The Wall: A Dystopian Love Story Thriller

by L.J. Sellers

What if a cult became a nation/state and isolated itself . . . for 50 years? THE WALL is a gripping love-story thriller set in that secretive and brutal future.

Jayla’s world shatters when her sister goes over the perimeter wall and is killed by Savages—but grief is just the beginning of her nightmare. When an Enforcer catches her crying in public, he drags her off to a brutal detention camp, where she begins to have doubts about the enclave. Yet between those moments, she meets Ronin, a kindred empath.

Ronin, a bodytaker, experiences his own awakening when he tinkers with his state-issued phone and receives a message from a stranger outside the wall. And he falls madly in love with Jayla—a woman of a different class whom he can never be with.

As their troubles escalate to a life-and-death crisis, so do the enclave’s. Jayla and Ronin are determined to expose the deceitful authoritarian regime, but to free everyone, will they have to sacrifice their own lives?

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Dystopia, Thriller Suspense

284 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 17, 2022

About the author

I write the bestselling Detective Jackson mystery/thriller series—a four-time Readers Favorite award winner—as well as the Agent Dallas series, the Extractor thrillers, and provocative standalone thrillers. My 30 novels have been highly praised and have sold more than a million copies.

I reside in Eugene, Oregon where my many of my novels are set, and I'm also an award-winning journalist who earned the Grand Neal. When not plotting murders, I enjoy standup comedy, cycling, social networking, and attending mystery conferences. I've also been known to jump out of airplanes.

Reviews

[Rick]

A fast-paced and compelling futuristic story that left me wondering if we’re already on the way toward the hellish world the book depicts. Highly recommended!

[Alexandra Lundgren]

A different style for the author and I love it

I have long been a fan of L.J. Sellers books. This one is not a crime based story, but still has the character development, excitement and ability to through in a surprise twist I expect from the author. I could barely put it down before finishing.

[Gayle]

You know you're in the hands of a fabulous author when they throw you into an unknown world with strangers and keep you informed enough to keep turning the page. LJ Sellers has crafted a frightening yet believable place and likeable characters to root for. Life in this dystopia is grim, but Jayla and Ronin strive for better, and had me completely invested in their journey. I highly recommend this story.
PS, I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy--but I only leave positive reviews for books I positively love!

[L.J.]

I know it's not cool to rate your own books, but I loved writing this one, and my readers seem to love reading it.

[Virginia Schott]

I was lucky enough to receive an arc of this book and what a phenomenal read!!! My first 5 star of the month.

[Cathryn Melani (cat.inspired)]

Described as a Dystopian romance thriller, The Wall was an interesting read and I was guilty of binge reading it to see what happened at the end.

Set in a walled enclave, to keep the people safe from the savages outside Ronin and Jayla are thrown together in a series of life and death situations. Totally different from the usual life they lead following directives from their commanders and split into class tiers.

At times I found parts of the story a bit rushed, I personally would have liked to see certain storylines go into more detail, however, this was a really interesting concept for a storyline.

Danger, romance, lies, conspiracy, friendship and the fear of who to trust made this a gripping read.

[Mickey Hoffman]

Very suspenseful and interesting tale. If I have any disappointment with the book, it's that
the story behind the enclave's existence wasn't fully explained. What exactly happened
in the outside world when the enclave chose to isolate?
I think I've read every book by this author now. Hope she keeps writing.

[Linda]

Interessant verhaal, maar op sommige punten voelde het nogal gehaast verteld. Een aantal scènes had beter uit de verf kunnen komen als er een paar bladzijdes langer over gedaan was om ze te vertellen. Nu was het nogal hap-snap.

[Robin Benore Wallace]

read in 1 /2 days!

This book was so different from LJ SELLERS usual books! I could not put it down! Maybe a follow up?

[Brad Audiobibliophile]

First of all let me say that this is a review of the Audible Audiobook edition narrated by Julia Shreve.

I don’t usually read or listen to dystopian novels but something about this one intrigued me and I decided to give it a go. So glad I did. It turned out to be a very well written story with believable characters that you can’t help liking…well except for the villains who are just as easy to dislike.

Narration is very good although the beginning of each chapter seems quiet compared to the end of the previous one. Perhaps a bit volume balancing is needed but either way it in no way spoils the audiobook. I’d highly recommend this book and will be looking out for more by L.J. Sellers.

I was given a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review.

[Suzie]

Ummmm...a little to gritty for my taste. And the love story between Ronin and Jayla is far fetched at points and just plain boring! (Also, the detailed descriptions of blood and gore made me sick to my stomach. More a survival story than a love story, in my opinion.) But I'm probably just weak, and if you like these kinds of dystopian love stories, this book is for you! But if you are sensitive to things like death, bloodshed, and violence, or don't like over rated love stories, (aka me,) I would find another book to read. No offense to dystopian fans, I can understand why some might like it.

[Candie]

I enjoyed this dystopian quick read. There were some parts of the story that I found unbelievable but there wasn't enough to make me want to stop reading.