The Sandcastle Empire
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
Before the war, Eden’s life was easy. Then the revolution happened, and everything changed.
Now a powerful group called the Wolfpack controls the earth and its resources. And even though Eden has lost everything to them, she refuses to die by their hands. She knows the coordinates to the only neutral ground left in the world, a place called Sanctuary Island, and she is desperate to escape to its shores.
Eden finally reaches the island and meets others resistant to the Wolves. But the solace is short-lived when one of Eden’s new friends goes missing. Braving the jungle in search of their lost ally, they quickly discover Sanctuary is filled with lethal traps and an enemy they never expected.
This island might be deadlier than the world Eden left behind, but surviving it is the only thing that stands between her and freedom.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Questions of justice, privilege, and inequity hang over Olson's smart, fast-paced debut, set in a near-future Earth racked by climate devastation and war. Seventeen-year-old Eden lost everything, including her father, when citizens calling themselves the Wolfpack took over in a populist uprising amid planet-transforming floods. Eden and others now work in gulags, suffering daily indignities from the brutal Wolves. Following a bloody battle, Eden makes a break for it, setting sail along with three fellow runaways. They head for the fabled refuge of Sanctuary Island, but upon arrival it appears to be deserted. After they locate a temple full of deadly traps, and a trio of boys arrives on the island, Eden discovers that her newfound safety is fleeting at best. Eden, who narrates, is both brave and aware of her flaws. Readers will enjoy sinking into the thoughtfully constructed details of Olson's ravaged future Earth, as well as a number of terrifying action sequences that build to a game-changing twist and the potential for more to come. Ages 14 up.
