Release Date: November 23rd 2014
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Here's the Summary:
Helia’s Shadow is for fans of The 5th Wave (Rick Yancey), The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins), Divergent (Veronica Roth), and Legend (Marie Lu).
When the aliens arrived, they were hailed as the saviors of a dying Earth and dwindling human race. But the aliens didn’t come to help. Now, one human girl’s ingenious invention and one alien boy’s awakened heart are humanity’s last hope…
Nineteen years ago, aliens arrived on a barely habitable Earth with advanced technology and the promise of ensuring human survival in exchange for a place to settle. They were hailed as the saviors of humans and Earth.
Today, 16-year-old Helia wants two things in life: to step out of her over-protective mother’s shadow and become an engineer, and to stop hiding her relationship with alien boy Kalo. But the world definitely isn’t ready for a human-alien romance. And worse, the human-alien partnership is crumbling. Humans are arrested without explanation. Some of them are never seen again.
When the alien leader imprisons her mother on a false charge, Helia discovers the aliens never intended to help humans at all. Now, she must join forces with alien rebels. If she succeeds, humans have a chance at survival and she has a chance at love. If she fails, the dwindling human race dies out in slavery.
My Review:
This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
The Good:
The writing. Ms. Neal's prose is easily digested and flows seamlessly. There's no awkward or stilted phrasing or dialogue, and that's important to me. If I find myself stumbling over the words or struggling to read, I last all of ten minutes before I decide not to waste anymore of my time. The story itself could be exceptional, but the writing has to be... well, readable. That's another great thing about this book: the story/ premise. I love any story that has to do with others living among us, except this time, instead of it being a secret or needing to remain hidden, the aliens live openly and intermingled with society.
Helia, the POV character. She's smart, loyal and loving, but she's also strong. SO not the damsel in distress type, which gets major bonus points with me. I also appreciate the relationship with her mother. There's a strong bond there, but it's also realistic. The mom wants what's best (on the verge of overbearing), but Helia has desires and plans of her own.
The aliens. I LOVE me some humanoid aliens - like us, but a tad different. I also loved Kalo and Helia's relationship - sweet but complicated because she has to hide it. Great way to keep me interested! Forbidden romance!!!
The plot line. I don't want to give away too much because there are so many twists and turns and I want the reader to experience them without any kind of hint as to what might happen. Let's just say the first half of the book is very character-driven and sets everything up nicley, then you're thrown into a whirlwind and are devouring pages to find out what happens next. Well done, Ms. Neal!!! I'll definitely be buying Book Two.
Be forewarned, however, that the novel ends in a cliffhanger!!!
The Bad:
Nothing to say in this category.
The Ugly:
Nothing to say in this category.
In conclusion, this well-thought-out Young Adult Science-Fiction novel (with a touch of Dystopian) will draw you in, endear you, rattle you, and have you clambering for the next book right away.
I love colored pens and sticky notes, sunsets and sunrises, digging my fingers into the dirt and nurturing the things that grow in it, and learning anything and everything. I’m a scientist who studies astrology, a go-with-the-flow Type A, and an impatient practitioner of daily meditation. A big bag of contradictions, just like everyone else.
Sounds like a really cool alien sci-fi (and I'm a sucker for dystopia lol )
ReplyDeleteThen you'll love this book!! :)
ReplyDeleteWow, this is really interesting reading. I am glad I found this and got to read it. Great job on this content. I like it. get more info
ReplyDelete