Publisher: Carina Press
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: NetGalley
Twenty-two -year-old Naya has spent nearly half her life as a sex slave in a government institution called The Line. When she’s kicked out after getting pregnant with twins, she’s got no way to earn a living and a horrifying choice to make: find someone to replace her, or have her babies taken in her stead.
A doctor with a history of aiding ex-Line girls, Ric Bennett, wants to help. He runs a team of rebels that can delete Naya’s records and free her forever. But when The Line sniffs out his plan, things get bloody, fast. Naya means more to them than just a chance at fresh faces—her twins are part of the government’s larger plan.
As they hide from government search parties, Ric comes to admire Naya’s quiet strength. And Naya realizes Ric might be a man she can trust. If they make it off the grid, they could build a new life. But first they’ll have to survive the long, vicious reach of The Line.
*Blurb from Goodreads*
I was super intrigued by this book from the blurb, and I’m glad that I took the chance on it. It was a really unique and different approach to the new adult genre.
Naya has spent most of her life working as a sex slave for The Line. When she is suddenly released after being told she’s pregnant, Naya is a bit stunned by the outside world. But if she wants any chance at keeping her babies and her freedom, she will have to find someone to replace her at The Line before she can truly be free.
Finding Ric, a doctor who’s made it his goal to help ex-Line girls, is more than Naya expected. Ric and his friends are willing to put their lives on the line to give her a chance at escaping The Line and the only life they’ve known. But The Line is keeping a secret about Naya and her babies, and they will do anything to keep her on their radar.
Like I said before, this was a really interesting twist on the new adult genre. We don’t see much post-apocalyptic worlds within new adult, and I liked the dark and gritty aspect of this one. Tibbets did a wonderful job of creating a world that is a lot bleak, but still a little hopeful. I hope that she takes the time to really explore the world in future books, especially since I can see just how big and diverse the world could be.
One thing that I was a bit worried when I started reading this book is that it would come across as too young for me. I’m not a fan of YA, but I was pleased to see that the characters and world stayed as true as can be to the new adult genre. I loved that in many ways, Naya was still a little girl. She had been taken as a child, and basically sold into slavery. The scenes where she remembers what her time at The Line was like are difficult to read, and yet are so powerful within the context of the overall story. It was ugly and hard to read, and at the same time was almost cathartic for the reader to see exactly what Naya went through before she could fight for her freedom.
I loved the secondary characters, and both cried and laughed at the fate of each one. I adored Ric’s team of people who were willing to go above and beyond to help Naya and other girls from The Line. I thought Sonya was a hoot, and I really liked the way she dealt with her past with The Line, and how she tried so desperately to go on with a somewhat normal life. I loved Tym. He was so funny and sweet and such a wonderful nerdy character. I’m really anxious to see how all the secondary characters play a role in the rest of the series.
I really liked the way Tibbets ended this book. It was the perfect wrap up, while still leaving a lot of questions that need to be answered. I look forward to finding out just what is going on at The Line, and how the world is going to progress now that Naya and Ric know a lot of the governments secrets. While the romance was VERY slow to develop, which I was glad for given Naya’s history with The Line, I’m excited to see how that develops as well. It’ll be interesting to see Naya come out of her shell and preconceived notions about sex and intimacy for Ric.
All in all, I thought Tibbet had a wonderful first story in The Line series. The world was really well developed, while still leaving much to be explored. I can’t wait to see more of Naya and Ric and everyone else as they struggle with surviving in their world and making a difference. I’m pretty excited for the next book already!
I give Carrier a B