A review by hectaizani
The Given by Colby R. Rice

4.0

When I first started reading this book I felt as though I'd been thrown into the middle of the story and had no idea what was going on. I even stopped to make sure that this was, in fact, the first book in the series. After a chapter or two, it all started to make sense.

The Books of Ezekiel is a dystopian fantasy. There are points of reference that let the reader know that the Earth as we know it has been destroyed, and the characters are living in a possible future. There are at least two warring factions, the Koa and that Alchemists, who are supposed to leave Civilian territories alone. Naturally, their conflict begins to encroach onto territories that don't belong to either of them. Which is where the protagonist, Zeika and her little sister, Manja, come in.

Zeika, Manja, and their family are just trying to keep their heads above water in a world that is coming apart at the seams. When they become separated, Zeika, has to do whatever she can to keep her sister alive even if it means accepting help from Caleb, an Azure cop, and alchemist. She doesn't want his help and she certainly doesn't want to trust him because surely he wants something she isn't willing to give in return.

I am interested to see what happens in the second part of Zeika's story which continues in The Taken.