I love the dystopian genre, especially when the author goes on the darker side of things and I was really excited to read this book and I was into this book, plot world and characters until I wasn't. I enjoyed the world and political overtaking that Smythe has. I enjoyed the capturer/captive aspect and the hate that they have for each other (really him more than her) but some how along the way I feel like Smythe lost her way and who the characters are as well as if felt rushed.
The world that Smythe has created is a bleak one, but nothing really new in the dystopian genre. Those in power are hungry for more of it and will do anything to achieve it. We mainly see what they have done through the back story POV for both Aron and Riley and it is not pretty. And the world has suffered, there are areas that are so badly contaminated that people cannot go near them or they die. It has become a very much a scavenger culture of those outside of power.
This will be a first for me when reading in this genre but I felt like we got to know Aron more than Riley. Don't get me wrong Smythe does a good job with Riley's backstory but I just felt like more effort was put in to creating Aron as a character and I was here for it. Normally it is the FMC who shines in these types of books but for me this book was all about Aron. He was such a verging on black MMC and they way he would put fear into the enemy is first class. I just wish that Aron's character Arc was better and didn't stray from who he actually was.
I thought the additional of Riley being a photographer in order to show the horror's of the war and what was really happening on the battlefields was unique and well done. It is often through these means of media that people really see what is happening, especially the atrocities so I think it was fitting for Riley to have this profession.
While I stated above that this book was on the darker side of things, I think there were times when Smythe could have pushed the envelope a little further, but that is more a personal preference than anything. If you are going to tell me this book is dark then I want dark but what is dark to one person may not be dark to me.
So this book was good, but I think it suffers when it comes to the characters in the latter part of the book as well as the ending. The ending felt rushed and like Smythe just wanted to get it done. I believe this is going to be a series and I am on the fence whether I would continue on.
Cheers!!!!
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