Reverence Series by Raena Rood

Twelve years ago, a global pandemic known as the Job virus decimated the world’s population. One city withstood the virus by going into lockdown during the early days of the pandemic and erecting a massive barricade wall to insulate themselves from the sick and the dying. Now called Vita Nova—meaning New Life—the city is overcrowded and its resources are quickly dwindling... moreTwelve years ago, a global pandemic known as the Job virus decimated the world’s population. One city withstood the virus by going into lockdown during the early days of the pandemic and erecting a massive barricade wall to insulate themselves from the sick and the dying. Now called Vita Nova—meaning New Life—the city is overcrowded and its resources are quickly dwindling. The area outside the wall, known as the Unregulated Zone, is a vast wasteland filled with crumbling buildings, overgrown highways, and the Lawless: brutal bands of marauders intent on breeching the barricade and claiming the city’s resources for themselves. To combat the problem of overcrowding, the leadership of Vita Nova has implemented two programs: The Compulsory Program, which requires that anyone over the age of sixty—or anyone who requires medical treatment for a chronic illness—undergo a humane euthanization procedure. There is also the Volunteer Program, which offers residents the chance to be revered at a public ceremony and receive a Final Week of luxury, gifts, and praise. .. in exchange for giving up their lives for the good of all. After losing her mother as a Compulsory, Kira Liebert became a volunteer advocate for Vita Nova. She works closely with the Volunteers, arranging their stay at Rolling Meadows, a lavish, country-club estate where Volunteers spend their last few days. She also fulfills any special requests they might have for their Final Week. But when young, handsome Will Foster enters her office, wishing to end his life as a Volunteer, he has just one request for his Final Week. He wants to spend it with Kira. Unable to refuse the Volunteer’s last request, Kira gets swept into Will’s world, leaving everything she knows behind and going somewhere she never thought she’d go: beyond the barricade. With the end of Will’s Final Week rapidly approaching, Kira realizes that Vita Nova is not the utopian sanctuary she once thought it was. And some people—the truly brave ones—will sacrifice everything to prove it. REVERENCE is the first book in Raena Rood’s thrilling new faith-based dystopian series. less

Kira Liebert’s brief taste of freedom beyond Vita Nova’s wall shatters when Patrol soldiers seize young Teddy, dragging him back to face certain death. With no choice but to follow, she returns to the city that branded her a traitor—only to be captured and cast into the Confines, the brutal prison where the condemned await execution. She emerges from the darkness bearing two impossible a blue rose on her wrist and a new identity as Victor Devlin's secret daughter... moreKira Liebert’s brief taste of freedom beyond Vita Nova’s wall shatters when Patrol soldiers seize young Teddy, dragging him back to face certain death. With no choice but to follow, she returns to the city that branded her a traitor—only to be captured and cast into the Confines, the brutal prison where the condemned await execution. She emerges from the darkness bearing two impossible a blue rose on her wrist and a new identity as Victor Devlin's secret daughter. Deep in the wilderness of the Unregulated Zone, Ghost refuses to surrender another soul to Vita Nova’s cruel ritual. A scarred and haunted man whose past with Devlin and Kira’s mother holds secrets that could topple Vita Nova itself, he knows the true cost of inaction. With Will, Brack, and Grace at his side, he plans a desperate rescue attempt. One final chance at redemption that could cost him everything. As the clock winds down and the city watches her every move, Kira finds herself caught between two fathers on opposite sides of the wall—one who claims her as his own and one who refuses to let her go. Because while some fathers demand sacrifice, others stand ready to sacrifice everything. RANSOM is the heart-stopping conclusion to the Reverence trilogy that when everything you love is at stake, what are you willing to sacrifice? less