The world has disintegrated. Civilization has collapsed. Chaos is the new normal.

But I, Lacy Monroe, intend to survive.

My lover Jace and I can't escape my corrupt uncle, Senator Thomas Monroe. He captures and separates us, forcing us to work for him. He sends me to Mexico City to secure an army to overthrow what remains of the US government. He sends Jace on a suicide mission to conquer New Mexico, the only remaining free state in the Southwest.

I was captured. Beaten. Groomed for a sex-trafficking ring. But my brother is looking for me...

Jace plays a dangerous cat-and-mouse game, pretending to help my uncle while secretly sabotaging him. But if his deception is discovered...

I want to become the Ascendant, the one who risks it all and defeats my uncle, then finds some measure of peace. But time is running out for us and this treacherous world we now inhabit.

Don't miss this thrilling sequel to Susy Smith's acclaimed debut novel, Asylum, the perfect "next-read" for fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent.

"Susy Smith 's latest beautifully written novel book picks right back up where readers were left wanting more in Asylum. This page-turner keeps you engaged until the end and cheering for Lacy and Jace to find their way back to each other....This story has action, romance, and suspense that all readers will love." -Shelley Levisay, author of Love Isn't Always the Answer

"In Susy Smith's second dystopian thriller, a pair of courageous lovers fight to save each other from an evil U.S. Senator on a power trip. Fast-paced, entertaining, and tense." --Marcia Preston, Mary Higgins Clark-Award-winning author of The Spiderling