This book was amazing! It kept me glued to the pages. The storyline was interesting, and I loved the characters!
This is a dystopian YA novel set generations after the earth has become too hot for humans to live on the surface. The wealthy leaders of Earth built enormous bunkers under the ground and brought laborers with them so that there would be people to run the underground cities and do all the work. Eve lives in Compound Eleven. She’s a lowly 2nd-floor inhabitant, however, it’s better than the 1st floor. Living on the 5th floor are the elite and the privileged. As she looks for a way to escape the compound, she accidentally befriends a 5th-floor boy. She finds that maybe not everyone on the 5th floor is bad…or are they?
This is just what I want in a dystopian novel. There were secrets about the higher-ups and the lower classes are downtrodden. I loved the danger of the outside world. It created this locked-in feeling throughout the story. It reminded me of Breathe by Sarah Crossan where the outside world is dangerous and truly unknown by all these newer generations.
This was also just the right amount of YA. The romance is soft with kisses, but nothing further really. Eve’s relationship is an enemies to lovers trope, which is one of my all-time favorites. I loved the persistence of him and the stubbornness of her.
Overall, this was an absolutely fabulous read! I enjoyed everything about it, and I am impatiently awaiting the next book!!!
Content Warning:
There is an attempted rape scene, which is somewhat graphic and could be a trigger for some. There is senseless murder, abuse, and references to child murder.
To Read or Not To Read:
I would recommend