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Heaven's Edge #1
Qeya
Qeya has spent her life set to drift on heaven's edge. Being Royal means more than being groomed to rule her home planet. She can't do much about her red hair, but she knows how to wield a scythe blade and suck the life out of her enemy, literally.
Destined to be the Orona, the Voice of her people, she does her best to train the children and overcome her secret fears. The fact that her whole life has already been planned out for her, including the person she will marry, has never occurred to bother her.
Until her ship is attacked and nearly everyone on board is murdered. If she hadn't run into the filthy miner who saved her life, Second Deck might never have jettisoned into the atmosphere of the hostile world her people were exploring.
Now, the Royal children have become the backwater scions of the universe, and the miner who saved her is the only thing standing between them and the hungry beasts hunting them.
Forced to lead before she is ready, Qeya must find a way to put aside ancient prejudices so they can all survive. Old enemies must form new alliances if they are to last the night. For no one knows the secrets of the new world and only a few can survive the living nightmares at heavens edge.
Destined to be the Orona, the Voice of her people, she does her best to train the children and overcome her secret fears. The fact that her whole life has already been planned out for her, including the person she will marry, has never occurred to bother her.
Until her ship is attacked and nearly everyone on board is murdered. If she hadn't run into the filthy miner who saved her life, Second Deck might never have jettisoned into the atmosphere of the hostile world her people were exploring.
Now, the Royal children have become the backwater scions of the universe, and the miner who saved her is the only thing standing between them and the hungry beasts hunting them.
Forced to lead before she is ready, Qeya must find a way to put aside ancient prejudices so they can all survive. Old enemies must form new alliances if they are to last the night. For no one knows the secrets of the new world and only a few can survive the living nightmares at heavens edge.
- GenresScience FictionFantasy
95 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 26, 2012
15 people are currently reading
206 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Silverwood
27 books596 followersJennifer Silverwood lives in the middle of an enchanted forest surrounded by cursed books, nosy spirits, and mischievous goblins she calls her children. After beginning several nonsensical degrees, she found her calling helping other authors bring their books to life. Jennifer is the author of two fairy tale fantasy series: the Borderlands Saga and Wylder Tales. Because she wasn't satisfied writing in one genre, she also invites you to explore uncharted space with the Heaven’s Edge Novellas—and dare to fall in love again with the standalone romance titles Stay and She Walks in Moonlight.
Discover more at - http://jennifersilverwood.com
Discover more at - http://jennifersilverwood.com
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 25, 2012
Now, I was really clueless when I went into Qeya, I wasn’t sure what to expect. And let me just state, Qeya was really unexpected. At first, I thought it was going to be a more steampunk kind of read, however, turns out it only had a slight steampunk feel, to me anyways. It was a Sci-Fi book, and I didn’t imagine it would be what it was… if that makes any sense!!
To be honest, I have never read a book like Qeya before. The whole time while reading it, I kept mumbling to myself ‘I really like this’ over and over again. And of course, if you do that, you know it’s a going to be an enjoyable book. Well, Qeya was a really nice, short, and sweet read.
Qeya, a ‘hunan’, is on the run with her family and members of her race, from the ones that took over her home planet. They are searching through space, drifting until they are ready to return home and claim what is rightfully theirs. Drifting along the edge of Heaven, Qeya does her duty, teach and prepare those younger than her, and she takes her duties seriously. Then one day while she is up on deck One, giving her daily report to her mother, those that live in the lower decks, Miners, come and try to warn Qeya’s father that something is wrong. When Qeya locks eyes with one of the Miners, she knows that her father must listen to them, why question those who have lived in this vast emptiness longer than they had. But her father doesn’t heed the warnings.
As soon as the Miners leave, Qeya sets out to talk to them. She goes down to the lower decks, a place where no one of the royal family or any members of her people dare go. Upon her arrival, the ship is attacked, and she is saved by the young Miner named Ohre.
Then upon crash landing on an alien planet, with only a few survivors, Qeya bonds with Ohre, and together they set out to protect the remaining survivors and try not to be eaten by the strange creatures of this foreign and bizarre planet.
