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Halo and Fyve have passed the trials and made it on to the Oasis – the immense ocean liner which had been promised to take hundred teenagers from the trash-made Treasure Island to Tomorrow Land – but something just doesn’t feel right.  Not the small girl who has been introduced as the all-knowing, all-powerful goddess Terra and not their sudden ability to hear her voice in their heads.  When on Treasure Island, only Elijah, the community’s leader and Halo’s father was privy to the goddess’ thoughts.  After his sisters, Sevin’s, apparent sacrifice, Fyve is overwhelmed with grief, while Halo must decide whether or not to reveal to him that Sevin faked her death   As they carve a path through the acidic, red ocean, the ship reveals more secrets; each one more deadly than the last.  More trials face the hundred teenagers – but only fifty of them can survive.Â
The Oasis Deception is the second book in the Origins of the Thaw series, the prequal series to the brilliant The Thaw Chronicles, and honestly, this is possibly the best one in the entire series so far. Halo and Fyve’s characters bloom as they both try to wrestle with their belief of Terra and the voice which is seemingly omnipresent in their heads. The plot is relentless – hitting you with one twist after another and peril in every action filled chapter. It’s a quick read, but it’s immersive – leaving you gasping for breath as the teenagers fight for their lives again and again.
It’s not only their battle with their entire belief system which binds Fyve and Halo together. There’s a romance building there when they get the chance to breathe in between trials. They seem to have an emotional connection as well as attraction, both wanting to protect the other. It’s more complicated than just simply trying to find love, when they both have to wrangle with moral dilemmas which could mean the end of the trust they’re trying desperately to build. Each of them dance around secrets like professional dancers perform the tango.
Sloan and Catherine don’t shy away from darker, more troubling themes in this brilliant dystopian nightmare of a future. Ever in the content of the book is the warnings of climate change, the fear that this planet could end up with sulphuric, red oceans that are so acidic even its spray burns the skin. The talented duo also show how quickly children can turn into blood thirsty savages akin to Lord of the Flies, if given the motivation. Some children are murdered brutally, and others are desperate to survive, no matter the costs. Halo has to learn how to fight, to keep herself and her loved ones alive, even when she’s almost at the point of death herself.
As ever, an exceptional instalment in an astounding series. I can’t wait for the next one.
S. AÂ
The Oasis Deception is available to buy from Amazon, you can do so by clicking on its name. It is also available to read for free on Kindle Unlimited.
I received this book after reading it via Kindle Unlimited.