Series: Tournaments Of The Thaw
Authors: Tamar Sloan & Heidi Catherine
Genre: Sci-Fi, Post Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Climate-change Fiction
Release Date: 14th October 2020
BLURB from Goodreads
Four teens. Seven tournaments. One survivor.
In a world devastated by global warming, the factions in the Outlands are warring. People are hungry. Desperate. And aware that survival comes at a price.
The Tournaments have been announced. Deadly games that can only have one survivor. Games that will unite the factions as one true leader seizes power of all the remaining lands. The People of Cy have spent their lives training to make sure they win. The People of Fairbanks are considered as weak as they are doomed. Nobody expects they'll enter....
But for the Tournaments to take place, each faction must be invited. Including Fairbanks.
When twin warriors, Lexis and Raze, set out with the token invite, they know they'll find a crumbling city. But they're surprised to find another set of twins, so much like themselves yet so very different. Winter and Gray don't know how to fight, but they sure know how to run.
As a desperate chase through the decaying city begins, discoveries will be made, and lives will be lost. Each twin will need to learn as much about each other as they do about themselves.
In an environment that's as harsh as the people who live in it, these four teens know they're the future. The problem is that only one of them will get to see it.
Let the Tournaments of Thaw begin.
In a world devastated by global warming, the factions in the Outlands are warring. People are hungry. Desperate. And aware that survival comes at a price.
The Tournaments have been announced. Deadly games that can only have one survivor. Games that will unite the factions as one true leader seizes power of all the remaining lands. The People of Cy have spent their lives training to make sure they win. The People of Fairbanks are considered as weak as they are doomed. Nobody expects they'll enter....
But for the Tournaments to take place, each faction must be invited. Including Fairbanks.
When twin warriors, Lexis and Raze, set out with the token invite, they know they'll find a crumbling city. But they're surprised to find another set of twins, so much like themselves yet so very different. Winter and Gray don't know how to fight, but they sure know how to run.
As a desperate chase through the decaying city begins, discoveries will be made, and lives will be lost. Each twin will need to learn as much about each other as they do about themselves.
In an environment that's as harsh as the people who live in it, these four teens know they're the future. The problem is that only one of them will get to see it.
Let the Tournaments of Thaw begin.
PURCHASE LINKS
REVIEW
| I do really like this book cover as it fits so well with the rest of the books set in this world, both the After The Thaw and Beyond The Thaw series. I will be totally honest I was worried that this spin off series may not be as good as the After The Thaw or Beyond The Thaw series that are set around Askala, but at the same time I adore this world and find the books set in it quite addictive reading, so I couldn’t resist and just had to read it! This book is set in the Outlands and is about the different tribes of Remnants (as the Askalan’s call them). Those in the Outlands hate that name and think it’s a way the Askalan people are looking down on them. In terms of the Askalan’s they term anyone who wasn’t born or is living in Askala “a Remnant from the Outlands”. However, those in the Outlands do not refer to themselves in that way. The Outlanders are made up of different groups or settlements of people. The People of Cy have sent messengers out to each area of the Outlands to invite the different tribes to send their toughest and strongest to take part in the Tournaments. It’s whilst visiting the People Of Fairbanks that Lexi, Raze, Jacobi and Arc come across Winter, Gray and Trakk who have just managed to catch themselves some rats to cook and eat. Though they know they will have to hand at least some of them over to their leader Brik. Lexi, Raze, Jacobi and Arc tell the three Fairbanks scavengers about the Tournament. When Lexi and Raze see the food they do not think of sharing with those that have caught the rats, their first instinct is to simply take the rats for themselves by whatever means necessary. The “People Of Cy” which as the name suggests are those that live in his area where Cy lived in the Outlands. Cy who was originally from Askala, but after endangering the food supply was banished. Cy hasn’t ever explained why he was set out of Askala, in fact he has ruled his people and trained his people to be the strongest they can be in the hope when they accumulate enough fighter’s they can cross the ocean and battle with the Askalan people. The ultimate goal being for the People of Cy to take