Shade's Children

In this gripping dystopian fantasy by Garth Nix, set in a desolate urban landscape, children face a grim fate as they approach their fourteenth birthdays—where living past that date is a death sentence issued by the tyrannical Overlords. On the day they are taken to the Meat Factory, a mysterious entity known as the Shade recruits a select group of young escapees to join a secret resistance. As they uncover the source of the Overlords' power, the stakes rise, revealing a darker side to their enigmatic protector.