“Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself.” – Richard Bach

Fail the tests and become a slave. Display defectiveness and be put to death. 

Monroe Academy was built to separate the weak from the strong. Pass the biyearly leveling and be released into society upon graduation. Fail to be promoted and be stripped of rank and forced into servitude. 

That was a rule that applied to all but Rayah Bardeau. A student of Monroe Academy, branded as a Null because of her absence of Lighter energy. With her mother standing as a slave in her place, Rayah was given until the age of twenty to make level six, but at nineteen-years-old and with only eight months until her twentieth birthday, she was only a mere level one. The same level she’s been since she was ten. 

With the stress of her upcoming test, the loss of a friend, and the constant wrongdoings towards her, Rayah could only dream of escaping from Lytonia, and escape she did. Only, when she awakened in her dorm, she couldn’t distinguish if she had only dreamt of meeting Soren, a wild and adventurous defect in the Wild Lands, or if she had somehow used her Lighter Form to get there. 

But only the elite ― the most powerful of Lighters ― could tap into their Lighter Forms. Right?

And what was the dark energy she used when she and Soren were attacked by Depleters? Was Rayah really as powerless as she thought? Was she a defect? And if she used dark energy, could she call herself a Lighter at all? 

Welcome back! I am so glad you have stayed with me. I hope to be able to provide you with a great read on a rainy Sunday. As I an writing, I pause occasionally to watch the rain dripping from my porch and to listen to the soft patter as the rain drops hit the roof. It’s a day for relaxation and reflection with a strong cup of joe and a good book to cozy up with.

Today’s review is for The Descendants by Destiny Hawkins. Its from the dystopian science fiction genre and its action packed and fast paced. It begins with Rayah who is a null or someone who has no light powers at all. Everyone in the town have some form of powers to learn to use for the greater good. Her powers never manifested so she was ranked as the lowest level in the academy. The instructors tried to force her to develop any latent powers she had through torture and pain but her time to shine was running out. Her own mother had bought her time to reach her potential by offering herself up as a slave until her twentieth birthday. We meet Rayah at nineteen years and four months and witness her struggles from being beaten by top ranked students and extreme torture by an instructor with a particular interest in her. As she struggles to over come these situations she also morns the loss of her best friend and crush. He failed to make it to the final level of training and was enslaved as a consequence. She learned about the evil Children of God and the wild lands beyond the walls of their city. She began having vivid dreams of escaping the town and encountering one of the Children of God. However she learned that he was not evil and finally understood that her dreams of him were no dreams. She was showing evidence of some of the traits of the Children of God. The book was exciting and her description of Rayah and her quiet dignity and strength made me root for her from the beginning. I found it an enjoyable read and will be reading the second book to see what happens to Rayah.