Rebel's Consort - Phoenix Book 1 (Phoenix Legends) [Kindle Edition]

I read so many books I only review books I can give four or five stars. They are the special ones I want to share. Rebel's Consort, Phoenix Book 1 by KH LeMoyne is one such a book. It is the rewritten and retitled XX. Are they the same book? A little. This book is almost double in size of the original. As such, it has a depth the other didn't. It has great character development and world building.

"Rebel's Consort" takes place one hundred and fifty years after a lethal strain of Salmonella wipes out genetically enhanced crops and livestock and only 20% of Earth's population has survived. This world consists of a few cities built over the ruins of the old world. It's ruled by Regents, who own the technology that's created "immunizations" meant to save what's left of the world. They're a lie. They make every aspect of a pre-pubescent child's body neutral, allowing the Regents to harvest organs or bones as needed to live forever.

Analena Maresco, a survivor of a mad scientist's experiments, has made it her life's mission to rescue child held by the Regents. She's known by all but a select few--the leader of the rebels, Radar, and those child she's saved by the code name Piper.

Trace Boden, code name Onyx, is a rogue cyber physician and escapee from a death camp. He hides in the city ruins beneath the New Delphi Capital super structure. Providing medical advice, instruction and supplies via the Down Below renegade cyber network, he operates in anonymity, slowly paying back the debt for his part in the Regent's atrocities by using his skill to save the lives of the children Analena/Piper rescues. He is the only doctor she trusts.

With Analena's rescue of an eight-year-old boy, Trace no longer can operate at arm's length. To save the child, he is needed personally. He meets the infamous Piper for the first time and is forces to allow Analena and her rescued children to see the man behind the mask.

Once he's successfully saved the boy, he is forced to tell the truth about himself and his past. Horrified, Analena sends him away. Then in the Down Below market, he learns he's at risk, the Regents are trolling for rebels and their supporters. He gathers all his equipment--and boy did I love how KH described the science and medicine--and is getting ready to bail when he's notified that Piper when on a rescue mission and is mortally wounded.

Gathering the rest of his supplies, he rushes to her side. What happens during the rest of the books sets the stage for the series. And what a series it will be. If this rewrite is any indication, we readers are in for a thrilling ride in a world none of us would want to live in yet fear could be on the way.

If you like books set in the future, you will like this one. It gives the author's insight as to the future where most of the population has been wiped out those who are left are controlled by a few. I received this book free to review.

I really looked forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, once I started it I progressively lost interest, stopped reading it and didn't care enough to pick up the book to finish it. It did have an interesting concept, and I liked the futuristic technology. There were also no obvious flaws in the writing. I think it was the romantic relationship that made me lose interest. I thought the juxtaposition between Chapters 1 and 2 crude- the contrast was just too stark, although I understand the author wanted to set up the destiny of the love relationship by the dreams. Also, I didn't understand why Trace only wanted to work with Analena, before he even met her. I had too many questions and didn't really care enough to stick around to get them answered.