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The heavy price of refusal

After losing her home and her family, Silverstasia Blackwood finds herself in the middle of nowhere, led only by a stranger and a promise of a new life.

But it isn’t long before threats begin lurking nearby.

Could these enemies be connected to the Elites?

Are they still after her?

Find out in the action-packed book #2 of the Project Ambrosia series.

287 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 3, 2022

539 people are currently reading
518 people want to read

About the author

Shade Owens

54 books299 followers

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237 (19%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
Profile Image for Diana.
45 reviews
April 30, 2023
I fell in love with the first book so I brought 2 and 3 at the same time.
However when I read that the MC was gay..I regretted that decision. Nothing against gay characters.. But being the main character and heroin..it just doesn't fit. My personal opinion.. The author should've considered writing in a sexy charming funny male character for silver. This book is in need of a strong male character.. All the guys so far are soft as pillows
So sadly I won't be continuing the series
Profile Image for One.
148 reviews1 follower
September 20, 2022
So we are back with Silver and the other survivors. No one more than Silver whom is reeling from the revelations of book 1 and mourning the losses she suffered. Silver now alone in the world is faced with more challenges and dangers than ever before. I want to say that I like this story because it is very similar to "The Hunger Games". The districts, the lottery and the tyrannical rule so very similar. My problem is that I really really hate Silver. She has no survival skills, she's is naive and she is uneducated in very way. I do not understand how she can inspire such loyalty by only saying no. From what people say no one really knew what Lutum was or how the people were treated, so why are you so impressed. And oh my freaking god that loyalty is so unsteady if I was Silver I would sleep with my eyes open and a knife in my hand.
Profile Image for Lulu.
372 reviews
November 27, 2023
I thought it was weird when the characters in Division 9 were killed off just as we were getting to know them. Then most the other breeders were killed off after we got to know them too. This series is extremely disjointed. "Meet these people! Dead! Meet these people! Dead! Now go meet more people! We'll probably kill them off too!" MC has done nothing to inspire beyond saying no. She's not that interesting of a person either.
I was anticipating the little romance that dystopian books are good for...but all of a sudden, our MC is gay. Along with multiple other characters. Inclusion is important, it's real to have at least one or two gay characters in a book. And I have nothing against the LGBTQ community, but I am not keen on books that make every other character that way. It's not realistic. And it kinda kills it for me. I sincerely hope it's a great angle for many readers, but not my jam. So... between that and so many characters dying, and our MC being thrown into multiple different homes in matter of days, it's just impossible to relate to. I wanted to love this series but by the middle of book 2, I've been tossed from place to place to place and had all my favorite characters killed, or otherwise forgotten, and just not understanding Silver at all, I'm done.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
13 reviews
January 27, 2024
Getting better

Silver isn't as annoying as the first book. She's actually asking real questions this time, not just repeating the last word of the sentence someone spoke. So that's a +. Fleshing out more relationships, not many to be honest. We know 1 somewhat backstory...Sadie. But better than nothing. Finns past is quickly mentioned by Reina but not much detail. Anyway, its better than the first book. I hope that continues. Please don't let silver revert back to the annoying almost adult she was in book 1.
Profile Image for Ryanreads.
188 reviews
March 13, 2024
Idk how I feel about reading a book about slavery from a white girls perspective. And I bring that up because she always brings up the skin of Rose. But whatever it's a decent read just a weird feeling to fantasize about the atrocities that really happened to people for hundreds of years
Profile Image for Devon Brugh.
189 reviews
July 3, 2022
First book grabbed me.. second just couldn’t keep my interest
Profile Image for Bella vs. Books.
68 reviews2 followers
February 20, 2022
Actual rating: 4.5/5 Stars (rounded down)

**I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review for anyone out there who might be interested in it. I believe that this series, as well as other books from the author, are available on Kindle Unlimited.

The title speaks for itself: Evolved. It's even better than the first book! Action-packed, fast-paced, takes you on a roller coaster of emotions, and lots of likeable characters. I also appreciate how much Silver's character has developed this early in the series.

I also liked how easily I have emerged with the imaginary world created. Each place and creature was well-described, too!

The only thing I noticed is that, many supporting characters are being introduced, that the previous ones were overshadowed, when they had the opportunity to shine in other scenes.

