Albert Camus


Sunday, April 22, 2018

the cost of survival - Our New World (New World Order Chronicles #1) by Desiree King

"This book is amazing! It's a love story wrapped in politics. And feel like some of the political issues kind of parallel what is happening in the U.S. right now with women's rights being threatened." Amy, Goodreads


Published: July 2017

The world has changed and humans are an endangered species. 




However, she is torn between her duty and heart. 



I woke up early today because my family was coming to visit for my birthday, and I wanted to make sure the dorm was spotless before they get here. I was sixteen years old when they sent me here to finish my training, and now almost three years later, I was only four months away from this part of my education being over and starting the internship with my father, the Lord of San Diego. That was not the worst of my problems. I wish it was. In fact, the list of issues got longer every day. Soon I would have to hire someone to keep track of them all. Issue one: I was forbidden from even speaking to my best friend, Darien. I talked to him daily anyway. After all, he was my best friend and had been as long as I could remember. Issue two: I was failing economics. The teacher clearly hated me since had I corrected him on an assumption about the vampire court history-specist asshat. Issue three: my slob roommate. Enough said, but she was fun, so I guess everyone had to have a flaw. Issue four: My father had sent me a report about the erosion issue and a potential pandemic to review, and I hadn’t the first idea where to start on that; staying informed was stressful enough. However, the most important issue I had was the single rule that pertained to my birthright.

After the turn of the twenty-second century, humans struck a final blow of nuclear war before Mother Nature reclaimed the planet. The human race became an endangered species which caused the other hidden races, Magi-wizards, witches, warlocks, psychics, and gypsies-shapeshifters, the fae-elves, pixies, fairies, and merpeople-vampires, and demons to leave the shadows and help rebuild. Life as we knew it was forever changed.

Many believe that life is opportunistic, but in fact, it respects the balance of dark and light. In the New World organization, laws were made and enforced by a ruling family in each city. I was part of one such family; my father was Lord Henry of San Diego. These ruling families were headed by a ruling pair-husband and wife-who were expected to do their duty to the greater good of the organization. Each city’s representatives or leaders were expected to meet once a month with others in their state. Then the state reps took any issues or decisions to the highest level of our government, The First Council, a group of leaders of each court or race of the peoples of earth. All of this was simultaneously very simple and very complicated. On my family’s level, our duties included punishing law breakers, furthering our city’s industry, education, peacefulness, and environmental concerns- like any type of government. However, like any monarchy, we were also expected to further the family line in the proper way, according to The First Council’s whims. Each ruling pair was expected to have children to take over the city before the Lord and Lady reached the age of sixty. Everything was done by committee, including the matching of the soon-to-be rulers into arranged marriages. The rule was that each child of a ruling pair must marry by their twentieth birthday, and my deadline was coming fast. Every time I saw my father or his new family, I got grilled on the boys of my acquaintance, or they asked if I had found someone I was interested in. No “How are you?” and no “How are your studies going?” Only “Do you have a name to take before the council for approval?” I went to school with most of my options, but I was not interested. I was here to study diplomacy, but that was not all. Technology, science, battle skills, history, and warfare were all considered important skills for the elite, but many girls seemed to be under the impression that it was some antique finishing school. I, on the other hand, was more like the warriors and more aggressive races of men and women, vampires, demons, and shifters. I lived for the rush of the fight, whether it was real or for other gains.

I was turning on the vid screen in the living room when my roommate Anne burst through the door with a massive bouquet of blood-red roses and a black velvet box.

“Look what someone sent the birthday girl,” she giggled.

I knew who had sent the extravagant gift: my best friend Darien. The Vampire prince of LA, or as some know him, the black-hearted prince, son of my father’s best friend, King William, the only single ruler. William and Darien not only ruled LA, but William was a member of the First Council, as King of the Vampires. To me he was only Will, the loving, kind, fair man I grew up watching rule and be a father to my other half, Darien.

I was on my feet and took my gifts from Anne. I set the vase on the kitchen island counter and was sitting down to open the box when the doorbell rang. “Dammit.” I set the box beside the roses and moved to answer the door.

“So are they from the legendary Darien?” Anne asked, poking around looking for a card in the flowers.

“Stay out of that!” I called back and pulled the door open. Just as expected, my family was standing there, three hours early. My father and my stepmother looked normal in their warm weather clothes with my stepbrother, Dean, and a strange guy—he must be Dean’s friend—behind them. My father has gray hair, bright blue eyes, and a waistline that says he enjoys a leisurely lifestyle and works a desk job. My stepmother, Lisa, is your typical trophy wife. My mother died when I was born, as did Darien’s mother. Stranger yet, Darien and I share a birthday. My father was single a long time before the First Council proclaimed he must remarry. I was ten when Lisa and Dean moved in. Dean is the exact opposite of me. I was born to be strong, dangerous in a fight, and smart. As far as I can tell, Dean was born to be a selfish, useless lying cheat and soft. Luckily, he would never inherit my city. He was not to be trusted aside from the fact he was not of the blood. I was confused by the presence of the stranger. He was tall and thin, with wispy blond hair cut short - to hide that it was curly, I was sure. He was a good-looking man - too vanilla for my taste, but something was odd about him. Granted, I never really liked any guys, which was the burr under my parent’s saddle every time I talked to them.

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