Romy: Book I of the 2250 Saga by Nirina Stone

The year is 2250, and a catastrophic event has split humanity into three groups, making life extremely dangerous. Romy, who is 20 years old, wants to be at the top of society. Despite her best efforts, she seems to fall short. How will she respond to the reality of her circumstance? Romy is the first book in the 2250 series.

Apex is a meticulously designed dystopian society. Society is separated into three groups: the Prospero, who are at the top of the social scale and live in opulent high-rise residences with the highest levels of security; the citizens, who work underground; and the Sorens, whom the elite Prosperos view as terrorists.

The world-building in Romy, the first book of a series, seems to have been done at the expense of the plot. Apex is an extremely sinister, yet very genuine place that appears to have drawn inspiration from the current state and prospective future of the United States as a country. The world of Romy may exist in one of the best alternate universes.

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The people and plot of Romy were not as compelling as the dystopian universe, which was fantastic and fascinating. Romy is a woman who is kind of trapped in her own world. She works to secure her future with a higher education, but at the beginning of the novel, the best she can aspire for is a job working for Prospero. Romy is a promising character at first since she is driven and doing well in her pursuit of a career that is not typically chosen by women.

It is made clear from away that being a woman in Apex is awful. Early on, there is some organisational interference with women’s reproductive rights and Romy is up for auction. There moments where this reader was hoping that the story doesn’t give certain people ideas. The way people were fooled and the plausibility in the way its told is frightening in its ring of truth.

Typically, everything goes in fiction, therefore some individuals wouldn’t care about certain narrative details. Normally, this reader can skim through a lot. There are some things in Romy’s case that I was unable to go past. It is disconcerting to read about the kind of relationship Romy describes in the light of the #metoo movement.

She feels under pressure, is intrigued, and she appears to be drawn to a particular master/sub type of relationship. Nothing incorrect about that. Whatever makes you happy. It’s a little unsettling to read it as a love relationship.

Maybe you’ve noticed that I haven’t said anything about Romy specifically. She is arguably the worst aspect of the piece and comes off as puddle-deep. She may be a product of her surroundings, but does that make for interesting reading? If not, Great Romy is a quick read that holds promise for the series’ next books. Although Stone has talent, her main goal has been to create an engaging world. None of the characters are particularly complex.

Romy: A Good or Bad Book? It went well. Given that series’ first volumes are frequently weak, I might read another one, but I’m not sure I’ll remember to do so as there isn’t much that will stick with me. It’s interesting as a mirror of the society in which we exist. If you pick it up, let me know what you think.

About The Book

In the year 2250, life in Apex is built on classification systems. The rich Prospo live a lavish life in skyscrapers. Poor Citizens live underground and Soren terrorists are a threat that no one wants to contend with, least of all young, healthy women that are used solely for breeding.

Twenty year old Romy believes she’s done everything right to avoid being put on the Soren auction block. She’s studied hard and attained her robotic certification to secure an enviable job in Prospo City, but when her time comes, instead of the coveted ‘B’ classification, Romy’s status leaves her vulnerable to the Soren terrorists.

Follow Romy as she strives to live the life she’s worked so hard to attain and learns the truth about her name, her past, and her world.