Title: The Red Labyrinth
Author: Meredith Tate
Genre: YA, dystopian
Rating: 4.2 out of 5

As one of the unskilled, Zadie Kalver is treated like trash by the skilled. She wishes she had one tiny power—anything—to make people hater her less. Her small desert town lies in the shadow of the labyrinth—a massive maze built to protect the town—filled with death traps and enchantments, and a killer named Dax who snatches those who wander too close.

When Zadie’s best friend disappears and everyone forgets he even existed, she knows something is going on. And the only person who might be able to help her lives at the heart of the maze. Her only hope is an uneasy truce with the murdering Dex, the one person familiar with the labyrinth. They’ll have to avoid all the deadly traps inside—and keep from killing each other—if they are ever to get back the people they’re searching for.

I read this straight through in one sitting. The world, harsh as it was, fascinated me, and Zadie is a character I’d like to hang out with. I can’t imagine the strength it would take to survive what she’s been through, on top of being abused and treated like trash for being unskilled. She starts off a little naïve, but she grows quickly as a character, making this a riveting read.

Meredith Tate has a master’s degree in social work and now lives in Switzerland. The Red Labyrinth is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Flux via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book. In this book we followed our main character Zadie who is a blank (who has no skilled, basically abilities) she is bullied by the skilled people. Blanks are treated very low and is abused by their skilled people. Most blanks are slaves to a mean Warden who takes them in and most work for her in the mines to pay her back. Most blanks does not survive the mines are killed or killed by the warden. There is also a massive labyrinth was built to protect isolated desert town where Zadie lives. But this labyrinth is deadly and dangerous and whoever's enter it would not be the same person. Zadie best friend vanished into the labyrinth and she must go to save him. She team up with a villain to save her friend. I really enjoy this book and can't wait to read more.... there must be a sequel to this book

The publisher, Flux: North Star Editions, kindly offered me an advanced reader copy (ARC) of The Red Labyrinth by Meredith Tate via NetGalley. Yet, this is an honest review of the book expressing my humble opinion.

The Red Labyrinth is a delightful YA fantasy with a unique world-building and many interesting plot twists. I haven't read a book that is remotely similar to this one. The world-building is fresh, original, and more details kept popping up in and out of the labyrinth. I really liked her take on this. The world-building really stands out in this book.

The plot twists were maaaaany, and although I had some idea that something wasn't as it seemed, the twists were unpredictable and keep the reader on their toes, so to speak. The main character had gone through a lot in her life, and it was very easy to root for her to succeed against all odds. I understood her character development now that I read the whole book, but I just couldn't get into her character in the beginning of the book in regards to Landon. I can't say more without giving spoilers, but if you keep reading, the main character becomes more and more interesting and by the time she goes inside the labyrinth, I like her and I truly root for her journey.

Overall, the world-building is original and unique, the plot twists many, and I recommend this book. I enjoyed it a lot, and I hope there's a sequel on the way because THAT ENDING, AHHH!

4 stars – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Author: Meredith Tate
Publisher: Flux: North Star Editions

The blurb won me over with the similarities to David Bowie's Labyrinth (I totally self-inserted as Sarah and swooned over the Goblin King as a teen!) and aside from that, I am a sucker for enemies-to-lovers plotlines, so I was super keen to read this. But unfortunately the book failed to hook me. It seems to have been popular with other readers so I hate to say that it missed the mark for me, but I'm going to be honest, I really struggled reading this. 

FYI, our heroine Zadie doesn't enter the titular labyrinth until 'Part 2', which was 32% on my e-ARC. So if you're impatient for the adventure that was promised, be prepared to settle in for the long haul as it doesn't happen until a third of the way in, which I think is the definition of problematic pacing. I don't need thrills and chills if there is solid world-building or strong characterization to latch onto instead, but The Red Labyrinth was a letdown on both fronts for me.

It fell into the trap of 'telling, not showing' with dry info-dumps and yet it also didn't provide enough information. We're told about the division between the Skilled and the Blanks, the Leader who is all-powerful and controls their resources, but there was no context for these details. How does the Leader maintain his hold over the population when he is so far removed from them? I could understand if he ruled by fear because he could withhold water which is their most precious resource, but instead he is set up as an omnipotent and benevolent ruler who is worshiped by all ('Praise the Leader'). But he only communicates via hologram because his palace is at the end of a deadly labyrinth, one which holds dangers that have claimed many lives, and yet NOBODY holds him accountable for this? And you think people would be more resentful of him for not freely distributing water to them rather than being super grateful for the one day a year he grants free water. Revolutions in real life have started over less, and that's without the benefit of superpowers!

