A young girl named Raven spends her days as a trader in a quarantined New York City that has been overrun by a deadly virus. She has a nice setup; she gets a room at the local gun shop and child care for her four-year-old autistic sister for the price of a few food tickets per week. Emily, the gun shop owner, has taken a liking to the two orphans and is willing to risk her life to keep them safe from New York's darker side.
The city was not only closed due to the virus; the United States cut ties with NYC because of the vaccine's mutated vampires. After the government and a billion-dollar company, Mantas, pushed the vaccine into the hands of New Yorkers, one in ten became vampires. The new night lords feed on whatever is left out after sunset. When a vengeful man brings vampires to Raven and Emily's door, one of them dies and the other takes their place.
Raven disguises herself as Emily to join the United States' new Slayer Army. This act is more about survival than honor, because without it, Raven and her sister, Star, would be homeless or in foster care. Raven must now adapt to military life, which includes early morning workouts, weapons training, leadership training, and, of course, a fight to the death with the city's bloodthirsty overlords.
If joining the military at sixteen and living a lie aren't enough problems, there's a traitor among them, and if they're not found, Raven's secret might very well cost her and everyone else their lives in this YA action-packed thriller that's like Buffy meets Mulan on the streets of New York.
A young girl named Raven spends her days as a trader in a quarantined New York City that has been overrun by a deadly virus. She has a nice setup; she gets a room at the local gun shop and child care for her four-year-old autistic sister for the price of a few food tickets per week. Emily, the gun shop owner, has taken a liking to the two orphans and is willing to risk her life to keep them safe from New York's darker side.
The city was not only closed due to the virus; the United States cut ties with NYC because of the vaccine's mutated vampires. After the government and a billion-dollar company, Mantas, pushed the vaccine into the hands of New Yorkers, one in ten became vampires. The new night lords feed on whatever is left out after sunset. When a vengeful man brings vampires to Raven and Emily's door, one of them dies and the other takes their place.
Raven disguises herself as Emily to join the United States' new Slayer Army. This act is more about survival than honor, because without it, Raven and her sister, Star, would be homeless or in foster care. Raven must now adapt to military life, which includes early morning workouts, weapons training, leadership training, and, of course, a fight to the death with the city's bloodthirsty overlords.
If joining the military at sixteen and living a lie aren't enough problems, there's a traitor among them, and if they're not found, Raven's secret might very well cost her and everyone else their lives in this YA action-packed thriller that's like Buffy meets Mulan on the streets of New York.