In a world bleached of color by pandemic and tyranny, the Oregon coast town of Warrenton whispers its defiance. The New Order, promising purity, delivers only sterile silence and iron-fisted control. But beneath the surface, resistance stirs.
Ishaan Mistry, haunted by loss, finds solace in the rhythmic clatter of his grandmother's antique sewing machine, stitching not just torn clothes but the fraying fabric of his community. Hidden pockets become secret compartments for bartered goods, tiny acts of rebellion against the regime.
When Nia Holloway, a fiery smuggler with sea-green eyes and a burning resolve, enters his life, Ishaan's craft finds a new purpose. Inspired by his Oaxacan ancestors, he transforms his needle and thread into weapons, embedding coded messages into fishermen’s caps and vibrant tapestries. These silent communiqués mark safe passageways, hidden supplies, and warnings about the New Order's patrols — a language of rebellion woven into the very fabric of their survival.
But their fragile hope is threatened by Commander Leon Parker, a man as cold as the storm-churned sea. Driven by a personal vendetta, Parker descends upon Warrenton with a chilling edict: total compliance or annihilation. And when a traitor within Nia’s network exposes their secrets, she is captured, destined for the regime's horrifying re-education camps — veiled extermination facilities where the “unfit” are systematically eliminated.
Faced with Nia’s fate, Ishaan must choose: cling to the safety of his needle or risk everything to save her and his town. His final weapon: a tapestry woven with a secret that could unravel the New Order’s web of control and expose their atrocities to the world. With the help of Elara Vance, a sharp-witted librarian and keeper of Warrenton’s hidden history, Ishaan rallies the townspeople, turning their everyday clothes into silent acts of defiance.
During the town’s annual Founders’ Day festival, a carefully orchestrated charade of compliance, Ishaan ignites the rebellion. In a climactic showdown, the people of Warrenton rise up, armed with their everyday tools and fueled by their simmering resentment. The quiet streets explode in a chaotic battle for freedom.
Will Ishaan's coded threads unravel the regime’s grip? Or will Parker’s ruthless efficiency crush the rebellion before it can truly take flight?

Monica Esparza

Books