Unique take on dystopian United States.
No one could have anticipated the attacks that would occur on United States soil. Multiple political assassinations took out much of the country’s leadership until the Secretary of State was the next in line for the presidency. After that, things changed rapidly. In order to become fully oil independent, the states of North Dakota and Wyoming were completely evacuated to be used solely for energy production, giving them the names Energy Territory No. 1 and No. 2. Congress was suspended. Millions were deported out of the county and immigration came to a halt. The county as we knew it, ceased to exist.
River Peterson works as a truck driver in Energy Territory No. 1. After returning from the Caliphate Wars, her husband took his own life, leaving her and her daughter with massive debt. There was little she could do beside take a job in this wasteland to pay everything off before she could return to Idaho to see her mother and daughter. One night on the way to her apartment, a man runs out in front of her truck. She can see that he is deeply wounded and makes the decision to take care of him. Unbeknownst to her, he is Finn Cunningham, the son of the President of the United States and is trying to prove the harm that the territories are causing the rest of the country’s water supply. When the dawn of a new threat arises within the borders of the county, River and Finn must work together to find a way to save their own families and countless others in the process.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book as a unique take on dystopian literature. This genre has become so common that it seems like authors either have the same ideas or someone is getting copied. However, Davis brings a fresh look with 48 States. Named so because two of the states are evacuated for energy production, this book dives into some of the darker areas of what could potentially happen to our country. I loved both River and Finn as the two main protagonists. They were cut from different cloths, but still so much the same. Both characters had some growth, which might have had to have some setbacks first. The villain was quite overplayed as well, but when you have an egotistical maniac on the loose, what do you expect. The story was interesting to read out and I thought it was well done. There is some language throughout and some implied sex, but nothing really graphic or over the top. Even so, I still recommend this book for mature readers.
I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
See the review here.