Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on Border Breakers: Kids of the Line, a gripping dystopian thriller about survival, rebellion, and the fight for freedom from author Ben Peterson.
★★★★★ "A heart-pounding dystopian tale that feels way too real." ~Goodreads Review
Border Breakers: Kids of the Line
Genres: Dystopian Science Fiction, Cyberpunk Science Fiction, Science Fiction Adventures
Paperback: $15.99
Ebook: $4.99 (Free via Kindle Unlimited)
The truth is out there. But crossing the Line means risking everything.
The Phoenix Line was built to keep people out. Or so they say. A thousand miles of electrified steel, patrolled by automated drones, surveillance towers, and deadly force—the Line divides the fractured remains of North America. On one side, the Northern Federation, a utopia built on clean energy, AI governance, and absolute control. On the other, the United American States, a starving wasteland clinging to the past. In between? A generation caught in the crossfire.
Tina Regalado has spent her life working under the hum of the Phoenix Line, believing its promise of safety and order. But when she hesitates to pull the trigger on a desperate border-runner, she starts to see the cracks in the Federation’s perfect system.
On the other side of the fence, Ryan Whitecloud isn’t just watching—he’s planning. The drones, the patrol routes, the gaps in the grid—if there’s a way out of the UAS, he’s going to find it. And when he crosses paths with Dru, a rogue hacker who’s uncovered a century-old secret buried beneath the Line, everything changes.
Because the Line isn’t just a border—it’s a lie.
As the Line’s AI defenses close in and the Federation prepares to seal its borders forever, Tina, Ryan, and their unlikely allies must make an impossible choice: escape while they still can…or break the Line for good.
Perfect for fans of Marie Lu’s Legend, Veronica Roth’s Divergent, and Pierce Brown’s Red Rising, Border Breakers is a pulse-pounding sci-fi thriller where technology, power, and rebellion collide.
About the Author
Ben Peterson is a writer, illustrator, creative tinkerer, and full-time overthinker from Kansas City, Kansas. His stories tend to blend heart, humor, and just enough sci-fi or fantasy to make you wonder if your toaster might be plotting something. When he’s not writing, he’s drawing comics, playing Dungeons & Dragons, or pretending not to be emotionally destroyed by Pixar movies. Learn more by following Ben on Goodreads or via his Amazon Author Page.