leave an unresolved plot. The story itself left me wanting to know more about the world. It's a little out of the norm in terms of the faster-paced books I have been reading, and it's nice that the romance is allowed to breathe, rather than be the main focus of the plot. Plus, the switching viewpoints gives us a nice view of multiple aspects of the world and what's going on. If you enjoy reading dystopias, Escape is worth taking a look at.
September 7, 2016
Hardison's entry into the dystopian genre is a solid one, albeit a derivative one. I was thoroughly reminded of Atwood's A Handmaiden's Tale as well as elements of Howey's Wool. The dystopian genre is a crowded arena filled with all manner of less-than-optimal ways of governing and totalitarian systems (heck, I am even guilty of writing in the genre). Hardison crafted a compelling and corrupt enough system to warrant it to either be toppled or escaped from from. The characters choose the latter.
The set up of the Replenisher compound seems to be an allegory for how many women around the world are treated in less developed countries (to be neither heard nor seen, and kept as a baby vending machine), and to a lesser degree how some forms of fundamentalist strains treat the women-folk here in Real America (as well as how many males secretly want women to be).
That being said, like other reviewers have pointed out, the actual escape was glossed over, and that is the title of the book. The prose were descriptive and the characters were well fleshed out, so I have no complaints there. I think I will continue on with the series to see how it plays out.
I gave this book between 3.5 - 4 stars, and if this was Hardison's first book then I think she will have a great career ahead of her.
The set up of the Replenisher compound seems to be an allegory for how many women around the world are treated in less developed countries (to be neither heard nor seen, and kept as a baby vending machine), and to a lesser degree how some forms of fundamentalist strains treat the women-folk here in Real America (as well as how many males secretly want women to be).
That being said, like other reviewers have pointed out, the actual escape was glossed over, and that is the title of the book. The prose were descriptive and the characters were well fleshed out, so I have no complaints there. I think I will continue on with the series to see how it plays out.
I gave this book between 3.5 - 4 stars, and if this was Hardison's first book then I think she will have a great career ahead of her.
June 8, 2016
I have always been fascinated by dystopian novels that are done right. In this novel, we are introduced into a world very different from our own, and one where things aren't what they seem. The people are at the heart of the novel and the characters of Drake, Riley and Ams are so well written and really tie the book together.
The book is slower pace, and we get flashbacks of the background info needed to understand why things are what they are - it unfolds at a slow but steady pace, pulling me further into the story with each chapter. The author has an excellent grasp of emotion, and uses it to really connect the reader with the characters, especially with Riley and Drake. This is a character driven novel that is engaging and compelling. The only thing that holds this back from being a five star review is that it was, at times, hard to follow the back and forth in time, but it always ended up clearing up any confusion and the story was a good read.
I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The book is slower pace, and we get flashbacks of the background info needed to understand why things are what they are - it unfolds at a slow but steady pace, pulling me further into the story with each chapter. The author has an excellent grasp of emotion, and uses it to really connect the reader with the characters, especially with Riley and Drake. This is a character driven novel that is engaging and compelling. The only thing that holds this back from being a five star review is that it was, at times, hard to follow the back and forth in time, but it always ended up clearing up any confusion and the story was a good read.
I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 5, 2016
I was drawn to this book, by the beautiful cover, plus I am a sucker for dystopias. This was a really well imagined world, where young girls are being held in compounds in order to be raised as "replenishers" because of an epidemic that had spread throughout the world affecting many women's abilities to have children. The story is told from alternating points of view, which gets a little confusing at points. The story is strongest in the flashbacks that set up the history of the epidemic and when we see the world from Riley's point of view. Riley lives in the outside and is considered a "Zoriner." His family got torn away from him when he was young, but he has always believed he could find his sister Ella in one of the compounds and sets off to go look for her when he is old enough. When some of the girls who have lived in the compound their whole lives escape, Hardison does a really good job of describing their complete and utter confusion when they first encounter nature and are trying to understand the new things they see around them. Definitely recommended to fans of dystopias!
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October 23, 2016This is the first book I have read by this author. The story is unique to me, a new idea on a how the world evolved for these characters. I liked the personalities of the characters and how All their stories joined together. I must admit I did get a little lost at times with the flashbacks to different points in time, on saying that, you wanted to know how the world had reached this point in time, and it leaves another whole set of characters to be explored. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but love, idealism, devotion, are just some of the emotions you felt and understood. I was transported into the book, which is always a good sign for a book that can keep you turning the pages way past your bedtime!! Also a great unexpected cliff hanger, I look forward to continuing with this series.
