An ordinary teenage girl and a runaway princess from another universe have only one thing in common: They are identical, analogs of one another.
When a special forces soldier kidnaps Sasha from her senior prom on planet earth and drags her across time and space to Aurora where she will replace his missing princess, her only choice is to cooperate. Only Thomas, the solder who kidnapped her, has the power to return her to home and family on earth.
As Sasha desperately tries to impersonate the princess, she uncovers a truth Thomas can’t stomach. A truth that changes everything.
Worse still, Sasha begins to empathize with Thomas and value his sense of honor and his devotion to her. If she were forced to remain in Aurora, impersonating the princess forever, would it be so truly terrible?
The first book in the Many Worlds series introduces readers to a world divided into many parallel universes. Many contain analogs, or alternate versions of a person. It’s a fascinating premise and the idea is carried consistently throughout the story. At times, Sasha’s emotions and reactions are relayed with less consistence. For instance, in a scene in which she is nearly choking to death, she pauses in her panic to analyze a conversation she’s overhearing which indicates Thomas has lied to her. The romantic thread between Thomas and Sasha follows a wobbly course, not nearly so well-crafted as the layers of politics and intrigue Jarzab weaves between the rival nations of Aurora and Farnham. The plot resolves neatly and yet leaves plenty of room for anticipation of a second novel to come. Tether, book two in the Many Worlds trilogy is expected to release in the spring of 2015.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Moderate frequency of moderate profanity.
Sexual Content A few moments of intense kissing.
Spiritual Content None.
Violence Sasha is kidnapped and dragged to another universe and later imprisoned. Thomas injures his hand when he punches through a security door lock.
Drug Content
Sasha receives an antidote to an allergic reaction. A Farnum boy is poisoned.
Seventeen year-old Amy and her parents join a team of scientists and military personnel who will endure 300 years of cryogenically induced sleep as they travel across space to form a colony on a new planet. Fifty years before the ship’s scheduled arrival at Centauri-Earth, Amy awakens, trapped and suffocating in her cryo-chamber. She cannot wake her parents without risking sabotage to their mission, so she is left to find a place within the strange society of passengers who make their lives aboard the ship Godspeed.
An unpredictable, manipulative man called Eldest rules the populace, and he immediately threatens to cast Amy off the ship to her death if she disturbs the other passengers in any way. Eldest’s protégé, Elder, finds himself drawn to Amy’s exotic beauty and inner fire. Her stories of life on earth and her insistence that something aboard the Godspeed is very wrong send Elder spinning into doubt and confusion. What if Eldest is wrong? What if the way he governs the people is wrong? When another cryo-chamber is disturbed and the person within dies, the crew aboard the Godspeed must face the possibility that someone is deliberately sabotaging their mission. To stop the killer, they must uncover the truth about Godspeed, its mission, and its leaders.
Amy finds herself trapped in a ship filled with people for whom earth remains only stories and legends. Over hundreds of years, the people of the Godspeed have evolved into a society regulated by artificial hormones and genetic engineering. Does this manipulation reduce the elusive qualities that separate man from animal? Revis expertly explores the morality of such a world in her cleverly constructed sci-fi arena. I loved the exploration of this idea, and thought the story did a great job of showing some ideas about it without ever getting preachy.
The serial murderer on the loose on board a space ship within a pretty constricting dystopian-like society plus a budding romance makes this an intense read and kind of a genre-bending story, which I loved as well. This is a book that has a lot to offer a lot of different readers.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
No straight up profanity. Instead, characters use faux/made up swear words, like “frexing” and “shite.”
Sexual Content Passengers aboard the Godspeed are hormonally manipulated into having a mating season, just as animals do. During this “season,” the passengers engage in sex out in the open. Descriptions are brief and spark conversations about the importance of love in relationships and the difference between humans and animals. Several men surround Amy, intending to rape her. The men pin her down and partially expose her, but a friend rescues her before the men fully assault her. The scene is intense.
Spiritual Content None.
Violence One resident aboard the ship removes passengers from cryo-sleep one by one, allowing them to thaw and die by drowning in the cryo-fluid. Amy wakes in her cryo-chamber. Someone rescues her, though the experience traumatizes her.
