The first book in the series has to be read to understand this one. My review of The Rising Storm can be found here.

My review

The story continued on with Carter’s journey outside the Community where he learned about people who had survived the Storms and the Industry, and he got to know his truth.

90 years earlier, Alice too slowly felt the change in the policies of the Industry and its Model Community. But it was only after her good friend was shot, Alice, pregnant and scared, plucked up her courage and made newer, startling discoveries

This is my second book by the author Ceri A Lowe, and I found this better than the first as I was well oriented with their world. The story still followed the lives of Alice and Carter, and I found myself eagerly waiting, longing for the two stories to connect. And it did!! With a shocking discovery!!

I thought I knew how the stories were going to connect, but this was unexpected. I found Alice both naive and intelligent. Her character seemed to be caught between the older and newer principles of wanting a better future. She was naive enough to still trust the wrong people till they betrayed her and took everything away from her…

Carter, on the other hand, grew mature, open minded, and adaptable to his newer situation. Reading their chapters alternatively went smoother in this book. I wanted to commend Carter for being a natural leader, as opposed to wanting to scream at Alice for seeing the blatant truth. The book sure incited my emotions.

The biggest niggle I had was when Alice was shown the truth by the head honchos of the Paradigm Industry, she said – I am Alice Davenport. I wanted to turn back and snap at her – So what??? This happened quite a few times.

Overall, an enjoyable Sunday read.

2 timeliness that keep you gripped
2 characters that keep you hooked
One is present, escaping the past
The other is future, living the past
Till the story twists, as the plan flies faster
Alice and Carter make the book a roller-coaster

I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Bookouture, and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating : 4 stars

Book blurb

As the storms rage around her, 15-year-old Alice Davenport is trained by the rulers of the new world, Paradigm Industries, to reach the highest levels of command. Life within the Community is supposed to be perfect, with the Barricades keeping the population safe from the toxic wasteland and savage people outside.

Rebellious Alice has never felt easy with Paradigm Industries’ plans for the future. Determined to investigate their secrets, she makes a shocking discovery: disturbing experiments on how to create life itself are taking place in underground laboratories, establishing a new order for society that will impact generations to come…

Knowing she can’t live in this brutal regime, Alice has nowhere to turn. Until she encounters a boy from beyond the Barricades, who seems to have the answers for a better life. If what he says about the outside world is true, Alice realises it’s up to her to take on the power of Paradigm Industries alone…

Product Details

Publication date : 20th August, 2018

Publisher : Bookouture

Dystopian and Real meet