May 30, 2016
I received a copy of this book from the author and was presently surprised by how much I liked it. I'm not usually a fan of different points of view while reading a story but she did a great job at giving each person there own voice and good narrative personality. You really grew to like the different characters for the view points they each brought to the story instead of just getting one angle of such an interesting plot. The plot didn't grab me at first but, I'm not a huge science fictionish fan but by about half way I was hooked. All in all a great read!
May 28, 2016
Interesting futuristic read told from different time points in the future, What if scientists thought they were doing something to help, but it turned out differently. This book is just the first in the series and readers will get a sneak peak into the next book at the end. Sometimes the story is a bit hard to follow, but all in all I think this book takes a peek into what could happen if the wrong people thought they were doing the right thing. I liked the characters and their emotional involvement in the story. A book worth looking at and the sequel looks just as tantalizing.
April 1, 2016
A copy of Escape by Inna Hardison was provided in exchange for an honest review. This was my first read by this author & an introduction to main character Riley. Although this is a different genre than my norm, I did find the storyline flowed well & the character's adventures interesting. I thought this was a good fantasy read. This story held my attention & I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.
January 14, 2017
Loved the book . it was my first read by this Author. Loved the plot, the setup and the main character. It was, however a slow read for me. I had some difficulty with one of the minor characters.
However to be fair, thinking back to when I read the book, I was very sick at the time of reading this book. So probably it was just me this time. sorry if I confused anybody. Overall it was a good story. I plan on reading the next one once I feel better.
However to be fair, thinking back to when I read the book, I was very sick at the time of reading this book. So probably it was just me this time. sorry if I confused anybody. Overall it was a good story. I plan on reading the next one once I feel better.
May 4, 2016
I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway, and it is the first I've read by Hardison, but I'm already looking forward to the rest of the series. The characters and plot were intriguing, and leave you wanting to know what next happens next at every turn. I would definitely recommend this book!
January 13, 2017
Wow
This is a good book. Well thought out and told. Makes you think. I think if someone has a problem with the store they should tell the author not the world. If you think you can do better then. Anyways it's a good book.
This is a good book. Well thought out and told. Makes you think. I think if someone has a problem with the store they should tell the author not the world. If you think you can do better then. Anyways it's a good book.
January 13, 2017
The story of Amelia who protects the few females who can bear children. One of the children are injured and she sees things in a different light. Amazing fantasy story that takes you away to another world. Thank you for allowing me the chance to read
February 5, 2017
I was surprised by this book. It may be pegged as young adult, but it was a mature read. It moved fast, and the author is good at creating a dystopian world. Not what I expected, and I love to be surprised!
January 13, 2017
I could not put the book down.................my poor husband eventually put the pillow over his head and kept on sleeping.
Cant wait to get my hands on more books from Inna
Cant wait to get my hands on more books from Inna
August 16, 2021
Good premise
I found I had to force myself to finish this first of a series book. The idea behind the book is a good one but I kept skimming through just to get it moving along. It was a little hard to read at times, with the writing so start and stop. I had to go over many sentences a few times with different pauses and invisible commas to understand what the writer was trying to say. It felt to me as if it were an older child writing the story. I know that doesn’t sound very encouraging, but gave it 3 stars because the ideas were there, just not put together the best. Unfortunately, I will probably not continue reading the series.
I found I had to force myself to finish this first of a series book. The idea behind the book is a good one but I kept skimming through just to get it moving along. It was a little hard to read at times, with the writing so start and stop. I had to go over many sentences a few times with different pauses and invisible commas to understand what the writer was trying to say. It felt to me as if it were an older child writing the story. I know that doesn’t sound very encouraging, but gave it 3 stars because the ideas were there, just not put together the best. Unfortunately, I will probably not continue reading the series.
March 16, 2017
Set in a dystopian future where controlling over population that had led to extreme starvation and death of babies and young children, science provided a vaccination to prevent unplanned pregnancy. A few generations later they realized that it caused a genetic defect where most of humanity could no longer reproduce. The Alliance now tests children and kidnaps those girls who can reproduce erasing their memories and implanting what the girls need to know as the wives and mothers limiting all other knowledge. They enslave others to care for these children.
