The Rise of the Resistance: Phoenix One

by Jackie D.

The year is 2088 and the bones of American democracy have been left sweltering in the ashes of a hostile takeover. Sixty-five years before, four carefully chosen individuals in the Phoenix Program were cryogenically frozen until the time was right for them to combine forces and restore the government. That time is now.

Arrow Steele has trained her whole life to bring the Phoenix Program to fruition, but no amount of training could have prepared her for Phoenix One herself, Kaelyn Trapp, or the attraction neither one of them can deny.

Kaelyn's destiny is to navigate the new world and bring America back to some semblance of a country the Founding Fathers had envisioned. That is, if Arrow can get them to safety. The only thing that stands in their way is thousands of miles and a militarized government.

Arrow and Kaelyn carry the fate of their country on their shoulders. Love couldn’t possibly have come at a more inconvenient time, but with their mission and their lives in jeopardy, love may be what matters most.

Genres: LGBT, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Military Fiction, Lesbian, Romance, Futuristic

266 pages, Paperback

First published November 13, 2018

About the author

Jackie D was born and raised in the San Francisco, east bay area of California. She lives with her wife, their son, and their many furry companions. She earned a bachelor's degree in recreation administration and a dual master's degree in management and public administration. She is a Navy veteran and served in Operation Iraqi Freedom as a flight deck director, onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

She spends her free time with her wife, friends, family, and their incredibly needy dogs. She enjoys playing golf but is resigned to the fact she would equally enjoy any sport where drinking beer is encouraged during gameplay. Her first book, Infiltration, was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award. Her fourth book, Lucy's Chance, won a Goldie in 2018.

Jackie is also the co-host of the Podcast, The Weekly Wine Down - which can be found on iTunes, Stitcher, or Podbean.

Website and blog: http://www.jackied-author.com/

Reviews

[Lex Kent · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. I like Jackie D as an author. Her last book Pursuit was a ton of fun to read. I thought this was a good solid story but I didn’t love it. It’s an action-packed dystopian with a little romance book.

This book takes place 70 years in the future and the earth has been brutalized by climate change. People live in environmental bubbles just to survive. If you are anything other than a white cis male, you have no power or are banished from the good living areas. A resistance has been waiting and building for years, for the time to take the country back. The key to leading the resistance is to unfreeze four people cryogenically frozen for just this purpose. Can the Resistance take back what was once the United States?

This new world is basically everything scary actually coming true. Jackie D did a good job of adding new convincing tech while world building. The characters were interesting and it was easy to get pretty hooked into the book. The pace of the read was a good pace. You do have to suspend some disbelief. That only four people were basically picked to be frozen and save the world. I was actually hoping they would wake up with some kind of powers, but they are just normal intelligent people.

I did like this read but I had two slight issues. One was the excitement factor. While this had good action and danger, I never felt on the edge of my seat. I had worry for the characters, but I never felt like “oh no! What is going to happen?” Because I never got overly excited about the outcome, some of the action felt flatter than it should have.

The other main issue for me was the romance. I get it. This is not an easy book to write a romance in. I actually don’t even mind insta love in these kinds of books. This book was not insta love, I’m just making the point that I get it’s not easy in these books. My problem is I just felt they really need more time together or something. The relationship felt very on the surface. I liked them together, I just needed something deeper. The way this book ended, I could see a book 2. If that happens, I could see the relationship becoming a lot stronger. There was so much going on in the book, I think it was just really a time issue.

If you are a dystopian fan you might want to check this out. It has some bumps but it was a good read. If Jackie D writes a sequel, I would definitely be interested in reading it.

An ARC was given to me by BSB for a honest review.

[Joc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Around 2020, the president of the United States, Daniel Trapp, is aware that his position is threatened. Climate change catastrophes have left the world’s people struggling to survive and while America was a refuge, there was a movement of protestors with charismatic leadership beginning to emerge. Frank MacLeod’s support increases with each bigoted opinion he expounds. As a last hope for humanity, Trapp creates the Phoenix Project where four of the brightest minds with vast and diverse skill sets are cryogenically frozen to be woken when whoever is in charge of what’s left of the former democratic government deems the time is right. Kaelyn, the president’s 34 year old daughter is Phoenix One.

