This YA adventure has action-packed fight scenes, strong emotional connections, tragic losses and a healthy dose of sarcasm. Kit, as narrator, describes frighteningly violent fights in detail and later moves fluidly into personal, confusing romantic reflections. She struggles with familial losses and with achieving her larger goals in an uncertain world. Rose handles these scenarios with finesse and insight. As the residents of the Sanctuary and Freetown prepare for war, readers can only hope that there will soon be a sequel to tie up the remaining loose ends.An imaginative, gripping YA tale of love and violence.--Kirkus Reviews “This is Dystopian at its finest. I can't wait for the sequel!”-- Christina Mercer, author of The Arrow in the Mist.“I was basically promised by the universe that I would love this book. Congrats, Universe, you were right AGAIN! I may have fallen in love with Frankie Rose’s writing and wonderful story telling. I can’t wait to read more about these two. Paper Dolls.com“Poetry-like prose and characters that will slowly carve out a place within your heart and then gut you. Raksha is a must read!” — Book Me!“This book was the total package. I cried WAY MORE than a few tears. I giggled at Kit (ALL THE TIME! – the rationale about the fires, the dresses/bells & so many other Kit moments made me laugh SO loud!) and my boy Ryka, too. Right throughout the book my heart was pounding through my chest. Delirium cross Hunger Games cross Divergent.” —Fab, Fun and Tantalizing ReadsShe has no name. She has her knives. Her training. Her halo. The first and second give her the ability to defeat the opponents she is pitted against each month. The third frees her from pain and fear. From any kind of emotion at all. Everything is as it should be. Everything is as it should be, until… Fear… Pain… Anger… Happiness… Desire… Guilt…Love.When a newly named Kit escapes the Sanctuary after killing her best friend, the last thing she needs is another knife in her hand. Or Ryka, the damaged, beautiful blond boy, whom she refuses to let save her. The sights and sounds of Freetown are new, yet one thing is familiar: the matches. The only difference? Where the blood in the Sanctuary landed only on the Colosseum floor, Kit will quickly learn that a river of red runs through Freetown’s very streets. Without her halo, the inhabitants of Kit’s new home consider her saved, but is that really the case? The reality of her old life is paralyzing. Would she be better off free of the guilt associated with all the blood on her hands, or is the love of one boy worth living through all the pain?Raksha is the call of the dead. It is the rumbling chant for fresh blood from the other side, the demand for sacrifice. The Colosseum is behind Kit. The fighting pits await.Warning: due to graphic content, Raksha is suitable for readers 16 yrs and up.