From Goodreads: Sammy’s life is a nightmare, and it’s all her fault. First, she is caught shoplifting-a big no-no in the hard-on-crime Dominion’s world-and is shipped to a prison-mine for women on a faraway desert planet. Then on her very first week there, she destroys a droid belonging to the prison… on purpose. So when she’s sent deep into the pit of the mine as punishment, Sammy doubts she’ll live to see her sixteenth birthday. After all, this is the diggers’ level, and they are the prison’s most violent criminals. To her surprise, she finds a new family in one of the digging crews. But she also makes a deadly enemy. Can she and her crew manage to escape the prison and regain their freedom?
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This was a completely different and unique book from the ones that I normally read, and I really liked it! Not only is the plot intriguing, but the story itself is also very well written. Though a bit long for my tastes, with a few too many characters for me to keep track of, this underground adventure in the mines kept my attention and offered many fantastical creatures and situations that I truly enjoyed. From droids to gun fights and massive explosions, this novel has something for readers of all ages, and if you enjoy great world building and epic battles, then this is a novel for you.
Though I wouldn’t say that Sammy is necessarily a kick-butt heroine, she’s down-to-earth, has a good heart, and is more than willing to pull her own weight, which makes her impossible not to love. And I really enjoyed watching her bond with the ladies of her digging crew, backing each other up and ultimately saving each other on multiple occasions. With other factions of prisoners underground all vying for more food, the gangs underground are all pretty cutthroat, and I loved this in-depth look at prison life in this sci-fi world, especially when it comes to a daring escape gone wrong…
Mallet has done a great job creating a world unlike any other that I’ve read about and, though she does have many characters, in the end I think they all play an important part and the story wouldn’t be possible without them. If you’re looking for something different with a flare of science fiction and some intense fight scenes, then I highly suggest picking this one up. Three and a half stars.
I received this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.
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