In 2088 the resistance decides it’s time to awaken the four Phoenixes. Arrow Steele has been trained from birth to be one of Kaelyn’s guardians. She and the other guardians will protect the four as they mount an attack to overthrow the reign of the MacLeods. Arrow feels she’s known Kaelyn her whole life and once she’s awake it’s not long before she finds herself falling for her. Kaelyn has 65 years of history to learn and her despair at the devastation she finds the world in is alleviated by Arrow’s belief in her and the hope she sees around her.

I’m really conflicted about this novel. On the one hand I enjoyed the pace, the quest and the action. I liked the developing feelings between Arrow and Kaelyn. I liked parts of the world building and parts of the story. What I struggled most with was the concept.

Each had a skill set that could help to bring unity and peace the country if the unthinkable happened. If America fell, and it seemed that there was no question they were headed that direction, eventually, these four people would be the last hope, a glimmer of what America once stood for and what it could be again. They would work together to restore the country to what it was supposed to be, when whoever was in charge deemed the time was right. The idea was brilliant…

Would parents and leaders really think that freezing their child and three other people to possibly (because who knows whether they would survive) be reanimated in the future by a hopeful (because that might not work out either) resistance is a better idea than fighting a malignant leader in the here and now. Surely not? I couldn’t get my head around the thinking that this was a good idea.
Other than this, I enjoyed the read. 3.5 stars.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every book I read by Jackie D. is better than the last! I loved this book so much. Seriously, I love the end of the world books. Add in some fascinating philosophical ponderings, strong and unique character, and a beautiful little romance, and you have the perfect recipe for a perfect book.

When the world as we know it is coming to the end, four "Phoenixes" are cryogenically frozen until the resistance is strong enough to overthrow the government and bring democracy back to the US. Kaeyln, daughter to the last true President of the United States, is Phoenix One. She brings her expert knowledge of democracy and the foundations of the US to the fight. Arrow is her guardian, she's been preparing all her life to protect the Phoneix and bring her to her destiny. But their attraction and compatibility couldn't have been predicted in a million years. Even on the brink of war, true love doesn't wait for anyone.

I really loved the way Jackie D. created an apocalyptic world that was believable but also brought their own spin on how it would all go down. It was such a cool idea.

I just love how strong the women in this book were, on both sides of the war. Strong, independent, fierce and brilliant. I really enjoyed the discussions Arrow and Kaelyn were able to have, they were able to meet each other's level of thinking. It really brought their connection all that more more intense and palpable for the reader. Their chemistry was off the charts as well.

This was such a wonderfully crafted story, it was so much more than just a romance or just an adventure, it was a fascinating depiction of nothing is black and white, this book really explored the complexities of humanity.

I can't help wondering if their is going to be a second book, or a longer series! I hope so. I can't help feeling that there is more to Nora's story as well. I will definitely be buying the paperback of this book!

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whilst this story is one of a dystopian future, there were parts which felt eerily like the beginnings of our current reality.

Jackie D. does an excellent job of weaving a story that depicts what happens when fear of the 'other' and a lack of understanding and communication of those differences is allowed to take root in a society.
In parts, it wouldn't take much to stretch your imagination, to see the footholds of the story reflected in some of todays more divisive rhetoric.


The 'end of the world' aspect of the book is nicely balanced out with a story of hope, one which was put in place and has laid dormant for seven decades in the form of the Phoenix Project.

There's a beautiful synergy between the main characters; Macy, Valour, Arrow and Kaelyn. But none more so than the main relationship between Arrow and Kaelyn.
Whilst theirs could be perceived as instant love, i think the relationship corresponds nicely with their roles having been put in motion long before they ever meet.

Arrow has spent her whole life learning and training for the moment that Phoenix One is awakened. Kaelyn meanwhile awakens into a world which she though she'd be prepared for, but in reality seeks solace in the grounding force that is Arrow.
As such their romance may take root quickly but the progression of Arrow's and Kaelyn's relationship is a fitting balance to the turbulent and fraught world surrounding them.

All in all a really fantastic story, which i truly hope is the beginning of a series. I feel like this story is only just unraveling itself and there's plenty of scope to explore what happens next in a varity of directions, whether that be with Arrow and Kaelyn, Nora MacLeod or Phoenix Two, Three or Four. It's certainly a journey i'd like to see more of.

[A.W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked Jackie D's book called Pursuit and was excited to read this book, however it fell slightly flat for me as I was expecting a lot more. The action was good but I felt that there was something missing that would make it that much more exciting.

Overall, it was an okay read, but if there's a second book in the works, I'd still pick it up as I would think that it would be that much better as the worldbuilding and the characters are mostly established. With that out of the way, the author could focus on the romance/action scenes.

