Holly Danger lives in a fallen world. After the collapse of the eco-system and the departure of the rich on a flotilla of ships, she’s one of those who grew up in the ruins, scavenging for a living. When she sees a small boy about to throw himself to his death, she steps in, only to find she’s stepped straight into danger by forgetting rule one: trust no one.

A blend of a dystopian future Mad Max would be proud of, and well-developed characters blend with some great action scenes to make this a good YA action Sci-fi. Speculative fiction and SciFi fans should enjoy it, but the well-written action scenes will broaden its appeal. The science moves the story, rather than slowing the action, and it is adventure rather than hard SF, but there’s a lot (and a plot) to like here.

Holly initially struck me as another boring jaded heroine, but she develops depth in the first few paragraphs, and never really looks back. She is aware she’s making unwise decisions, and her inner critique is scathing, giving her a self-awareness that is rare, and amusing to read.

The supporting cast are less detailed, but we only see them from Holly’s point of view, so that makes sense. The book is written in first person, and her opinion are detailed, and often scathing.

The plot just keeps twisting, every piece fitting together, and the entire whole makes sense once it is revealed. People are doing exactly what they said, just not always for the reasons they claim, and that means detecting the lies and from being the truth is hard. It kept me reading, even when I was meant to be doing something else.