GET YOUR FREE EBOOK OR AUDIOBOOK HERE

Two hundred years ago, the Roaches swept across the Earth, annihilating everything in their path. Humanity’s remnants retreated behind the walls of Acadia—a militarized city where every citizen’s worth is dictated by a ruthless merit score. Earn enough points and you live in safety. Fall short, and you’re Rifted—cast into the depths beyond salvation.

Jessica teeters on the edge of that fate, forced into the Mahghetto—an unforgiving gauntlet where failure means death. Cojax is a young soldier desperate to prove himself in a society that sees him as expendable. When they uncover a long-guarded secret, the two are thrust into a conspiracy that could shatter Acadia’s rigid order and ignite a war it cannot win.

In Acadia, loyalty is rewarded… until the day it kills you.

Set in a militarized future where worth is measured in points and obedience is survival, ACADIA fuses the worldbuilding scope of Dune with the raw rebellion of Red Rising. It’s a genre-defining hybrid of epic science fiction, dystopian hierarchy, and psychological warfare—a story where loyalty can kill and perfection comes at the cost of humanity.

The following is an abbreviated version of the review, highlighting the book’s strongest elements:

In Sterling Nixon’s YA science-fiction series opener, teenagers undergo ruthless training to defend Acadia—the last human city on Earth—from hordes of deadly creatures known as Roaches. Cojax, the son of an elite warrior, and Jessica, a mysterious outsider called “the Aberration,” must survive the brutal Mahghetto while protecting their Sacred Scores from falling low enough to have them “Rifted” from society.

Nixon masterfully blends action and suspense, surrounding his heroes with constant danger, political manipulation, and terrifying battles. Exceptional dialogue, sharp descriptions, immersive world-building, and a memorable supporting cast strengthen the story throughout. Unforgettable characters enhance this taut dystopian tale and leave plenty to explore in the installments ahead.

 This BookLife Editor’s Pick praises Acadia as a “smart but muscular fantasy” set in a cyber-Roman fortress city that serves as both “a sanctuary and prison,” where every citizen’s worth is dictated by a ruthless sacred score. Cojax endures a brutal rite of passage under the maxim “Merit above all. We are given only what we earn,” but Nixon “smartly upends expectations” with the arrival of Jessica, a mysterious girl from beyond the walls whose compassion destabilizes Acadia’s rigid hierarchy. The review highlights Nixon’s “deftly described” worldbuilding, “intense philosophical debates” that prove as thrilling as the action, and his incisive dissection of a dystopia whose “rotten underpinnings” unravel as the truth of Acadia’s origins emerges. The takeaway: a “rousing series-starter” for fans of K. J. Parker and Arkady Martine. 

 The following is an abbreviated version of the review, highlighting the audiobook’s strongest elements:

Two centuries after the Roaches nearly destroy humanity, the survivors of Acadia endure a brutal merit-based society where failure can mean being “Rifted” into the deadly unknown. As Jessica and Cojax uncover a dangerous conspiracy, they are drawn into a tense story of survival, betrayal, and political intrigue.

Sterling Nixon delivers fast-paced action, compelling characters, authentic dialogue, and richly immersive world-building. Narrator Euan Morton elevates the experience with a powerful, emotionally layered performance, clear delivery, and distinctive character voices. His narration vividly captures the story’s danger, urgency, and humanity. With excellent production quality throughout, ACADIA is a gripping and memorable audiobook for fans of high-stakes dystopian science fiction.