This was a fascinating concept and worked with what was happening, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the sci-fi element that I was looking for. The characters were everything that I was looking for and enjoyed getting through this. A.J. Whitney has a strong writing style and was able to create characters that I cared about.

Starts slow but the set up is necessary, once this book has its hooks in you it won't let you go. YA Dystopian Literature fans will devour this. I am BEGGING for a sequel!

This is my first NetGalley book, and it was a great start! This is a short (202 pages) and fast-paced YA dystopian novel revolving around a town who sacrifices orphans every 10 years to keep their harvest healthy and bountiful.

I don’t typically gravitate toward YA novels, being a person in my late twenties, but I will never turn down an interesting premise. I also don’t usually reach for dystopian/sci-fi reads, but this one comes to life more as a thriller/mystery than anything else.

Told in two different timelines in the same small community, we learn how and why the practice of sacrificing the town’s orphans came into being. In the past, we follow the POV of an elderly woman charged with keeping her community alive. In the present, we are led by a thirteen year old orphan who knows that her life’s purpose is to serve her town by going to Sovereign. Both characters are strong and their motivations are clear and sensible, even if we, as modern readers, could never imagine making the decisions that they make.

The ending sets up a sequel, and upon further research, I’ve found that there are two more books in the works to continue this series. I wasn’t aware of that going in, but I could see myself picking up the next books and seeing these characters through to the end! If the premise is at all interesting to you, I definitely think you should give it a chance!

This was a very easy read, easy to get through. The language and vocabulary was slightly advanced in some areas, which I appreciated. The plot was intriguing and quick moving throughout, and kept me completely guessing. A good few twists, and the ending left me wanting more. Pretty sure this is the first in a trilogy(?).

I am super excited for this to be published! As soon as I heard that e-ARCs were availabe, I went and grabbed it. I've known this author for years, went to elementary school together! I will be buying a copy, for sure!

First my thanks to Blue Handle Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity for an ARC copy of this novel 🫶

This book gave me strong The Village/Hunger Games/Maze Runner vibes. A small group of orphaned children are chosen to be sacrificed to The Sovereign every 10 years to keep their town safe and crops growing.

You read from two POVs- one of the Orphans (number 332) point of view, you find out that not everything is as it seems and the other, from one of the village founders who lived 300 years in the past.

The first half of the books is a little slow, background information and setting up for the second half of the book in the exposition The second half definitely has the riding action and climax in the last few chapters that will get you hooked.

I will say- this book is probably more appropriate for a younger YA/teen audience. I could have seen myself reading this between the ages of 10-14 and being OBSESSED with it. That being said, reading it as an adult, there is much to be desired by the sentence structure, basic word choice, and in your face story telling.

While I found it a little juvenile for an adult read, like I said, I think this would be an AMAZING story for your young teen to get their hands on and will for sure be recommending it to my niece to read!

A unique story line that follows the legacy of a town that sacrifices 10 orphans every decade to the "gods" to insure a good harvest. Told in two parts with two POV, we see the original Sending.....sacrifice.....and see the current year's Sending through the eyes of one of the orphans. The story moves between the two timelines, setting the reader up for an ending that takes a step forward an unknown future. Short read that raises several questions then leaves the ending open to a sequel.

Well this was a book of three phases for me. It started with a Sci Fi mystery which I found intriguing but then it moved on to something which felt like a middle grade novel and I was quickly losing interest. But then there was a sharp turn and quite a bit of action. I became interested again and was eager to get to the conclusion and find out what was going on. Needless to say I was frustrated to find that there was a cliffhanger and I would need a second book to answer all my questions.

I didn't hate it but I didn't love it. And I'm still confused as to whether it's an adult or a teen novel.

Sovereign follows 332, a teen orphan who will make the ultimate sacrifice with nine other orphans. They are to be left in the Fields so the town can be blessed with a decade of prosperity. This practice has been going on for three centuries, but things are changing. Whispers and secrets spur 332 and her younger sister, 333, to eavesdrop on the Elders meetings. With change brewing, 332 could finally have a life of her own, but with the possibility that the sacrifice is truly needed, 332 could lose everything.

This is a really fun story that is quite easy to fly through. It’s only about 200 pages and makes the perfect read to binge. The story is really fascinating and its one of those lovely concepts where you’re not entirely sure what’s going on. Is it a cult? A supernatural force? I love stories that toe this line and the author did a great job at keeping you guessing. The ending sets up a very intriguing sequel that I’m really excited to read.

I really enjoyed that this is told in two timelines. The present with 332 and the past with when the sacrifice first began. It made for a very interesting premise. The setup of the town was so well done and I loved seeing the parallels between the timelines.

332 is great main character with a lot of heart. I loved the journey she went on and I can’t wait to see where she’ll go in the sequel with what happened in this book. I loved her relationship with 333—their sisterly bond was so sweet. Also really enjoyed the sweet, budding romance with 331. The author did a great job with characterization.

If you love stories that keep you guessing and have great pacing, this is definitely one you’ll want to pick up!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a novella that centers around a Lottery type culture where orphans are sacrificed every ten years. It’s definitely YA focused. The character development is simple but enough to give each person some layers. This is definitely a book one with a cliff hanger ending. It’s a very quick read. I enjoyed it. I’d warn that there is a lot of drama and gruesome violence. It’s not my typical read but I’d continue the series.

My rating: 3.5 stars

This short book was certainly something quite unique and I wasn't 100% sure where it was going so the ending was quite a surprise (in a good way).

I enjoyed the start of the book and like that it is told from two POVs - one in the past and one in the present, but I found myself enjoying the past POV a lot more from the perspective of the grey haired woman. There was a lot more action in this POV and the paced seemed to be a bit quicker. The POV of 332 in the present seemed to be a lot slower and was in 1st person, whereas the other POV is third person so that was a bit odd. Considering it's only a short book, I did find myself getting a bit bored around the 50- 60% mark, but stuck with it and it did pick up again. All of the action seems to come in the last 25% and it's very fast from this point on.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but I probably would have rated it lower if it wasn't for the last quarter of the book because this set it up really nicely for the next one.

I am not too sure about this one. The writing is not exactly my cup of tea. It is a bit dark but without much tension in the story to grip me.

I struggled to get into this book fully, I think due to the formatting and execution. There was nothing wrong with it, I just couldn't get into it fully.
I like that it it s a shorter read, and the writing style is easy to follow.

A think a lot of horror and thriller fans will enjoy this one, but for me, it wasn't my favorite. This doesn't mean it won't be yours!

Thank you for granting me a free ARC copy of this book! I am leaving this feedback voluntarily.

This kind of stressed me out, but I enjoyed this short story.

I was stuck between is this an experiment, is it a cult thing, are the gods real or are the elders just corrupt child killers??? Either way this story captivated my attention and I enjoyed it.

With the story being told from the view point of a teenager who is one of the orphans, we get the wonderful inquisitive nature of children. Children naturally ask tons of questions and thankfully they were questions that I was dying to know the answer to as well.

This story will take you through a variety of unexpected emotions and keep you guessing. I’m rating it 3.75, I only wish it was longer.

I devoured this book in one sitting. A.J. Whitney's writing had me hooked from the first page and I couldn't stop reading until I had answers (no matter how vague they may be). I loved the pacing of this one and how the plotting kept me guessing right up until the very last page.

A fast-paced story, filled with intrigue and an unforgettable ending!