Iron
Circle (Yellow Locust #2) by Justin Joschko
Publication
Date: March 26, 2019
Publisher:
Month9Books
The
path west is long, but despite Selena’s progress, New Canaan is never far
enough behind her. It was there that her parents were killed, forcing her and
her little brother Simon to flee the tyrannical state. Now, New Canaan wants
control over every last inch of America-That-Was. Only the Republic of
California can stand against it—but not without the data stick in Selena’s
pocket, rumored to contain vital information about New Canaan’s deadly new
weapon.
As
winter closes in, Selena races south in search of an open passage to the coast.
She must pass through Nuevo Juarez, where a ruthless leader named Thorin has
seized power. Selena runs afoul of Thorin’s men and is separated from her
brother, captured, and auctioned off at the city’s thriving slave market.
Her only way out is through the Iron Circle, a fighting ring where the
city’s most fearsome warriors pit their skills against one another. As the
populace and Thorin watch Selena rise through the ranks, Selena earns a
reputation she doesn’t want and the attention of man with the power to destroy
her and what’s left of America-That-Was.
Excerpt
Otis
and Emily stood outside the vehicle. Emily dragged her foot along the ridge of
the mesa, chipping stones loose from the dirt and sending them skittering down
the cliff face. Otis stared at the squat adobe huts that described the city’s
border, his body still and rigid. He seemed less a man than a man-shaped
outcrop of artfully weathered stone. He turned his head to glance at the
vehicle, spoiling the effect.
“It’s
time, I think,” he said.
Simon
nodded. He adjusted his grip on the joystick, made a few minor adjustments to
the mortar. Gears whined and hydraulics wheezed. He pictured the cannon perched
above him, a black hollow eye gazing into the city’s apocalyptic future. Sweat
dampened the joystick’s rubberized grip. He rubbed his eyes, hiking his glasses
onto his forehead, and slid from the seat. Otis cocked his head, curious and
concerned. Simon set his glasses on the bridge of his nose and sniffed.