Rating: 4 out of 5.

Woohoo!!! What a wild ride! I love dystopian books and so many authors get it wrong, but not here. While we only get bits and pieces about how the world fell apart, there is enough information to fire you up against the powers that be. I look forward to learning more about this world in the next book.

Raven is a bounty hunter in the city of Dividium, which represses its citizens and keeps them on the brink of starvation. The law is simple: commit a crime, and your punishment is a life sentence in Endlock. This doesn’t make her popular, but it’s the only way to keep food on the table for her and her younger brother. She resists joining the rebellion until her brother Jed gets arrested and sent to Endlock. She joins forces with the rebels and gets herself arrested and sentenced to Endlock in order to save Jed.

Raven is trapped in prison with many of the people she caught and sent there. So she’s really, really popular. Not. With enemies all around and not knowing who she can trust, if anyone, the danger inside is real. Raven is smart, cunning, and determined. She is going to break her and Jed out of prison, no matter what she has to do.

What she didn’t expect was to run into the prison guard she had an almost one night stand with the night before she was arrested. He’s the enemy. He works for the government that represents everything she despises. So why can’t she stop looking at him, stop seeking him out, stop yearning for his touch. She can’t figure out where he stands or what his motives are.

Raven is a bad-ass and fearless. I like how she uses her brains to figure out ways to get what she needs. The side characters add depth to the story and help thaw a bit of the hard shell Raven has surrounded herself with. Raven’s relationship with her brother also changes when she finally concedes that he’s grown up and can handle knowing what’s going on and can help. I’m being vague in my review because I want you to discover the twists and “oh crap” moments for yourself. The book ends on one hell of a cliffhanger and I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

I received a complimentary audio of this book from Avon Books and NetGalley. The narrator did a fantastic job. All of the different voices of the multiple characters she had to narrate were distinctive and fitting for each of their personalities. Her inflections and ability to make me feel anxious, tense, and apprehensive were everything. She had me in the palm of her hand and I listened to this book in record time. I highly recommend you listen to this book.