It wasn't much of a problem, though. The story still came out beautiful and left me wanting more. I loved the turn of events. The twist and turns sure is toying with my emotions! I even shed a tear at one point. I enjoyed reading this. I'm so excited for the third book! ♥️
294 reviews7 followers
December 20, 2021
I received a copy of this book from the author.

This is the sequel to The Girl Who Refused Immortality and is an exciting read.

You might think that after getting thrown off of the train and surviving all of Silver’s problems would be over. Not so.

This story takes the reader on the roller coaster ride that is what happens to Silver and her friends after the train journey.

It describes the differences between the knowledge that Silver and her friends have of Lutum and Olympia with their rescuers who think that Silver and her friends have had an easy life.

Well written and well worth a read if you enjoyed The Girl who Refused Immortality. If you haven’t read it then I would recommend you give it a try.
6 reviews
May 29, 2025
The story continues with the adventures of the weakest heroine ever. Silver is uneducated, naive, with no survival skills, and is as winey as all get out. This still seems like a direct rip-off of the hunger games, with a few simple changes. After reading it, I wonder why anyone would put up with Silver, let alone risk their life for her. Even she can't figure out why they would. I've started on Book 3, hoping that this will all start to make sense soon.
Profile Image for Mike Nyberg.
785 reviews5 followers
January 27, 2023
Definitely a step back for me from the first installment. The main character makes little progress. The world the story is built in, and other characters weren't convincing.
Profile Image for Melanie.
57 reviews6 followers
March 3, 2022
After book 1, Chosen, I had high expectations for book 2. It. Did. Not. Disappoint.

Book 1 ended on a cliff-hanger with all the Breeders being thrown off the train. Book 2 opens with Silver battered and bruised but alive!!! Not everyone was so fortunate. Silver is found and taken to a village called Ortus, where everyone appears free and happy, which is a strange concept to poor Silver. In this new free life, there are still rules and dangers, and never forget about the Elites.

The characters in Chosen and Evolved are so well done. Written in first-person narration, I felt everything Silver felt. I love her, she’s so relatable: she struggles to show emotion, she doesn’t want to be a hero but follows her heart and does what she feels is right, she’s not brave in the conventional sense but not scared to defend her friends or people unable to defend themselves, she’s doesn’t know much in this new world but she has good instincts.

To sum it up, fast-paced and well-written. A lot happens. Nothing is constant. Page-turner. Sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat. Twists and turns. Major cliff-hanger!

I can’t wait for book 3!!!

Thank you to the author and BookSirens for providing me with this free ARC eBook in exchange for an honest review! For my full book review, please head over to my blog, chocolatebookscats.wordpress.com.
Profile Image for Nicole.
155 reviews2 followers
March 4, 2022
As I said on the first book. This is a read for fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent books

Shade Owens has written another page turner. In this book you get to see how those outside of Lutum and Olympus survive…or don’t. It continues to be a cutthroat environment and the grass isn’t always greener on the other side when “the girl who refused immortality” is among you. The Elites appear to still want her dead and will stop at nothing to see it done.

Things I enjoyed about the book: It’s never boring, you meet new likable characters and Shade always leaves plenty of room to build more on to the world.

Things that bothered me: Without spoiling anything, the main character obviously needs things happening around her to keep it interesting, BUT sometimes authors will push it a little too far. It feels like towards the end Shade is walking a very fine line where it can go either way. The second thing that bothered me was how very little Silver’s friends from the first book were mentioned. They became background characters and I felt like their friendship should have grown closer in the light of freedom “so to speak.” They were all willing to die for each other in the first book. Silver was frantic about them and then…nothing. Lastly, Silver is so very naive about things in the first book, but she knew what “the eye” was.

Anyway, it’s a good book and there will be another one so Im on board for it.

** I received this ARC for free from BookSirens and am willingly leaving this review **
Profile Image for Ashlee.
482 reviews4 followers
December 4, 2025
I’m slightly disappointed by book #2. I wanted to enjoy this book as much as the first, but this one went down some paths that just didn’t make sense to me. I love the idea that this is a book about dystopia. But in book #2, all of a sudden were getting deep into fantasy with demons or creatures? Maybe that’s not where things will land, but there wasn’t enough going towards or away from those ideas so I didn’t love that turn away from dystopia.

