The story’s heroine can’t say who she is. But she is no longer a Recorder and she never had a name. When the Consortium reclaims her, it will dispose of her as an Aberrant—if she can survive terrorists, a deadly virus, and gigantic roaches. Guardian is book 3 of Cathy McCrumb’s Children of the Consortium series, showing a future society of complex moral entanglements in the human soul and organizations. The Recorder and others struggle with faith, hope, and meaning, yet religious themes stay more subtle, deftly entwined with emotion and humor. Future technologies and ancient human questions complete the Children of the Consortium trilogy with aplomb and finally gives its heroine her name.

Best for: Fans of sci-fi with complex themes slightly ahead of young-adult.

Discern: Violence includes battles in which defenseless people are harmed or killed, people reference human bodies eaten by insects, different societal groups express prejudice.