"A mortal tether is what binds us to this world. It's all the beautiful things in our life that make it worth living."

Mortal Tether reminded me a lot of Michael Grant's Gone series mixed the Ghosts from Marie Lu's Skyhunter.
The story is quickly paced, focusing on Amaia and Liam as they struggle to survive in a world where all adults have been turned into zombie creatures. There was rarely a dull moment, plus a handful of plot twists to keep me guessing until the very end. My only complaint plotwise would be that the ending felt a bit rushed and left on a note of uncertainty, despite this being what I believe to be a standalone novel. I still liked the ending, it just felt awfully convenient how it concluded. Still, I'm satisfied with it.
Surprisingly, the highlight for me in this story was the characters. First of all, I just want to mention how much I loved Amaia and Liam's relationship and how it didn't dissolve automatically into romantic feelings. It's implied that Liam has strong feelings for Amaia, but she still sees him as her best friend. Good platonic relationships are hard to find in literature, but this book did a great job. I also thought the characters were portrayed very realistically. Yes, they could be overdramatic or a bit crazy at times, but I kept reminding myself that all of them were children in an extremely stressful environment. Of course, they're going to react in certain ways.
Mortal Tether is a great new dystopian survival story that fans of Gone and The 100 will really enjoy.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
4/5
"I want her to grow up knowing that a person can be both sweet and tough, fragile and strong... and just because a girl's in distress doesn't mean she's a damsel in distress. It's ok to need help."