ALA Booklist

In a system of nation-planets, a colorful ribbon of energy, called the Current, weaves around each planetary body, imbuing its residents with a special ability. For Cyra, sister of Ryzek, the sovereign of the warlike Shotet people, that gift leaves her constantly wracked with pain, which she can inflict on others with just a touch. Akos, from Thuvhe, the sworn enemies of the Shotet, however, can negate the effects of the Current with his gift. When tyrannical Ryzek kidnaps Akos and his brother, he orders Akos to serve Cyra, using his gift to alleviate her pain. But Cyra is horrified by Ryzek's violent thirst for control, and Akos is desperate to save his brother spite their allegiances, they find more solidarity than enmity. Roth offers a richly imagined, often-brutal world of political intrigue and adventure, with a slow-burning romance at its core. Though the pace sometimes drags, the fascinating, fantasy-sf-hybrid world building is deftly deployed and adds considerable depth. Inevitably, it ends on a tantalizing cliff-hanger, but Roth's fans will be happily on board for the forthcoming sequel. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: This is Roth's first endeavor since the insanely popular Divergent series. Need we say more?

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-ifegiving "current" hums throughout the planets in what Akos knows as "the galaxy." This includes Akos's nation-planet of Thuvhe along with planets Zold, Othyr, Urek, Shotet, and more. Cyra dwells on Shotet, a bitter Thuvhesit enemy. Akos and Cyra each have currentgifts, which manifest at adolescence. His gift can provide relief, while hers causes pain for herself and others. In Roth's military-styled world, battles are settled with currentblades, and victors scar their arms with kill marks, meant both to count the dead and, in some cases, to honor them. The story is told from the perspectives of both Akos and Cyra. Readers follow a third-person view of Akos, who was brought unwillingly to Shotet and harbors deep resentments, while Cyra, always at the edge of pain and ready for battle, narrates in first person. Gradually, Cyra and Akos move from grudging tolerance of each other to respect and then love. Intrigue, poisonings, and an epic battle in the final chapters set the stage for the next book in this planned duology. Roth's dark world mixes classic elements, such as oracles and gladiator-style battles, with futuristic bullies who have a thirst for power. VERDICT The author's name may catch the eye of "Divergent" trilogy fans, but they will find that this book has less romance and more violence. Consider where Marie Lu's "Young Elites" series, Eoin Colfer's "W.A.R.P." books, and Allen Zadoff's "Unknown Assassin" titles are popular. Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX

Horn Book

Though Akos and Cyra come from opposite sides of a planet-wide civil tension, both are among the few, privileged "fated" who possess definite futures and unique talents. Others seek to use their "currentgifts" for their own means, leading to Akos's kidnapping and Cyra's exploitation as a living weapon. Strong characters and engrossing new worlds combine for superb science-fiction storytelling.

Kirkus Reviews

Two teens fight for their freedom and their lives in Roth's new intergalactic adventure. In Roth's galaxy, a "current flow[s] through every living thing, and show[s] itself in the sky in all different colors," and the Shotet people occupy the "nation-planet" Thuvhe. Upon passing into adolescence, everyone develops a "currentgift"—sometimes for better, and sometimes for worse. Cyra Noavek, sister of cruel and tyrannical Shotet ruler Ryzek, regularly experiences extreme pain and is able to transfer that pain to others—much to the advantage of Ryzek, who blackmails her into using her currentgift as a method of torture. Akos Kereseth, the Thuvhesit son of an oracle, can stop the flow of currentgifts—making him one of the only people who can touch Cyra without experiencing pain. Both, too, are fated: Cyra to "cross the Divide" between the Shotet and the Thuvhesit, and Akos to "die in the service of the family Noavek." When Akos and his brother are kidnapped and imprisoned by Ryzek and Cyra, their fates become intimately intertwined. While the book is not without its flaws, fans of the Divergent series—especially its thought-provoking questioning of identity and ethics—will find similarly thoughtful thematic treatment here. The narration is split between the two protagonists. Cyra's first-person voice is compelling, while the third-person narrative that follows Akos feels flat and distant. Mixed-race Cyra has "medium brown, almost golden" skin, while Akos is fair-skinned. Brimming with plot twists and highly likely to please Roth's fans. (Science fiction/fantasy. 14 & up)

Voice of Youth Advocates

This dystopia is galaxy-wide. Nine major planets are bound by a “currentstream” flowing through every living thing. This currentstream endows the children of favored families with a fate known to the oracles at birth and revealed to the fated in adolescence. Eijeh Kereseth, a sixteen-year-old native of peaceful Thuvhe, is fated to be an oracle. Along with his younger brother Akos, Eijeh is kidnapped by rival soldiers from Shotet. Brutal Shotet ruler Ryzek Noavek needs an oracle to outmaneuver his well-publicized fate of falling victim to Thuvhe rulers. Ryzek soon discovers that Akos’s currentgift can alleviate the constant pain that is the strange currentgift of Ryzek’s younger sister, Cyra. Cyra not only suffers pain but can inflict it on others as well, and Ryzek uses her to punish enemies. The novel belongs to Akos and Cyra who narrate in alternating chapters, layering their growing attraction with persistent attempts to rescue Akos’s brother, remove Ryzek from power, and escape. Both must fight death matches in the arena, and Ryzek’s revenge on Cyra is horrifying. While Akos’s love for Cyra redeems the kill-marks carved into their arms, another enemy is rising in Shotet, and Eijeh is still magically bound to Ryzek.
Roth skillfully weaves the careful world-building and intricate web of characters that distinguished Divergent (HarperCollins, 2011/VOYA August 2011), with settings that are rich with color, ripe for a cinematographer. Roth fans will cheer this new novel with its power to absorb the reader. By making this a duology, Roth avoids a trilogy’s middle-book pitfall—often it is a tedious bridge to the climax. Readers will be anxiously awaiting the sequel.—Katherine Noone.