The Grate

by D.M. Shiro

Two hundred years after a Nuclear War lays waste to the Earth, the United States creates a new Capital called the Grate; a militant style society, which keeps records of its citizens. Sarah MacDonald finds herself in a terror attack, when she is taken to the Grate's hospital. There she struggles to recall the moments leading to her stay. When she begins having paranormal encounters, she is taken to Ward Seven, the Grate's mental institution. How can she trust her government when what she recalls goes against all they teach their citizens? How will she go unnoticed when those meant to protect her are out to kill her?

448 pages, Paperback

First published December 27, 2017

About the author

D. M. Shiro was born in California in 1991. Growing up, she loved history and often would write stories with historical backgrounds. She also found herself troubled by the questions left unanswered by religion. Entertaining the idea of multiple religions, she found spirituality the most accurate to her, as it pushes for acceptance of other perspectives rather than following one belief over another. She currently resides in New Mexico with her husband and two sons.

Reviews

[D.M. Shiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm excited with how the book reads. There are some issues which will need to be explained in later books, or simply needs to be fixed into a new edition of the book. So, I guess that will be something to do later down the road when I have published book 2 or book 3.

I've picked out a lot of information I liked and have added them to my "quotes" section, so head on over there and take a look!

The story itself is slow to get used to, but once it hits the ground running it's hard to stop. I know a lot of people don't like cliffhangers (Spoiler Alert!) my book is a giant cliffhanger. But rest assured as I will most definitely be able to keep this one going into the next book - I likely will not start the next book where the first book finished, but it will be a huge part of the next book! Book 2 may or may not be as mixed up as Book 1, but it should be easy to reference back to Book 1 regarding places where I decided to go into more detail.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with it. Though, I do acknowledge lots of work must still be done to perfect it.

Anyone reading the book, please hang through with me as I get everything straight. And if you want the second edition of Book 1, we may be able to arrange a free download of sorts for those wanting it.

[Joshua Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

D.M. Shiro builds a claustrophobic dystopian tale in The Grate! Sarah struggles to pick through her broken memory in order to figure out how she ended up in Ward Seven, a memory that could be dangerous to the totalitarian government The Grate. Shiro’s writing is atmospheric and plunges you mercilessly into the scene (something I enjoyed profusely)! This novel has a very 1984 meets Divergent vibe, perfect for those of you who love those dark dystopian dives!