Review also posted here: https://wp.me/p4Pp9O-MC

[Rebecca Langham · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

Rise of the Resistance by Jackie D is, overall, a solid dystopian fiction that finds itself caught somewhere between being a thought-provoking and didactic political thriller, and a fairly typical lesbian romance with a generic futuristic backdrop. As a fan of the former who is somewhat tired of the latter, this was a difficult book for which to write a review.

Kaelyn Trapp, otherwise known as Phoenix One, is cryogenically frozen — one of a chosen four— sleeping away seventy years until the time is right to stage a coup and overthrow a morally bankrupt government. Arrow, Kaelyn’s guardian, a true believer in what this (potentially ignorant) Australian reader can only best describe as ‘the American Dream’, an idealistic woman of integrity, has worked her whole life to prepare for the war to come. What isn’t to love about this plot?

Exploring a future in which men like Donald Trump have not only been allowed to rule, but have been elevated to the cult-like status representative of many of history’s authoritarian dictatorships, this novel has plenty to offer. The ‘President’ and his heir, MacLeod, make for fascinating reading. Jackie D explores how racist, homophobic, xenophobic leaders manage to seize, manipulate, and maintain power.

“First, he paid off a major media organisation. Its sole purpose was to discredit the others until people who were loyal to him only tuned in to that outlet…Next, he started to discredit our FBI…It didn’t matter how many of his statements were proven as lies, or how horrible his remarks about women and minorities…”

And I have no doubt that this novel has been inspired by a deep-rooted societal concern about Trump:

“Nora sat on the couch. She ran her hands down her form-fitting red dress. She was perfect. Hell, if she hadn’t been his own daughter, he probably would’ve tried to sleep with her by now.”

Nora, MacLeod’s daughter, is the character I found the most fascinating in this story. She’s deplorable in many ways, but also far more intelligent than her father, and the only member of the cast to do something that I found genuinely surprising. Nora is a political mastermind working within a patriarchal, sexist framework in which the inequalities of today have been exacerbated and even legalised. If Nora appears in the next book, I’ll be reading it.

Kaelyn and Arrow are likeable, but also unremarkable. Kaelyn is said to be the absolute best person to restore democracy and freedom, but some aspects of her personality and supposed expertise struck me incongruent with this claim. She is good at giving speeches filled with a lot of platitudes and patriotism, but many of the finer aspects of leadership are left to the reader to assume. There were also some instances where her lack of knowledge (probably more for the reader’s benefit so that Arrow or her mother could then deliver an explanation) didn’t make sense to me. That said, I suspect she is meant to personify the traits of American culture that are most admirable, an ideological foundation of fairness and compassion. Which is just kinda nice, really.

Arrow is almost nauseatingly ‘good’, the proverbial knight-in-shining-armour, where even her faults are positive. I didn’t mind either of the two leading ladies, but I also didn’t feel particularly connected to the pair because they were presented as practically perfect. When someone in the novel pointed out the fact that these two were in their positions of power and influence because they’d been born to the ‘right’ families, I cheered a little, because it frustrated me that two people, both born to presidents were apparently the only ones who could save America (and this is very much a book steeped in all things American). Arrow is a warrior who has a few action scenes that many readers will enjoy. I was pleased to see that Arrow didn’t resort to fatal gunshots as her first method of defence (or attack).

The romance between Kaelyn and Arrow is, I imagine, what many readers will come to see. Given that the romance frustrated me because it kept detracting from the dystopian elements I was enjoying so much as well as what I perceived as deep repetition of the “we shouldn’t go there because we have a duty to others” trope, lots of people will love it. But this is what I meant earlier when I said this book was, I thought, caught between wanting to be a standard romance ‘lesfic’, with the meet-desire-angst-denial-more angst-give in-deny again-HEA plot line many know and love, and a speculative fiction with a heck of a lot of meat on its bones.

Readers like me will want less focus on the internal dialogue attached to the relationship and more exploration of the dystopian setting and its deep-rooted psychological conflicts. Romance-lovers will possibly want to see the reverse. You can see why this review got so long, right? I mean, I love parts of this book, but I also wanted to skip sections.

I have my fingers crossed that subsequent novels in the series will explore characters ‘on the ground’ so to speak, looking at History From Below. I think this will really draw out those complex social and political concepts that are there, but not quite developed. I’d be really interested to hear from anyone else who has read this one. What did you think?!

