I received an arc from the author as I read and thoroughly enjoyed Scavenger Alliance – see my review here – and my firm advice is to track down this first book in the series, before embarking on this sequel.
2408. Humanity has travelled to the stars through interstellar portals, but the rebels and criminals were 
left behind on a ruined Earth. Eighteen-year-old Blaze is one of the last seven hundred people scavenging a living in an increasingly lethal New York infested by alien predators. Forced to step into the spotlight to help her father defeat a leadership challenge by her old enemy Cage, she’s now adjusting to being deputy leader of the uneasy alliance between the remnants of the Earth Resistance and the old criminal gangs.
Scavenger Blood is the second book in the Scavenger Exodus series. This is set in the same future timeline as the Earth Girl trilogy, but takes place several centuries earlier, and one of the protagonists featured is an ancestor of the trilogy’s main character, Jarra.
Edwards writes young women learning to cope in difficult situations very well. I thoroughly enjoyed the excellent Earth Girl series featuring young Jarra, as the scenario of portal travel off-world leaving Earth virtually uninhabited works really well. While reading the Earth Girl series may give you the historical backstory, this spinoff series effectively stands alone as Edwards gives an insight into the outlaw remnants scratching a living amongst the ruins of New York. A terrible fate awaits them if they continue to stay in the city – but while a vengeful killer is on the loose with a hidden gang of supporters within the community, they cannot consider safely moving everyone out of the city, either…
I was soon fully back in the world and alongside Blaze as she has to negotiate the tensions within competing factions, in addition to coping with everyday danger such as nasty aliens who have developed a taste for the humans hiding amongst the ruins. The pace and tension steadily ramped up in this dangerous world where death is a daily occurrence. Blaze is a sympathetic protagonist, who struggles to overcome insecurities caused by a tough upbringing. This progression is really well handled by Edwards, leaving Blaze in quite a different place at the end from where she was at the start of the book.
The only major grizzle I have is that now I’ve finished this one, I would love to find out what happens next – right now! I’m looking forward to the next phase of this story, as there are bound to be all sorts of adventures in store for these embattled people, many of whom are only guilty of having been born to folks on the wrong side of the law. This series is highly recommended for science fiction fans who enjoy a well-written dystopian scenario featuring a feisty young female protagonist.
9/10
Brainfluff 