Combining elements of The Handmaid s Tale and Jane Eyre, Ashwood presents a vision of the future that is familiar and chilling (with an energy crisis and food shortage just part of its dystopian vision). Its protagonist Matron Ann takes her place among classic tales where the heroine battles the forces of evil, deciphers friend from foe, solves a mystery, risks her life and unexpectedly finds love. The result is a swiftly paced page turner.