Drug Content
Hormones and medical supplements/drugs control the ship’s populace. Eldest, the group leader, is drinks liquor in a couple of instances.
After rescuing many of the women from their village and hiding them within the Safe Lands, Levi, Mason and Omar formulate a plan to rescue the children and return them to their families. As the plan begins to take shape, the boys learn that one of their allies may have an agenda all his own.
Mason still pursues research to develop a cure to the deadly disease plaguing residents of the Safe Lands. His relationship with his beautiful supervisor deepens, and Mason longs to ask her for help. But Ciddah keeps her own secrets, some of which may directly threaten Mason and his people.
Omar longs to make up for the betrayal which left many of his people dead and its survivors as captives in the Safe Lands. He’s got a plan, and it’s big enough to unravel the entire leadership of the Safe Lands and bring freedom to everyone. Or it might just get his family executed.
Outcasts brings all the excitement and intensity introduced by the first in this series. While the characters in the first book were intriguing, they emerge in a sharper, even more engaging way in this novel. Mason’s geeky struggles to pursue romance and Omar’s desperation for approval and retribution are fun and endearing. The web of political intrigue spins far and fast, pulling the reader deeper into the story page by page. The unexpected ending will leave readers panting for the next installment. This is a great series for boys or girls, and one that explores deep issues of addiction and forgiveness.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None
Sexual Content Omar realizes that when he feels bad, he seeks sexual encounters as a means to thwart loneliness and guilt. The encounters are implied, not explicitly shown. Mason wrestles with his feelings of affection for his supervisor. She invites him to sleep with her, but he refuses.
Spiritual Content Shaylinn wants to participate in opposing the Safe Lands rule, but as a pregnant fugitive, her options for how to do so are limited. She begins sending encouraging notes to people. The notes contain uplifting Bible verses and exhortations to stand fast and have faith. She prays over each note as she writes it.
Violence More than one character is shot during a risky rescue attempt. Others are beaten by Safe Lands Enforcers. Violence is brief and descriptions are not graphic.
Drug Content
Omar depends on regular drug use to manage his emotions. He realizes this is a problem and wants to change, but feels powerless to break the habit.
Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Three brothers and a young girl fight for survival within the towering walls of the Safe Lands. Despite its name, the city is ravaged with disease and infested with corruption. Each brother follows a mission: to find a cure for the sick; to free the captives; to take down the Safe Lands in a rebellion.
The second in her Safe Lands series, Outcasts is quickly earning a reputation as an intense story set in a captivating world. As a fan of Williamson’s fantasy series, Blood of Kings, I’ve been eager to get lost in another story by this worthy author.
The Captive Maiden by Melanie Dickerson
Release date: 11/9/13
Lonely Gisela spends her days serving her stepmother and grasping at memories of a happier childhood. When a handsome Duke throw a grand ball, Gisela is determined to attend and to have one last glimpse of the beauty of her past.
Dickerson won my heart as a reader with her debut novel The Healer’s Apprentice, a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. The beautiful simplicity of the story and the lovely characters she creates are difficult to resist. I am eager to get my eyes on her latest happily ever after story, inspired by the familiar tale of Cinderella in The Captive Maiden.
Cress (The Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer
Expected release date: 2/4/14
The third novel in the Lunar Chronicles series, Cress follows the story of a girl briefly mentioned in the series’ acclaimed story, Cinder. The story features unforgettable cast members, including Cinder, Captain Thorne, Scarlet, Wolf and the dreadful Queen Levana.
With Meyer’s gift for a perfect meld of sci-fi and fairy tales retold, this series is one not to miss. Cinder was a fabulous story and very clean content-wise. I’m very hopeful to find Cress to be another gem.
Shadow Hand by Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Expected release date: 2/25/14
The day of Lady Daylily’s wedding draws near. Unlike the princesses of fairy tales, she will wed not her true love, but his awkward and foolish cousin. Daylily has always been the dutiful daughter. This time, however, she rebels, disappearing into the legendary Wilderlands and the land of Faerie. Though not her true love, her betrothed pursues her into peril, determined to rescue her.