over and rule Askala. That is one of the reasons the People Of Cy are holding the Tournaments, they want to find the bravest, toughest man or woman to become the ruler of the whole of the Outlands and its people and then for that leader to choose an army to go take Askala. Of course, the People Of Cy have these Tournaments happening on their land, with their choice of seven tasks or tests. Seven rounds and the one left standing will be the ultimate winner, the Commander of the Outlands. Naturally the People Of Cy feel in no doubt that it will be one of them that wins and becomes the Commander. The representatives from the People Of Cy are offspring current leader Evrest has trained his twins Lexi and Raze all their lives. There were no hugs and shows of affection for them as they were growing up. The only kindnesses they remember from their younger days were that Ivor taught them to put stones in the broth to fool yourself into thinking the pot is full of broth to eat, which is more of a survival tactic than kindness really. The only thing they have received in the way of human contact is when they were young and cold at night trying to sleep Hester would lie by them to help to keep them warm. For a prequel so much happens, yet the Tournaments don’t even start in this novella! In fact, the book ends just as they are about to start! This prequel has the backgrounds of the main characters and the history of the different people/races and their ways, customs and history. The book shows the sometimes very stark differences between the different dwellers of the different areas of the Outlands. I did have a fluctuating view of Lexi and Raze to begin with but by the end of the prequel I really couldn’t help liking and kind of loving the tough, not so emotional, maybe more practical, and fight ready characters of Lexi and Raze. The Twins are like two halves of the one person. The twins do care a lot about each other but have been taught showing emotion of any kind is a weakness and definitely not a good thing. Even when one of their group is injured, they show no emotion, offering him no help at all. Just moving on with their mission. Lexi expects to win the Tournaments, its what she has been trained for her whole life. Raze knows his place is to protect his sister at all cost, even down to giving his life in the place of hers. The other set of twins in the novella are Winter and Gray, again a brother sister duo, although they do have the addition of Trakk, with them most of the time. The three characters have grown up together, scavenging for food, clothes and any supplies they need. Hiding out in Fairbanks, making their home with their mother in whatever building seemed the most stable. They now live in Polaris, the one seemingly strong building left and even that is constantly moving and changing. Trakk has always liked Winter a lot even though she has never reciprocated his feelings or acts of kindness. They have a tough leader called Brikk, who expects a large share of whatever the trio retrieve from wrecked buildings. When something happens to Trakk whilst he is helping one of the People Of Cy messengers Winter and Gray are first shocked at how the messenger from the People Of Cy treats their friend. You see the emotional side of Winter & Gray, as with Lexi and Raze, the male in the twins thinks it is his responsibility to protect his sibling. That’s why Gray argues with Winter when she says she wants to take part in the Tournaments. In addition to the People Of Cy and the People Of Fairbanks, though they are considered the weakest and called the Ghosts Of Fairbanks by the other tribes. There are representatives from as the People Of Crag, the People Of Rust and the People Of Never. We do get a little general background on these people but I think there will be more to learn about them in the rest of this series. It is interesting to see each tribe trough the eyes of the other. Which we mainly get to view the other tribes through the eyes of the People Of Cy, Lexi, Raze and Evrest and a little from the People Of Fairbanks, Winter & Gray. My immediate thoughts upon finishing the book were, Wow! That this book and upcoming series is yet another great facet of a fascinating world that Tamar & Heidi have created. I found it another amazing read and what a cliff hanger too…..what a place to end! Just as the fighting, death and destruction are about to begin. To sum up this is going to be another great series that is part of the brilliantly written Thaw Chronicles world. I can’t wait for those in the Tournaments Of The Thaw to collide with those in the current Beyond The Thaw Series! Seriously this is an amazing series, from Burning the prequel of the After The Thaw series to this prequel starting the Tournaments of Thaw series. Definitely looking forward to reading more of it as soon as its available to read!  |
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