Midnight City  - J. Barton Mitchell, T.B.A.
Midnight City is a blend of dystopian and science fiction and a few others that pop up along the way. The story takes place about ten years after the Assembly (aliens) invaded Earth. What they call the Tone is to blame for what has happened to all the adults, basically turning them into slaves to the aliens. And now the children have to take care of themselves and survive day to day. The two main character are fantastic. Holt is around 20 or so, and he wan't affected by the Tone, but having to watch all the people you love leave him has made him cunning, He had to learn to become very resourceful to be able to survive as long as he has. His only companion is his dog Max who goes everywhere he goes. Holt is your typical tough guy, that will do what ever it takes to survive, but his sad back story makes you see him in a different light. He was definitely a character that I enjoyed.Mira is the girl that Holt has been searching for to be able to turn in for the large bounty. She is a lot more than he bargained for. Mira is a lot like Holt, she is smart, and just as cunning and because they are so much alike they butt heads constantly. Mira's battles with the affects of the Tone was heartbreaking to follow at times. But somehow she still managed to stay strong and that I have to give her a lot of credit for. After a while their love/late relationship grows into something a little more. That part was fun to read, the banter between them was entertaining and believable. I learned to really like her as the story progressed.The world building was intense and had a lot of information to absorb about the Factions, the Tone, and the Artifacts, but Mitchell does a great job giving us a little at a time so that we are not overwhelmed by it all. The pacing of the story kept me interested. I wanted to know more about the little girl Zoey, that they had come across and why the Assembly wanted her so badly. The ending leaves us with some unanswered questions, that will hopefully be answered in the next book. While I found the ending satisfying enough for me, my only complaint it I really didn't learn much about the Assembly themselves. Complaints aside, I enjoyed the characters and world that was created.Midnight City takes us through a dangerous, nail biting, journey in a world that is both unique and engrossing. This is a incredible start to a new series, one that I would definitely recommend reading.