Beyond the Gates

The Starborn Redemption, Book 1

De: Jason D. Morrow

Narrado por: Stacy Gonzalez

The Containment Zone is a 500-mile radius surrounded by mountains and closed in by gates. No one can leave, and anyone who tries will die. Within are lawless bandits, corrupt soldiers, and once-human greyskins that hunt down people to spread the virus. Some say the Containment Zone is where the greyskin virus originated. Others say the people inside are little more than lab rats being studied by the nefarious Screven government.

When 12-year-old Skylar and her father, Liam, are caught trying to escape, they are taken to Vulture Hill, a government prison camp no one has ever left alive. Inside the prison, Skylar learns that the facility is little more than a testing site for finding people of a certain bloodline - the Starborn. These are people with special powers that manifests in various spectacular ways, and Screven wants to exploit them.

Skylar has always known there was something special about her family. For years, her father has had the ability to completely numb pain with just a thought. Lacerated skin, broken bones, they can all be ignored with enough concentration. Learning that her father is a Starborn means Skylar is probably one too, placing them both in extreme danger.

Now, father and daughter must do the impossible and break out of a prison known for killing so many. But Liam has leverage the government may be willing to buy - the cure for the greyskin virus.

The first two books of The Starborn Redemption are set 40 years after The Starborn Ascension and 17 years before The Starborn Uprising. Each Series can be listened to independently.

©2019 Jason D. Morrow (P)2019 Jason D. Morrow

can I get more ? please 🤗

wow this story was so good I just adored it zombies apocalypse so much in one book you just have to love it the story itself was not only solid but much much more I can speak about the book as a story but really every single word I would say will it ruin you the experience the story was absolutely incredible the narrator was very very good it's a festination of a book just take it and enjoy it if you love is genre of course

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

Great addition.

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

I have previously read the original series and really enjoyed it. This book did not disappoint! I liked all of the different character personalities. Also, the narrator did a great job switching between all of the characters.

enjoyable

the story was enjoyable if a bit formulaic. it feels a bit like it was written to be a movie or TV series and when that path didn't happen was instead turned into a book.

honestly I think the book would be better in smaller bites. the twists and turns would be more surprising if you had time to dwell on it rather than listening in one sitting and getting a bit immune after a number of them happen.

I liked it but it also seems unfinished with so much focus on the containment zone, that part seems unfinished only so a sequel can be sold.

I received a copy of the book at my request in exchange for an honest review.

Beyond the Gates

This story was nothing short of AMAZING! This was everything that I love in a post-apocalyptic book. Lots of action, edginess, and a great cast of characters. It is beyond me how someone can make something so unreal feel so real.

This story mainly takes place in a "containment center" a prison really. I am a huge fan of both "Orange is the New Black" and "Wentworth" so I kept picturing both of those and even some of the characters when they were talking about the women's section. It was written and described very well. You do get a bit of a back story in flashbacks which was great, so you learn what happened to Skylar's mom. This also had one of my favorite features in a book - the switching back and forth between Skylar and Liam so you get their POV.

The characters were great! I loved both Skylar and Liam, her dad. But it was really Nine (aka Waverly) who stole the show for me! Loved her!

This was my first book by this author. I seriously can not wait to get the next one in the series! I am hooked.

AUDIO - I thought the narration was equally great. The voices seemed to fit. I could understand her very well. Her pronunciations and expressions were perfect. A lot of times it is the audio that ruins it for me, but this was great!

I voluntarily posted this review after receiving a copy of this book from The Audio Bookworm - Thank You!!

Worth listening to other books in the series

Really enjoyed this book. Slightly different take on other zombie stories. I like that I could still follow along even though I didn’t listen to other books in the series. Occasionally, I wasn’t sure if it was the daughter or father talking. It states who is talking at the beginning of the chapter, but if distracted I missed it. That’s more my fault. I’m interested enough that I will listen to other books in the series. This book can be enjoyed by young adults and up.

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

Kept my attention!!

