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The city of Machindoun is corrupt, and the plot’s main character, Reese Sadoleto, wants to clean it up. She’s a former slave and machinist who finds herself as the companion of the superhuman known as “Vigilant.” The group wants to end the slave trafficking network, but before that can happen, the Vigilant disappears. A year later, enemies from their past come back, and Reese learns that to get to the future she wants, she has to kill her past and walk out from the shadows of her former companion and life. Her life hasn’t been easy. She saw her mother die in front of her before being taken away by slave traders. She sees a lot of death and abuse in her life, as do a lot of her friends.
Rodrigues-Martin includes a slew of villains throughout his tale, such as Lady Krowne. She is sadistic and cruel, and her behavior is skin-crawling. Her husband, Lord Krowne, is just as bad, and one of his agendas is to use Reese as a prototype for a race of human/machine hybrids. The two are perfect examples of the unbalanced hierarchy in town.
Rodrigues-Martin’s debut novel is a sci-fi dystopian thriller that will pull at the heartstrings and make readers squirm in their seats. The story, a prequel to the Ark Saga, jumps back and forth from the past and present, so readers learn about Reese’s life before and after meeting the Vigilant. The author weaves an interesting cyberpunk tale that is undoubtedly bleak, but there is still a glimmer of hope because of characters like Reese. Also, kudos to the audio narrator, Moushall, who helped bring the story to life with such raw passion in each dramatic and action scene, while being articulate and concise. They were perfect at conveying the emotions of the characters, and just like the plot, their narration was exciting and engaging to the end. Fans of dystopian novels will likely find this book a worthy addition to the subgenre.