There’s quite a bit I liked about this story such as the all the action, the setting, and the main characters. This dystopian setting has the bulk of power in the hands of few, with the majority of people just eking out a living. I especially liked the gladiatorial fights and how some of our heroes rise from the arena. The seats of power are in a few cities that have retained advanced tech. Inhabitants have been told that the surrounding land is uninhabitable…. but that might not be quite accurate, as Cassidy Havok could tell us.

Several of the characters can attain super powers by injecting battle drugs, but they go far and above just an adrenaline boost. Honestly, I had trouble buying into this aspect of the story. I have a biology degree, so I had all sorts of questions about these drugs and the crazy powers they gave the characters. I never felt they were addressed. Since this aspect was a huge part of the plot, I was never fully drawn into the story.

The main characters were a big plus for me. Of course, I absolutely enjoyed Cassidy Havok. She’s competent and daring and the real hero of the story. Kaden Valens starts off on the opposite side of Havok but a series of unexpected events draw Kaden and his sister Nix into Havok’s world. Action and explosions ensue! Yay!

Now I will admit that sometimes I got a few characters confused. Cassidy sometimes goes by Cas. Then Kaden. Then our evil villain Cath. All these names that can sound close in an audiobook. By the end, I had it all figured out – who lived, who died, who the heck Cath was.

It’s a fast-paced, action-packed, dystopian romp. Despite the few issues I had with it, I still enjoyed it over all. Looking forward to seeing what the author does next with this dystopian world. 4/5 stars.

The Narration: Audra Cook makes a pretty good Cassidy Havok. Since the tale starts with Kaden, I was at first curious as to why the author picked a female narrator for a main male character story, but once Havok joins the scene, the focus really does switch to her. Sometimes the characters voices blurred and the pacing was a little slow. Also, the word sword is pronounced with a W instead of leaving it silent, so that was a little odd. The male characters could use a bit more masculinity. There were no technical issues with the recording. 3.5/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by K.M. Riley. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it. ( )