It’s year 2195, and GreenCorps hold all the power in this ecologically devastated world. We find ourselves in SoCal – political prison disguised as a work camp. I love this dystopian setting, it’s vivid, but not overpowering, it feels very real. The cover was one of the first things that caught my eye, and it depicts the setting of a book very well! A huge plus for that.

I was happy to see one of the traditional dystopian themes explored in this book: environmental change, corporation that controls essential resources, divided society of powerful and powerless.

What I didn’t expect – dystopian romance subplot. However it was a nice surprise, I like the mix of these two genres! Elsa and Gran are my favorite characters, Walker seems to be a very simple-minded guy. More and more characters are added as the story progresses, and I liked this gradual introduction of characters.

On the down side, the plot seems to be very simple, it’s too predictable, and that took away big part of my reading enjoyment. Different povs (Elsa and Walker) in the same chapter made it look like an easy popcorn, on the verge of smutty romance. I found this in a disonance with the cover and the main description of a book.
There are a lot of telling, and not so much showing... The tiny bit that was used as a showing for character build felt flat.

In my opinion, the setting is the stongest aspect of a book. Also, I love the cover. The book is a quite solid foundation for the series! A very solid 3 star read.
I would recommend this book as an easy read for wind down time for dystopian setting lovers.
I received ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Black Rose Writing and NetGalley.

I love a good dystopian and this kept me awake all night. I actually read it in one sitting I just couldn’t put it down.

So it’s 2195 and GreenCorps control everything in SoCal. Even the amount of water available and therefore the cost as well. They keep the population weak and down so they have no will to fight back.
Today’s trash is their treasure and Elsa scavenges to survive.

Life is unbelievably bleak with no trace of hope. Until Elsa finds a metal tube. She knows it’s important and despite being desperate she resists the urge to sell it.

I found myself totally swept up in this. The world, characters and story. It’s an absolutely fabulous book and gets a very rare 5* from me.

I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

I absolutely enjoyed this story and can’t wait for more! It is engaging, thoughtful, gritty, and well-written!