The first colony on Mars had a good start - no wars, no poverty, no climate change. Almost an ideal place to live until things start to go bad. Colonists start to disappear and the communication to Earth is lost. Leo and Ariel are Mars's newest colonists who were not in the original flight list. No comms don't help with the situation. Unlike other colonists, Leo is off to a rough start. He is targeted by the law force, is assigned a dull job and to make matters worse, he doesn't remember signing up for this trip. Back on Earth, the lost communication with Mars sends Alex in a panic mode. Alex is a rising star in the space program. He finds himself on the next spaceship out to Mars to fix this problem. Alex and Leo battle against time to uncover the truth.

This was a quick and engaging read. I enjoyed learning about way of life on the Martian colony. For a sci-fi book, the science is not intimidating. Thru Leo and Ariel's stories, the author briefly touches on the topics of loneliness, societal expectations and suicide. I was hoping it was explored further. Alex's trip to Mars was eventful, keeping the reader at the edge of their seat. While the plot moved forward, I found that the writing lacked a smooth flow. But the author more than makes it up with the unpredictable twist. I did not foresee it. It was a good closure to the story and one that leaves you thinking about it for days. I would highly recommend this book to sci-fi fans and also to readers who want to explore this genre further.

Thank you Ryan Lailvaux for my copy.