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BLURB

New York City, 2025: Everything is changed. The city that never sleeps is now a land of death and decay. A rampant virus has taken over and the survivors have become carriers, quarantined from the rest of the world.

Twist and Dodger grew up in the streets, the sewers and underground tunnels – their playground. They aren’t heroes. They just like attention; and stealing meds from the rich and giving them to the poor is their golden ticket.

On their latest raid, they unknowingly steal a cure that puts them square between the ailing Emperor of Manhattan and the war hungry Governor of Brooklyn and forces them on a quest into the darkest shadows of their putrefying world.

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I was up and down on my rating of this one. The beginning was so slow I almost didn’t keep going on. I have 2 ereaders and bookshelves full of books that need read. Still, I pushed on and the action picked up, which made the reading go a lot faster.

The characters were ones I never really found myself pulling for or ‘liking’. They were products of their situation and I’m not sure I was supposed to ‘like’ them – but that did make it hard for me to rate it higher.  In the end the pace of the story pulled me in and I did see character growth throughout the story.

The world building was good, and set the dark mood of the world they live in quite well. There were unbelievable parts of the dystopian world built, and the technique of everyone stays behind the fence because they’re told to was predictable.  Still, I like how the city has fallen in disarray and the factions are separated.

The ending, while confusing, did draw me in and make me curious about the rest of the series, which a good series set up does.  So in the end, I gave it three stars and will keep an eye on the rest of the series. Maybe my rating will change after that 😉

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*