Review copy was received from Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Acadia by Sterling Nixon Series: Acadia #1
on May 29, 2021
Genres: Dystopia, Science Fiction Fantasy
Format: Audiobook
Source: Author
Goodreads
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple
Acadia - the last human city, a fact all of its citizens were told from birth. For 200 years, a countless host of creatures have laid siege to Acadia, leaving the land rough with the bodies of the fallen.
For Cojax becoming a Validated, a true defender of the city, is his greatest ambition. That all changes when Jessica appears - a girl from outside the city walls - from a land that supposedly held no life. Her presence threatens to undermine the entire society, putting Cojax in an impossible situation. He now must choose between what is right and the survival of his people.
Acadia is a blend of Roman/Greek culture and Starship Trooper monsters. A society built around one purpose. Locked in a war ranging over 300 years against the alien bugs or Roaches as they called. The society is built around one purpose, raising a warrior class to fight in the war. They are the elite and everyone else is just a dependent in the system.
Acadia is the golden city, the last bastion of hope for humans. They have stood against the Roaches for over three hundred years and everything in the society is built on rules, codes and a points system. Having a number places you in a tier, your rights depend on the tier you are in. If you are one of the best numbered, bringing glory to Acadia you get better food and more privileges. But if you are a drain on the society and your number drops to low, you are sent to one final battle against to Roaches. Everything is monitored, everything is measured and then put on display on a chest placard. Everyone in Acadia knows where you fall on the merit system all the time.
The Acadian’s have been bred for war and they have changed much from their human ancestors. One girl might upset the balance of it all. Jessica was found outside the walls of the city when she was young. She is smaller and frailer than the children in Acadia, but by right of Acadian law if she proves her worth and becomes a Validated by going through the Margetto she will win a place in their society. However, if that happens it could unbalance their entire system. A rebellion pins all their hopes on this one girl, while others will try to make sure she doesn’t come out of the Margetto alive.
Cojax is the son of a numberless, one of Acadia’s elite class. He has worked his entire life to go through the trials of the Margetto and become one of the Validated that defend the city. When he meets the aberration, Jessica during the Margetto they accidentally form an alliance of sorts. Cojax must decided if he believes in Jessica and what he will risk for the cause she is the linchpin for.
I enjoyed this book thoroughly. The competition based school of horrors where over four kids enter and around two hundred are planned to survive. The emotional impact of Jessica’s journey and how much she had to commit to in order to just make it to the trail to become validated. The unrolling of the society through the PoVs of Jessica, Cojax and Marcus (Cojax’s validated Brother) to see different aspects of this harsh meritocracy, was a great way to worldbuild and inject emotion into the story.
There are some great twists near the end, that the story built to so well. I was surprised by all of them, which is saying something, since I really should have seen at least one of them coming. I enjoyed the character growth and the set up for the sequel, Titan. I believe this book will resonate with fans of Red Rising and Will of the Many.
Note: The author/audio publisher is giving out 5000 free copies of the audio here . You do have to listen to it on the bookfunnel app but I found the app worked well.
Narration:
Performance: ★★★★★
Character Separation: ★★★★★
Diction: ★★★★★
Pacing/Flow: ★★★★★
Sound Effects: None
Euan Morton was such a perfect selection to be the narrator for this story. His voice fits the vibe so well. I loved his narrations for Will of the Many and Strength of the Few.  He has such distinctive narration voice and then slips in and out of the character voices effortlessly. I always understood who was speaking and felt the emotion they were bringing to the situation. Absolutely brought the story to life for me.
Listen to a clip:Â HERE
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How intriguing!!! 😀
I had a lot of fun with it and I loved Euan Morton’s performance. If you’re interested try to get a free copy from the link in the review.
Sounds like such an interesting premise! And the cover grabbed my attention. Great review!
Definitely an interesting premise and story set up.