Assessment:
Plot/Idea: A gifted and creative storyteller, the author has crafted a highly entertaining plot that will captivate readers. The work opens with an enlightening and intriguing prologue that offers insight into the complex world the reader is about to enter and sets the stage for the action that is to come.
Prose: The author is a talented writer with a solid command of language, and a knack for seamless worldbuilding.
Originality: Hayes delivers an inventive, carefully constructed narrative with characters that uplift the storytelling. The circumstances, while they draw from some post-apocalyptic sci-fi and fantasy tropes, offer a fresh and unexpected vision.
Character/Execution: The author excels at characterization, particularly with Zee, who is established as both the key to protecting a future world and a relatable, emotionally substantive protagonist.
Date Submitted: April 18, 2023
In her debut, the first in a series, Hayes dazzles with a masterfully told tale of post-apocalypse survival and the ultimate triumph of good versus evil. The author opens with a dystopian view of the world after the so-called 2032 Oxygen War, forcing those left alive after a natural disaster apocalypse to retreat to the only place still habitable—the Rim. It is there that eighteen-year-old Zemira Creedence—Zee for short—longs for a more exciting life. Little does she know that she is about to live that wish, with the help of her dear friend Paxton, her protective animal Wolf, and mysterious healer Diwa Mumasumi.The author’s fanciful and intricately wrought world will spark readers’ imaginations immediately, and her well-drawn characters will immediately draw their loyalty and attention. Zee’s mother Verena has spent years trying to fly under the proverbial radar, knowing (but not sharing with her daughter) that they are both in danger from a malevolent person from Verena’s past. Hayes skillfully elevates the stakes and plants engaging mysteries: When Zee, Paxton, and Verena are caught and kidnapped by a power-mad ruler, they are placed in grave danger with seemingly no way out, while an unexpected wolf shifter plays a shocking yet integral part in Zemira’s journey. Is the king as cruel as he seems? Or the queen as benevolent as she seems? Hayes keeps the surprises coming, up until the final page is turned—including a shocking reveal about Diwa’s life journey.
Hayes excels in proving that people aren’t just black and white—instead, everyone is various shades of gray. Lyrical prose leaps off the page, ending in a gentle tease that will have readers eager for more. Readers who have a love of powerful world-building and multi-layered characters will be eager for more.
Takeaway: This masterfully told post-apocalyptic tale will captivate lovers of YA fantasy.
Great for fans of: Ann Aguirre’s Razorland Trilogy, Kresley Cole’s The Arcana Chronicles.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
