Rio can't believe her luck. Her dream job became a reality when she was
chosen to work with the unique crew on Freedom,
a custom outfitted yacht. Starting in
South Africa, the crews’ goal is to sail around the world. Before Rio boards the yacht, she is caught
off-guard by a bizarre man, rattling a dirty leather bag with his gnarled and
stained fingernails, staring at her with manic eyes….
The crew consists of five veterans of the war, each with
their own personality and abilities. Ash
has two blades instead of legs, and still has the strength and dexterity to match a man with legs. Marcus
has to be careful around the sun because of his severe burns to his body that
are starting to heal, stretching the scars tight across his face. Charis has a biotic arm, the first of its
kind she can manipulate with her muscles.
Izzy fell from a helicopter and shattered her leg while also coping with Type I diabetes. Rio and Jennifer are there as
support for the team, and everyone is ready to take off.
Then disaster strikes.
They only wished it had been a monsoon, but it is something much
deadlier. A group of pirates have seized
the ship and ransacked it, taking them as hostages and sinking the yacht. No one knows where they are or what has
happened to them. Now the crew is on
their way to most savage part of Africa, where Joseph Kony and his army of
children, known as the Lord’s Resistance Army, awaits their arrival.
Surrounded by children with guns and blank faces and eyes,
the group must be careful around these trigger-happy soldiers, who care nothing
about killing a human. Although Ash and most of the others are
veterans, they face something much more difficult – being able to survive with
their handicaps. Mwemba, the leader, is
asking for a huge ransom, but he is only part of the problem. Rio keeps her eye on a girl she calls the Empty
Child, a girl whom the others shy away from, even the Sangomo (witch doctor)
and Mwemba. Keep your friends close, but
your enemies closer is the tactic of Rio and her mates live as they walk their way
through desert and jungle hanging on to every shred of hope in order to
survive.
This is unlike any other YA novel I’ve read because the
storyline is so very unique. David
Massey does an EXCELLENT job at taking a serious world issue that has come to
the forefront of many nations and building a fictional account of it
specifically for young adults. The
characters become a cohesive part of the novel, showing both the hopeful and
hopeless situation they are a part of, whether it's personal or not. Within the larger story are smaller ones that
deal with the relationships between the crew, especially Rio’s
relationships.
Non-fiction pair: graphic novel, Army of God by David Axe.
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