Born in the future to a fallen Nation, Nyla Rychen has remained pure in a world rich with poverty, deception, and greed. She dreams of peace while struggling with the ever-present shame that weighs upon her as the daughter of the oppressive tyrant, Thomas Rychen. From beneath his thumb, she was little more than a silent face unable to interact or impress ideas upon the people, but everything changes when Kenai Quarren comes into her life. As the leader of the flourishing region on Decapolis, Nyla senses her father's plans to create an arc between the two worlds will not play to the newcomer's favor. Finding herself amidst their dispute, she is claimed by the Kenai and promptly escorted onto a sleek ship en-route to a futuristic, yet barbaric land where everything that she has ever stood for is challenged. Presented with every desire and fear imaginable, her missteps leave her fighting for her life as a strength that Nyla never knew she possessed begins to bud along her journey to become sovereign. A testament to the true beauty of emotion and inner-strength deposited into a society raised from birth to ignore any semblance of sentiment that could result in weakness, Nyla never expected to fall in love or find her true home millions of miles from Earth, but that is just what she uncovers in a world that tests her, breaks her heart, and ultimately leaves her inspired.
2.5/5 stars. The story has a ton of potential - there were just a lot of errors and some confusions/inconsistencies that would make me hesitant to recommend this book to anyone at this point. I'm looking forward to a potential rewrite of the story that would allow me to give it a higher rating, and I do look forward to finding out what the next book has in store for the characters.