Saewod Tice

*Received ebook from author on Goodreads for an honest review; also posted on Amazon.com under Leanne Goon

Amongst the Ruins by Saewod Tice opens up with a chilling scene where Shilo’s mother helps bring a new baby into the world, with the threat of failure being her death and the sexual slavery of her elder daughter, Mazy. From this first chapter, the reader understands the desperate aftermath the world has disintegrated into, especially the dire circumstances of being a woman or young female child in that world. The story is told through our protagonist, Shilo, aged fourteen and onward, who witnesses the dependence of her family on strangers as they roam the land time and again for a safe haven. With the lack of healthy children, she sees that the role of a woman has reverted back to being property and being only valuable for the children she can breed. In addition, Shilo has to contend with hiding her looks as her blonde hair, pale skin, and blue eyes are rare enough to produce unwanted male interest.

It is very easy to identify with Shilo’s desire to be free and self-sufficient and I became supportive of her to maintain her independence and even her distance from her love interests – I thought Tice was rather faithful to Shilo’s nature and avoided turning her into a two-dimensional character found in other novels where the main character can fall in love so quickly and easily. I was impressed with Tice’s ability to unravel her confusion about love and male relationships (even extending it to her older sister) in a well-written, well-paced manner, and left me eager to find out how she matured from a child into a young woman.

Another impressive element of the story was Tice’s detailed depiction of the different clans Shilo comes into contact with, as well as people that influence her life. Tice is able to skillfully bring in multiple characters with realistic clarity and provoked both feelings of disgust and acceptance with this new world that emerges from the ruins of nuclear war. I believe it is always a sign of great writing when I find myself imagining what I would do in the heroine’s situation and questioning whether I would be the same person that I am now in that world.

Overall, Amongst the Ruins was a stimulating, thought-provoking read, and I was quite surprised how much I liked this book with its depth and emotion. This story was much more developed than other dystopian novels out there, where the romance can be more dominant than the actual world-building. I definitely plan on reading the sequel once it is out, especially with the end leaving off at a dramatic turn. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of dystopian novels with a touch of romance.… (mehr)

Eight clans now rule the land; their only purpose is to re-establish themselves amongst the survivors of the earth’s collapse. Breeding any, and every, woman is the only way this can ensured within each clan. Yet there are those who do not agree with this decree.

Shilo yearns to free herself of the stigma surrounding her origins. Her pale skin and hair set her apart from those around her, a fact that her mother does her best to keep from everyone else. Try as she might, she doesn’t quite understand as to why she must keep her differences hidden. Yet hide them, she must, for her family’s survival depends on it.

Traveling with a group of nomads who intend to find their own place within the world as they now know it, she and her family encounter hardships along the way – hardships that seem to follow their every wake no matter where they go.

Presented with the opportunity to better herself, Shilo decides to take the chance and train herself into becoming a soldier for the new clan that she and her family have inadvertently stepped into. A sudden attack throws her into the hands of another clan where women are nothing but a means for which to breed, something that she refuses to allow. Fighting for her life, she makes her escape at the cost of alienating her family. While this is not a choice she makes willingly, she knows that it’s the only way that she’ll ensure that they’ll remain safe from harm.

As she learns to assert and defend herself, she begins to make peace with who, and what, she is. Yet she can never forget those that have always meant the world to her. When she’s given the chance, albeit reluctantly, to reunite with her loved ones, she’s thrust into a decision that will completely change life as she knows it. While everything inside cries for her to reject what she must do, she knows that it’s the only way for her to obtain both her safety and that of her family. Even if it means that she must give up her freedom in order to achieve it.

This was such an amazing book. I loved every minute of it. Saewod is able to paint such a vivid picture that gives us a glimpse of what the world would be like if it were to completely collapse. While the ending was left in a cliffhanger, of sorts, it makes way for what’s next to come. I look forward to reading the next book in the series when the time comes.… (mehr)