Apparently there are only wastelands beyond Trinnea where the rest of humanity perished in the drought and only the Skilled survived, which is the basis of Blank persecution - yet there is somehow a thriving Blank population right outside the Trinnean border. If everyone else in the world supposedly died, and only occasional Blanks are born to the Skilled who live charmed lives in Trinnea, how is there enough of them to fill up an entire town complete with a large mining industry? They live in squalor and misery in the worst conditions imaginable, but when Landon and Valerie are left orphaned, apparently the ONLY possible solution is to send these precious Skilled children out to the wastes and house them in the mining bunks with the loathsome Blanks? Not one person in the entire city could find a couch for them? So much just doesn't make sense here. 

Then there's the interminable flashbacks to establish Zadie's history and her relationship with various characters. I'm not a fan of flashbacks in general and certainly not to the extent they're employed here. I much prefer that we grasp the dynamics between characters by seeing them interact and that we gather the details of a protagonist's backstory more organically than by having her reminisce over several pages about a memory triggered by gazing into someone's eyes. 

All this aside, I could've still found the book appealing if I bought the characters as realistic and three-dimensional...but that wasn't to be. Zadie was a passive protagonist by nature as she lacked Skills, which cast her in the damsel in distress role, but I don't blame her for that, the problem is that she could've been more. If she only used her brain and reasoning skills, she could've been more independent, but instead time after time, she disregarded instructions meant to help her, she willfully walked into danger and put her own life in jeopardy for no reason at all. She's the kind of person that if you tell them not to touch the big red button that says 'self-destruct', she will IMMEDIATELY proceed to do so and then act surprised when it brings about impending doom. 

Dex has no need for introductions to Zadie as  his reputation as the 'Devil of Trinnea' precedes him, and he constantly tells her that he's no hero, that he's motivated out of self-interest...yet he does something that she disagrees with and her response is to rant at him for being a 'monster' and then fall into his arms and sob into his chest. The mind boggles. A real monster would've slit her throat in an instant instead of holding her. Zadie didn't need to have a Skill to be a decent protagonist, I don't expect her to be able to fight off skeleton hordes on her own or anything, but this kind of behavior just doesn't seem remotely believable and makes her seem shallow and insubstantial as a character. 

Funnily enough, the best thing about this book for me was something that polarized other readers! I really appreciated Landon's arc and how cleverly the author subverted the usual love interest trope with him. I rolled my eyes at first at how cliche he appeared, but that was the whole point! I fell for it, I admit, I really had the wool pulled over my eyes. I just wish that Zadie was given as much nuance and subtlety as Landon. 

I must warn you that the book finishes on a cliffhanger and that at present, there is no established plan for a sequel. The author has indicated her interest in writing another book, but the publisher hasn't given the go-ahead, so prepare yourself to turn the last page and shriek at the way it ends because there is no resolution or closure.

I really fell in love with this story! I am such a sucker for the underdog, and I will root for them every time. But as much as I loved Zadie, Dex was probably my favorite character. He was very complexity, and I kept wanting to find out more about him. I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending though, as some things were left unanswered, and I'm not sure if the author is planning on a sequel. I wouldn't mind a sequel, and regardless I do look forward to checking out the author's other work.

The beginning felt a little awkward and lacklustre, like a black and white movie that snaps into colour when a threat to Zadie’s family and best friend forces her to enter the labyrinth.

I devoured this novel. I’m a huge sucker for unlikely allies so Zadie having to work with Dex, ‘The Devil of Trinnia’ to clear the maze really worked for me. I’m a sucker for witty dialogue too and I loved the complicated dynamics of Zadie and Dex’s relationship as the dangers in the labyrinth force them to work together to make their way through. The tricks and traps throughout the maze are awesome. Some are familiar, like the obvious mysterious tea party trap, but Tate puts a new spin on these scenarios and includes plenty of new dangers.

