In the People’s Republic of America—a nightmarish state of constant surveillance and oppression ruled by a brutal dictator—teenager Michael Cairne is a natural troublemaker. He supports his family with a dangerous side-hustle selling illegal tech on the black market, a crime that could have severe consequences.
After a violent clash with police reveals telepathic powers Michael never knew he had, the dictator puts a bounty on his head. But Michael is rescued by a mysterious rebel leader who claims he once trained telepathic soldiers to be living weapons—ghost-like killers known as “Ascendants,” of which Michael might just be the most powerful.
He must prepare the teen for a brewing war, but Michael is impulsive, governed by his rage and hatred for the men who killed his family. After arriving to his new home—a rebel base hidden in the mountains of a lawless wasteland—he struggles to find his place among other gifted teens who fear and resent him, and one who will love him.
A deadly psychic assassin is closing in on Michael, intent on collecting the bounty. Behind him is the approaching army of a corrupt government that wants Michael back. Will he tame his reckless power and become a virtuous warrior known as an Ascendant?
Or will he give in to the rage inside his heart and become a bloodthirsty tyrant known as the Bloodcrier?