If you’ve followed my blog long, you’ll be familiar with this name. Stengl continually amazes me with her brilliant characters and sharp dialogue. She possesses an elusive ability to seamlessly draw symbolism into her stories without distracting from the tales. Shadow Hand revisits a fascinating character from an earlier novel in the Tales of Goldstone Wood called Veiled Rose. I can hardly wait until this one hits the shelves.
Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
Release date: 2/1/11
A young Japanese boy dreams of one day being a Samurai warrior It seems impossible, since he is the son of a fisherman. When he is stranded and then rescued by sailors on an American vessel, Manjiro begins a grand journey that will take him across the globe.
I stumbled upon this inspired-by-history novel on a rack of books for sale at the public library last summer and was immediately intrigued. My mother recently added it to her library, and has raved about the craftsmanship of the story and the power in its telling. I may have to snag this one as soon as she finishes the last page.
Stay Where You Are and Then Leave by John Boyne
Release date: 3/25/14
From the author who penned The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, an unforgettable tale of two boys who become unlikely friends during World War II comes an intriguing story about the son of a World War I soldier. His father promises not to go away, but then he leaves on a secret mission. Four years later, the boy discovers that his father is being treated in a local hospital. He vows to find his father and bring him home. I’m hopeful to find this novel every bit as engrossing and moving as Boyne’s WW II story.
Interrupted by Rachel Coker
Release date: 3/27/12
In the midst of the Great Depression, Allie’s whole life implodes. Her mother succumbs to illness and Allie is sent to a new family far away. Still lost in her grief, Allie isolates herself from the new family faces around her. The last person she hopes to see is the one she blames for her mother’s death, but her former best friend isn’t going to let Allie off so easily. Interrupted landed on my reading list when it was nominated as a finalist for the 2013 Christy Award.
The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes
Release date: 9/17/13
Henkes captured my household with his delightful children’s stories about two charming mice in Chrysanthemum and Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse. The quirky characters and layers of humor meant for adult and child alike made these oft-repeated bed-time tales. I was thrilled to see this book announced and can’t wait to see what glories he brings to middle grade fiction.
The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson
Expected release date: 3/25/14
Piper scrapes out a meager existence by finding and selling scraps on Meteor Fields. When she finds a strange girl amidst the flotsam, she immediately recognizes the mark that changes everything. The girl’s arm bears the Mark of the Dragonfly, an emblem which means her return home will mean a payday to trump paydays for Piper, if she can just get there. Thus begins a grand adventure.
Something about the description of this book reminds me of the magical world created by Marissa Meyer in the Lunar Chronicles. Without having read the book, it’s difficult to say whether this is an accurate hunch. But two girls on a dangerous journey, one returning to the past and the other grasping at the only hope for her future… what’s not to like? I’m intrigued.
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Release date: 5/20/09
This book may well turn out to be one of those good ones that somehow slipped past unnoticed. I’ve heard some buzz about it lately, and since it was first recommended to me by a friend, I’m more curious than ever to get into this story set in a world in which parents of a child who reaches the age of thirteen have the ability to choose whether to keep the child or to have them “unwound,” and essentially destroyed.
A crow with a taste for blood, a computer playing a deadly game, a terrifying Mothman, and a killer refrigerator, among many other bizarre and frightening villains feature in these dark, suspenseful short stories. An unlikely team of heroes includes a zombie and son of a witch. On a devastated planet, a young princess fights for her life, seeking hope for her people. A man whose bodily functions elicit a broad range of powerful emotions begs for death before his anger-inciting burps cause the world to destroy itself. A struggling “ghost-relocation expert” makes a deal with a murder victim only to discover he’s made a deal with something else entirely.
Some of the stories are simple suspenseful fun, while others flirt with a deeper darkness, exploring the minds of murderers and sexual predators. A few feature characters from full-length novels, no doubt hoping to pique the reader’s interest. Most compelling in this vein is the story of the Beggar Princess and her desperate resistance against powerful enemies who would destroy her people and home by titled “The Last Carnivale” by Vicki Keire. “Trevor,” the story of a bored spaceship computer who wreaks havoc on its crew was another highly enjoyable tale, though a little dark.
