Review: Captives

One choice could destroy them all.

When eighteen-year-old Levi returned from Denver City with his latest scavenged finds, he never imagined he’d find his village of Glenrock decimated, loved ones killed, and many—including his fiancée, Jem—taken captive. Now alone, Levi is determined to rescue what remains of his people, even if it means entering the Safe Lands, a walled city that seems anything but safe.

Omar knows he betrayed his brother by sending him away, but helping the enforcers was necessary. Living off the land and clinging to an outdated religion holds his village back. The Safe Lands has protected people since the plague decimated the world generations ago … and its rulers have promised power and wealth beyond Omar’s dreams.

Meanwhile, their brother Mason has been granted a position inside the Safe Lands, and may be able to use his captivity to save not only the people of his village, but also possibly find a cure for the virus that threatens everyone within the Safe Lands’ walls. Will Mason uncover the truth hidden behind the Safe Lands’ façade before it’s too late?

The cover of this book caught my attention at first and then when reading the synopsis on the back I instantly wanted to know more. Reading about a society that had control always seems to interest me because I always want to read what they do to enforce policies and how in the end it all comes to crumble so I jumped into this book with high expectations and by the end I wanted to read only more.

Plot: The story line was interesting and seeing how two different societies worked. Seeing how the people lived their daily lives in the Safe Lands and how the people thought they were living the life but in reality they were puppets being controlled. And then the people who created a life outside and grew learning how the Safe Lands is a corrupted place and one must never go there. It was interesting reading about the disease and what the Safe Lands wanted to use the outside villages for and the role of women in this story.

Characters: The book was divided into different point of views of the characters throughout the book. Mostly the chapters were divided between the three brothers but every now and then we would read a chapter about the women and the situation that they were placed in and what the Safe Lands were using them as. It was really sad for me when reading how the brother I was rooting for in the beginning is the reason for loss of his village and the capture of the surviving people.  Yes I know he didn’t want any of this to happen but when putting your trust in people that you don’t know, bad things tends to happen and that is exactly what happened. All characters played an important role in the story which made the book come even more alive.

Love: The idea of pairing up people to get married because your parents tell you too, even though you have no feelings for the people is not something I agree with. Even though one brother seemed to been matched with his soul mate. Sometimes you will find in the strangest of places and fall in love with people you never would have thought you could love before.

End: Overall Captives ended on a note that makes me want to know what could happen next. I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for the next book in the series. Jill Williams creates a society that will gain control over you and hold on till the very end. Captives is a brilliant work.

I give it 4 bites!