Absolution Island

The Salvation State, Book 2

By: Marcus Damanda

Narrated by: Jessica McEvoy

The chase is over. For Rebecca, Daniel, and the rest of the Forgottens of Second Salvations, there is only one choice: Get with the program or die. But there's a spy lurking somewhere within the cabins of Angel Island, someone with contacts in the outside world.

Ruth Black is determined to find out who it is before the world learns the truth about her - and about the special punishment ministry of her husband, the Reverend Matthew. Rebecca and Daniel are not destined to remain forgotten very long.

Welcome to New America: one nation, under God. An island prison, just for kids, built to convert the very worst of them. Kids like Rebecca and Daniel, with one impossible task: escape.

©2017 Marcus Damanda (P)2018 Marcus Damanda

Damanda and McEvoy make a great team!

I very much anticipated this book, and I was not disappointed. There is no lull in the story; it picks right back up from where the first book left off. The pacing is so well-done it makes it almost impossible to stop reading (or, in my case, listening). You just need to find out what happens.

The reality of New America is a terrible and frightening one and, as I said in my review of ‘Salvation State’, it’s not too far-fetched to believe. I think that makes it even scarier. In my opinion, there is nothing more frightening than having your freedom taken away and being forced into beliefs without ever being given the chance to figure out what you think for yourself. No monster lurking in the dark can compare to a life like that.

Damanda’s writing style is easy to read, immersive, and consistent. He has found his voice, and it really comes across to the reader. He has just the sort of style I prefer: one that makes you forget you’re reading a story and instead feel like you’re there yourself or that a friend is telling you one.

Speaking of voices, the audiobook of this novel is read by the impeccable Jessica McEvoy. She really flexes her muscles with this book, putting on different effects/accents for different characters. I’ve been a fan of her work for a long time, but I was especially impressed with her work here. It was easy to keep track of who is who which is not always an easy thing to do with audiobooks, especially if you zone out for a few seconds. But McEvoy uses Damanda’s subtle character descriptions to make them distinguishable and individual.

Also, McEvoy has an extremely pleasant voice that makes binge listening easy. I’m sure we’ve all encountered audiobooks of which we can only listen to small chunks at a time because the narration gets monotonous, but that never happens when McEvoy is doing it.

I think Damanda and McEvoy make a great team. Together, they have brought a vibrant, chilling, and touching world to life.

I very much look forward to the next installment of this series.

Huge fan of Damanda and McEvoy, but...

I am a fan of Marcus Damanda and Jessica McEvoy (nosleeppodcast) and I listened to the first book of this series, it is original and interesting in its subject matter. But, the narration is a little too slow in speed, at least for an entire book.


I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Excellent Sequel

Absolution Island: The Salvation State, Book 2 by Marcus Damanda and narrated by Jessia McEvoy pickups right after the events of the first book. This is at times a challenging and intense story of a future world that has corrupted the Christian values it had initially been founded on during the period of reformation. The old saying of power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The heart of the story is the five teens trying to save themselves and it is truly engaging. I highly recommend this book if you enjoyed the first in the series. This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

AWESOME!!! GREAT 2ND INSTALLMENT TO SERIES!

Wow, the second one is just as good as the first! This is a fast-paced, intense ride as a group of teenagers try to break free from a warped religious cult at a place called Angel Island. "New America" isn't all that it's cracked up to be, lots of craziness going on. It's a super cool and original story, beautifully written and narrated. I highly recommend both books in the series, get em! GREAT STUFF!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Couldn't stop listening

Another book from Damanda that I didn't want to ever stop listening to and another great performance from Jessica McEvoy!! Love this series so much, it has a little bit of everything for everyone and switching between characters keeps the pace moving while leaving you on edge about what's going to happen next.