The Final Orchard

By: CJ Rivera

Narrated by: Stacy Gonzalez, Raquel Beattie

From debut-author CJ Rivera, comes a harrowing tale of a parent risking it all for her child. The Final Orchard is perfect for those looking for a novel that captures them like television shows Silo and Black Mirror.

In a society where bionic enhancements are the epitome of wealth and power, scientific researcher Dr Rosio Arata threatens to topple the status quo with her pioneering organic enhancements. Yet when a horrific accident kills her daughter, Ro's quest for answers leads her to becoming trapped in a twisted version of her life's work.

In a bleak underground colony, sixteen year-old Ever is primed to rise through the ranks, gain selection and become a Saviour. It's her dream to journey to the Surface and fight the army of Forms overwhelming the globe, catching up with the boy she loves in the process. Yet nothing in this world is what it seems and soon the secrets buried in her bunker begin to unravel, threatening the future of everything.

©2024 CJ Rivera (P)2025 Tantor Media

Some major issues with this story

1. Since this is audio, I'll start there. I settled on 1.35 which made Ro's narration (which was good) very slow, and Ever's (horrible, hysterical) very fast.

2. Was this for adults or was it YA? Ro's felt written for grownups and Ever's was completely YA. It's like the author started 2 different books for 2 different audiences and then slapped them together. You can have a teenage MC and still write for adults. The author didn't and the audio performance made it worse.

3. I don't mind a cliffhanger, it can still be satisfying. This one was not. It just ends, and in a sloppy way.

4. Too much and too little worldbuilding/character building: The author does major info dumps and spouting of propaganda from the teens but...again, felt like 2 separate books.

Started as a 4 and ended up at a 1.5, rounded up to 2.