Ruse
Kindle
$9.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$15.30
Paperback
$12.51
Audible Logo Your audiobook is waiting!
Enjoy a free trial on us
$0.00
  • Click above for unlimited listening to select audiobooks, Audible Originals, and podcasts.
  • One credit a month to pick any title from our entire premium selection — yours to keep (you'll use your first credit now).
  • You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
  • $14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel online anytime.
Learn more about membership
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company
List Price: $22.50
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible’s Conditions Of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice.
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Ruse Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Cindy Pon (Author), Kim Mai Guest (Narrator), Roger Yeh (Narrator),
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 65 ratings
See all formats and editions

In near-future Shanghai, a group of teens have their world turned upside down when one of their own is kidnapped in this action-packed follow-up to the "positively chilling" (The New York Times) sci-fi thriller Want.

Jason Zhou, his friends, and Daiyu are still recovering from the aftermath of bombing Jin Corp headquarters. But Jin, the ruthless billionaire and Daiyu's father, is out for blood. When Lingyi goes to Shanghai to help Jany Tsai, a childhood acquaintance in trouble, she doesn't expect Jin to be involved. And when Jin has Jany murdered and steals the tech she had refused to sell him, Lingyi is the only one who has access to the encrypted info, putting her own life in jeopardy.

Zhou doesn't hesitate to fly to China to help Iris find Lingyi, even though he's been estranged from his friends for months. But when Iris tells him he can't tell Daiyu or trust her, he balks. The reunited group play a treacherous cat-and-mouse game in the labyrinthine streets of Shanghai, determined on taking back what Jin had stolen.

When Daiyu appears in Shanghai, Zhou is uncertain if it's to confront him or in support of her father. Jin has proudly announced Daiyu will be by his side for the opening ceremony of Jin Tower, his first "vertical city." And as hard as Zhou and his friends fight, Jin always gains the upper hand. Is this a game they can survive, much less win?

Previous page
  1. Listening Length
    8 hours and 8 minutes
  2. Author
    Cindy Pon
  3. Narrator
    Kim Mai Guest, see all
  4. Audible release date
    March 12, 2019
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Listening Library
  7. ASIN
    B07PFQSMX2
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
Next page

Read & Listen

Switch between reading the Kindle book & listening to the Audible audiobook with Whispersync for Voice.
Get the Audible audiobook for the reduced price of $7.50 after you buy the Kindle book.

Product details

Listening Length 8 hours and 8 minutes
Author Cindy Pon
Narrator Kim Mai Guest, Roger Yeh
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date March 12, 2019
Publisher Listening Library
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B07PFQSMX2
Best Sellers Rank #263,537 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#525 in Multicultural Fiction for Teens
#760 in Thrillers & Suspense for Teens
#1,101 in Science Fiction for Teens

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
65 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Student Request
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2020
Verified Purchase
One of my 8th grade ELA students loved the first one and requested the next in the series. Hopefully, I'll get time to read these too!
Helpful
 Report
Utopia State of Mind
5.0 out of 5 stars sheer perfection
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2019
(I received this free book from Edelweiss. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

I fell immediately in love with Ruse for the exact same reasons I loved Want, and more. There was the same razor sharp look at climate change. Like with Want, Ruse goes beyond what what I associate with a dystopia, bringing a clarity to the injustice, a life to the culture, and a very keen look at resistance. It can feel like the world is against us. Like the rules, the system, and the power conspires to create a world where we cannot win. Where what ever we try, the house always wins. And Ruse picks up thee by stressing the necessity of action, of solidarity, friendship, and people's ability to surprise us.
Helpful
 Report
Book Series Recaps and Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars An action-packed plot told in crisp, effective prose
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2019
No spoilers in this rapid review of Ruse. I liked it and give it 3.5 stars. It’s easy to tell this isn’t Pon’s first series because of how efficient a storyteller she is. Her prose is crisp and effective, and the entire plot of Ruse is action-packed. Seriously, there’s never a dull moment.

At the end of Want, the first book in this series, I wondered whether there was much story left to tell. It could’ve been a standalone with how well the protagonists accomplished their goal and how completely the story wrapped up. But I was ready to check back in with Jason Zhou and crew because I enjoyed my time with them so much the first time around.

