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The Queen of What Remains
Deserted in the wilderness of Central Asia, the Tribe of teenagers must pick up the pieces of a world crumbling apart. Kevin and Pax disappeared into the forest, leaving behind a void and difficult questions. Volume two of the Decades Series delves into the darkness of human nature as Fetien, Eva, and Michael confront the new world and their old crimes, all while trying to find their lost friends and determine who is really the enemy. It isn't long before they realize the stark truth: The only thing more dangerous than our future is our past.
Praise for Volume One, The Tribe of Iodine Wine:
"I was riveted. The way Pacini portrayed teenagers really drew me into his world - finally a YA book where the kids actually seem like young adults....And that plot -fantastic!"
--Miranda Reads--Number One Goodreads Reviewer, 2018, United States
"Drop what you're reading and drop your preconceptions of YA stereotypes because a Tribe of Iodine Wine will shock you into a whirlwind of emotions."
--Jennifer Barrett--Number One Goodreads Reviewer, 2018, South Africa
Praise for Volume One, The Tribe of Iodine Wine:
"I was riveted. The way Pacini portrayed teenagers really drew me into his world - finally a YA book where the kids actually seem like young adults....And that plot -fantastic!"
--Miranda Reads--Number One Goodreads Reviewer, 2018, United States
"Drop what you're reading and drop your preconceptions of YA stereotypes because a Tribe of Iodine Wine will shock you into a whirlwind of emotions."
--Jennifer Barrett--Number One Goodreads Reviewer, 2018, South Africa
- GenresFiction
248 pages, Paperback
First published December 28, 2018
1 person is currently reading
1660 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 11, 2025
The apocalypse has come and gone.
"Congrats. We're all bad people. But at least we're alive bad people."
The band of teenagers, known as the Tribe of Iodine Wine, has teamed up with the "LDS" kids and the "Mexican" kids and have made their escape from the military complex into the wilds.
They've made peace with the locals, established a base (of sorts) and have begun rebuilding the society they left behind.
And just when they really seem to have gotten a handle on this whole surviving-the-apacolypse thing...they are completely shaken to the core.
Kevin and Pax, their unofficial leaders, are gone and between the infighting, the struggle for survival and the dark side if human nature.... what's left of the tribe is crumbling.
"If America falls, the world falls. What comes next - the brutality, oppression, savagery - that's the norm; that's the bulk of human history."Fetty - former refugee, "mean girl" and current huntress - struggles to piece together where everything went wrong.
And the more she looks, the less she wants to know.
I run through the forest hidden from everyone except the crows. They follow me...Michael - haunted by the results of his actions - twists with anxiety and horror.
What if everyone finds out...? And what if they never know...
I feel the truth straight through to my bones. This isn't the start of the apocalypse. No, this is just the return to our normal.Eva - well let's just say, Eva has her own plans...
Evil is a learned addiction that takes hold faster than any drug.The Tribe of Iodine Wine is about to face their worst fears - can they hold it together long enough to survive in this post-apocalypse world or will they die trying?
Then it hits me: I no longer have a home.Wow - an absolutely thrilling sequel!
After that mind-blowing first novel, I really didn't know how Pacini could have followed it but rest assured - this sequel delivered.
The plot was exciting and engaging - I was absolutely riveted from the get-go!
Much like the first novel there was an absolute ton happening - multiple perspectives, interweaving storylines and a few timejumps - but they all came together in a really cohesive story.
The characters - already rather fleshed out from the first novel - really grew into their personalities.
In addition, I was pleased that several relatively minor characters from book 1 were brought to life.
Fetty (my favorite) was completely different from the first book, but her character evolved so naturally that it was only at the end that I realized what a journey she's been on.
This sequel is definitely not one to miss and I am eagerly awaiting the third novel. Cannot wait to find out what happens next!
With thanks to the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
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January 28, 2019
This time last year, I was reading the first in this trilogy, and I loved it! Now, I've just finished this one... and I can't wait for the third book to be out!! Y'all seriously need to read these books! Now. STAT. Go do it!!!
January 7, 2019
If you’re like me you have been wondering what the hell happened to all your favorite characters from Pacini’s first novel, The Tribe of Iodine Wine. What happened to Pax and Kevin, Fetien, Lupina, Charlette, Michael, and Jaden? In this, Volume two of Decades (a three part series), Pacini picks us up off the cliff he left us hanging on at the end of volume one. The teenagers are still trying to survive in a foreign land. Some have made a home in Caxm, a small village in Tajikistan’s rigid and unforgiving landscape. Caxm rests in a valley of fruit orchards where the native villagers and the American teens have found a way to coexist peacefully. Some of your favorite characters from Pacini’s last book may no longer be, and you may find some new admiration for the characters you despised. Eva is one of those for me. How she and the others behave under the endless pressure of their new lives is an interesting observation in human nature. What I like about Pacini’s characters is that they are dynamic, possessing both good and evil, beneficence and greed. Pacini cleverly illustrates the book’s most enduring theme: that selfish individuals may win within a group, but a group of selfish individuals stands no chance against of group of cooperating altruists. Pacini is also careful not to play into cultural stereotypes and has clearly done his research in staying true to the geographic area he chose to write about. Central Asia is a beautiful and complicated region with a rich history and, of course, it’s share of oppression and civil war. The area was once part of the Soviet Union and is home to many different languages including but not limited to Russian and Tajik. Across the River Panj is Afghanistan, just a stone’s throw from the shore of Tajikistan. Pacini does well to focus on the characters as people trying to survive and not demonize groups based on ethnicity. This volume has a strong sense of authenticity. Pacini continues getting more comfortable with himself as a writer as the quality of his writing seems to be improving by the sentence. I definitely recommend this and can’t wait for volume three.
