Laurel Solorzano

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Scarlett is a young trainee guard in a government facility, where she and her best friend Rhys were raised from childhood. They have been indoctrinated to uphold the Government and its power. The world outside the confines of this training facility is where the Citizens live but not freely. They are just as confined as the Guards who control them.

When Rhys and Scarlet are both promoted to ‘Blue’ Guards and are assigned to uphold law and order in the City, the close relationship between them shifts into something less comfortable. Although trained to obey, Scarlett is sickened after being forced to administer a brutal punishment on a Citizen. Then, a betrayal by a trusted friend causes her to question the Government’s agenda, creating a deep and dangerous rift between herself and Rhys, as well as drawing more unwelcome attention from her superiors.

Laurel Solorzano has created a future where an oppressive Government nurtures a hierarchy of Guards, where ‘normal’ citizens are forced to share community food, obey a strict curfew, attend enforced meetings, and suffer brutal punishments – even the children. Scarlett, like the other Guards, is ignorant of her origins and in fact, has no idea how babies are even conceived. The Government ensures that Guards do not reproduce, inflicting a strict no-touching rule between the sexes. And when Citizens do bear children, more sinister things happen.
Despite repeated warnings from her superiors and unsure if she can trust anyone, Scarlett continues to break the rules putting herself and Rhys in terrible danger.

In the Shadow of the Cities, by emerging author Laurel Solorzano, is set in an intriguing dystopian world with shades of Brave New World and The Handmaids Tale. The story is well-paced and although there are a few small plot holes, this is a wonderful first novel, showcasing an author with a great deal of potential.

#dysopianfiction #goodreads #intheshadowofthecities

Paperback, 260 pages

Published July 13th 2021 by Morgan James Fiction

ISBN

1631953273 (ISBN13: 9781631953279)

View all my reviews