Sparks by Kit Mallory
I would like to thank the author for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.
publisher - Kit Mallory Books
published - out now
Price - £3.99 Kindle ebook
It’s 2034 and the United Kingdom is no more. Now there is only North and South, and the vast concrete Wall that separates the two.
A group of misfit outcasts have saved the North from annihilation – and started an unwinnable war with the brutal, totalitarian Board. Two months later, as the future grows ever bleaker, a mysterious international agency offers a final glimmer of hope.
But the Agency may not be all it seems, and the gang are still reeling from the fallout of their original mission as they wrestle with old demons and fraying loyalties. Plus there’s still the small matter of having a government to overthrow…
It turns out starting the fight is one thing. Finishing it is a whole different story.
Kit Mallory came on my radar two years ago with the amazing Blackout which I reviewed in 2018. A tale of a U.K. dystopia where the public blindly walked into a moral disaster of corrupt leaders. So already fairly prescient it was a gripping novel. I’m now very lucky to have read the conclusion to duology where this time the fight back begins. We are given a treat of an adventure story with a brilliant lesbian love story and examination of the trauma such a world has on characters.
I don’t want to spoil the plot too much so I’m going to choose my words carefully. Again this novel focuses on Skyler (hacker and revolutionary), her lover Angel (assassin and revolutionary) and their friend Mackenzie (third and revolutionary). In Blackout these people crossed paths in the South am England ran by fear and division. They found the UK’s rulers were about to mass murder the remaining holdouts in the North - a plot the trio failed but left Skyler near death and the team in the strange basic living of the North. But forces outside the U.K. were listening to Skyler and they think finally there is a hope to end the terror. But our lead characters are going to once again be plunged into danger and face their worst fears.
So this is where I get a little cagey as I think the revelations as to what happens next are just better if you don’t know what’s coming. Safe to say the trio male sone potentially powerful allies but find themselves put through the mill just to prove they’re worthy before a final mission back to the U.K. I really liked how Mallory didn’t go full hunger games with the leafs suddenly army leaders. They’re actually treated more with suspicion and contempt. So although we know they’re good with their skills; they are placed in very new and deadly situations. This adds jeopardy as we also realise they’re all damaged by the PTSD of the past story.
Usually stories like to brush over the idea of characters with trauma but Mallory smartly mixes the external story with the character’s biggest fears and traumas. In particular we focus a lot more in this novel on the usually stoic Angel dealing both with her traumatic past and her growing relationship with Skyler. Someone in the previous story shown as unshakeable is this time almost broken. There is also a examination of OCD in Mackenzie who is dealing now with huge pressure and the fate of the world and his friends. This emotional battle was beautifully delivered and for me really enhanced the storytelling. They’re an excellent trio and Skyler and Angel falling in love is the icing on the cake. Reader I was INVESTED!!
If Blackout was about learning it’s right to fight back then Sparks is about learning to face the fear and keep on fighting for those you love. In some ways the world feels even worse than 2018 the dangers of the world Mallory created even feel nearer….but a story reminding us not to give in or give up is now more than ever necessary. This is an excellent conclusion to a powerful duology and I really recommend it. I am very much looking forward to what Mallory has to offer us in the future!