I don’t have any issue with the main female being gay. It felt like such a massive, missed opportunity though. Having gay characters would have been a great storyline, but the main female just didn’t make much sense. There’s the idea that these citizens didn’t have a right to choose about having kids, particularly the “birthers.” If the main female had a male love interest, it could have been such a storyline already present, that had much more raw emotion and a platform to touch on such an important concept. The decision to have children of your own doing, and in this books case, the ability to even think about it.

I don’t know. I may or may not move on to book #3. These books somewhat just stop and leave you on not just a cliffhanger, but more of an unfinished thought.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Laura (auntieyorgareads).
91 reviews9 followers
February 17, 2022
I received an advance review copy of this eBook for free from the author and BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily as a courtesy.

I was so excited to receive a notification that Evolved, Book 2 of The Immortal Ones series by Shade Owens was available for review and I jumped right on the the request link to get a copy to read! I was not disappointed with what I found in this sequel to Chosen.

After leaving us with a cliffhanger on Book 1, Evolved brings us right back to where Silver left off and we are taken to a settlement where we meet a cast of new characters and see some of those from Book 1 return as well. Excellent world and character building, the evolution of some (hence the title), and tons of action and thrills await you in the wonderfully written sequel. I fell even more in love with Silver, discovered a couple of new characters to respect and admire, and got sucked into the lengths that the Elites will go to in order to maintain their "perfect" world.

I can't wait for Book 3!!!
Profile Image for Reads_Must .
963 reviews13 followers
March 22, 2023
Evolved
The Immortal Ones #2
Dystopian
Shade Owens
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really liked how the plot progressed in this book.

It was great to see Silver slowly become more confident and the relationship between Sadie and Silver change.

There were one or two things that were predictable but that didn't stop me from enjoying how it all unfolded.

The side characters are well developed and Darby is one of my favourite characters. She's so caring and I'm glad that Silver had someone to comfort her like her grandmother would have done.

The fighting scenes were well done and the settlement of survivors was interesting but I'd like to find out more about the people called The Woodfaces and the Daemons too. They were mentioned quite a bit but the information about them is quite limited.

I'd also like to have some other POVs too, just to make things more interesting.

Overall I'm really enjoying this series so far.
Profile Image for alishasbooknook.
196 reviews2 followers
September 29, 2025
I liked this as soon as I started, reading about what happened after how the first book ended was interesting but tragic at the same time. I liked learning about new characters and the tribe that Silver and her friends joined.

This one was a lot more intense and suspenseful which I loved. There was a lot more action and moments where I was on the edge of my seat. There was also a lot of revelations that I wasn’t expecting at all especially one of them, that completely shocked me.

Even though the people of Ortus had to overcome many obstacles, the majority of them stayed strong and Silver started to step up and come out of her shell more too. While she had always been outspoken, being in Ortus has made her strong and braver. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

Overall, I loved this. It had so much more action and suspenseful scenes that were so gripping. The ending was a cliffhanger but that just means I can start the next book immediately.
Profile Image for Kelsey Michalsen.
87 reviews
November 29, 2024
I don’t really know how to describe it. I enjoy the plotline, the writing itself is just so… elementary. It’s hard to read at times, slow, dragging, and i have a hard time connecting with the characters. I didn’t really find myself super entranced with this book and felt more like I was reading fast just to get it over with. The romance interest feels unnatural and forced. Problem are just obsessed with silver for… well honestly… not a really good reason. She did one thing and people see her as the beacon of hope but I’m not getting why exactly?

What I do like in this book specifically is silver starts to develop into a leader vs scared little girl now.

I’m not sure if I will continue the series or not. I might just choose to read another book in the meantime and give this series a break.

