Blog Tour: Colonization Review

Colonization (Paradise Reclaimed #1) by Aubrie Dionne
★★★★☆
Release Date: 2012
Publisher: Inkspell Publishing
Age: YA
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian, Space, Futuristic
Format: ebook
Source: Inkspell Publishing
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Inkspell

Finding a new home has never been so dangerous.
Andromeda has spent all seventeen years of her life aboard a deep space transport vessel destined for a paradise planet. Her safe cocoon is about to break open as Paradise 21 looms only one month away, and she must take the aptitude tests to determine her role on the new world and her computer

assigned lifemate. As a great-granddaughter of the Commander of the ship, she wants to live up to her family name. But, her forbidden love for her childhood friend, Sirius, distracts her and she fails the tests. The results place her in a menial role in the new colony and pair her with Corvus, “the oaf”.
But when Andromeda steps foot on Paradise 21, her predestined future is the least of her worries. Alien ghosts from a failed colonization warn her of a deadly threat to her colony. And when Sirius's ship crashes on the far ridge in an attempt to investigate, she journeys to rescue him with Corvus.

Andromeda now must convince the authorities of the imminent danger to protect her new home. What she didn't expect was a battle of her own feelings for Sirius and Corvus.

Can she save the colony and discover her true love?

Colonization's cover was what completely drew me in to wanting to read this book, I did a cover reveal  for Inkspell back at the end of July (found here) and when I saw that there would be a blog tour for the book I was ecstatic!

Aubrie takes the best of both worlds when she creates a space book that scifi geeks like me will love, and crosses it with an adventure/finding oneself story that everyone in between will love (and I'm not even mentioning the love story that we all enjoy!). Set in deep space aboard a vessel heading for a new planet the story features a young set of characters growing up and taking control over their lives.

The romance in the story is very much a Hunger Games love triangle. You know exactly what I'm talking about. There's the best friend who you know would be more than that if it were possible and then there's this new flame that you feel guilty about rooting for then he happens to take over your heart. Yeah. It was pretty great. I have to say I'm still kind of team A but I'm learning to love team B (for both this book and THG). Aubrie creates just enough frustration and just enough long glances to satisfy but not over do it. Really enjoyed this aspect of the book and was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

Our main character is Annie and she is pretty freaking cool. She begins as this against it all girl who in the beginning doesn't try real hard but ends up growing into the heroine of our story. Which is filled with some suspense and danger but she takes the risks and thinks of others before herself.

When the book started I immediately thought back to Across the Universe by Beth Revis. They talk about the generations aboard the ship, their jobs, the living quarters. It is all so cool, and I would absolutely love to get to be part of something like that, remember my previous comment; PURE SCIFI GEEK HERE FOLKS.

It's a great story and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series!

Giveaway

Inkspell has a fabulous giveaway for Colonization, find it here!

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Nowhereville by Sean Campbell Review

Nowhereville by Sean Campbell

★★★★☆

Release Date: June 2011

Age: Young Adult

Genre: Science Fiction, Action, Adventure

Format: E-Book
Source: Author

Buy it: Paperback or Kindle

After his mother's death, sixteen year old Seth Bradley chooses to leave behind his friends, his school, and his entire life within the rusted, broken down space station Ticonderoga. With his sister Jenna in tow, he sets out to join a father he barely knows in the orbital city of Grass Valley, a monument to human achievement floating three hundred miles above the Earth. He's never seen the open sky before. Never seen a robot either, until he meets Anne, a strange, quiet shopgirl that no one ever seems too bothered to notice. Ava Morales is a girl with a mysterious and violent past. The soldiers of the Democratic Republic of Mars sing praises to her name, but to her family she is a terrible secret. She is considered a terrorist by the Allied Nations of Earth, but to others still, she's nothing more than a troubled teenager, on her way to becoming a permanent resident of the Grass Valley prison system. When Grass Valley is caught in the crossfire of an all-out war between Earth and Mars, Seth, Jenna and Anne must work together to survive as they find themselves trapped in a world that is literally crumbling around them. Meanwhile Ava unexpectedly finds herself alone and finally free in a chaotic, hostile city torn apart by conspiracy and fear. A city where, maybe, she has a chance to finally live in peace. A city in ruins, lost to the blackness of space. A city with secrets all its own.

For some reason this review has been extremely difficult to write. Obviously I really liked the book, what with four stars and all, but it's hard to explain why but, here goes.

Right from the beginning of Nowhereville there's so much going on. We have Seth and Jenna who have just faced tragedy and are going to live with a father they barely know. We have Ava who is in trouble or is trouble. All of this happens on a space station that may become the center of a Mars and Earth war that is building in the background. But, even with everything that's going on it's easy to get absorbed in the descriptions that the author administers. The setting of the book is what makes it simply remarkable. I loved the way Sean Campbell constructed this world that when I think about the book feels like it's a memory and I was there. I wanted to be there, even with everything going on.

It really makes one of my favorite quotes come to mind:

Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes us away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere. - Jean Rhys

Mr. Campbell wrote a book set in space that, fortunately, we mere earthlings can understand. Unlike some science fiction books that I've read it's very easy to follow. It's futuristic, fun, and rather addicting. It was hard for me to put the book (or my kindle) down because I felt like I needed to read just a little more.

Nowhereville was an extremely fast paced read that I read in just a couple sittings. While I wish there was more to book one, I am eagerly anticipating book two because we are definitely left hanging. It's one of those, "Really?" endings. But, definitely in a good way too, because that means you're enjoying the book, right?

Another cool aspect to the story, which I haven't come across in many books (maybe I'm reading the wrong books), was the inclusion of robots. How fun is that. These are robots that are very much like humans in both their looks, mannerisms, and sometimes even emotions. On this adventure ride the reader meets Annie, I mean Anne. She's a sweet robot willing to do anything to help and she does.

Our other characters are just as well 'built' and developed. Seth and Jenna are a lot like any brother sister combo. They quarrel a lot but it's fun to read. And, when it counts, they are there for each other. Together with Anne they face a farm with no gravity, martian military, and so much more. I found them to be adorable, I can completely picture both. Ava is still a mystery to me. Probably the main reason I would give this book 4 stars. I know we'll find out more in the books to come but I'd like to know more about her now.

Nowhereville is an excellent Science Fiction adventure story about survival and so much more. Thank you to the wonderful author for the opportunity to read and review this book. I know I've said it before but I can't wait until book two!

I recommend it to fans of:

 

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