So, Ana is relieved she is not going to be shot, one worry over, but how on earth is she going to fare in the Tomb, a prison full of tough hardened criminal men! Ana knows how to fight, and can hold her own on a one to one fight but a prison full of men….and how long can she keep up her disguise with little to no privacy. He looks her up and down and actually comments “Pretty and young, they are going to love you” and then shouts “Tomb”. Life and death, Prison or being shot? The man approaches her totally taken in by her posing as a male.

As Ana is standing in the line, I don’t think she is sure which one she is hoping for. A man paces the line, he is the one who will decide who goes to prison, he can also decide you are to be shot. Her luck has lasted quite a while but now it seems to be rapidly running out as she is lined up with other males about to be judged for their crimes. Ana also uses the male name Josh, which we learn later on in the book is the name of someone very close to her. Ana wears a disguise for her own safety, which consists of short cropped hair covered with a cap, and a tightly bound chest to hide her curves. The book introduces a character that may be slight in stature but is set to make an enormous difference within the prison. The Split is the post-apocalyptic event even that happened before everything changed that I think we may learn more about as the series goes on. The genre I have seen listed for this book is Dark Dystopian, which I totally agree with, but would add that it also has post-apocalyptic aspects. Personally, I think it is Axle from within the book, he certainly fits the imagery that Ella Burns gives you in her descriptions of him. I love the cover for this book, its really strong. I felt like I had become attached to the characters and wanted to know more.

After reading the prequel novella (The Tomb: Unexpected) and enjoying it, even though it’s not my usual genre and a little more explicit that I normally read, I felt like I wanted to read more of the series.

Reluctant Mate by Eden Cole