This story was both emotionally satisfying and wonderfully imaginative. The world-building drew me in immediately, but it was the characters who truly kept me invested. Their friendships, struggles, and growth gave the story a strong emotional core that made every victory feel earned.

I appreciated how naturally the themes of unity, sacrifice, and hope were woven into the narrative without ever feeling heavy-handed. The writing flowed beautifully, and I found myself becoming more attached to the characters with every chapter.

By the end, I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye. This was an immersive fantasy that left me excited to see what Caz Andra writes next.

Growing up in the nineties you were taught to fear 3 things: the Bermuda Triangle, Quick Sand and Acid Rain!

Glad finally someone has put that to good use and given us an acid rain dystopian.

There is a new wave of dystopian books coming out at the moment and despite the PR comparisons to the greats, they typically just don’t hit as hard. Well that’s not an issue for this book!

I loved the little homage moment to handmaids tale and hunger games as banned books. An acknowledgment of what came before rather than plot comparisons.
This truly felt like something new, while holding true to what makes dystopians so scary, how realistic they can be.

Set some time after 2105 (not sure we ever get told the exact year), we have a dramatic class system within a walled community. America is dismantled post war, we have declining male birth rates and over the wall people have radiation poisoning and seem sort of like zombies. We don’t hear a lot of outside the wall, which for a first book makes sense, the reader is as sheltered to truths as the citizens are in dystopians I would imagine it would come in later books. Inside the wall we have lowers, middle, upper-middle and elites.

Because men are so important and powerful even just having a son moves your social status up from middle to even elite. And of course since they are so special they get to have a full bachelor moment called rites, with ribbons instead of roses, and pick 12 potential wives to battle through deadly trials to prove they are the one! Oh and little detail, you have until 28 to be married or you die! Oh and the rite’s are all televised.

We are told the story from two pov’s which is really handy actually getting more information about the world. We have the fmc Maryn (from the middle) and mmc Elias the president son (obviously Elite).

It’s time for the Presidents son to get married and what does he do, but shock everyone including Maryn and pick her to be one of his matches.

What could go wrong?

Fast paced, enjoyable. Interesting side characters. Plot that keeps giving.

PS. It does have a different female character start the book as a Prologue which slightly confused me but then realised since the rest of the book is about the marriage process, the prologue serves to show how girls (or maybe just elite) girls are assessed at 18 to enter the marriage market, when they become ‘eligible’ and we do see the girl again. So I imagine we might see more or her in the future too. Like an important side character.


I am so grateful to netgalley and Victory Editing Netgalley co-op for the arc in exchange for an honest review. I truely loved this book and can’t wait to see about book 2

A perfect package of suspense, romance, and female rage tied up with a nice blue ribbon in a bow on top. If you loved the Hunger Games and Handmaids Tale, here is the baby they would have made for you to love even more!

With characters so good you won't know who to love and who to hate and just enough twists to keep you guessing, this story grabs you, shakes you up, and sets you down at the end wanting more in all the best ways.

This is dystopian done right. Filled with fear, love, anger, and above all hope. All I can say is, Maryn's story isn't even close to done and I need a book two!

Wow this was amazing!! The hunger games meets the bachelor! In this high stakes “dating show” Meryn is one of 12 picked by the presidents son to undergo the rite for a chance to be his wife. Meryn is amazing! From a middle family, she doesn’t let the higher girls make her feel less. She takes every challenge and destroys it! I hope she does a book 2!! Thank you Net Galley for letting me arc read this

OHMYGAWD!!! This book was amazing I loved every minute of it and all the twists and turns really got my head spinning. I need book 2!!! Romantic dystopian baby!

This book takes place in the future and their are acid storms out there so the main place is in a hub imagine three circles the outter for lower class middle for middle class and the center for the higher class. Their are more females being born than anything else so anytime a male is about to get married he performs a rite which is basically like a dating experience (think the bachelor but higher stakes) and he selects 12 women to court.

There is a love triangle and through the book you will have so many plot twists it's so so so good I loved every minute of it!!! Thank you for allowing me to read your great story I can't wait to read the second one!

Rite of Unity was absolutely fantastic. The entire premise was entertaining and had me engaged right from the prologue.

I don't want to go too in-depth or spoil any plot points because I genuinely think it would ruin the reading experience.

Maryn was absolutely fantastic. She is incredibly mysterious, and so many layers are revealed as the story unfolds. We basically have two MMCs, and for most of the book I couldn't decide which one I liked more! By the end, though, I definitely knew who I was rooting for...and that ending was brutal. I am going to be dying until there's more to this story.

Elias, the president's son, is born into a role where he must choose a wife through a televised, Hunger Games-style marriage competition. At first, he seems shallow, but as the story progresses, he genuinely seems like he may care for Maryn. Then there's Calden, the son of the man who owns the network televising everything, who just oozes "I'm the one" appeal (🤣) and seems very interested in our girl too.

I loved the writing. It made me feel that much more immersed in the story and connected to each character and their place in it. There were also plenty of mysterious moments that caught me off guard every time, in the best way.

There truly wasn't a single boring moment in this story, and I couldn't put it down until I finished. If you like lots of mystery, a crazy marriage competition, and twisty plotlines that keep you guessing, this is definitely one to pick up!