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I just finished Wasteland and this came recommended and I figured, I liked one dystopia maybe I'll like another. I did like it but I didn't like it like it.

The characters were pretty cool. I liked how the Steele family was written, a military family with just enough caring but still distant. I actually like Kaelyn too. The story was overall a good one to follow with nice action but in, a villain you could hate, and honestly I was hoping for Nora to maybe see the light...maybe book 2 she will.

A couple things kept me from loving it. While I can believe, kind of, that 4 specialized people were cryogenic-something what I cant get over is how they were really going to make a difference. With how advance everything was, what were they gonna really do? Maybe if they were subconsciously fed updates about the going on's in the world I could understand it but they basically woke up and it was 70 years later.

I was okay with the romance. Honestly they could have left out the sleeping together thing and I think it would have worked out great. But, I hate when characters are told one thing, leave them alone and do the job, and then later tell the same character something else, follow your heart. I mean come on you just told them it won't work and now your saying make it work. I hate that.

My last gripe is that I really wanted more interaction with the other 3 Phoenix. I know this book is called Phoenix One but I felt as if I was missing some of the actual journey without much interaction with the others. Maybe that's just me.

Regardless, I did enjoy the read. And I will read future books in the series cause I'm interested to see what they do with Nora :-)

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I really wanted this to be exceptionally good. Unfortunately it fell a little flat. Really from the beginning. I felt the premise was good and interesting. The main characters were strong and interesting. There just wasn't enough interpersonal goings on to fully develop the relationships. The romance was too quick and they barely even spoke to each other!
Another example of a book that really should be about twice as long as it is to really develop the storyline and relationships. This could have been fantastic-but instead was just okay.

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Penelope · Rating 3 out of 5]

An honest review thanks to NetGalley. This was an excellent read; I was pulled into the storyline instantly. It was a refreshing change, but I felt like it was too fast. Right, when Phoenix One woke up, they were ready to take back the government. It didn't seem that Phoenix One did anything so exceptional to take the government. It seemed like the Resistance could have done what they did years before. I felt like there wasn't something so special about Phoenix one that came off the page to showcase her strength for the resistance. It was a very refreshing storyline I just wanted more background of what the resistance was doing before Phoenix one woke up.

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good book, a cautionary tale
If sorts, of what the world will become if we don’t all change our way of thinking. Before I give it all of the good accolades, I do have to say that I don't think it will be so easy to take over another government. The resistance just walked in and everyone just gave up and left and gave them their lands. It seemed like way too easy.

Now for the good things, I thought that this book was insta love, but when in a dystopian universe you really have to move faster. The story was about Kaelyn who was cryogenically frozen to come back to the world when the world was ready for a new government. This is necessary because a fringe group called The Hand of God takes over the US government after the republican party falls, this is eerily similar to our current government, But I really liked this book. I thought the author did a great job of pointing out what will happened to this earth if we all don't start listening to each other and instead continue to be divisive and have that clan mentality.

Both of the main characters were amazing and I had no problems falling in love with either of them. I thought that Kaeyln did an incredible job of waking up in a world she did not know and taking that in stride. I do think like I said above that there would have been a lot more resistance from the Hand of God, but overall the story was good, the love story was god, and most of all it was believable. I don't think that there has been a lesfic book I have enjoyed ore than this one in several months. I hope this turns into a series because I would love to read more.

This book was given to me as an ARC by Bold Strokes Books and Net-galley in exchange for an honest review.

[Aleana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ok this book starts out Sixty-five years ago when four carefully chosen individuals i n the Phoenix Program were cryogenically frozen until it time to bring them back.

In the year 2088 where democracy has been cast out by a hostile take over now it's time to bring the Phoenix Program to fruition.

This is when we meet Arrow Steele she train her whole life to bring the Phoenix Program to life when Kaelyn Trapp wakes up from her frozen state. They aren't prepared for the attraction that both of them can't deny.

Kaelyn is called Pheonix One and her destiny is to negotiate the new world and bring America back semblance of peace.

As Arrow and Kaelyn figure out a way to do this they would need help from the other three members of Phoenix Program as they fight the government and the enemy known as President Adon MacLeod. Will they able to bring the vision the Founding Fathers wanted you have to read and see.

This was a amazing read it made me question if this would happen in real life and would people step up to see a better world because quite frankly this world could be better if we all was on the same page.

[Jane Shambler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.