After reading so many fiction books and having nearly a thousand in my audible & kindle library it's become hard to find great ones that keep your attention all the way through! I wear bluetooth headphones non stop and listen all the time, even as I'm falling asleep. Which in turn has caused books that don't keep my attention, to cause me to fall asleep much quicker. Now, this book has kept me awake & listening even through the night. Those lately are few & far between. The story is great, the characters are well thought out and the narrator is excellent! Stacy Gonzalez doesn't seem too familiar to me and I also prefer male narrators but she is awesome! I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fiction, especially of the apocalyptic, zompoc or even super hero type genre. I loved it and am leaving here to try and get the next in the series.. If it's out!
Sincerely written by, Ashelina

An exciting book

I am dying to know what happens with Skyler, Liam and Waverly. I was out walking when I finished off the book and I was so sad that there was no more. It was a great place to stop but now I am so eager to finish it off.
I loved the way the book switched between Sklyer and Liam so that you get the whole story from both points of view.
I have to be honest, at first Gonzalez's narration didn't work for me, I found it just made it hard to listen to. However, as the book progressed I got used to her style and it grew on me.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Stacy Gonzalez. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Fantastic

Starting this story, I wasn’t sure what to think about such a young MC but that concern quickly slipped away as I got into the book. When young Skylar and her father are capture for trying to escape the contamination zone, they are sentenced to live out their days in a Death Camp. Skyler and her father are horrified at the people within and around the place. Within the camp, they are given dangerous jobs—dealing with the infected humans known as greyskins. When the learn of a plot to wipe out the population of the Death Camp, Skylar and her father break their rule of never trusting anyone and depend on those around them to escape.

The coolest thing about this book was the mix of science fiction and fantasy. It has a dystopia/apocalyptic feel but with heartwarming sentiments and character growth that I’ve seen in a lot of fantasy works.

Either way, this is a very engaging read for those with a love for all things suspense.

Also, the narration is wonderfully done.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Zombies, Superpowers & Mysterious P.A. Conspiracy

Beyond the Gates is a great Post apocalyptic 'Zombie' story with hidden superpowers and a mysterious 'government' conspiracy to boot. The book takes place in the 'Containment Zone' a 500 mile radius that has been walled off from the rest of society and filled with 'Zombies' known as Greyskins, bandits and soldiers. The story follows 12 year Skylar and her father Liam who start off on the run trying to find a way out of the containment zone, they are soon captured and put in a prison camp run by the government that is essentially a life sentence or a death sentence whichever way you look at it. The prison camp is a very tough and bleak place filled with very strict guards and some not so nice inmates that make life very difficult. The prison is also filled with some good people and some interesting characters. I won't give more of the story away than that, but it is quite interesting and exciting with a good dose of mystery, action and intrigue.

The Narration by Stacy Gonzalez was quite good and especially brings the character of Skylar to life. I am very interested in future installments to see where this story goes and figure out what the heck is really going on.

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

Zombies and more

Forty years ago, a dangerous virus began devastating humanity, and the greyskins were born of the ashes of the dead. Where Skylar and her father live, the concentration of grey skins if far worse than in the rest of the world, so the government decides to isolate the area, which is then known as the Containment Zone. No one is allowed to leave this area, and trying to do so is considered a crime. Skylar’s father has found a cure for the virus, but as it can’t be mass produced, so he keeps it a secret, until they are both captured and sent to a prison camp. Maybe then he needs to bargain for their lives.

I like the post-apocalyptic genre but I normally don’t do zombies. I don’t know exactly what it is that does not attract me at all but it is a fact. The same happens with vampires. I’m not sure if it’s due to the fact that I find it so hard to believe in them or because they awaken a primal fear in me that I dislike.

Well, there are zombies in this book, but it is not a book about zombies. It is a story about a father and a child that could have very well happened in a prison camp of Nazi Germany. There’s deception, sacrifice, danger, survival, love, and a corrupt government that makes and bends the rules just to make some rich and not caring about the social well being.

There is not a lot of world-building, and we don’t really need it. This is the old story of a sick society and the little power of an individual to change things. The characters are interesting, even I think we will know more about them in future books. There is a kind of detachment on the characters that may strike as surreal, like the lack of emotion regarding the death of one of the prisoners, but I believe it to be a defense mechanism against the daily horrors in the prison camp.

I enjoyed the raw narration by Stacy Gonzalez, and how she was able to transmit Skylar and Liam’s emotions. The book is written in first person, alternating POV from one to the other, and Stacy Gonzalez did a very good job differentiating voices and making us relate to the main characters. I think it was a powerful narration that brought home the horrors lived by Skylar, Liam, and the rest of the convicts.

I am curious about what will happen next, how they will manage to survive. I believe there may still be some important role for some secondaries to play in future books. I also want to see the levels of conspiracy the government has in store.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.