The plot alternates between shocking revelations and somewhat predictable disclosures. The latter was no less satisfying once the truth came out, partly due to the way things played out, but mainly because the character’s motives for their behaviour was complex and often surprising.

I would’ve like a little more world-building, but the reader only knows as much as Zadie knows so this is something that could be developed in a sequel novel. And this book really feels like it needs a sequel, there’s simply too many events occurring at the climax that I need to see resolved.

I think I found my favorite dystopian novel of 2019. The Red Labyrinth is fast paced and hard to put down. The story is so well put together with twists and turns. It keeps you guessing about where the story may go and about events that had happened in the past. The characters are just as well put together as the story.

I feel fans of Divergent, The Hunger Games and the Grisha trilogy would enjoy this novel. I felt like rereading them all to help with the book hangover I was left with. At the same time I felt like The Red Labyrinth is its own stand out novel and a great start to a series. I'm really curious about the direction the rest of the series will take and I can't wait to read the next one. This story deserves to be a best seller in its genre. I loved this book so much.

Upon first starting this book, I thought it was going to be so corny. Plain girl mocked against the "gifted" population and then the mythical, mystical DEX comes out of the big, bad maze!! Eyeroll. From there, all I could think was that the book was going to be like the Maze Runner, which I didn't like. But I was wrong.

The twists and turns in The Red Labyrinth are immense. The pacing was perfect and things moved quickly and had me turning pages as fast as I could. I loved the characters and thought the relationships were great. Honestly, the set-up in the very beginning was my only complaint. I almost walked away but by the time I got into the book, I was hooked and I really enjoyed the rest.

I wanted to give this book 4 stars but the ending is seriously such a bummer because it ends on such a cliffhanger. And unfortunately, there is no definite plan for any sequels because the author is only hoping but nothing set in stone. I actually got really invested in the story and the characters and once I got to the end of the book and found out that there isn’t any real conclusion, I was devastated.

The premise of the book was really intriguing. It was similar to Maze Runner but a little more sinister as well as more unique due to the fact that there are these Skilled ones as well as Blanks. I was immediately interested in finding out why there are Skilled people as well as what exactly is the purpose of that maze and why no one can survive once they walk into it. I thought that the author did a good job with the pacing because she would constantly drop little crumbs here and there but not enough to fully satisfy you yet enough to still entice you to continue with the story.

I also really liked the characters and did not at all suspect who the main villain was. I was honestly so shocked by it all because I just couldn’t fathom who the main villain truly was. For me though, I really liked the development of a somewhat friendship between Dex and Zadie. I love it when there is that gradual shift from initial distrust to potentially something more. That trope always gets me and I loved that it was here in this book.

Out of all the characters, I did find Zadie to be the most intriguing as well as the most frustrating character. This is partly because she is introduced as a Blank and because of that, she is treated like garbage among the rest of the townspeople and is constantly told that she is worthless. However, what I found most frustrating about her was the fact that she had no backbone. She just let others harass her and treat her like garbage. Not only that but the way how she always relied on Landon kind of bothered me – it was as if she was constantly the damsel in distress. I guess I just found it annoying that the girl always had to wait for the guy to rescue her. Thankfully though, after she went into the labyrinth, she did start to realize her self-worth and I grew to respect her a lot more.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book but unfortunately, as I stated, there is no plan for a sequel and this book ends on a major cliffhanger. I wish I had known that because I would not have requested this book in the first place.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC. While this book really wasn't for me, I really like the pace. Every turn of the Labyrinth brings new changes for the heroine. Zadie and Dex were two well written, fully formed characters; however, at times the book felt like an incomplete narrative and at other times it felt repetitive.

The most important takeaway is that the book wasn't for me, but others may enjoy it.

Zadie Kalver is used to being an outcast. She’s a “Blank” in a world full of those who are “Skilled.” From a very early age, she’s forced to toil in the mines outside the walls of Trinnea until her mother sacrifices everything to buy her freedom. But all along, she dreams of the boy that always looked at her as if she really mattered.

Landon Everhart is a hero. Known as “Limitless Landon” for his ability to endlessly gather new skills, he’s the one person that Zadie would lay down her life for. So when he’s unexpectedly dragged into the midst of the Labyrinth, she’s determined to save him or do exactly that.