It's set seventy years into the future. After the world had been ravaged by climate change and the citizens had to live in environmental bubbles in order to survive. Also, all social structures have collapsed unless you are white and male.

The story itself flows well and its written at a good pace. It's a little disturbing that only four people were put into cryogenic sleep so that they could steer the world back onto the right track. You only connect with phoenix one, the other three are spoken about, I found myself routing for the resistance.

I you like end of the world stories then I think you'll enjoy this.


*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*

[Heather Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jackie D is a great author and the book is written well. Some people may have a issue with ideas in this book such as freezing a child and hopefully one day they maybe unfrozen. The wonderful thing about books, is reading things that are different from normal everyday life. This book will take you to a future time I hope no one ever has to live. What would you do to help fight the government if the America you knew was gone?

[Frank Van Meer]

Well, this is the second 'cataclysm' book I could not finish. Maybe I'm way too critical lately, I don't know, but I think there is not enough time spent on the worldbuilding, in my opinion.

I made it to chapter 25, but I'll place my review in spoiler tags.


The major issue I had with this story has to do with these so-called 'weather bubbles', where the majority of the earth's population lives in (under?). Inside, everything's fine, outside it's hell on earth. The resistance live in four of these bubbles, tolerated by the regime because they provide 85% of the needed food (this comes back later in my review).

Thing is, it's completely up to the reader how these bubbles work, or even look like. Are they a physical dome? A forcefield? No idea, it is never mentioned. At some point, the Phoenix and her entourage need to journey to the lands of the regime. But there are no transitions, no airlocks or a similar device that marks a boundary. Outside it's 60C, but there are villages and settlements they come across. Are they in a bubble too? If not, how do they survive?

These portions of the worldbuilding (or is it world-destruction?) are complete ignored, and that bothers me intensely. To me, it looks like the author came up with a concept, but could not be bothered to think it through. Toss in some bubbles and that's how it is.

Next we have the regime. Their leader is such a cardboard copy of a cartoon villain, it isn't even funny. He rages and waves his gun around. The only person that can calm him down is his daughter, his confidante and adviser. That's great, but the entire book (well, up to chapter 25 anyway) we are told women have absolutely no say whatsoever in the society. So why does that not apply to the daughter? Granted, totalitarian regimes aren't really known for reason, but it struck me as weird.

The part that made me give up eventually, had to do with these weather bubbles and the food supply again. At some point, the dictator and his daughter discuss the fact that there's not quite enough food, and the resistance has to give up 95% (or thereabouts) of the food they grow. When it is clear that there's an active rebellion, the first thing the regime does, is to shut down these weather bubbles. When the Phoenix emerges above ground after some underground travel, they find people dying of the heat. Am I the only one recognizing the fact that the regime just destroyed 85% of their food supply with that move? People cannot handle 60C temperatures, and that includes crops as well. At that point I gave up.


I maybe overthinking things too much, but I feel that if you are writing science-fiction or dystopian stories, the one thing that makes or breaks the story is inconsistencies in your worldbuilding, or a world that hasn't been thought through enough.

[MEC · Rating 3 out of 5]

A relatively light science fiction novel set 70+ years in the future - a dystopian future where America has been divided into two - the isolationist, authoritarian, patriarchal police state that drugs its citizens to retain their power and and the outlying communities that have broken away but are hampered by limited resources and forced to trade the majority of their food in order to maintain some level of autonomy.

The book starts in the present where a beleaguered President sees the writing on the wall with the rise of a fear mongering opposition who are poised to take over the government. He creates the Phoenix Project where four specially selected people (specialists in military, technology, psychology and history) will be cryogenically frozen and able to be activated when it is time to retake the government and reinstate democracy and American ideals.

It's an interesting premise but the book itself just didn't work for me. I had more questions than answers with the world building, assumptions and overarching plot that kept pulling me out of the story. I didn't connect with either of the MCs and the romance seemed too stilted and forced.

While reading this one, a number of things kept bugging me and pulled me out of the story

Kaelyn is chosen because she's going to make such a good leader - but her character is relatively passive and never really leads.

If I were Kaelyn, I'd be moderately weirded out by Arrow's fixation - she's read/watched all her lectures and books, gone through all her personal stuff and has been sitting beside her cryogenically frozen body for years just talking to her. It's almost stalkerish.

If it is such a bad thing that the McLeods set up a ruling dynasty - passing the leadership from father to son, why is is such a good thing that the former President's daughter is supposed to be the chosen leader of the Resistance/new America without anyone questioning it?

