Book Review RUN Ragged

RUN RAGGED 8-24-15Title: RUN Ragged
Author: Kari Aguila
Genre: Suspense / Science-Fiction / Women’s Fiction
RUN Ragged is on Kickstarter in September!
Find RUN Ragged on KICKSTARTER this month! Kickstarter is a crowdfunding site where you get to choose which projects sound interesting to you. There are great rewards and you make a powerful impact on bringing RUN Ragged to fruition!

Would anything change if women ruled the world?

Fifteen years after the Last War devastated families and infrastructure, women have taken over under the banner of peace and equality. Only too late do they realize it’s a slippery slope to oppression. In RUN Ragged, Rhia, a strong and independent sea captain finds herself trapped in The Center, a re-education facility designed to help people fit into the rules of the new matriarchal society. The warden claims to be guiding those in her care, but Rhia quickly sees the cracks in the system. Faced with the terrifying torture and brainwashing the warden inflicts, those cracks become gaping holes that threaten to pull Rhia down into the depths of despair. Can she resist this slow subversion and become the reluctant hero the inmates need?

RUN Ragged is the suspenseful second story by the award-winning author of Women’s Work. It’s a disturbing look at what price we are willing to pay for peace and how much we are willing to ignore to keep our conscience clear.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading RUN Ragged. A book focusing on a world where women having taken control? That sounded right up my alley, but I already saw many ways the book could go wrong. However, it didn’t fall into any of the pitfalls I’d conjured in my mind – if anything, it was a surprisingly original and intriguing read.

Rhia is a strong and independent sea captain who is unwillingly trapped in The Center, a re-education facility. The facility was build to help people fit into the rules of this new society. You can already guess how wrong that went. Torture and brainwashing and manipulation, and while the warden believes she’s doing the right thing, Rhia knows that what’s happening at the facility isn’t right in the slightest. She stands up against the system, although it might cost her everything she ever held dear.

It’s an insightful look into the price humanity is willing to pay for peace, and the lone rebels that dare to stand up against the system. Rhia is an engaging character, complex and easy to relate to, and the author did an admirable job creating this futuristic world so keen on peace it often forgets basic human rights.

It’s hard to classify the right audience for this book. I’d say just about everyone. It touches on some tough subjects while still being supsenseful and entertaining.

 

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