In a dry, metal world where the privileged take to the skies and water is rationed, 18-year-old Val was forced to become the assassin known as the Butcher to keep their little sisters alive. In possession of outlawed, magical abilities, no one can touch them, until a hit goes wrong and their sisters get kidnapped. Val will do anything to get them back, even team up with ex-best friend turned vigilante thief, Orion. The journey to save them will take Val and Orion all the way to the Gate of Heaven, and a discovery that will shake the world.

Val and every other character in this book will pull you in. Everyone has a very distinct personality and story that adds depth to the whole. It gives you a wider view of the situation the people of Trinity are forced to survive in. It also gives Val and those around them a valid reason to explain the world and the situation to readers without feeling forced or like an info dump.

I'd stopped reading dystopian fantasy because they'd all started to feel like carbon copies of each other, so it was a very pleasant surprise to find a fresh take told in an original voice within Coffindaffer's work. You find all the classic elements of the genre mixed in with smart commentary on abuse of power and religion, not to mention how those in power abuse the masses. Even if the characters' stories weren't super interesting, which they are, you will still walk away with a lot to consider. That's the best kind of dystopian in my books.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for the page-turning read!