In a ruined world, mankind survives in a society that values intelligence above all else. Recent graduate Anna has earned an esteemed position working in genetic science, but risks it all smuggling restricted goods to her less fortunate foster sister. Anna is caught at the border crossing, where a militant guard promises he’ll overlook her crime in exchange for slides of altered DNA she must steal from the lab.
When chaos erupts, Anna escapes into the depths of the city among an underground community with a revolution on its agenda. Now, not only is she a smuggler and a thief, but she’s also a traitorous rebel. Her crimes have taken her further than she ever intended and out of touch with the sister she desperately wants to save. Her struggle to make things right spins out of control when she collides with a man from the life she left behind. He hides powerful secrets. Convincing him to help her prevent the government from culling the people she’s grown to love will take much more than the underhanded scheming she’s relied upon in the past.
Watching her students search the library for the next viral-vampire-romance inspired Sarah to write fiction that would resonate with the same powerful thrills, danger, and dopamine rush while presenting an alternative supernatural worldview.
Sarah writes dystopian and paranormal fiction with compelling characters and unexpected plot turns. Her debut novel, SOUL HACKER, a young adult dystopian, is a 2020 Realm Makers Reader’s Choice Award semi-finalist.
Sarah plans to survive the apocalypse using determination and adaptability, along with her husband who has every other survival skill. They live in the Midwest.
I really loved this book. I was invested in the characters right away and I felt like the author took me on a journey through this interesting time and place. It was very fast paced (I read it in 5 days, which is fast for me!) and smartly written. There were some surprises along the way too. It’s great for young adults as it’s pretty clean.
Excellent read for fans of Veronica Roth's Divergent or Margaret Haddix's Shadow Children. An interesting dystopian world, although I'd love a little more detail. Anna was an excellent protagonist, but some of the minor characters blended together, and the book could have used a little more detail in some of the major conflicts.