Tosca Lee has brought the world a new dystopian thriller in ‘The Line Between‘ that gives us a slightly alternate take on America. Here, we follow 22-year-old Wynter Roth who is being kicked out of The Enclave,  where the cult of New Earth is based out of. While Wynter is forced to leave, her sister stays behind, and now she wants to save her.

Only, things aren’t quite what one would imagine outside of the cult’s home. As the leading character, we’ll read as Wynter explores the world which she has been trained to fear and hate. However, things aren’t as they once were as it is being overrun by power surges which are thought to be linked to terrorist activities while the populace is suffering what could be a pandemic of dementia.

What we quickly learn, though, is that the very cult she is from which is run by Magnus Theisen has been foretold in their prophecies. Not only must Roth save her sister, but now she is tasked with stopping the epidemic from her family outside of the cult who needs her to help.

Now, on a quest to save her sister and the world, we follow Wynter needing to cross an increasingly lethal terrain. Thankfully, she won’t have to travel alone for long as she comes across an ex-Marine named Chase willing to help her out.

I do want to stress that the overall story has some creative points worth reading. The insider view of the cult is a fascinating read in itself and I’d love to see another book written with a similar concept. Seeing Wynter be forced to join the cult and grow in it makes for a solid story idea and watching her once she has to adjust to the real world as it falls apart around her is another tale worth your time. However, the story starts to head into the territory of overused tropes from there on out. The social collapse and journey through a dystopian society felt as if it was rehashes of quite a few stories already on the market.

If you’re a massive reader of the genre, the cult aspects will likely hold quite a bit of appeal for you, but the rest will deliver a solid plot. However, it is a story you’ve probably read or seen before for the most part, so don’t go into it expecting surprises.

The Line Between
By: Tosca Lee
Howard Books
January 29th, 2019