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Note from VBC: Today Shannon Stoker is on the blog to fill us in on the dystopian world she’s crafted for The Registry series… and to give away a copy of her latest The Collection.
Rainbows and butterflies? Hugs and happiness? Slavery and destruction? It is hard to predict what the world would do if we were given a clean slate. In The Registry series the world has started over. The American people believe they have created the ideal system. There are no taxes, plenty of food, and the people live happy lives. On the surface things appear amazing. But before people are able to reach their state of harmony they are forced to lead specific lives based on their gender.
If you are a male that means being given up right after you are born. Your early years are spent in a government-funded orphanage where you are thrown out on the street when you turn thirteen. During your teenage years that means you have free roam of the country, of course it comes with no money or basic needs. If you manage to survive upon your nineteenth birthday you must report for military service. After serving your four years you are finally granted citizenship and all the perks that come with is, including access to The Registry.
Life may seem less cold if you are born a female. Your parents see you as their prize ticket, of course that depends on how beautiful you are. Your younger years are spent learning how to be an acceptable female. This could include tutelage from your mother or even finishing school. After spending your whole life learning the important things, like how to cook and clean, upon your eighteenth birthday you are appraised and entered into The Registry. Men will be able to put in a bid for your hand in marriage. If your price tag is high enough you might even land the man of your dreams.
Once a bride is purchased the cycle repeats itself. If she has a male child he will be handed over, and a female will be cultivated until she is old enough to be sold.
While this is the new American ideal the rest of the world is hardly in better shape. Populations are sparse and with the large forced armed services and the vast fund generated through The Registry program America is the world’s superpower, one no country is capable of overtaking.
The Registry series follows Mia Morrissey, a young bride, who has the veiled pulled from her eyes. She is able to see her life for what it really is, slavery. She decides to run from her old life, but her past won’t stop chasing her.
Did Shannon pique your interest? Her latest The Collection, the second in The Registry series, is available now, and we have one copy for a lucky VBC reader. Simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter.
The Registry and The Collection both looks like great reads. I like the concept of the runaway bride fighting against the machine and am eager to now how this plays out. Thank you for taking the time and effort to share with us.