"You are an inmate, not a medic. You should get used to that."
On the planet Os-Veruh, the native Veniche have endured a decade under the oppressive rule of a race of invaders, the Adveni.
When Georgianna Lennox, a Veniche medic, discovers her childhood friend has been sold into slavery, she seeks help from a revolutionary outlaw group.
As Georgianna's struggle to save one life ignites a battle to liberate her homeworld, is she about to discover that it is better to be dead than 'buryd'?
Set in a dystopian world where medic Georgianna is living, travelling, working underground to treat the prison inmates of their injuries from the conquerors of the world who brutally harm them...
When Georgianna is told that her friend is sold into slavery, she becomes determined to free not only her friend but everyone else too. So when she learns of a revolutionary group already in the process its in her best interest to join.
Aside to this, a long last love turns up but while she's still with her "friends with benefits" will her old love be revived or not now that her current love interest is showing his true self.
Georgianna seems to be a workaholic and not someone who wants to settle down, her work is her life. I think at first her kindness appears to hold a suspicion to the reader as to whether she has other motives but I don't believe she has, she's just a good person.
I found the setting to be compelling and what made me want to carry on reading, I love the dystopian/sci-fi infused genre and this book didn't disappoint with originality. The extreme heat of summer and the freezing winters, make the outside world appear to be uninhabitable- thank god for underground tunnels eh! The one thing I found difficult was to adjust to the different groups in the book and so I had to take my time to ensure I understood who everyone was, other than this I found it very enjoyable.
A fantastically built up first book to the series, with love, loss and true bravery occur. It's set up the series to be an epic one and I really can't wait to read on, Cooke's got the knack for producing a heart racing, gritty and terrifying plot that's set out to be rather an explosive one! With great character development and fast-paced action, its really got hold of my attention. It's been a long time since I've read a dystopian series that's really held my interest- onto the next book I go!
