Initially, I had high hopes for this book. The premise is compelling and unique: the Indigenous peoples of present-day United States formed an alliance to contain European colonizers within the original 13 colonies. Today, the colonizers' descendants remain confined to these colonies—now a dystopian hellscape—while the rest of the continent, known as the United West, enjoys a modern, comfortable, quasi-utopian existence. This setup creates rich ground for exploring colonialism, capitalism, systemic oppression, and the moral obligations nations have when confronted with clear evidence of oppression, violence, and exploitation.

This theme is explored effectively through Kaileh, one of the point-of-view characters. As a Warrior in the United West's military force, she patrols the border between the Atlantic States and the United West. Her deep prejudice against Atlanticists leads her to blame the exploited conscripts—factory workers trapped in indentured servitude—for their own oppression. When other citizens of the United West show sympathy for the conscripts' plight, Kaileh dismisses them as traitors. This was the most compelling aspect of the book; unfortunately, the rest fell short of its promising potential.

The book suffers from a lack of clear stakes. Readers are asked to accept plot elements as significant without understanding why they matter. The prime example is a packet of crucial documents—while their importance is repeatedly stressed, their contents and purpose remain frustratingly obscure. Even after these papers reach their destination, we're merely told their significance is "classified" above Kaileh's clearance level. Though characters risk their lives to deliver these documents, readers never receive a compelling reason to care about the mission's outcome. Adding to this problem, the narrative frequently skips over important expository conversations, missing opportunities for vital character development and plot progression. The characters consistently possess more knowledge than readers—a choice that creates distance and ultimately makes them less sympathetic.

Finally, there are seemingly supernatural elements that are never explained yet prove significant to the plot's climax, leaving me with no understanding of how Ruby, the other point-of-view character, escapes from her predicament. While she isn't the only character with mysterious abilities, her moment of taking control loses impact because readers have no insight into what she's actually doing. I'm not usually focused on plot—I'll happily read a book that's all atmosphere and overlook plot holes when the story prioritizes other elements. However, when a book is clearly plot-driven, these significant gaps become increasingly frustrating and steadily diminish my investment in the story.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book (particularly when I discovered this was all set-up for the sequel). I wanted to; there are many compelling elements that could’ve led to something really remarkable. The execution just fell too flat for me with an over-reliance on common dystopian tropes (particularly in characterization) and a lack of cohesion between plot and world.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.