Project 118: Shadows of Origin

India's emergency response number-118-was conceived for life-saving purpose. Far too often, it serves the opposite purpose.

For Ananya Rai, the failure of the system is personal: her sister Vanya bled to death along the highway because the ambulance arrived one moment too late. Going into one of the elite government academies was to be her entrance into fixing what broke her family. But it sets her into one of brutal training, odd friendships, unconventional mentors, and a system so bogged down with red tape that life-saving becomes fantasy.

Proceeding through pranks, drills, and confrontations with red tape, Ananya becomes aware of just how deep the rot has gone.

But behind the failures of this helpline is something even stranger-a silence that seems intentional, as if lives were intended to be lost. And while Ananya is oblivious of the darkness of her sister's death, the individuals around her, appear to know more than they're ready to confess.

118: Shadows of Origin is the first book in the tale of a failed system and the rebellious young women who have the courage to challenge it. Raw, sharp, and mysterious all at once, it's about mourning, insurrection, and the bravery necessary to question what everyone else takes at face value.

Because at times, saving lives begins with the refusal to remain silent.