#NetGalley Book Review: Evolving Elizah: Initiatum by C. J. Hall

I enjoyed this dystopian thriller.
Evolving Elizah: Initiatum
by C.J. Hall

ASIN : B08MCHV973
Publisher : IngramSpark (December 1, 2020)
Publication date : December 1, 2020
File size : 2348 KB
Print length : 227 pages
Genre: Dystopian, Sci Fi
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.

Elizah (Liz) Goeff was born into a world much like the one we know today, but she doesn’t remember it. It’s all gone now, covered in ash after a series of natural disasters threw North American civilization into a death spiral. Now Liz’s world is the Green Grow 3, a lush space farm orbiting Earth designed to feed humanity until the planet can heal itself.

Review:
Liz doesn’t remember a lot before natural disasters destroyed much of North America’s ground surface and civilization broke down. She does remember her older brother, Jackson, who doted on her and helped teach her before life got so hard that he left an 8 year old Liz with their mother and strode off to join the New Generation, an activist group seeking a way to distribute food and aid to survivors. Jackson promised to return but never did. After years of searching through the Green Grow depot stations, Liz is convinced Jackson is dead. That is her past.

Now, not quite 25, Liz is a shuttle pilot living on the Green Grow 3, a space farm, orbiting earth while they try to figure a way to survive and share the food supply with people besieged by the hostile New Generation forces on earth. Liz needs to make a surface mission to retrieve certain supplies for an antimatter propulsion drive for the ship. The drive is necessary to take the ship out of the range of New Generation weapons. But danger awaits on the ground and now on the ship as there are apparently spies who have infiltrated the crew and are causing sabotage.

Liz makes the needed run to the surface but before she can leave the depot, she is hailed by starving refuges outside the gate. The group of 52 is running from a band of New Generation brutes who will savagely hunt them down. Liz makes a snap decision (another one) and rescues the people, bringing them to the ship with her.

Now there are more reasons to worry about spies and tensions build. Before Seth can put into place the plans to orderly move the ship out of orbit, an attack occurs, and a surprise enemy hails the ship and especially Liz. What can Liz do to help find the infiltrators and keep the crew and “her 52” safe?

The story follows Liz and tracks her past and her growth as she struggles along the perilous journey of survival... and betrayal. There is intrigue among the characters and I especially liked the intermittent scenes of The Scientist who is plotting assassination. I was surprised when the identity is revealed as the book ends. Although the book ending is set to continue with the next book, I enjoyed how it got to that point. There is plenty of action and intrigue and just a touch of romance. I recommend this to dystopian sci fi fans.

Source: 2020 NetGalley. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021NetGalley and 2021Alphabet goals.