SURRENDER

SURRENDER, the second novel in the trilogy, picks up where POSSESSION left off.

Raine lives in Freedom (ironically named; it’s the seat of the Association of Thinkers) and flirts with both sides of the control situation. Her roommate—one Violet Schoenfeld (none other than Vi from POSSESSION, of course)—has nightmares every night, and Raine’s “seen” things she wishes she hadn’t. She obediently files reports with her father, the Director of Freedom, but secretly recruits gifted teens into the Insiders, a rebel group intent on taking down the Thinkers—and dreams of Gunner, whose voice has the ability to control. Unfortunately he is not only on Raine’s recruitment list, but also on her dad’s… Gunn, meanwhile, rooms with one Zenn Bower. Zenn, it turns out, is Insider-friendly; he’s working with Raine to keep the most talented amongst them out of the Thinkers’ training programs. They failed with Vi, but they won’t again. Gunn, Zenn, and Raine work with the other Insiders against her Director dad’s ends, even as Raine must keep up appearances by letting her dad use her talent (she can “see” your innermost desire and what will happen if you get what you want) to drain those he considers dangerous. When Jag Barque of all people shows up in her dad’s lab, and he’s the next she’s expected to drain—so his rebel desires can be revealed and the Insiders squashed—Raine’s conflicted. Does she do what’s right for some? Or what she’s been told is best for all in society? Her dad is waiting… No matter what, she’ll have to lie about what she “saw” when she “accidentally” touched Vi. Elana Johnson wishes she could experience her first kiss again, tell the mean girl where to shove it, and have cool superpowers like reading minds and controlling fire. Using her boring human powers, she graduated from Southern Utah University with Summa Cum Laude honors in Elementary Education with a minor in Mathematics. She started her teaching career as an upper grade music and art specialist. After a four-year stint in 3rd grade, she is currently the technology specialist. In her world, Oreos and bacon would be the only food groups. Everyone would drive 10 over the speed limit, and winter would be eliminated as a season. As it is, she lives with her husband and two kids in central Utah, gets cited when she drives too fast and eats Oreos only on special occasions.