Initiate by Laura L. Fox

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was released on November 15th but I was lucky enough to get my hands on an early copy from the publisher. 

Initiate is the debut novel for author Laura L. Fox and is also the first book in The D'Andari'i Cycle. 

The plot of Initiate surrounds Riga Garrison. Riga is a teenager who has lived her whole life in an underground research facility in the middle of the Antarctic known as the "Tunnel". Life for Riga seems normal enough, she goes to school, hangs out with her friends and doesn't have the best relationship with her mother. There is more to life in the Tunnel than Riga first believes however. Riga's life is turned upside down by the discovery of an animal that she believe has been extinct for a number of years. This puts Riga on a course to discovering secrets kept from her whole community and leaves her facing exile to the unknown wasteland on the surface.

I loved the setting of this book. It's rare to find a book that totally encompasses a setting like Antarctica. Laura L. Fox did a beautiful job at combining the senses to fit the setting. I love how she added colour to the world using blues, greens and whites as well continuously mentioning the cold and the ice that surrounded the characters. It was such a different way to get the reader totally invested in the world. 

This was definitely a great introduction to the world that Fox has created. She has the excitement and the emotional investment already with this story and I for one cannot wait to see where this story goes next. I want to find out the truth to more secrets with Riga as she discovers the new world she has found herself in. 

This is a book that I would definitely pick up again and I am excited to see what Fox brings us next.