"The silence makes me uncomfortable. With every passing second I’m more likely to blurt out something I can’t take back.
I know what I want to say. I’ve rehearsed it a million times in my head. Hey, Landon, I know you’re the hero of Trinnea, and most of the girls and probably some of the guys would do anything to be with you, and I know you could have your pick, and I know I’m a Blank and you’re you, but you’ve always been here for me, and I think I’m in love with you."

Zadie has come face to face with Dex more than once. “The Devil of Trinnea” is said to lure citizens into Labyrinth to steal their minds – or even worse. But she soon discovers that Dex is not the horror that he’s rumored to be. He too is trying to navigate the labyrinth to save someone. And the closer that they get to finding all of the answers, the more diabolical the questions become.

Up is down and black is white. The world as they know it is about to change – forever.

“Maybe we’re all a little broken. We’re all a little bit selfish and evil and good and dark and light.”

The Red Labyrinth is a fast-paced odyssey into a realm where nothing is as it seems. Meredith Tate once again taps into her world building savvy to create a landscape that is both bleak and imaginative. Her characters are daring – regardless of their secret motives – (I might have a thing for Dex!) and the story has more twists and turns than a wild carnival ride.

It’s everything that’s smart in YA fantasy. And I can’t wait to see where the labyrinth will lead from here…

I have very mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I thought the dystopian world-building to be wonderfully creative. The dynamics between people who are "skilled" and "blank" were very relatable to racial discrimination in real life. How this society decided to ration out scarce resources was realistic (but infuriating). But, however much I liked the idea of a labyrinth, with it's traps and puzzles, it didn't really have a logical function in the book. There were a lot of unexplained elements that the reader was just expected to accept. And the ending was quite unsatisfying.

What I Liked:

World-Building:

The author created a whole society around the idea that the survivors of a plague have needed to band together to conserve the few resources they have left. All of the original survivors each had a "skill" or super-power. But, over the years, some people, called "blanks" are born without any skills. The town elders have decided that those without "skills" are not useful and are thrown out of town into the desert. There, they are preyed upon by unscrupulous people to sign contracts as indentured servants. I found this system to be, sadly, something I could see happen if water became more precious than gold.

This sets up a system of first and second-class citizens where value is determined by what skills one has. But are skills the only thing of importance about a person? What about character, or family connections? How strange that some of these same questions are part of the recent immigration debate here in the U.S.

The Story of The Town:

I really liked the characters and story lines of the townspeople. There were many interesting secondary characters who I wanted to know more about. The author made me emotionally engage with their struggles and concerns.

What I Was Mixed About:

The Labyrinth:

The Sand Guardian is a magical being who tries to trick Zadie and Dex to prevent them from reaching the Stone Palace. I thought the traps and puzzles were very creative. But what was the point?

Zadie tries to reach the palace because a force field has encased the town, trapping all the skilled citizens. Only blanks can go through the force field without being killed. But why have a giant killer maze when a force field could have been used to keep everyone away from the palace in the first place (blanks would have no reason to go the palace)?

What I Didn't Like:

Inconsistent logic:

When one is creating an original universe, there must be rules as to how the universe works. Even if the rules are really far out (such as cats having superpowers), it's fine as long as the rules are consistent.

The inconsistency that I found annoying was that the author gave different explanations as to why the skilled people had superpowers. Was it magic or genetics? This becomes important because the labyrinth, itself, is supposed to be powered by magic. But what does the sand guardian gain by keeping the people from the palace? That is a mystery that is never explained.

The Ending:

I don't think I'm giving anything away by revealing that Zadie does make it through the labyrinth.

But even though the main problem of the story was resolved, it was not very emotionally satisfying. Suddenly, there was much more going on in the story, and I was left with more questions than answers. I felt like this was just a big set up for a sequel.

“I am brave. I am strong. And I am not afraid.”

I always love the opportunity to cheer for an underdog. Zadie lives in Trinnea and is a Blank in a society dominated by people with Skills. Zadie’s family had to pay for her be allowed to live within the walls of Trinnea but she will never be considered equal to the Skilled, whose abilities range from super-hearing to telekinesis and levitation.

“Blanks are considered abominations - genetic mistakes.”

Traumatised by years of childhood slavery and abuse, and continually tormented and bullied by the Skilled, Zadie lives her life in fear. She’s loved her best friend and protector, Landon, for years, but then he disappears into the labyrinth and Zadie is the only person who can remember him.

