A Nation of Tyrants
The Shadows of Freedom Book 2
Rosemont Books
ISBN 9781735259239
eISBN 9781735259246
ASIN B09ZWNHS2B
I enjoyed book 1 in this series, but I loved book two. This story is very well written, and leaves you desperate for the next instalment. I picked up book one, In The Shadows of Freedom, because two or three authors I enjoy reading had made mention of it. I knew nothing about the ploy or the authors. For a debut novel it is a good effort. The authors are a husband and wife team Cassandra and Chris Spellman. I stated of the first that “The plot and story are similar to a few other books I have read. But that did not detract from the enjoyment on their take on a dystopian future.” It was a good story and was worth giving a read. This second instalment takes it to a whole new level. The description of this book states:
“Law and order in the United States continue to wither while the National Citizens Party’s control grows. Congress is disbanded, the NCP is seizing property, and major cities are only open to members of the party. Everyone else is labelled an enemy—including Amanda Burrow and Ethan Ramsey.
Life at a refugee camp in Canada is not what Amanda and Ethan expected. Ethan feels like a prisoner, while Amanda’s reunion with her father and sister proves problematic. Ethan’s plan to connect with his father in order to escape to Europe leads him and Amanda on a journey to Boston fraught with more danger than they bargained for.
As they traverse this troubled landscape, Amanda seeks to change Ethan for the better. Yet who will be the one changed? Will Amanda’s conflicting feelings for Ethan prove to be tyrants over her in a nation filled with them?”
This story continues in a world in the not very distant future. If you do not contribute you are encouraged to seek termination. This story begins with Amanda arriving at a refugee camp in Canada for those displaced from the United States. Amanda is determined to help Ethan, and really believes she is the only one who can help him, and lead him to God. She is reunited with her Father and her sister. But things with her sister are very strained. Her dad and sister we in a detainment centre in the US and were rescued. Amanda, her sister Chiara, her friend Joe work together to break Ethan out, and smuggle him back into the US and try and help him connect with his dad. Along the way Amanda keeps giving up pieces of herself, making sacrifices and doing wrong. Believing in the end it will help Ethan. Amanda soon finds out when we try to save someone, we often sacrifice ourselves, and actually can make things worse.
The faith aspect in this story weaves in and out. It waxes and wanes. But The undercurrents it provides sets up for the turning point, and sets up an excellent continuation of the story. I do not think many readers will particularly like Ethan, but Amanda, Joe, Chiara and Tim are wonderfully written. There is some great action. They are also young adults trying to find their way and figure things out in a very difficult situation and time.
This will be great for fans of similar works such as The Liberty series by Theresa Linden, Watchful Sky series by Roger Thomas, will likely enjoy this book. It is not as extreme as the I Am Margaret series by Corinna Turner but feels like it could head that way. This was a great follow up novel and one that really sets the tone for the next volume in the series.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2022 Catholic Reading Plan!
Books by C and C Spellman:
Shadows of Freedom Series:
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