I am delighted to share my review of Preserve by Emma Ellis. This is the second book in the Eyes Forward series, and I am definitely addicted to it!
A decade ago, unrest over population control methods resulted in the tragic death of Ava’s parents. Left orphaned, Ava is driven by a singular to secure the youth-restoring drug, Pres-X, for her elderly aunt.
Since the unrest, fertile women’s rights have been severely curtailed. Such oppressive restrictions force Ava to explore morally grey methods to obtain the funds required to secure the drug.
If she fails, she will lose the last family member she has left.
Ava is at a crossroads. She can save her aunt, or her own humanity.
MY REVIEW
This is the second book in this dystopian series and I read this straight after reading the first. The first one was very dark and this second book is still dark but is in a different direction. This is set 1o years after the Great Rising of the first book.
Ava works in her family run Funeral business with her colleague Max. They have had a steady business providing funerals with those of a higher life score than the average person. It is something she has vowed to keep and does not want to lower the score. However, with Pres-X being used by so many trade is dropping.
What is Pres-X, well it is a formula that those of a high life score have been able to take. It allows the body to regress to what it was when they were at their prime. Many are all for it, but there are other that would rather nature take its course. But what if one of your family is old and frail and they are your only family? What would you do, sit and watch them die? Or try to hep them!
The author weaves her story back and forth in time, back to the time of the Great Rising when many different faction, groups, activists and parties were trying to get ahead and be heard. This adds more context to this book and explains some of the events that happened.
This is still a dark book and the storyline is one that is very much about control, of being seen doing the right thing, following what is required and doing all you can to be the best person you can be. This means taking Pres-X and looking the best you can. Once again the author takes the concept of control further than I expected and there are various things that occur. There are a large range of emotions within this story as there was the first. Greed, status, life style, points for a better life, a nanny state and very much with a Big Brother edge to it. Told what will be happening, when and that you need to confirm or you will lose points and therefore your lifestyle as it is at that time.
This is another brilliantly addictive read and again the author delves in to possible futures and how people could be controlled. While you don’t think this could ever happen, it does. Things are passed in Parliament and we carry on, we may moan and disagree, but on the whole things are passed regardless. This is what makes this type of story one that creeps into the outer edges of “it could happen”.
For Ava, she has the her job, looking after an elderly relative, juggling her life as she is still fertile and a threat to innocent members of society. There is a curfew on this type of person and until she hits the menopause she is a risk to men. The society has turned into a more patriarchal one, fertile women are scorned unless they undertake sterilisation, a good woman is one that has passed through the menopause and has had Pres-X! However, there are women who do hold valued roles, but they have obviously gone through the process.
The story has again captured me and if I didn’t have to go to work this would have been read a lot quicker than it was. It is a story of control, corruption, cover-ups, bargaining, a dictatorship and of people being strongly coerced into doing what the leaders want them to do. It is a dystopian story that has a strong psychological and thriller feel to it and I adored it and would definitely recommend it.
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