Astra is thrust into the lives of a political family, as Hendric’s mother is a representative of the United Republic of Global Welfare. A deadly virus was released into the public, killing many innocent people and Hendric’s mother is blamed for it, to further her political career. It is Astra’s task to find out the truth, not to fight the virus, as she initially wants to do. Concluding the investigation when she finds the evidence, Astra finds it has obviously been planted – but by whom and why?
The situation develops into something far more complex and dangerous as she and her fellow Ruffians help Hendric clear his mother’s name. Little do they know where the journey will take them, and what secrets – large and small – they will discover.
There is a leap between Astra leaving her mother at 10 years old to start training with Gemini and the Ruffians, and her first serious mission 7 years later. However, this is okay as it doesn’t impede on how the character is portrayed – usually, this might be harmful to the plot. Astra, now 17, is a huge part of a small group of Ruffians with her friends-colleagues.
Although the first chapter was a little confusing, the rest of the book is engaging and well written. Plots were followed throughout the book well, and the ending is left open for another book, I believe the author is writing a trilogy and this is book 1. The pace is well maintained throughout, like I said before apart from the first chapter. The story definitely engages the reader and we don’t want it to end.
The characters are very real, highly believable and we can feel empathy for. The dialogue does change with the character speaking, and is well written and clear. The plot plays out as if in a movie in front of you. There are some minor errors but this does not spoil the readers enjoyment of the tale.
I award Ruffian, 4.5 stars.
