Descent of the Vile is a dystopian thriller following the choices of our protagonist Jackson Riley, a photographer who is asked to take photos of peculiar items in a research lab. Following this photo session, Jackson goes to leave the facility when he first comes across what he calls the “strangers” these are beings that look like people but can instantly be recognized because they lack emotion or any kind of feeling. They try to chase, attack, and kill. Jackson is in a race against time to get to safety when he comes across a young woman on the highway trying to get away from these bizarre “strangers.” Jackson kicks into hero mode and saves her, and the story follows them together as they try to piece together what is going on while also trying to determine if they can trust each other.

Author Cheryl Pena has written an enthralling thriller that I found to be intriguing and kept me turning the pages. I had a little trouble trying to figure out what sort of person Nadine was, but so did the protagonist Jackson, so perhaps she was trying to make readers see her through his eyes.

The suspense that is woven into the story is exhilarating with each chapter ending in a “cliffhanger,” leaving the reader unable to put the book down for even a moment. Another thing I thought was noteworthy was the relationship between Jackson and Nadine. Instead of being fantastical, Pena wrote a relationship between two strangers that could be attracted to each other in other circumstances but really couldn’t focus on their intimacy because of the degree of trauma and heartbreak they had experienced. As a result, their relationship is a slow burn with both having to earn the other’s trust.

Descent of the Vile is a gripping dystopian science fiction novel with fast moving action. This short read is perfect for the reader that wants a story they can finish in an afternoon and be on the edge of their seat the entire time.