4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Seventeen year old Grey Alexander and her younger sister Rin have been on their own for five years. They live on the border between the Alamo Republic and the North American wildlife preserve, scavenging for items they can trade for food with young smuggler Jet. They don’t have much, but at least they are free of the Maazdar, who force all their citizens to wear subdermal identity chips. Avoiding the Maazdar (and their prisons on Mars) and finding food is a full time job. They don’t have time to even think about finding their parents- that is, until Grey accidentally kills a Maazdar officer and her kindly neighbor Mrs. March tells her that Jupiter is habitable and might be a place of refuge. Grey’s parents are Christians, but she struggles with whether she wants to be one.
…mrs march tells her that jupiter is habitable and might be a place of refuge.
As the book progresses, there are lots of interesting developments. There are hints that Grey’s parents might still be alive. I particularly liked the character of Jet- part of the mystery is figuring out who he is and where his loyalties lie. This wasn’t the only twist- there were several times that I thought I had a character pegged, only to see them do the unexpected. I also appreciated how much backstory each character had. The book is well written, with obvious attention to detail, and its absence of romance makes it a great choice for young teens and even preteens.
..there were several times that I thought I had a character pegged, only to see them do the unexpected.
I really enjoyed this book’s plot and character development, but I thought that the main villain was too evil. Microchipping, book burning, world domination, etc. Even though the author did attempt to humanize her, I think more was needed. I also had trouble believing that Jupiter was habitable.
I think the plot and character development, the inventive world and the attention to detail more than made up for the problems I noted. I enjoyed reading it, and I plan to give it as a gift this Christmas. Do you need a gift for a young teen that her parents are sure not to object to? This is the book for you!
Content Ratings:
Heat: None. There is no romance at all.
Profanity: None. The author uses creative ways to avoid profanity.
Violence: Minimal. The fast paced plot includes violence only when necessary. When the author does use it, she leaves out gory details.
Genre: Christian Science Fiction YA (dystopian)
Age recommendation: 13 and up
Available on Amazon
Series info: This book is the first part of a trilogy. You will need to purchase the entire trilogy to find out what the end result is. The book has a satisfying conclusion and does not contain a cliffhanger.
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