Phoenixes - Just because you're an expert in current times, doesn't mean you'll be an expert 70 years in the future - the context of things like culture, geography, psychology is fluid ... it like saying if Thomas Jefferson showed up, he'd be the perfect leader for the present. And why only four and why these specialties.

That was the quickest and easiest coup ever ... was the population of the US reduced to a few thousand people all living in one city?

[Sam Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rise of the Resistance is a speculative dystopian story set in the later 21st Century. Runaway climate change has fuelled a populist uprising in the US where migrants, refugees and minorities of all sorts were violently suppressed. The remaining, rather homogeneous, populace is now kept docile and compliant. This part all seems an extreme, but very feasible, projection from the US of today.
Kaelyn is one of four potential political and social leaders cryogenically frozen decades prior by the last true democratic administration in the hope they could be revived and lead a struggle of renewal. Arrow has trained all her life to guard Kaelyn when she awakes.
I like much about this book. There are some great ideas underpinning this story and it is, of course, very topical. Both the lead characters are likeable and suitably conflicted. Some things I am less keen on. Firstly, everything just happens too fast. Something seems missing in the build-up to the main events. The romance is strong, but even though it mostly works in the story it again feels a bit rushed.
It seems to me that where a science-fiction story gets combined with a romance, the story development often gets rushed – and made to fit a “standard” romance novel length – rather than playing out naturally to a longer book more typical of speculative fiction.
Overall, this is a very solid four-star book and I enjoyed reading it. It just needed more time.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have so many feels about this book. I know it's supposed to be a dystopian drama, but it reads so much more like a prophecy. This book is well written and has many well developed characters. There isn't much to say without giving away too many details. I think the ending left open the possibility of a sequel and I'm really hoping that happens. There could even be prequel with this storyline. I'd read both, for pleasure and as a prophecy to prepare... I received an ARC from Net Galley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

[Dide · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 star rating
It is the future and we have both advancement in technology and backwardness in living. That alone had me querying the soundness of this era. Additionally, it seems the rebuilding and deliverance of the new world lies with PhD. holders which made got me rolling my eyes.
But that aside, this was an ok read. We have sort of a GI Jane protector to a thrust in time chosen one.
As seemingly action staged as this story is, it has little to no blood so very PG.

[Angela LaFleur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like reading Jackie D’s books. With her you will get action with a side of love. I would recommend this book if you like ladies who can kick ass.

[isa Simonet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like Jackie D.'s books and I think this one is one of her best.

The world we live in is coming to an end, and emissaries are being sent, cryogenically frozen, in the future to rebuild a new world.

Here we find strong and independent women.

The romance is very little developed, but will it be more in the second book ...

This book accurately describes the complexity of the human being, it was for me an excellent reading that I strongly recommends that one is or not a fan of dystopian. I am looking forward to the sequel.

[Best Lesfic Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action-packed and complex, this book has two immensely likeable MCs and a gripping storyline. Set in the future, this is a kind of a Black Mirroresque look at the world if it succumbs to bigotry and turns a blind eye to the environmental crisis that looms large.

Read the full review @https://bestlesficreviews.blogspot.co...

[Ceh131973 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing and well written. It is scary given everything that is currently going on. Maybe there is a plan like this in place. Has anyone seen both the Obama girls? Highly recommended.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all of Jackie D’s books and have love them all. Each one is filled with adventure and suspense and is always a page turnover. This book is about a society where there is great suffering and injustice and is mainly set in the year 2088.

Sixty-five years earlier (2023) there is so much political unrest in the United States. The Trapp administration decide to create a program to cryogenically freeze four carefully selected individuals who will be brought back to help defend democracy and establish order. This program is called Phoenix. One facet of the Phoenix plan is to have a collection of people whose prime responsibility is to orientate and assist the four individuals, who have been frozen for 65 years, to their roles in 2088.

Kaelyn Trapp, the daughter of the President, is the first main character. Because of her education and training she has been selected to be one of the individual frozen. Arrow Steele, who from birth, was trained to assist the resistance in fighting the political extremes currently in place. The two characters, along with many sub characters, take on the mission to try to save democracy.

The plot is strong and fast-paced. At times I felt some of the political unrest in this book was very similar to what we are facing today in the world. The characters were very well developed and believable. I found myself cheering on the “good-guys” in the fight for democracy.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for adventure. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. I hope there is a sequel.

I received this ARC from Bold Strokes Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.