A fast-paced, action-packed bloodlust thrill of a futuristic sci-fi romance

This was my seventh book I chose via the Reedsy Discovery program, for which I am the single approved reviewer for this new book. In this case, the author sought me out and asked me to review her trilogy, and after reading the synopsis I was intrigued. This review also appears on Reedsy.

If you’re interested in becoming a Reedsy reviewer (and have the chance to get paid “tips” to review books!) check it out here.

The Premise

30 years into the future, the 2020 COVID-19 virus has resulted in a breakdown of government trust, protests and rioting. The World Committee stepped in as the saviour, forcing nations back to normality after developing an effective vaccine, and peace returned. However, the Committee — now the supreme power — has limited public access to technological progress. The Web is restricted, but there is now sustainable development and free access to healthcare, education, and essential services. Massive “High Cities” exist with no crime, but there are “Undercities” where darkness and evil prevails. When the Undercity activities bleed into the High Cities, the “Facility” is sent in to destroy the evil-doers.

Against this futuristic backdrop, young Olivia is brought to the Facility (“Inside”) as an experiment, where she was trained to be a lethal assassin — alongside Jace, who was born in the Facility. She is raised by his family, and their time spent together brings the two of them closer. As they mature into adulthood, she keeps him at arm’s length, wary of letting her emotions overcome her and subsume them both. They are not officially “matched” with the Committee’s approval, so they cannot be together.

However, at the age of sixteen, a shared mission swiftly turns into something more, altering their relationship drastically. Before they have a chance to indulge in their new status, Olivia disappears without a trace. She is stolen and enslaved, forced to fight in the underworld’s Fight Pits. A valuable commodity, she soon gets a reputation as “Little Death” — slaying everyone in her way. Jace must get to her before it is too late, and she is destroyed by abuse at the hands of those who lust for her blood and her body.

The Pros & Cons

This was a fast-paced, action-packed bloodlust thrill of a futuristic sci-fi romance.

With a choppy, matter-of-fact writing style that mirrors the characters’ “assassin” mindsets, we are instantly transported to a world of extremes: extreme love and lust between Olivia and Jace, extreme evil via Olivia’s kidnappers, and extreme power via the unchallengeable “World Committee” that saved the world from its own demise:

Fear became a monster on its own, feeding on itself, feeding on the hopeless and the helpless. Humankind was fast heading toward starvation and destruction. That is when the World Committee stepped in.

There is no pause for breath as the novel pummels everything in its way to get to its end. Within its brief word count of around 40,000 words, we get a vivid picture of the inner workings of this dystopian future, and an intense love that bleeds through everything:

The love that started when they were just children has now exploded beyond all limits. There seems to be no satisfying this beast that has awoken in both of them — the more they feed it, the hungrier it becomes.

The detached way of relating the story intensifies its emotions, leaving you on the edge of your seat in the centre of the visceral explosion of feeling. The choice of present tense enhances this, as every occurrence is relayed as fact.

Carrying the story on her shoulders is Olivia — the blood demon with golden eyes who slays all in her path — and her thoughts are the machinations of a brutal, trained killer. When she pounces, it is absolute:

She will not allow this despicable monster to live for one more second than is necessary.

Similarly, Jace is a tightly wound bullet of rage and action:

His command of the team assembled to find Subject Olivia is not to be messed with, and he does not tolerate incompetence for a second.

As Jace races against the clock to get to his Olivia, he also battles the rules of their world and the unjust pairing with another girl, Shanty, but his mind never leaves Olivia.

The intensity of their love powers through this swift-paced novel, scorching everything along the way. While there are few surprises, and there are moments of world-building I wish were expounded upon more, this all falls away as the plot bucks and arcs at the right points to propel you through the story along with its characters.

I found myself wishing it were longer, but the saving grace is that there is more, so much more, still to come.

Conclusion

At its core, this is a love story with a fierce beast of a woman at its centre, whose mind cannot be broken even though her body very nearly is, time and time again. Behind her is a man who will fight to the death for her, and values not just her body or her personality, but her indestructible will to survive.

Despite it being couched in a sci-fi, futuristic action-adventure tale with a dash of the paranormal, the underlying theme is one that makes your heart swell with pride and admiration for a love that knows no bounds. I highly recommend for both male and female adult readers, and can’t wait to dive into the next instalment.

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