In a cruel society where the population is separated into two castes — Enchanteds and Outsiders — Astrid and her family are considered the lowest of the low, without citizenship or magic. As the surrogate for Princess Renya, Astrid receives physical punishment if Renya steps out of line. It is truly a miserable existence — but it is one Astrid might be able to escape. Enter the Race of Oblivion, in which the drug Oblivion is used to wipe racers’ memories. It’s not an easy race — Astrid could very well end up dead. But if she wins, she could win freedom, citizenship for her entire family, and a proper place in society.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book! It was packed with action, and the characters were very complex. However, I would have liked to see a bit more world-building, as well as a more present villain. I hardly saw the villain at all throughout the story, and I felt like the story was just Astrid running around. The tension that comes with a central conflict would definitely have kept the story more anchored and less wishy-washy, for lack of a better term. I did like the fact that this book had a lot of similarities to The Hunger Games, but it just failed to evoke the same kind of emotion. In general, though, this book was genuinely entertaining and a fun read!