Reverence by Raena Rood

Reverence
Reverence Trilogy Book 1
Raena Rood

5 Stars

 

Genre: Christian, Fantasy
Pages: 326
Published: 1 August 2022
Publisher: One Foundation Publishing

Publisher's Blurb

Twelve years ago, a global pandemic known as the Job virus decimated the world’s population. One city withstood the virus by going into lockdown during the early days of the pandemic and erecting a massive barricade wall to insulate themselves from the sick and the dying. Now called Vita Nova—meaning New Life—the city is overcrowded and its resources are quickly dwindling. The area outside the wall, known as the Unregulated Zone, is a vast wasteland filled with crumbling buildings, overgrown highways, and the Lawless: brutal bands of marauders intent on breeching the barricade and claiming the city’s resources for themselves.

To combat the problem of overcrowding, the leadership of Vita Nova has implemented two programs: The Compulsory Program, which requires that anyone over the age of sixty—or anyone who requires medical treatment for a chronic illness—undergo a humane euthanization procedure. There is also the Volunteer Program, which offers residents the chance to be revered at a public ceremony and receive a Final Week of luxury, gifts, and praise...in exchange for giving up their lives for the good of all.

After losing her mother as a Compulsory, Kira Liebert became a volunteer advocate for Vita Nova. She works closely with the Volunteers, arranging their stay at Rolling Meadows, a lavish, country-club estate where Volunteers spend their last few days. She also fulfills any special requests they might have for their Final Week.

But when young, handsome Will Foster enters her office, wishing to end his life as a Volunteer, he has just one request for his Final Week.

He wants to spend it with Kira.

Unable to refuse the Volunteer’s last request, Kira gets swept into Will’s world, leaving everything she knows behind and going somewhere she never thought she’d go: beyond the barricade. With the end of Will’s Final Week rapidly approaching, Kira realizes that Vita Nova is not the utopian sanctuary she once thought it was.

And some people—the truly brave ones—will sacrifice everything to prove it.

REVERENCE is the first book in Raena Rood’s thrilling new faith-based dystopian series.

Review

Twelve years ago the world was ravaged by a deadly pandemic. One city had the foresight to close its borders and expel anyone afflicted by the Job Virus to protect its citizens.

To prevent supplies running out the city instituted two schemes to control the population. The Compulsory Program for people who reach 60 years of age or are diagnosed with a serious illness, and the Voluntary program for anyone wanting to sacrifice their lives for the benefit of the city. The Voluntary program comes with a week filled with benefits and luxury leading up to the final day.

Kira Liebert is a Volunteer Advocate. Her job is to make sure the volunteers get everything they want or need in their final week. Her world is turned upside down the day Will Foster walks into her office and volunteers on the condition that Kira spends the week with him.

As Kira begins to fall for Will he slowly reveals that everything she knows about the city and the Unregulated Zone beyond its walls is not as straight forward as she has been led to believe.

An excellent novel to kick off the Reverence trilogy that brings great characterisation and an intriguing finely tuned plot that whisks the reader along right from the beginning.

I would gladly add the ‘Unputdownable’ label on this one as the writing style flows beautifully and tempts you to stay up way pass bedtime

Author

Website https://raenajrood.com/

Raena lives with her husband and three children in rural Pennsylvania, where her hobbies include raising chickens, singing off-key while cleaning, and introducing her kids to cheesy 80's movies. When she’s not writing, she spends way too much time thinking about buying more chickens. And possibly a goat.