In a dystopian future Earth, following a population and pandemic catastrophe, humans are greatly reduced in number. Seventeen is a girl approved to breed, as she carries good genes, and the Unified World Order has placed her in Sanctuary of Colorado Province. However, being a BREEDER is not all she has been told, and she starts to question events.

Seventeen's life has been a regimen of exercises and drugs, vitamins and shaved heads. A man named Pax sneaks in, to where only women are allowed, and tells her that her world is a sham. If she wants to leave, he'll help. The girl has no idea what he means. After her ideals are betrayed, she realises that a command has been sent to kill her as no longer useful, and she flees with Pax - although she has no idea what is outside Sanctuary. Returning to her given name of Pria, the girl is determined to survive and learn the truth.

I like the way that in Pria's world where everyone has olive skin and brown eyes, Pax turns out to be hiding red hair, freckled pale skin and blue eyes. These recessive genes are shocking to the girl, who now really understands that she has been told lies. Pax says there are more like him, hidden in communities which are isolated and distrustful. He'll take her to one, but he can't guarantee either of them will be allowed to join the group. Meanwhile, the resourceful young man introduces Pria to many survival skills, such as swimming, killing snakes and eating meat. These aren't the worst of her challenges. There are more dangerous things than wildlife loose on Earth these days.

Pria does seem ridiculously naive, not knowing how people live in families. But all she's ever known is what she and her kind were told; they were intentionally kept illiterate. She wants to make a better future for humanity. But what if the one the Unified World Order wants is not actually better? As the tale unfolds the shocking reality emerges and the reader is invited to make up their own mind. The power of BREEDER is in the strength of our protagonist Pria, who needs to learn fast - including learning to make her own decisions - if she is to stay alive. KB Hoyle has created a Young Adult story which her teen readers will find devastatingly addictive, and the second in this sequence is to be called Criminal.