This book completely exceeded my expectations! The futuristic dystopian world-building is absolutely amazing. The story takes place on "New Earth," a harsh planet humanity colonized after the original Earth died. Society is divided into a strict hierarchy: the "Purebloods" (unaltered humans who view themselves as the ultimate Children of God), the "Augments" and Aliens, and finally, the "Skel". Skel are essentially cyborgs, human-like robots mass-produced in factories with organic parts, who are treated as nothing more than enslaved machines.
The dynamic between the two main characters is sooooo tension-packed, and I was so down for it! We follow Princess Clora-Vean, an exiled Pureblood royal who is living under strict house arrest in a palace. Her newly assigned personal guard is Code-X5, a seven-foot-tall, 300-pound Skel Guardian whose Core programming forces him to protect her at all costs. The forced proximity between them as he hovers around her constantly is so delightfully awkward and heavy with unspoken tension.
Loved the way each character felt realistic, so well detailed and designed. I have not recovered from that ending because what in the name of cliffhangers was that?! 😱 In all, I believe anyone who loves dystopian fiction with Christian themes will absolutely love this story.