Title: The Resistance by T.H. Hernandez
The Union Series Book Five
Publisher: T. H. Hernandez
Genre: Dystopian, Young Adult
Length: 378 pages
Summary:
Fighting back is twice as hard when battling on two fronts.
Living in an encampment in the Ruins, life is harsh for most Unis in the Resistance, but for Cyrus and the other Ruins survivors, it’s just more of the same. While training for their ultimate mission to take down the Uprising, tragedy strikes, turning Evan’s and Cyrus’s world upside down. Before they can recover, they discover someone in their ranks is working against them.
Facing tougher odds than they ever imagined, the group realizes the only hope they have of saving the world they know is to find help. When no one is above suspicion, even accomplishing everyday tasks is fraught with danger, but seeking out reinforcements could mean the end of the Resistance and all of them along with it.
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Excerpt
I dump a bucket of water on the fire and poke it with a stick to make sure the embers are doused, then head to the mess tent. Inside a locked cabinet in the back, I locate a bottle of scotch. The good stuff. I grab it along with two glasses and hike to the perimeter of camp where Draya’s being held. Gunther’s standing guard tonight, his pale blond hair covering his eyes.
“Gunth,” I nod at him.
“Cyrus.” He sweeps his hair back with his hand as his attention drops to the scotch, but he wisely keeps his mouth shut.
Draya’s lying on her back staring up at the ceiling. Her head twists in my direction. I cross the small space and wait for her to sit up before taking the spot beside her. Without a word, I twist open the cap on the bottle and pour two glasses before recapping it and setting it on the table at the foot of the cot.
She takes a sip of her drink and makes a hiss as the strong liquor burns the back of her throat. I down mine in one gulp and pour a second.
“What do you want?” she asks.
“A reason to trust you.”
“I told you everything I know.”
“I doubt you’ve withheld anything purposefully, but I’m sure there’s a lot you still know. Maybe we just haven’t asked the right questions yet.” I take a swig of scotch, my limbs starting to buzz with the effects. “Ev’s the problem. I need to find a way to convince her.”
She lets out a snort and downs the rest of her drink. “Well, now it all makes sense.”
“Do you know what I swore to do to whoever was responsible for hurting her?”
Dropping her head, she sets her empty glass on the ground and sits up, crossing her legs. “I can guess.”
“Now imagine how I felt when I found out that person was you.”
“I wasn’t in charge of the interrogation techniques. It’s not like I instructed them on what to do. But once she was brought in, all I could do was warn them not to kill her.”
“But you knew what they were going to do.”
“What if you were me?” She lifts her head and her eyes bore into mine. “What would you have done if the deserter they brought to you had been me?”
“I would have found a way to get you out of there! I would’ve died before I let anyone hurt you!”
Draya reaches over and places a hand on my arm. The move is so unexpected, I jerk. “This wasn’t some training camp in the Ruins. I didn’t have a lot of options. If I’d risked my life to save hers, they would have just killed us both. The only way to save her was to do exactly what I did. Every damn day I wonder what I could’ve done differently, but I can’t come up with anything that would’ve been better for her.”
“You could’ve gotten her out sooner.”
“I got her out as soon as I could. I needed help. I couldn’t do it alone.”
“You could have gone with her.” I drain my glass and set it with a thunk on the table beside the bottle, letting the booze rest on my tongue.
“That was a last resort. Trust me, I thought about it. Twice I had to find ways to postpone her execution. Do you know how close they were to killing her the night she escaped?”
I choke, the scotch and my dinner close to making a reappearance. Draya thumps me on my back until I recover. I’ve never allowed myself to think about that, and I don’t want to now. “No,” I wheeze.
“An hour, tops. I wanted another day to clue the others in on the plan, but there wasn’t time.”
I thrust my hands through my hair as the realization hits me like a train. How fucking close I came to losing her for good. Pushing myself up, I stand in the center of the tent, muttering dozens of profanity-laced thoughts.
“Cyrus.”
I halt and turn toward her.
“You can’t undo the past, so don’t let it define your future. I’d give anything for Lucien to…” her words die in her throat.
I drop to a squat at her feet and take her hands in mine. “I know. I’d give anything for that, too.”
She lifts her head and meets my gaze, giving me a short nod. “Just don’t dwell on what can’t be changed. It drove me for too long. Hell, it still drives too many of my thoughts. Grief is a powerful motivator, but so is revenge, and look where that landed me.” She glances around the small holding tent.
“You don’t get it, Dray. I can’t let this go.”
“Oh, I get it. More than you know.”
“He was my brother.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.” She sighs and stands, pushing past me to peer outside.
“What do you need?” Gunther asks.
“Some fresh air.”
Gunther pokes his head inside and glances at me. “Everything okay in here?”
I nod and he mumbles something to Draya.
She drops the flap, returning to the cot. “Can we get out of here?”
I shake my head. “Not a good idea right now.”
“I’m going stir crazy.”
“I’ll talk to the others in the morning and see what we can do.”
She drums her forefinger on the frame of the cot and stares at me for a moment. “Look, I…” Her gaze is drawn to the front of the tent again and I know she’s worried about someone overhearing whatever it is she wants to tell me.
I place my hand on her shoulder. “Get some sleep. I’ll get you out for a walk in the morning.”
She lays back on her cot and closes her eyes. “Night, Cyrus.”
Author Bio
T.H. Hernandez is the author of young adult books. The Union, a futuristic dystopian adventure, was a finalist in the 2015 San Diego book awards in the Young Adult Fiction category.
She loves pumpkin spice lattes, Game of Thrones, Comic-Con, Star Wars, Doctor Who marathons, Bad Lip Reading videos, and all things young adult, especially the three young adults who share her home.
When not visiting the imaginary worlds inside her head, T.H. Hernandez lives in usually sunny San Diego, California with her husband and three children, a couple of cats, and a dog who thinks he’s a cat, affectionately referred to as “the puppycat.”
Author Links: Website * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads * Instagram
Giveaway
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A fascinating and intriguing novel. Thanks for this great feature and giveaway.
Thanks for being on the tour! 🙂
Thanks so much for hosting me today!
You’re very welcome!
What a fascinating book! Thanks for sharing the great excerpt.
i like the sound of this book