The second novel by Mindy Mackay, sequel to Peacebreakers.
After the zombie apocalypse, the new ruling empire of Canada starts piecing itself back together again while protagonist Kiera Graves Wangsts about the death of her lover. Meanwhile, in exurban Montreal, a couple of rebellions take root. Reigning monarch Isabella Sordeno strategizes her way around each of them, ruthlessly manipulating her own underlings in the process by coercing them to perform such acts as Cold-Blooded Torture for the sake of keeping The Empire in power.
Not that any of them have any qualms with this.
Well, except for Kiera.
When Isabella offers Kiera her lover's soul in exchange for murdering a Rebel Leader and inflicting the same pain on a young girl that the Zombie Apocalypse put her through, Kiera's scruples are put to the test...
Contains examples of:
- Arc Words: "All the time in the bloody world", carried over from Peacebreakers and likely to appear again in the forthcoming Bulletproof and Checkmate.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: According to
Word of God, this was what was originally going on between Camelie and Chandler. Mackay changed it not to meet status quo, but because she liked the pairing of Michael and Camelie better. - Blessed with Suck: Apparently, the same heightened power Camelie receives can also kill her if she's not careful.
- Bread and Circuses: the aim of the Population Proviso.
- Deadly Upgrade:
- Camelie's heightened powers after the empire is through with her.
- Kiera, on a much more psychological level.
- Defeat Means Friendship: This is the entire basis of the ongoing Vitriolic Best Buds dynamic between Camelie and Chandler.
- Fantastic Drug: Seafoam and Carson Pharmaceuticals' psychosonic drugs are carried on throughout the series to slip {{Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll various characters' vices}} past the radar.
- Functional Addict: Cherise and her Prozac.
- Deconstructed with Camelie, who is barely functional.
- Everyone in the Paralysis and their coffee.
- Chamika towards the second half.
- Heroic RRoD: Camelie.
- And again on the roof of Paralysis HQ.
- I Hate You, Vampire Dad: Subverted. It's actually "I hate you human dad" and a reciprocal "I hate you mutant kid."
- I Lied: Isabella frequently brushes off her various lies to enemies and allies alike with some nonchalant statement.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Vengeance Cheri.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Vengeance Cheri goes on one of these.
- The Uriah Gambit: Michael's solution to the Stephanie problem...which only made things worse.
- Too Kinky to Torture: Aline acts pleased when Carton disfigures her with a branding iron, announcing proudly that she will get much more business from the niche market in the future.
- You Said You Would Let Them Go: Show of hands: who here actually thinks Isabella was planning on letting Camelie go at the end?