I don’t think I would recommend the book to others.
Profile Image for Delphia  Von Heeder .
1,729 reviews50 followers
February 14, 2022
Evolved is Book 2 of The Immortal Ones by Shade Owens. Chosen, Book 1, was an amazing story. In my opinion, Evolved is just as outstanding and very different from Chosen. Evolved begins where Chosen ends; Penelope gets Silver after she was thrown off the train. Silver discovered that there is a village in Death Valley where survivors from the Immortals live. But, there are other dangers. The Eye, I thought it might be a drone, Woodfaces, a warrior group, and Daemons, are feared and control the forest. Evolved has so much action, fighting, death, destruction, everyone wants Silver… she refused immortality. Can this ragtag group survive a tornado? You will have to read the book to see! I promise you will not be disappointed. I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.
Profile Image for faye.
17 reviews
January 25, 2023
i honestly tore through this book, the same way i did the first one, i was not able to put it down, but it took me a little longer, only due to a cross country move and couldnt sit there and read through it like i wanted.
owens has done a fantastic job at creating a beautiful world that captivates you and pulls you in. im always curious to know more and more about the world, the people, and the cultures owens has created.
there was no romance in the first book, but i can honestly see a budding romance between silver and another character and i am interested to see how owens makes this happen. im not too fond of romance with a side of dystopian, i much prefer the romance to take the back seat, so im hopeful that owens keeps this up, as i read on.

Profile Image for Cathy.
242 reviews13 followers
June 15, 2022
Pretty great storyline, well written

I Really like the premise of this story line, the world the author has created and the characters. Horrible people doing horrific things to others for their own greed, power and comfort. Typical selfish inhumane behavior that we see everyday in this world we live in. I just hope we don't get as bad as the world in this story, but we're not too far from it as it is. Unfortunately!
8 reviews
March 30, 2025
evolved book 2

A fantastic follow up to the 1st novel. A whole new world opens up for Silver and her friends. And yet the Elites are always waiting in the background. Sending the Woodfaces in to capture Silver has a disastrous outcome for the people of Ortus.
It seems all is lost when New Ortus is destroyed. Defeat, anger, fear run through the people of Ortus but Silver rallies the people onward to find a new, safer place to begin again.
Profile Image for Mary.
346 reviews13 followers
February 21, 2022
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Loved this one as much as the first one!! Can't wait for the second one.

Great follow on from the first book, further building the characters, the world, adding new elements into the fray.

Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Christine Cazeneuve.
1,465 reviews41 followers
April 5, 2022
Better and better

This story just gets better which is not always the case in sequels. Emotions run high as the story continues. Some beloved characters are lost and some new characters are introduced. I actually enjoyed this book a little more than the first. The third book comes out in a little more than a week and I can't wait!
Profile Image for Jolandie Mielitz .
106 reviews7 followers
July 29, 2022
This was a stepup from the first book which really set the tone. I was able to geuss a few of the plot twist before they happened but to be honest there is so much on offer that I was genuinely surprised by some of the bigger ones. Can't wait to see how this plays out in the last book. Really worth reading.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Brooke Wilson.
342 reviews4 followers
May 24, 2025
🎧(audiobook)

Good for the car- good not great.
Silver has escaped, and with her friends are trying to make a new life in Ortus.

The elites are hunting her because she is a beakon of hope for those who want change- when she doesn’t even believe in herself

Now Ortus is the target- where will they go?

Started book 3
45 reviews5 followers
March 6, 2022
The Evolved is a fantastic sequel to the first book in the Immortal Ones series. As with the prequel, the author made a fantastic fast paced page turner, that you cannot put down. The book is consistent and the characters are awesome. I definitely recommend reading it!
677 reviews1 follower
May 19, 2022
Yep the next third same as the first short and easy to read Nothing really happens until the end and then you have to wait to the next book to find out what happens So you will have to wait for my review
Profile Image for Sam.
2,553 reviews41 followers
August 23, 2022
A really good second part to this exciting dystopian series! Really well written, the story picks up directly after the last book & is a whirl wind adventure as the girls try to survive! New friends, new enemies! A great read! I do recommend!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Rosa.
255 reviews22 followers
August 26, 2022
Not sure why exactly, but not digging Finn. Is he hiding something? Or was the story written to make the reader suspicious of him? It's odd that we went from sticks and stones to army tanks. Still loving the story and world built.
94 reviews
September 13, 2024
great adventure!

So far a book of survival above all odds. Silver is a heroic soul without realizing it yet looks live they git lucky in the end. Looking forward to continue this journey with them in book 3.
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