Absolution Island

The Salvation State, Book 2

By: Marcus Damanda

Narrated by: Jessica McEvoy

The chase is over. For Rebecca, Daniel, and the rest of the Forgottens of Second Salvations, there is only one choice: Get with the program or die. But there's a spy lurking somewhere within the cabins of Angel Island, someone with contacts in the outside world.

Ruth Black is determined to find out who it is before the world learns the truth about her - and about the special punishment ministry of her husband, the Reverend Matthew. Rebecca and Daniel are not destined to remain forgotten very long.

Welcome to New America: one nation, under God. An island prison, just for kids, built to convert the very worst of them. Kids like Rebecca and Daniel, with one impossible task: escape.

©2017 Marcus Damanda (P)2018 Marcus Damanda

Damanda and McEvoy make a great team!

I very much anticipated this book, and I was not disappointed. There is no lull in the story; it picks right back up from where the first book left off. The pacing is so well-done it makes it almost impossible to stop reading (or, in my case, listening). You just need to find out what happens.

The reality of New America is a terrible and frightening one and, as I said in my review of ‘Salvation State’, it’s not too far-fetched to believe. I think that makes it even scarier. In my opinion, there is nothing more frightening than having your freedom taken away and being forced into beliefs without ever being given the chance to figure out what you think for yourself. No monster lurking in the dark can compare to a life like that.

Damanda’s writing style is easy to read, immersive, and consistent. He has found his voice, and it really comes across to the reader. He has just the sort of style I prefer: one that makes you forget you’re reading a story and instead feel like you’re there yourself or that a friend is telling you one.

Speaking of voices, the audiobook of this novel is read by the impeccable Jessica McEvoy. She really flexes her muscles with this book, putting on different effects/accents for different characters. I’ve been a fan of her work for a long time, but I was especially impressed with her work here. It was easy to keep track of who is who which is not always an easy thing to do with audiobooks, especially if you zone out for a few seconds. But McEvoy uses Damanda’s subtle character descriptions to make them distinguishable and individual.

Also, McEvoy has an extremely pleasant voice that makes binge listening easy. I’m sure we’ve all encountered audiobooks of which we can only listen to small chunks at a time because the narration gets monotonous, but that never happens when McEvoy is doing it.

I think Damanda and McEvoy make a great team. Together, they have brought a vibrant, chilling, and touching world to life.

I very much look forward to the next installment of this series.

AWESOME!!! GREAT 2ND INSTALLMENT TO SERIES!

Wow, the second one is just as good as the first! This is a fast-paced, intense ride as a group of teenagers try to break free from a warped religious cult at a place called Angel Island. "New America" isn't all that it's cracked up to be, lots of craziness going on. It's a super cool and original story, beautifully written and narrated. I highly recommend both books in the series, get em! GREAT STUFF!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Huge fan of Damanda and McEvoy, but...

I am a fan of Marcus Damanda and Jessica McEvoy (nosleeppodcast) and I listened to the first book of this series, it is original and interesting in its subject matter. But, the narration is a little too slow in speed, at least for an entire book.


I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Excellent Sequel

Absolution Island: The Salvation State, Book 2 by Marcus Damanda and narrated by Jessia McEvoy pickups right after the events of the first book. This is at times a challenging and intense story of a future world that has corrupted the Christian values it had initially been founded on during the period of reformation. The old saying of power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The heart of the story is the five teens trying to save themselves and it is truly engaging. I highly recommend this book if you enjoyed the first in the series. This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Absolutely Riveting!

This is the second installment of The Salvation State trilogy, so if you haven’t read or listened to the first one, just go ahead and buy them both so you don’t have to wait. You’re gonna love it that much, trust me.

I am a huge fan of dystopian fiction, and I’ll admit that it can get somewhat repetitive, especially when it’s marketed as a YA series. This series *is NOT* like that. These kids are living in a not-so-far-fetched theocracy a la The Handmaid’s Tale, but the story itself is so well written and unexpected that I found myself running extra miles and cleaning longer just so I could keep listening.

Jessica McEvoy is an outstanding voice actress. I had previously purchased and read the eBook, but listening to her read this story gave it a whole new life. I don’t usually prefer an audiobook over its text counterpart, but I can honestly say that I prefer listening to Jessica read this story.

TL;DR - Even if dystopian or YA fiction aren’t your usual cup of tea, give this series a chance. Between the amazing writing and stellar narration, I’m almost certain you’ll love it.

good 2nd book, but start with book 1

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

If you haven't listened to the first book, stop reading my review and go listen/read book 1 first. I think I would have been completely lost in this book if I didn't have the background from book 1. That being said, I actually like this book better than the first. I feel like the author has found where they want the overarching story to go and it felt like there was more depth and passion behind this one. That's just my opinion, so take it for what it is. All in all, I think this series is worth checking out.

wasn't ready for it to end

I loved it, I wasnt ready for it to end. Can't wait for the next one to find out what happens!

Intense

I loved the second part of the series. It’s gets intense and has zero dull moments. The narration is just amazing

Exciting and beautifully read

An exciting story, kept me on the edge of my seat and I loved listening to the voice of Jessica McEvoy throughout.

Fantastic second installment doesn't disappoint!

Equally as disturbing and engrossing as book one, this second installment in the Salvation State series picks up where book one left off. Rebecca and Daniel are now in the grip of Ruth and Reverend Matthew Black, the ruthless leaders of Angel Island who pose as uber-Christian do-gooders tasked by the powerful New America Unity Church to rehabilitate troubled and orphaned youths. But the island has a wealth of dark secrets. If revealed to the world, these secrets could blow the top off the Black's twisted operation. Rebecca and Daniel risk everything in hopes they'll escape the nightmare of Angel Island, and perhaps one day end the injustice that has infected New America.

Damanda's spectacular quality of writing from book one continued into book two, a feat some authors just can't accomplish. I was gripped tight by this dystopian thriller from beginning to end, and often found myself pondering the frightening possibility of a similar scenario happening in real life. Jessica McEvoy narrates again, giving a stupendous performance.

Eagerly awaiting future installments!

(I requested this free review copy audiobook and voluntarily posted this unbiased review.)