It should also be noted that 10% of the proceeds from this collection and its sister collection titled After Dark, will be donated to selected No-Kill shelters across the USA.
Language Content
Severe; moderate frequency.
Sexual Content In one story a man briefly confesses to abuse committed on him by his mother. He makes love to a woman he has just met. The scene is brief and includes some sensual descriptions. A woman discusses falling in love with and sharing an intimate relationship with another young woman. In another story, a terminally ill prostitute recounts his life, beginning with abuse at the hands of a church leader. Details are brief. Other stories reference sex or characters off-scene who are having sex, but do not describe the events in detail.
Spiritual Content In one story a group of unlikely heroes must recover a stolen religious symbol which contains power of both Heaven and Hell before forces of either side can get their hands on it. A demon and angel emerge as characters but without the context of much Christian doctrine, and neither side is seen as good. Another story features characters who sense ghosts and ghostly presences. In still another story the protagonist finds himself surrounded by friends and acquaintances who’ve departed before him. He wonders, as the crowd contains those who’ve helped and who’ve hurt him, whether he is in Heaven or Hell.
Violence Several stories feature fierce attacks against protagonists, though most are brief with regard to details and only some are deadly. One story features a computer as its mass killer. Two stories reveal the identities of serial killers and describes the death of the latest victims. In one story, the victims are mutilated (details are brief, and bodies are discovered by police, so there is no little description of what happened to the victims at the hands of the killer.) Two stories feature characters who commit suicide.
Drug Content
At least one story delves into cocaine addiction, and a character overdoses on illegal drugs in a suicide attempt.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Ryen and his friends receive the greatest honor when they are sent from their home planet to earth as a team of researchers to find evidence of Jesus’ existence. Could he be The Light, whose coming was prophesied so long ago? As Ryen and his team scour the earth for clues, a young woman catches his eye. Try as he might, Ryan can’t stop thinking about her. As his mission comes to a close, he knows that if he becomes involved with her, he’ll only have to leave her behind. He should protect her by ignoring her, but can he ignore the powerful longing he feels for her?
When Ryen’s teammate invites the girl to join them on the last leg of their earthly journey, he promises himself the only reason he allows her to accompany them is to protect her and send her home. But the more time he spends with Savannah, the more thinly his resolve is stretched, and the girl claims she has no home to which she can return, only terrible memories. Difficulties at his own home force Ryen to focus. His tribe leader threatens to invade earth and rumors of kidnapping, murder and a deadly new weapon send Ryen and his team spinning. It’s more important than ever to find the evidence they’ve been sent to collect. Ryen will have to work fast if he is to protect Savannah and his family and stop the terrible plot that could destroy them all.
In a fresh, fun story, Bryant explores history and archaeology from a whole different perspective. The story unfolds, bringing with it a vibrant cast of characters and a plot that is as fascinating as its premise. Ryen can be a little bit brooding and repetitive (he revisits the idea that he should not become involved with Savannah but wants to several times without deepening or adding to his observations,) but Savannah’s quick wit and endearing nature make it tough for readers not to engage in the story. History or archaeology fans will probably find this story more interesting than sci-fi fans, as much of it takes place on earth, and the aliens themselves are genetically identical to humans. The political intrigue and high action sequences make this a fun read for all.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Sexual Content Romance between Ryan and Savannah intensifies, but no details are given as to whether they engage in sex, though they do spend the night together.
Spiritual Content Ryen’s people received prophesies that The Light, a savior to all creation would come – to another planet. Since the prophecy was received, the people have devoted themselves to developing the technology to explore space looking for the planet where the Savior was born. They journey to earth looking for evidence to prove that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecy.
Violence On Ryen’s home planet, a small group of tribe members stage a revolution using a terrible weapon. The group bribes and threatens leadership members. On earth, Ryen attacks a man who pursues a young woman. There are a few graphic details.
Drug Content
Ryen ends a relationship with a girl because he discovers her addiction to drugs. She has since passed on her addiction to other members of her tribe. This only leads to destruction.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
