REVIEW: GOLD SHADOW by L. C. Perry

Title: Gold Shadow
Author: L. C. Perry
Series: Bronze Rebellion #1
Genres: YA, Sci-Fi
Publisher: -
Release: December 2nd, 2017
Source: E-book
Pages: 343

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BLURB: In the North American continent, eighteen year old Ebony has been living as a slave for as long as she can remember. The underground cities, the tattoo, the scars and the shackles are a part of the only world she has ever known. She knows that in order to survive, she will have to stay strong. And she will stay strong, cursing those in power, until her very last breath. She waits for a meaningful way to die as she quietly pushes her body to its limit…but that all changes when rebels from the surface drop down right in front of her.

Now, Ebony is challenged to envision a life beyond slavery as she and the other escapees are thrown into the center of a rebellion against the monarchy. She has to embrace this glimmer towards a real life…this glimmer called freedom. But what can she contribute to a rebellion that is doomed to fail like those before it? How can they stop a corrupt monarchy that has lasted for a century? Among the lower class, those with hope are hard to come by, but Ebony has found refuge with people full of it. And through their strong desire, an idea emerges…one that has never been done before. The princess of the country is coming of age and what better way to send a message to the king and queen than to kidnap their only daughter?

EXPECTATIONS: Didn't really have any expectations. I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much!

THE WORLD: USA but messed up... after wars and bad politics USA ended up in a totalitarian monarchy that has divided the population into 3 types: the rich, the normal, and the slaves. Yes, they have slaves they use for building things and exploiting mines, etc. However, most of the population is not aware because these slaves are mostly kept hidden in underground cities (they call them Rot Cities). Basically, anyone can be a slave but of course poor people have the biggest chances and others are simply born slaves. Because of this injustice a rebel group rose up and gained supporters over time. 

CHARACTERS: The main character is an 18 year old slave called Ebony who has lived all her life in a Rot City. On the other hand, we have Princess Irene, the heiress of the country who lives completely oblivious to the commoner and slaves' suffering. She only knows of riches and has been taught that her parents only work hard for the good of the people. The book alternates both POVs and they are of stark contrast. Apart from those we also have other important characters such as Chase, Tristan, Myra, Paige, etc who are other slaves too. We also get a glimpse of the rebels and their dynamics.

ROMANCE: There is no romance.

GOOD: I liked the introduction to the characters. They are all very different and well-rounded. They definitely have their own voice, which is great. The world building was also good though maybe a bit slow paced but I guess that's better for the first book because otherwise it could get confusing. The book addresses some hard topics //tw// dealing with slavery and abuse... but I think they were handled well. Just don't read this book if you are very sensitive or lighthearted.

BAD: I think my main problem was the introduction of a ton of characters in a very small window of time and pages. At first we are introduced the world and characters slowly but about 50% in suddenly we get a lot of characters introduced and it got chaotic. Since they are a lot of characters we only get a glimpse of their thoughts and personalities instead of a solid base for them. I hope we get to know more about them in the next books.

This issue also made the pace slow down during the 50-75% mark. I felt like I could flip through pages reading only 2 sentences from each and I would still be able to follow through. It definitely changed toward the end but that section was just boring.

OVERALL: 3 stars. Overall I enjoyed the book and I believe it has potential to be a YA hit though some elements feel overused in the genre.

What do you think about GOLD SHADOW?