Set in a dystopian future, the novel begins with Saxon and Manny finding a young girl (Kerina) in the wasteland at the edge of their village, presumed dead. The distance between towns is large and the terrain is unforgiving. To their complete surprise the young woman is alive and despite potential ramifications for hiding a rambler, they decide to take her in.
Saxon and Kerina embark on a fraught journey where they both discover their fates are more intertwined than either of them could believe. The Burn (a catastrophic event that left people with solar power as their only source of energy) has taken so much from the people of these towns and the village leadership is of an authoritarian nature. It is the early decisions of these dominating rulers after the Burn that seal Saxon and Karina’s fate and the drastic events that unfold.
Wray sets a cracking pace in this book and her characters are very well developed. I found myself many times unable to stop reading as I wanted to find out the fates of all the characters not just Saxon and Kerina. Despite the dystopian setting of the novel and the authoritarian nature of the government, Wray still manages to infuse optimism and hope throughout. Something that is very important given the trying times experienced in the last few years.
I really enjoyed this great read from Melissa Wray and look forward to future novels. I feel there could be a sequel to this as one of the thoughts Saxon has is ‘The Burn was selective in its damage’ when detailing the consequences of the disaster. This has really intrigued me. Does this mean the Burn was on purpose? It’s not really discussed further, and I feel it could potentially be a great storyline.
Great read, well written
4 out of 5.
theaspiringcaffeinatedlibrarian 