Live From the Afterlife: 2 (Riot Act)

Set in an alternate America that feels dangerously close to our own, a ghost, the boy she loves, and their friends pick up the pieces of a shattered rebellion--turning from violence to art. Fierce, fast-moving, and full of heart, it’s Feed meets Severance meets Fahrenheit 451.

The first time Gigi Durant and her renegade theater group tried to take down America’s Favorite Dictator, it ended in the murder of Max Bowl—her raunchy, loudmouthed, beloved best friend. Now Gigi is dead, shot for performing Shakespeare. But if the police state that’s taken over their city—all of America, really—thought silencing her would end the rebellion, they were wrong. Because Gigi is still tethered to her story, her ghost lingering in the consciousness of Axl Fischer, her old love. And she’s not giving up.

This time, the revolution isn’t about burning down, it’s about building up. This time, the troupe is determined to subvert the dictator’s propaganda not with weapons, but with pirate broadcasts and satire sharp enough to shred the lies. This time, with Axl leading the fight, and Gigi driving the mission from beyond, the group risks everything to defend dangerous beliefs: that voices can’t be silenced, and that when art refuses to die, freedom will prevail.

Sarah Lariviere is the author of the duology Riot Act; The Bad Kid, a 2017 Edgar Award finalist; and Time Travel for Love and Profit, a 2022 YALSA Amazing Audiobook. Sarah grew up in Champaign, Illinois, graduated with a degree in theater from Oberlin College and has a master’s degree in social work from Hunter College in New York City, where she specialized in casework with children and families. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her family.