September 28, 2019
This review is for both books in the Decades series. Let me start by saying that I enjoyed reading these books. The writing was good and the story was entertaining. Pacini managed to make his characters seem like different people, which is important when you write multiple POV stories. He also gets an A for diversity - characters are of multiple ethnicities (Caucasian, Ethiopian, African-American, mixed race, and Latinx) and religions (LDS, Judaism, Islam), and ability (one character is confined to a wheelchair, another shows symptoms of sociopathy, and several show signs of PTSD) and these characters all have unique viewpoints. I was truly entertained by the series. If that’s all you’re looking for, this may be a book for you.
Nevertheless, I could not justify giving this book more than two stars. Why? Because it was set in the real world, made to seem as if it were a realistic apocalyptic dystopian novel, but was so completely and utterly outside the realm of possibility as to be laughable - only it’s suggestions weren’t funny.
First off, by now you know that America is in civil war. No one in their right mind would have dropped a nuke on their own country just to start a civil war. Nuclear fallout has decades of impact. Why would you want to control a country that you’ve essentially made useless? And shipping all the 14-18 year olds out of country is also idiotic if you want to have a civil war - those are all the people who will be soldiers in the next few years. They’re too young and stupid to be good colonialists (which, granted, the book does show).
And by the way, did the author really think countries in the Middle East were just going to sit there and be part of new America? Countries have these things called Allies. America has something called Enemies. Politics is precariously balanced on the edge of a knife. No one is going to be happy if we start grabbing land - that’s a huge shift in power. Other big players will get involved.
What really got me was the part where one of the characters said that if America wasn’t free, then nobody was free. Are you freaking kidding me? America is 17th on Cato’s Human Freedom Index, 10th on the World Index of Moral Freedom, 25th on the Democracy Index, and a depressing 48th on the Press Freedom Index. America is hardly the paragon of freedom the author makes it out to be.
Then there’s the atrocities committed by the American soldiers. Certain crimes, like rape, are about power. Others, like cannibalism, are about survival (except in the case of the occasional depraved individual). When Fetty freed the teens at the camp, it’s clear that MPREs were still available to the soldiers. Cannibalism is abhorrent to humans; that the soldiers were participating in the practice before they were in danger of starving reads like torture porn. (Also, soldiers with guns could go steal sheep and crops... just saying).
I could go on, but I think by now you get my point. Although I initially enjoyed the book, the Americentrism and poor research just left a bad taste in my mouth. If you don’t care about that stuff, then this will be a good read for you. Otherwise, take heed.
Nevertheless, I could not justify giving this book more than two stars. Why? Because it was set in the real world, made to seem as if it were a realistic apocalyptic dystopian novel, but was so completely and utterly outside the realm of possibility as to be laughable - only it’s suggestions weren’t funny.
First off, by now you know that America is in civil war. No one in their right mind would have dropped a nuke on their own country just to start a civil war. Nuclear fallout has decades of impact. Why would you want to control a country that you’ve essentially made useless? And shipping all the 14-18 year olds out of country is also idiotic if you want to have a civil war - those are all the people who will be soldiers in the next few years. They’re too young and stupid to be good colonialists (which, granted, the book does show).
And by the way, did the author really think countries in the Middle East were just going to sit there and be part of new America? Countries have these things called Allies. America has something called Enemies. Politics is precariously balanced on the edge of a knife. No one is going to be happy if we start grabbing land - that’s a huge shift in power. Other big players will get involved.
What really got me was the part where one of the characters said that if America wasn’t free, then nobody was free. Are you freaking kidding me? America is 17th on Cato’s Human Freedom Index, 10th on the World Index of Moral Freedom, 25th on the Democracy Index, and a depressing 48th on the Press Freedom Index. America is hardly the paragon of freedom the author makes it out to be.
Then there’s the atrocities committed by the American soldiers. Certain crimes, like rape, are about power. Others, like cannibalism, are about survival (except in the case of the occasional depraved individual). When Fetty freed the teens at the camp, it’s clear that MPREs were still available to the soldiers. Cannibalism is abhorrent to humans; that the soldiers were participating in the practice before they were in danger of starving reads like torture porn. (Also, soldiers with guns could go steal sheep and crops... just saying).
I could go on, but I think by now you get my point. Although I initially enjoyed the book, the Americentrism and poor research just left a bad taste in my mouth. If you don’t care about that stuff, then this will be a good read for you. Otherwise, take heed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2019
Excellent book!!!
June 4, 2019
Sooooo good!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews