THE SHADOW ARCHER , THOMAS TMR/HG

" You two may have won the games...but you still haven't won the war.."

In a future where society is divided into strict districts, the world is controlled by a ruthless totalitarian regime known as The Sovereignty. The Sovereignty uses The Trials, brutal annual events designed to keep the population in check, as a means of maintaining control. These trials are a gladiatorial-style combat, testing not just physical strength and survival skills, but also mental endurance and loyalty to the Sovereignty.

Each year, young people, man and woman, from different districts, known as Candidates, are randomly selected to participate in a massive arena known as a seemingly natural environments that were actually under strict control by the Gamemakers filled with dangerous creatures, treacherous traps. Only one Candidate can survive, and the prize is a chance to "earn" a place in the elite ruling class of The Sovereignty-or, at the very least, a chance to survive for another year.