The story set in this future is about a young man, Riley; Ella, his sister, the only member of his family the Alliance has let live; Drake, a neighbor forced to be a guard at the Alliance compound; and two future wives/mothers who choose to escape. it is not action-packed or a fast-paced tale. Instead it is their story of their journey together discovering themselves, each other, and what the Alliance has done. Told from different points of view, we are privy to not only what they see, learn, and experience but to their thoughts, fears, hopes, and worries.
it is important to read the chapter headings and dates so that you know which character and date you are inhabiting, which some reviewers found onerous. I found it interesting to see how characters interpreted experiences and each others' actions. The author did this in a manner that did not read as repetitive.
While there is a love story between two sets of characters, it was not mushy or over physical, which was a relief. Thankfully this young adult novel did not include vampires, zombies, or a game theme, all of which I find tiresome. This story is about characters and ideas set within a P/A world. The author has provided a thoughtful novel presented in a creative manner told in multiple voices.
The story set in this future is about a young man, Riley; Ella, his sister, the only member of his family the Alliance has let live; Drake, a neighbor forced to be a guard at the Alliance compound; and two future wives/mothers who choose to escape. it is not action-packed or a fast-paced tale. Instead it is their story of their journey together discovering themselves, each other, and what the Alliance has done. Told from different points of view, we are privy to not only what they see, learn, and experience but to their thoughts, fears, hopes, and worries.
it is important to read the chapter headings and dates so that you know which character and date you are inhabiting, which some reviewers found onerous. I found it interesting to see how characters interpreted experiences and each others' actions. The author did this in a manner that did not read as repetitive.
While there is a love story between two sets of characters, it was not mushy or over physical, which was a relief. Thankfully this young adult novel did not include vampires, zombies, or a game theme, all of which I find tiresome. This story is about characters and ideas set within a P/A world. The author has provided a thoughtful novel presented in a creative manner told in multiple voices.
August 30, 2017
Good story. Great characters and pulled me into the story from the beginning. Needed editing. Looking forward to the next book. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC.
August 9, 2018
Good suspense. Kept my interest. I would recommend.
February 17, 2025
He just knew she broke something deep inside him, something that wasn't hers to break.
March 21, 2017
A dystopian population control story told mostly from the young adults' point of views. Bleak, sad, full of psychological pain as well as the enduring strength of the human spirit is all on display here. There is just a great deal of character crying going on and flashbacks. So patience and endurance is needed to get through those sections of the story.
March 10, 2017
Great new YA series!
Such a different, yet believable take on the ever popular dystopian genre. I love it. Characters that truly make you believe in their struggles. Prose that puts you not only in their heads, but makes you question, "what would I do in a situation like this?" And throughout the storyline, the questions you're dying to ask, are answered in more imaginative ways than many authors would, without leaving you hanging for so long you get frustrated.
I will definitely be reading the rest of the series and looking forward to any other books Ms. Hardison writes. I could easily envision a movie from the well described settings and timelines.
Such a different, yet believable take on the ever popular dystopian genre. I love it. Characters that truly make you believe in their struggles. Prose that puts you not only in their heads, but makes you question, "what would I do in a situation like this?" And throughout the storyline, the questions you're dying to ask, are answered in more imaginative ways than many authors would, without leaving you hanging for so long you get frustrated.
I will definitely be reading the rest of the series and looking forward to any other books Ms. Hardison writes. I could easily envision a movie from the well described settings and timelines.
November 12, 2018
3 stars. Review to come
October 30, 2016
This book has a good plot—It is a futuristic look at life, after civilization as we know it today has collapsed.
In 2107, Doctor Sandra Groning, Manchester, UK, is shocked by the constant discovery of dead infants, in an overpopulated world, where a lack of food and necessities prevail. She and her team search for a way to correct the problem. All she wanted was to make pregnancy be a choice that required a physician's intervention, so people would not bring children into the world that they could not care for. Eventually, they created a “pill”—but it is awhile before they realize that it would cause decades of consequences for those who used it.
The story leaps ahead to 2226, in Waller, NY where the story of Riley begins. Riley is a Zoriner. For several decades, the Alliance had been kidnapping people. Two years earlier his parents had tried to fight off men from the Alliance when they took his sister Ella. One day Riley comes home from school to find the house deserted; even his dog Sampson is gone. He learns that the Alliance had taken them all. He had no family left.
