Fifteen-year-old Aya lives in the forest with a small group of women and girls, avoiding the cities where enslaved young women are auctioned off as breeders. Strong and self-reliant, she does not adjust well to the life of a slave when she is captured by a group of businessmen on a hunting trip. Confined to the Garden, where eligible young girls are groomed and made ready for auction, Aya fights back, frequently landing in solitary confinement. Ironically, her punishments afford her a possible way out, as she befriends a wolf pup and the mute but handsome horse-handler Kiran. Romance readers will find plenty to swoon over, while fans of dystopian futures will find this a compelling, if derivative, read. Aya's fierce determination and ability to think quickly and creatively in crises make her a great role model, and her nature-based faith lends an interesting balance to the action-driven tale of social justice. Simmons creates sympathetic yet intriguingly flawed characters, and tweaks familiar dystopian elements to excellent effect.

Aya lives in a world where women are breeding property. As a wild girl, she is hunted, and when raiders capture her, Aya will have to put her faith in new allies in order to escape and get back to her family. There's plenty of danger and action, but plot holes abound and the basic world-building doesn't hold up under scrutiny.

Gr 9 Up-In a not-too-distant future, void of the belief in prayer and God, prayer is outlawed. Each public auction of available young girls raised for breeding purposes begins with a moment of silence to give thanks to the rich men who seek out subjects to purchase. Not only are women denied basic human rights in this caste society, but no one is given the opportunity to rise out of their assigned station. Lower caste men are neurologically altered to serve as either mindless, fashion-conscious baby-sitters for the chatteled young girls or emotionless security guards to keep the girls in line. Sixteen-year-old Aya, an educated renegade raised to think independently, is captured for sport by a rich young magnate and turned over to the capital city of Glasscaster for auction to the highest bidder. Aya is valuable because she has lived her life free, with natural foods, unlike the chemical substitutes given to the young girls raised within the city walls. This means that Aya has a higher chance of giving birth to a male child. Despite her attempts to sabotage her auctions, Aya finds herself not only sold, but also transferred to the highest household in town, Mayor Rykor's home. The extensive security system in the home makes it hard for Aya to find a means of escape, and much to her surprise, she discovers that it's not the mayor who has purchased her; it's his nine year old son. There's a much of Katniss Everdeen in Ayaa familiar strength and determination. Aya is an independent thinker, strong and self-reliant. Despite some slow pacing in the middle, fans of dystopian and postapocalyptic YA fiction will thoroughly enjoy this read. Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA

Aya is living in a world where females are not safe. Hunted and sold to the highest bidder for breeding rights, women are subjected to life-threatening "beauty treatments," brutal beatings, and worse. Aya and the women in her family have successfully evaded capture deep in the mountains, but suddenly they are no longer safe. Fifteen-year-old Aya finds herself thrust into an unknown and dangerous city awaiting her fate until Kiran, a quiet and mysterious boy, arrives to help her escape. Seemingly mute, Aya is not sure she can trust him, or any man for that matter. Just when she thinks they have devised the perfect plan for her freedom, Aya finds herself the property of a very powerful man with a very frightening agenda.áIn this fresh take on dystopian fantasy, Simmons paints a dark and believable future in which modern conveniences are foregone in favor of "the old ways" and women are the property of men, to be bought and sold until they are no longer useful. Readers will be completely plunged into this dark tale but are not left without hope. The message of love conquering all is made abundantly clear with each harrowing trial and escape. Readers will find themselves cheering on Aya and Kiran as they fight to survive in a world that has lost its humanity. This story is perfect for dystopian and fantasy fans and will be well at home in young adult collections.Erin Segreto.