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Stories

Sacrificing Serenity

Sacrificing Serenity by Holly Ash

What would you sacrifice to keep your kids healthy? With the rollback of environmental regulations, clean drinking water has become a luxury for the rich. A year after the death of her husband, single mother Reggie Stone is barely holding things together. Her nonprofit construction company has run out of funding, her son is being bullied at school, and with the rising cost of bottled water it’s becoming harder by the day to provide her kids with food, water, and a safe place to live. Fueled by desperation, she calls in the one advantage she swore she would never take and moves them to Serenity, the original Sanctuary City, an experimental town surrounded by a smart grid that filters out all pollutants. The only downside is the Sanctuary Cities are run by Reggie’s estranged parents whose love and approval has always been dependent on how well their children preform in the sciences. Reggie assumes the blunt disapproval and passive aggressive comments from her parents are the worst she’ll have to deal with, but she soon realizes things aren’t what they seem in the city. Unexplained gaps in the residents’ memories sets Reggie off on a mission to discover what’s really going on inside the smart grid before her children lose all their memories of their father.


Crashing Tide

Crashing Tide by Holly Ash

Environmental scientist, Zoe Antos’s world has forever been changed. When a mysterious illness sweeps across the globe, the Arrow Equilibrium is only too happy to place the blame on Zoe. Injured and on the run, the only thing that matters now is survival. But at some point, survival isn’t enough. Zoe is determined to stop running and find a way to live in this new world. As a new community grows around her, so does the danger. The Arrows won’t stop till she dead, regardless of the collateral damage. Separated from his fiancé, Cole Wilborn finds himself a prisoner of the Arrows. His parents are determined to make him see things their way, even if it means completely breaking down his spirit in the process. Unable to get to Zoe, he is committed to keeping the Arrows off her trail. With the help of his older siblings, he plays the part of dutiful son while gathering information to make his escape. Cole will soon learn that freedom may have consequences he never imagined. Zoe and Cole must find a way to turn the tide in their favor before it crashes down and pulls them under.


Reviews

The Wolf in Me: Survive

The Wolf in Me: Survive by Alex Smith

Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Straightforward
Characters: Roles are clear
Storytelling: Descriptive
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down
Emotional Response: Strong emotions
Thought Provoking: Did some research after reading
Cover: Matches the story well

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