OMG! I can't get over how much I loved this book. I literally downloaded it on a whim from Kindle Unlimited because I thought the name was cool. Plus it was a series so I figured that if I liked this book, I would have two other books to get excited about.

So basically, like the little blurb says there are two cities separated by a toxic river by the Appalachian Mountains. What had happened was there was some sort of nuclear war or fallout. The survivors found a little place by these mountains that were habitable. The men and a few women of the group wanted to basically recreate our world where men would basically be in charge. There were women and a few men that wanted something completely different because it obvs didn't work out well the first time.

So the women and men that didn't agree went across the river to form Matrus. Matrus is run by women. Women have all the power. They get education, allowed to drive, etc etc. The men that are born in MAtrus have some rights but not a lot. They get to have apprenticeships and when they turn 8 years old, they got put through a test. If they fail, because they are too aggressive or whatever, they get sent to the mines.

On the other side of the river is Patrus. Patrus is run by men and it basically sucks if you are woman living there. As a woman you have literally no rights. You cannot drive, you must submit to your husband, cannot even leave your home without a man. If a woman commits a crime, she is most likely sentenced to death unless a man can prove that it was in self defence or whatever.

Don't worry. By me explaining these things to you, I'm not spoiling the book. It's literally 10 pages in. Plus I think it is a such an interesting concept and I wanted to dwell on it. As a woman, I would have thrived in Matrus but there is just so much irony in the two cities. I mean, for the group that wanted a different way of life, they sure went right back to their old ways. Human nature I suppose.

Anyway, the story is about Violet, a very angry little teenager. She lost her brother at a young age and has been unable to control the rage inside her. Instead of being put to death, she is given an assignment. Infiltrate Patrus on a secret mission and she will be free and cleared of any and all charges. Sounds easy right? Wrong. You know damn well that a lot of things can and will go bad.

What I found very interesting is the way the romance happened. She falls for the one person who you don't think she would fall for. But I liked that. It made the story more interesting. It wasn't the central theme of the story, thank god, but it added a pleasant break from the constant stress of the secret mission.

The ending itself had such a twist. I'm literally burning through another book so I can download the next one because I have no self control in downloading books. It's awful. I shouldn't have been given a tablet and be left with such power.

This series has easily become one of my favorites. I'm really starting to get into sci-fi/dystopian books. I don't know why I had such an aversion to them. They are literally like other books I have read, just with added science stuff. Go check this book/series out!