Although Astrid lives amongst royalty, the life she leads is far from decadent. The surrogate to Princess Renya of Lanoria, Astrid is the one punished for the Princess’ disobedience. Forced to serve out her indenture as part of her family’s debt to the Crown, there is no escaping this grim fate. Except through the perilous Race of Oblivion that is. A race where even the lowest class, the Outsiders, have a chance to secure proper citizenship, affording them a life amongst the privileged Enchanteds. But this competition is not for the faint of heart. All racers are administered Oblivion, a potent drug that removes their memories. When they awaken in an unknown location, it is up to them to find the Crown of Oblivion first, relying on mysterious clues hidden across the land. Left to navigate unfamiliar and hostile territory with fellow racers who show no qualms about taking a life, both the reward and risk is high. Is Astrid willing to sacrifice her identity and potentially her life for freedom?

I greatly enjoyed this read. Ms. Eshbaugh used a limited first person point of view as the primary narrative for this story to great effect. It provided a more immersive reading experience, while still maintaining that key element of mystery needed to engage the reader.

The main character, Astrid, was exceedingly well developed. Her feelings and emotions surrounding specific events in the plot were easily discernible, which made her a very relatable character. Ms. Eshbaugh also did a fine job of creating detailed settings that added a new dynamic to the plot.

One criticism I had was the plot was a bit predictable. Towards the end of the book, I was able to foresee several plot twists, which took away some of the excitement of the read. As a novel that falls into the literary genre of young adult fiction, I also anticipated more descriptive and diverse vocabulary.

Overall, I found this read entertaining and engaging. I would recommend this novel to teens who enjoy fantasy and dystopian literature.

If you enjoyed this read, I would recommend checking out the Hunger Games series, The Folk of the Air Trilogy and the Six of Crows novel. Ms. Eshbaugh also has another series called Ivory and Bone that I enjoyed, although the genre is more romance/historical fiction. The first novel of this series is called Ivory and Bone.