Reviewed by Paul Johnson for Readers' Favorite

She’s the product of the Underground and in all her sixteen years has never seen the outside. All that changes quickly when the soldiers stage a raid on her home. She manages to escape, leaving her family behind, but in so doing goes above ground for the very first time. There she is soon to learn she has only one option for survival; join a government organization named The Legion, available for teenagers with no other place to turn. Learning that the soldiers are still looking for a female escapee, she decides to pose as Raja, a boy-soldier. The Legion is like nothing she’s ever seen or even imagined when she meets Senior Commander Briggs, whose savage authority reigns over the teenage soldiers.

The training is brutal and she quickly decides her best option is to join a band of nonconformists known as the South Tower Rejects. There she meets Stirling, a tall young man with copper colored hair and a strange accent. Intrigued, she is determined to find out more about this man. She is soon to discover there’s more to the Rejects than she first thought and she must quickly adapt if she is to endure and find a way to locate and save her lost family.

This story is targeted at the young adult audience, but any sci-fi fan will find it quite enjoyable. The story is told by Raja and the reader is soon caught up in the story of her life and the dangers she faces. The author has created a tale with interesting characters, first-rate dialogue, and a well developed plot. The story moves at a rapid pace and is filled with action, adventure and intrigue. Well done.