In 2236, Drake sees Ella being brought into the Female Replenishers Compound, 480 Kilometers from Carthage, NY. This is where girls were groomed to become wives to provide babies for the Alliance. His heart aches when he sees her, submissive and disorient, wearing slave bands. Drake was originally from Waller, NY and he knew Ella, and her family (including Riley) before the Alliance began to attack them. Drake works as a guard at the compound. Everyone thinks he is mute and he makes certain that he maintains that charade.
In March 2236, he also sees Riley trying to break into the compound. Riley has been searching for Ella since he left Waller. Drake hurries down the tower, hoping to warn Riley away, but before he gets there, Reily is captured. He is taken to see Hassinger, the headmistress. She demands to know who he is and who he was hoping to find. When Riley refuses to answer her, she cruelly abuses him, leaving him close to death. She orders Drake to take him out of the compound gate and let him go.
Later that night, Amelia finds Riley after he throws himself over the wall around the compound. She knew she should have used her stun gun on him, and turned him over to the headmistress, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. He was young and beaten, bleeding profusely. Knowing she would be punished if anyone found out what she was doing, she took him into the compound and upstairs into the attic. He was a Zoriner, and they were the enemy.
From this point Amelia and Riley develop a relationship, at first uneasy, then one off mutual respect and finally an innocent love. When the time comes for him to leave, Amelia and her friend Laurel, and a couple of others who join them escape the compound and journey out into a frightening world that they do not know.
This journey is filled with heartache, suspense, and regret. It ends with a cliffhanger.
I was conflicted about this book; there were times I felt confused when the story line switched between different time periods and different points of view. To be honest, at times, I thought “why am I reading this?” But at other times I was quite involved. This book also has editing flaws, but if you love sci/fi—futuristic Dystopian novels that probably will not bother you.
In 2107, Doctor Sandra Groning, Manchester, UK, is shocked by the constant discovery of dead infants, in an overpopulated world, where a lack of food and necessities prevail. She and her team search for a way to correct the problem. All she wanted was to make pregnancy be a choice that required a physician's intervention, so people would not bring children into the world that they could not care for. Eventually, they created a “pill”—but it is awhile before they realize that it would cause decades of consequences for those who used it.
The story leaps ahead to 2226, in Waller, NY where the story of Riley begins. Riley is a Zoriner. For several decades, the Alliance had been kidnapping people. Two years earlier his parents had tried to fight off men from the Alliance when they took his sister Ella. One day Riley comes home from school to find the house deserted; even his dog Sampson is gone. He learns that the Alliance had taken them all. He had no family left.
In 2236, Drake sees Ella being brought into the Female Replenishers Compound, 480 Kilometers from Carthage, NY. This is where girls were groomed to become wives to provide babies for the Alliance. His heart aches when he sees her, submissive and disorient, wearing slave bands. Drake was originally from Waller, NY and he knew Ella, and her family (including Riley) before the Alliance began to attack them. Drake works as a guard at the compound. Everyone thinks he is mute and he makes certain that he maintains that charade.
In March 2236, he also sees Riley trying to break into the compound. Riley has been searching for Ella since he left Waller. Drake hurries down the tower, hoping to warn Riley away, but before he gets there, Reily is captured. He is taken to see Hassinger, the headmistress. She demands to know who he is and who he was hoping to find. When Riley refuses to answer her, she cruelly abuses him, leaving him close to death. She orders Drake to take him out of the compound gate and let him go.
Later that night, Amelia finds Riley after he throws himself over the wall around the compound. She knew she should have used her stun gun on him, and turned him over to the headmistress, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. He was young and beaten, bleeding profusely. Knowing she would be punished if anyone found out what she was doing, she took him into the compound and upstairs into the attic. He was a Zoriner, and they were the enemy.
From this point Amelia and Riley develop a relationship, at first uneasy, then one off mutual respect and finally an innocent love. When the time comes for him to leave, Amelia and her friend Laurel, and a couple of others who join them escape the compound and journey out into a frightening world that they do not know.
This journey is filled with heartache, suspense, and regret. It ends with a cliffhanger.
I was conflicted about this book; there were times I felt confused when the story line switched between different time periods and different points of view. To be honest, at times, I thought “why am I reading this?” But at other times I was quite involved. This book also has editing flaws, but if you love sci/fi—futuristic Dystopian novels that probably will not bother you.
March 7, 2017
Loved the context of the story. There were a few parts that had me confused, but otherwise well written. Left me wanting more of the story so I will definitely be reading the next!
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