But then Jason wasn’t in the first part of the book. Pon introduced us to a new character, a friend of Lingyi’s, to set up the plot of this sequel. This girl invented a piece of tech, an air-scrubber of sorts, which Mr. Jin desperately wants. (Yes, he’s the bad guy once again.) When Jin gets his hands on this tech, Lingyi reassembles the team to try to get it back.

Because of this exciting opening sequence, I was intrigued from the start. Yet I was happy when we finally caught up with Jason and Daiyu. Jason hasn’t seen his old friends since Victor’s death, but when Lingyi summons him, he immediately accepts her invitation. Once they’re reunited, it’s like they’ve never been apart. Jason’s the only one who fully trusts Daiyu, though, so they ask him to work behind her back. At first he balks at the idea, but eventually he’s willing to do so.

Is Jason right about Daiyu’s loyalties, or is Lingyi? It’s a question I asked myself often as I read. I love the pair together, so I had my fingers crossed that Jason’s faith in his girlfriend was well-placed.

Ruse is a fairly short novel, so there’s absolutely no filler. Every page has a purpose and directs the reader toward the action. Even though the writing is pointed, Pon takes the time to tell us what each character is wearing and eating in a way that I could always see clearly. Clothes and food are two of my favorite things to read about, so I’m glad Pon indulges her readers in this way.

I definitely recommend this book and this series, especially if you’re a fan of science fiction. The sci-fi aspect revolves around solutions to a highly polluted environment and definitely gave me pause in both Want and Ruse. And something about Pon’s prose and storytelling jumps off of the page for me. I enjoyed the two books in this series so much that I definitely want to read more of her work.

Search for 'Book Series Recaps' to read all of our reviews as well as our full book recaps!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Keriann
5.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying conclusion
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2019
A satisfying conclusion. The first book was better but I still really enjoyed this read. It seems very possible that this world could be our future - a scary thought!
Helpful
 Report
Ruthsic
4.0 out of 5 stars awesome sequel
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2020
Ruse picks up a few months later after the events of Want - and extends the commentary that was raised in the first book, about privilege and capitalism. Zhou is living with Daiyu among the meis, and is sort of estranged from his friends. They all have been deeply affected by their friend's death, and have become wary of fighting power. A friend of Lingyi's asks her help in protecting her invention, leading first her and the rest of them to Shanghai, where they must, once again, fight Jin industries who have stolen the invention, which is a low-cost filter that would ease the air pollution.

The tension between Zhou and his friends stems from his association with Daiyu. While they appreciated her help in the previous book, they don't entirely trust that she has broken off from her father. And while she has been working to raise money for environmental causes, Daiyu is still very much entangled with Jin industries, and her father tries to use her image to save his company. The plot is high-stakes, much like the previous book, but there is also a heightened sense of danger and grief that drives their actions in this book. As a sequel and a finale in the duology, it wraps up the story arc quite well.
Helpful
 Report
Rufus Strangeways
2.0 out of 5 stars Item spoiled by a publishing mistake.
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2020
Verified Purchase
After finishing *Want,* I was excited to read the follow-up. But when it arrived, the dustjacket had been folded really badly and didn't line up with the book. A small thing for some, perhaps, but it looks rubbish on the shelf. Anyway, I sent it back for a replacement, and the replacement was the same. So I wrote to the publisher, Simon Pulse, to find out if this was just one batch. They didn't reply. I wrote again. They didn't reply.

I'm not just paying for a story. I'm paying for a book. I expect it to come reasonably unblemished by publishing mishaps. Alas, I will put this one on the backburner (I have plenty of other things to read) until I perhaps find one that's as it should be, in a brick-and-mortar store where I can see it first.

I'll revise this review should that happen.
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

N. Brooke
5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than the first book!
Reviewed in Australia on September 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
I loved the first book in this duology and this one is even better! The imagery is incredible, plus the relationships and character arcs kept me interested throughout the book. A great balance of elements between action, dialogue, inner thoughts, and emotion.
Report