The Freedom Race
by Lucinda Roy
Macmillan-Tor/Forge

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this cautionary tale. It may not be too far fetched as it seems! First, a warning about this book. It includes suggestions of mass rape, attempted rape, lynching, violence, slavery, and murder, even of babies. I didn't know this going in.

This book is when the US has had another Civil War and now it is the divided into three parts. One section is called the Territories and that's where they have slavery. Guess where that's located? South? Bingo! Only the owner of the slaves can impregnate the women. No other men can. The young are called seeds, or seedlings. When young, the color of the babies skin is measured on a chart. The darker the color, the worse the job.

Around the Territories there are bounty hunters that kill or capture any runaway. The bounty hunters have the mental attitude that the Proud Boys do now. Not good for anyone even if they are free and black. Or white with a black person. Cruelty seems to be their forte.

There are also hybrid people from the radiation fallout. The mutations that manage to live hide in the forests but bounty hunters look for them.

The story is based around one girl, a teen, that wants to win the race and be free. She has a boyfriend too. They both want to run the Freedom Race to become free but things don't go exactly as planned.

It's extremely suspenseful, depressing, odd at times, and ends strange. Maybe getting ready for book two? I did enjoy it regardless of the horror. I think the author may be looking at a future if our government doesn't save our democracy from the far right. Isn't this what they have been trying to do? It's certainly a wake up call! ( )