Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera

In Mega City, women and girls are in charge while men and boys are raised to serve. Girl gangs run the streets at night, dealing sueños, an addictive drug, and protecting their territory. The toilers, most of Mega’s population are the common folk that work hard to make everything that’s sold in Mega.

Chief Rocka (only one person is allowed to call her by her name, Nalah) is the leader of the fiercest girl gang in Mega City. She absolutely worships Mega City’s leader Déesse and believes in Mega City’s mission and hierachy. Rocka wants to live in the Towers with Déesse and those she trusts most and keeps close to her, like her family and most trusted soldiers.

To get closer to Déesse and the privileged of Mega City, she accepts a mission to leave the city and venture into Cemi Territory, where no one follows or believes in Mega City’s established rules or values. Rocka needs to gather intel on a girl gang called the Ashé Ryders, a gang that Déesse believes will come to Mega City and try to overthrow her. Rocka enlists her girl gang members as well as a mysterious toiler from Cemi Territory who’s addicted to sueños.

What Chief Rocka discovers on her journey is that maybe Mega City isn’t as perfect as she thinks it is. That maybe the rules about gender and womanhood in Mega City should be questioned… and maybe it’s time she rethinks her allegiance once and for all.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes YA fantasy books that feel more contemporary! It is well-written, enjoyable, and a fast read. 

Darcy Lepore

Library Director

Available at the Langley Adams Library