What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?
Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. On board their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...
Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.
But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside. (Goodreads)
This had the element of a fascinating sci fi plot. The mysterious journey even got a bit gripping. Though I didn't like the development of the main protagonists much, I thought the supporting characters were very captivating. Yet, overall this book wasn't for me. I wasn't crazy about the love triangle in this one. I wasn't crazy about the abduction sequence (drugging, violation) even when there was an explanation to its necessity. Yes, I understand that there's usually darkness before the light but this one didn't work for me. I think Ms Ryan dug too deep into the dark that the light didn't glow as brightly as I'd hope. Plus, I especially didn't care for the religious undertone of the book. It felt too preachy... haha, I should talk. I probably do this often! Anyway, these words are coming from someone that isn't into sci fi so I'm no expert.
As an aside, I read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card after this book (also a sci fi) and found that to be incredible (review to come)! So I'm not a sci fi loather. :)
I felt similarly about this book. It was okay but just didn't grab me as much as similar books like Across the Universe. I always said that I'm not a big fan of sci-fi until recently when my new addition seems to be dystopian fiction which is labeled as sci-fi. Maybe I just don't like planets and aliens. lol Great review!
ReplyDelete