Liberated by Caroline J. Trussell

Blurb:

“LIBERATED is a riveting finale that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Readers will enjoy the mental health representation & romance elements."

When the Disorder lands in New Canada and discovers Alex has been captured by the Council, they must make a plan to continue to uncover Secretary Frankie’s corrupt practices regarding the Elixir and save their Engineer.

Traveling across the globe, Thea and her allies appeal to the International Committee on Health and Wellness to aid them in their goal to distribute the Elixir to those who need it and to deliver military action against the New States.

Frankie declares war and, as Thea and company wait for political decisions to be made, she trains to become a Mental Specialist. Thea counsels trauma victims who have been affected by the fighting and Frankie’s new weapon that can eradicate mental abilities in addition to tirelessly working to perfect a new method of administering the Elixir that could help millions.

Everything comes to a head when an attempt to save Alex from Frankie’s grip is fatal, and Elias shows signs of illness. Thea has to travel from Belgium to Ireland to save the lives of those she loves most, but she also must save the lives of millions of New Americans who have been threatened by Frankie’s master weapon, else the world could collapse even further into chaos.

Review:

When the Disorder lands in New Canada, they discover Alex has been captured by the Council and they need to make a plan to save their Engineer—as well as a scheme that allows them to uncover the corrupt practices involving the creation of the Elixir. Journeying across the world, Thea and her allies must figure out how to appeal to the International Committee of Health and Wellness and get them to offer their support to their goal: distribute the Elixir to those who need it, and to order military interference against the New States.

When Frankie declares war, Thea and company are forced to await political decisions from the committee they’d approached. Thea trains to become a Mental Specialist as they wait for the announcement of the choice being made, counseling with trauma victims who have been affected by the fighting and affected by a new weapon that can eradicate mental abilities. With her friends, she works tirelessly to perfect a new method of administering the Elixir, a method that could provide the potion to millions more than it had.

But when an attempt to save Alex from enemy hands results in a fatal illness, Thea has to travel back across the world in order to save the lives of those she loves most. She must choose: the people who she cares about, and the millions who have been threatened by the creation and abuse of the Elixir—alongside the weapon removing their abilities.

This is a masterful, stunning debut by an author who is absolutely primed to take over the indie scene. I am so glad that Caroline J. Trussell trusted me with the ARCs for her novels, Enhanced and Liberated, and for the opportunity I have to review them. These novels are packed with everything a reader could want: tight, smart dialogue, intriguing characters, and a world on the brink of collapse.

I absolutely adore a story with world-level stakes. There’s nothing quite like knowing the decisions of the characters and every move they make could crumple or salvage an entire civilization—an entire world. Those kinds of stakes are very real in this duology, especially in Liberated, where the smallest mistakes the characters make risk their entire mission.

As with the first book, the dialogue in this novel was sharp and exquisite, making it easy to tear through the pages and finish before I even realized I was done reading. It’s a simple yet immersive dystopian tale in a time when readers need and long for unique concepts in fiction, especially in the realm of science fiction.

Trussell is truly a master of characterization, especially in the Neurodivergent sphere. I especially liked how she portrayed the disorders the characters developed or had or experienced throughout this storyline, and how it impacted and drove the decisions they made and the plans they schemed. This kind of representation is what I love to see in fantasy universes, and I applaud the author for taking up such a difficult mantle.

As a finale, Liberated is a truly sophisticated and stunning conclusion to an unforgettable duet. It’s intense, it’s action-packed, it’s so well paced that I found myself breathless. When I blink and have read an entire book, I know it’s a good one.

I’m blown away by what Trussell created with the Enhanced duology, and I cannot wait to see where she goes next with her future publications!