Review Detail

Perfect Poppy grew up as the “First Lady” of the newly formed government of the North American Alliance; the government that took reign after global warming caused wide flooding, and war decimated half of the USA.

Alongside her father, President Walker, Poppy’s days were filled with publicity events, photo ops and political meetings.
Poppy never understood why her father was so paranoid, why he trained her to be a lethal fighter, or why he installed secret passageways and safe rooms in the White House. That is, until a political dinner they’re both attending is ambushed.

Poppy escapes and is alone for the first time in her life. From being waited on hand and foot, to living in sub-par standards, Poppy is left to defend herself and her territory against things she didn’t even know existed.

In a world where dogs have evolved into scaly, red eyed monsters and snakes have grown to mutant size, the world is one that Poppy and us as readers are unfamiliar with. Not surprisingly, cats are still the same – they’re still entitled bastards.

The world building is immense and takes up the greater part of the story, leaving little room for character development and plot. This isn’t a bad thing in this instance though. It is clear from the beginning that Poppy is a strong and independent girl, someone who would be a great role model for young readers. The plot consists of Poppy learning to live in a brand new world, one she’s not used to.

There’s an element of romance, which I would’ve liked to have been explored in more depth (but I am a sucker for a love story). There is a bit of a cliff-hanger ending, which is some cases can be annoying, but in “Into Shadow”, it satisfied me enough to have closure but still made me want more of the story. I will be hanging on the edge of my seat for the sequel