"Over the last hundred years...America had been drifting into a land of two nations: those on the far right, and those on the far left. Over time, positions hardened so deeply, it became a nation of opposing ideologies..."
And then the war came. Because of man's selfishness and personal ambitions, the Republicans and the
Democrats became so separated that there was no reconciling the two in any way. They became extremists to the point that there was a secession and another civil war broke out. Only this time when the Republicans left the Union, the Democrats bunker down and nuke the leaders of the new Republican government. And then the Republicans did the same to the leaders of the Democratic government. As a result, they destroyed the America that we know. There were few survivors from the bombs themselves and the nuclear fallout afterwards. The ones left were taken by slaverunners to fight in the arena. Once you left, you didn't come back.
Brooke and Bree Moore were all that was left of their family. Their father, a Marine, had volunteered to fight in the war, and their mother had just slipped away from them. Brooke's father had been a real hard ass. He made her learn all types of martial arts and fighting techniques as well as how to drive a motorcycle with a side car. Too bad he hadn't taught her a few basic survivor skills as well. Now they were hiding out in the Catskill Mountains trying to survive and stay away from the slaverunners. The only thing that Brooke really had going for her was that she had a knife and she was very accurate with it. Her life went from normal to taking care of her ten-year-old sister. Some days they ate and some days they didn't. Catching a fish was a big deal and killing a rabbit was a rare treat. After going higher into the mountains than she means to, Brooke stumbles onto a tiny little cottage well hidden and full of canned foods that could feed them. As an added bonus there are deer, large salmon, fresh water, and maple tree sap nearby. Before Brooke can even move her sickly sister up to the cabin, Bree is take by the slaverunners...
The first book in this series is more like a novelette. It is not very long, but it sets the stage for the next book in the series perfectly. The two political parties had finally moved so far away from each other that literal fighting broke out ending in a civil war. Nuclear weapons were used and it was the end of America as we know it today. A young lady with no real survival skills is left to fend for herself and her little sister the best that she can. They are essentially alone in their fight just to survive. Each day they wonder if they will live to see the next. As if that's not enough, Bree is caught and taken while Brooke is out looking for food. It's one long fight to stay alive.
This book hits very close to home, especially with all of the issues between the Democrats and the Republicans in America the last few years. The continual bickering and baiting between the two has become more of a norm than what it used to be. No one seems to be playing for the team and everyone is out for self. The downfall of the country in this book showed just how far these people were willing to go for their own personal ambition. Ambition can be good to some degree, but it can also be the downfall of a person. In this case, a country. Everywhere you look these days you see so much selfishness. It makes one wonder just how far this book is from the actual truth. And did the author think about this when she wrote it? Did Morgan Rice ever think for a second this might actually happen to the America we know? Let's hope it never does.
"I never really fully understood how it all began, and I still don't know. Dad explained it to me, several times, and I still didn't get it. Maybe it was just because of my age. Maybe I just wasn't old enough to realize how senseless the things are that adults can do to each other."
*images via Morgan Rice
*quotes via Morgan Rice
