New in paperback. A gripping survival story, by a best-selling author, of a strong girl rebuilding her life in a post-apocalyptic society where a contaminated drink makes victims act like zombies; just right for fans of James Dashner, Carrie Ryan, and "The Walking Dead."
After the Contamination - an epidemic caused by the diet drink ThinPro that turned ordinary citizens into shambling creatures unable to control their violent impulses - the government rounded up the "Connies" to protect the remaining population. But now, two years later, the government's started sending the rehabilitated back home, complete with shock collars that will either stop the Connies from committing violent acts or kill them before they do any further harm.
Since her parents were taken in the roundup, Velvet Ellis has struggled to care for her 10-year-old sister and maintain a sense of normalcy, despite brutal government rations and curfews. She goes to the "Kennels" every day searching for her parents, and when she finds her mother, she's eager to bring her home.
Sacrificing everything - her boyfriend, her home, and her job - Velvet will do anything to protect her mother. Velvet has to get the collar off her mother before the military comes to take her away. Even if it means risking all of their lives.
Gritty and grabbing, Velvet is an emotionally rich dystopic venture into YA from a well-known and respected writer of women's fiction.
..".suspenseful...this dystopia speaks to a wide range of readers, including reluctant ones."--"Kirkus Reviews"
..".This has plenty of suspense--it's not a book to read at bedtime."--"Booklist"
"Velvet may have a softer name than her literary predecessors Katniss, Cassie, and Kaelyn, but like them she has been forced to take on adult-sized responsibilities within her repressive society.... the plot moves quickly...more of a relation-based book than many other teen dystopian novels."--"The Horn Book"
You may visit Em Garner's website at www.emgarner.com, or follow her on Twitter @EmGarnerBooks.
"Also available in hardcover (ISBN: 9781606843543) and electronic (ISBN 9781606843550) book formats."