“No one who enters the maze comes out the same.”

Zadie is determined to save her best friend but to do this she’ll need to team up with the Dex, the Devil of Trinnea, and find a way through the maze of the labyrinth. Zadie doesn’t know which will kill her first.

I loved facing the dangers of the maze with Zadie and Dex, never knowing what challenge it would send their way next. Zadie’s tenacity despite her fear endeared her to me and her responses to trauma felt authentic. Throughout the book I kept thinking that Zadie had PTSD and although this is never stated, learning the author has a master’s degree in social work has only strengthened this belief. Regardless, Zadie’s determination inspired me.

My favourite character was Dex. His complexity made me want to keep digging beneath the surface to find out more about his history, motivations and character. He did not let me down.

I was engaged and entertained for the duration and enjoyed getting to know the main characters and their backgrounds. I didn’t have any problems navigating the transitions between the past and present, and felt the flashbacks added necessary background and context to the narrative.

I was disappointed by one of Zadie’s decisions near the end of the book, even though I understood the reasons behind it. Her initial damsel in distress mode, where she had a practically pathological need to be saved by a man, made me cringe. I also found the sand guardian annoying at times. Overall though, these were only fairly minor quibbles in a book that pleasantly surprised me.

I was torn between satisfied and frustrated by the way this book ended. While some answers are given, more questions do arise and there are plenty of loose ends, so a sequel feels inevitable. If there’d been a definite resolution for Dex then I probably would have been happy with a standalone. There’s definitely scope for a lot more to happen with Dex and Zadie, and there’s plenty more in this world to discover. I’ll be there for the sequel.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Flux, an imprint of North Star Editions, for the opportunity to read this book and discover a new (to me) author. I am rounding up from 4.5 stars.

I was excited to read this one because I typically love stories like this and it didn't disappoint. I do feel like it started out just a tad bit slow, but I was happy with the pacing overall. I liked the different obstacles that Zadie and Dex had to face in the labyrinth, some physical and some mental/emotional. I think the characters were well-developed and I really liked the "bad guy", Dex. I actually did not see the twist coming in the last part and wasn't entirely convinced that I liked the direction it took, I'm still pondering that one. However, I will happily read a follow-up if there is one. I will recommend this one to my students when school starts again in August.

The Red Labyrinth by Meredith Tate has so much potential. I loved the sound of the premise, but the actual execution just didn't quite cut it for me. Primarily, the world-building was lacking. There's so much more we should have known. As for the characters, they seemed pretty predictable and our lead didn't make the brightest decisions to top it off. Thanks anyway, NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this! I wasn’t sure if I’d be in the mood for it, since I’d been reading a lot of MG and YA, and I felt like maybe I needed to go and read some adult fiction for a while. But this was really engaging… and that ending! Can only hope there will be a book two!

I really felt for the main character, Zadie. She’s had a lot of trauma, and while it was hard to read, it never felt gratuitous. It made a lot of sense within the world that Tate has set up. There were a few occasions where she made (or almost made) some stupid decisions – I could forgive it the first couple of times, but once she knew the labyrinth was out to get her, I expected her to be a bit more sensible. And a lot of the time, she was rather reactionary, and someone else needed to save her. At times this was frustrating, but it was actually part of her character development as well. As she grew into herself and realised there were parts of her that no one could take away, she took charge of her destiny.

I suspected that the there would be more to the character of Dex than initially met the eye and I was right. I really liked learning more about him as the book went on.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with Landon… it seemed that he was going to be a rather tropey YA love interest but… then he wasn’t. I don’t want to give much away but just know that Part Three was something I didn’t see coming, but it was really there all along. I came to a dozen realisations along with Zadie (and seeing her character growth in this section was really satisfying).

It does end on a cliffhanger so I will definitely be looking out for book two! The developments in the final act of this book leave room for so much to go down and I really want to see it play out!

(Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for a review)

DNF @page 141

ARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All of my opinions are my own, and are in no way affected by the exchange.

This was one of the first books that I was approved from by NetGalley and was interested in the premise. The book follows a girl name Zadie who lives in this small community called Trinnea where people are divided by Skilled or Blank. Skilleds are people born with powers while Blanks arent. Zadie and other Blanks are all treated pretty horribly. The community Trinnea lives in a small area surrounded by a huge labyrinth full of monsters.

