Beyond the Gates (The Starborn Redemption Book 1) - Jason D. Morrow - Audio review

5 STARS!!!

ABOUT THE BOOK -
    The Containment Zone is a 500-mile radius surrounded by mountains and closed in by gates. No one can leave, and anyone who tries will die. Within are lawless bandits, corrupt soldiers, and once-human greyskins that hunt down people to spread the virus. Some say the Containment Zone is where the greyskin virus originated. Others say the people inside are little more than lab rats being studied by the nefarious Screven government.

    When 12-year-old Skylar and her father, Liam, are caught trying to escape, they are taken to Vulture Hill, a government prison camp no one has ever left alive. Inside the prison, Skylar learns that the facility is little more than a testing site for finding people of a certain bloodline - the Starborn. These are people with special powers that manifests in various spectacular ways, and Screven wants to exploit them.

    Skylar has always known there was something special about her family. For years, her father has had the ability to completely numb pain with just a thought. Lacerated skin, broken bones, they can all be ignored with enough concentration. Learning that her father is a Starborn means Skylar is probably one too, placing them both in extreme danger.  

    Now, father and daughter must do the impossible and break out of a prison known for killing so many. But Liam has leverage the government may be willing to buy - the cure for the greyskin virus.

    The first two books of The Starborn Redemption are set 40 years after The Starborn Ascension and 17 years before The Starborn Uprising. Each Series can be listened to independently.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND NARRATOR -

Jason D. Morrow is the author of more than 15 books in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres, including The Starborn Uprising, The Starborn Ascension, The Starborn Redemption and Prototype D.

Stacy Gonzalez is a Chicago based narrator and commercial voice actor. She is feisty, bright and expressive. Stacy specializes in YA, self-help and romance, especially when the narration calls for a good handle on comedy, wit and sass. Audiofile Magazine has praised her pace and her ability to create bold characters. Stacy, who is half Colombian, speaks conversational Spanish. She has a great love for Old Hollywood—watching the movies and listening to audiobooks about any and every aspect of it! Follow her on Twitter at @stacygonzalezvo or visit her website at stacygonzalezvo.com

MY THOUGHTS -

This story was nothing short of AMAZING! This was everything that I love in a post-apocalyptic book. Lots of action, edginess, and a great cast of characters. It is beyond me how someone can make something so unreal feel so real.

This story mainly takes place in a "containment center" a prison really. I am a huge fan of both "Orange is the New Black" and "Wentworth" so I kept picturing both of those and even some of the characters when they were talking about the women's section. It was written and described very well. You do get a bit of a back story in flashbacks which was great, so you learn what happened to Skylar's mom. This also had one of my favorite features in a book - the switching back and forth between Skylar and Liam so you get their POV.

The characters were great! I loved both Skylar and Liam, her dad. But it was really Nine (aka Waverly) who stole the show for me! Loved her!

This was my first book by this author. I seriously can not wait to get the next one in the series! I am hooked.

AUDIO - I thought the narration was equally great. The voices seemed to fit. I could understand her very well. Her pronunciations and expressions were perfect. A lot of times it is the audio that ruins it for me, but this was great! 

I voluntarily posted this review after receiving a copy of this book from The Audio Bookworm -  Thank You!!