The book basically follows every single dystopian trope ever written. It feels very juvenile. The writing is very straightforward which wasnt the problem for me. The problem was more so that it was so freaking predictable that it was boring to read. I'm fairly sure that I skimmed over like half of what i read and i still know what is going on. In addition to the story being very bland, there are flashbacks tossed into the narrative without any set up which is VERY confusing.

My thanks to NetGalley and Flux for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and are not influenced by the publisher.

“People are more than the worst things they’ve ever done.”

Oh, gosh, this book had so much potential. There’s something so terribly frustrating about a fantasy novel with an interesting concept but paper-thin world-building. The world Zadie inhabits is intriguing, but seriously lacking in development. Zadie lives in a small town surrounded by a massive and ominous labyrinth. The town’s Leader lives in a remote mansion inside the labyrinth, seriously isolated from the people he’s meant to be leading and protecting, which doesn’t seem ominous at all to anyone, for some reason. Also, there’s Absolutely Nothing beyond the labyrinth beyond a total wasteland (according to Dear Leader), and no one really questions this much, either.

I’m not necessarily opposed to stories about brainwashed populations revering an undeserving leader; certainly this can be portrayed convincingly… but the dynamic here feels very odd. The Leader’s characterization of the outside world is accepted at face value despite the dismal conditions in Trinnea, but it doesn’t seem like there’s a cult-like level of devotion to the Leader which would make sense of this wholesale acceptance. Particularly among the “blanks” like Zadie, who are treated as second class citizens in every possible regard, one would expect more skepticism and resentment than is really seen in the story.

And, goodness, the character arcs. The two major male characters have painfully predictable developments from start to finish. (Minor spoilers ahead, I guess, but really it’s painfully obvious very early on that this is how things will develop.) Zadie has a huge crush on her best friend, Landon, and it’s obvious to everyone except the two of them that the feeling is mutual. (This is the friend the blurb mentions disappearing into the labyrinth.) Zadie has to rely on Dex, a ruthless killer and “devil of Trinnea,” to lead her to the center of the labyrinth if she has any hope of helping Landon.

Dex, of course, turns out to be a bad boy with a heart of gold who obviously just needed Zadie to bring out the good in him. (Ugh.) This leaves Landon on the outs, and since the good guy always has to get the girl, it turns out that Landon was a secret villain all along. Because of course he was.

The whole concept of the journey through the labyrinth was fun, but I wanted more from it. The trials felt a bit underwhelming and it always felt like the stakes could be a lot higher than they were. In one stage of the labyrinth, for example, Zadie has to give up her most treasured memory in order to get through. This could have been such a poignant moment were it not for the fact that Zadie feels rather under-developed as a protagonist.

Finally, the ending feels very rushed and abrupt, and the main focus there is clearly trying to set up a sequel. Unfortunately, given the lackluster opening of this story, I don’t think I’ll be able to stick around long enough to get a real conclusion.

This book was a great read, with strong word building, and convincingly flawed charterers. The story had some great action sequences with a twist of a peak that will keep readers wanting more. This is another great book that I could not put down until I finished reading it. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Tate’s books.
I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity of reading and reviewing another great book.

The thing I liked best about this book was that the first thought I had in terms of review content was that I finally found a book that seemed appropriate to fit in the YA category. The people seemed to act their age despite the dystopian setup. Normally, the YA fantasies I end up reading feel like they are talking to my age people (i.e 30) or at least within the previous decade. This however felt appropriate, however appropriate it could be considering a world where water is power and there is very little of it with the common people. The narration was well done and moved pretty quickly and the twists were mildly unexpected but also well done.

Zadie does not like her lot in life, she has but two people who genuinely care for her in this world and one of them happens to be her mother. The other happens to be the darling of all their land, a boy of infinite power. The story is simple enough, there is a version of the haves vs have-nots presented to us and the central focus of their system is a Supreme Leader who is hidden within the safety of a house at the other end of a labyrinth that hardly anyone leaves unscathed. Zadie is a realistic protagonist who has righteous thoughts but her actions are mostly self-centered (in a good way). There is the dark villain of the piece called Dex who hides behind smoke and powers. I thought it was one book but it turns out there is a lot left to happen when we finish this, and the next installments will probably wrap it up.