For Qeya to only be about 71 pages, give or take, I felt that Jennifer did move the story well. It was a bit rushed, but I had to keep in mind the length of the book. So, for only that many pages, I know Jennifer developed and paced the book brilliantly.
I also really enjoyed her way of telling this story, she gave brief but beautiful descriptions of Qeya, and her people. Not only that, but of the world that Qeya came from, to the ship, Heaven’s Edge, and the Miners. Each detail was small, but described so well, I was able to paint a picture of the world that Qeya lives in.
Qeya, a really hard name I most likely keep saying wrong, appears to be a strong character. She puts others before herself. Her people, especially the children, they mean everything to her. She is willing to do anything in her power to protect them. When they crash landed on the alien planet, protecting her people was always her top priority.
Then as the story progresses, swiftly, Qeya and Ohre develop a strong bond. They begin to really rely on each other. This is very uncommon with her people, even looked down upon, because Ohre is a Miner. But Qeya knows these differences are meaningless, and she discovers she is beginning to see Ohre in a different light.
I also was really intrigued with Ohre. He was another likable character, and I was really interested with the fact that he is a miner. I really want to understand him and his people better.
There were also a few other characters I really enjoyed. The twins especially, they kept the humor and gave the book a more ‘light’ feeling.
The story ended hastily and did leave me with questions, but it is only about 71 pages. Overall, it was a delightful read. And I feel like I am invested in this book for the long run. I definitely will read the next one, I have too now! I’m curious!
I really enjoyed the story of Qeya, and I am really glad I got a chance to read it. It is a nice, short and lovely written tell. And within the pages, I caught a glimpse of a unique and wonderful world.
To be honest, I have never read a book like Qeya before. The whole time while reading it, I kept mumbling to myself ‘I really like this’ over and over again. And of course, if you do that, you know it’s a going to be an enjoyable book. Well, Qeya was a really nice, short, and sweet read.
Qeya, a ‘hunan’, is on the run with her family and members of her race, from the ones that took over her home planet. They are searching through space, drifting until they are ready to return home and claim what is rightfully theirs. Drifting along the edge of Heaven, Qeya does her duty, teach and prepare those younger than her, and she takes her duties seriously. Then one day while she is up on deck One, giving her daily report to her mother, those that live in the lower decks, Miners, come and try to warn Qeya’s father that something is wrong. When Qeya locks eyes with one of the Miners, she knows that her father must listen to them, why question those who have lived in this vast emptiness longer than they had. But her father doesn’t heed the warnings.
As soon as the Miners leave, Qeya sets out to talk to them. She goes down to the lower decks, a place where no one of the royal family or any members of her people dare go. Upon her arrival, the ship is attacked, and she is saved by the young Miner named Ohre.
Then upon crash landing on an alien planet, with only a few survivors, Qeya bonds with Ohre, and together they set out to protect the remaining survivors and try not to be eaten by the strange creatures of this foreign and bizarre planet.
For Qeya to only be about 71 pages, give or take, I felt that Jennifer did move the story well. It was a bit rushed, but I had to keep in mind the length of the book. So, for only that many pages, I know Jennifer developed and paced the book brilliantly.
I also really enjoyed her way of telling this story, she gave brief but beautiful descriptions of Qeya, and her people. Not only that, but of the world that Qeya came from, to the ship, Heaven’s Edge, and the Miners. Each detail was small, but described so well, I was able to paint a picture of the world that Qeya lives in.
Qeya, a really hard name I most likely keep saying wrong, appears to be a strong character. She puts others before herself. Her people, especially the children, they mean everything to her. She is willing to do anything in her power to protect them. When they crash landed on the alien planet, protecting her people was always her top priority.
Then as the story progresses, swiftly, Qeya and Ohre develop a strong bond. They begin to really rely on each other. This is very uncommon with her people, even looked down upon, because Ohre is a Miner. But Qeya knows these differences are meaningless, and she discovers she is beginning to see Ohre in a different light.
I also was really intrigued with Ohre. He was another likable character, and I was really interested with the fact that he is a miner. I really want to understand him and his people better.
There were also a few other characters I really enjoyed. The twins especially, they kept the humor and gave the book a more ‘light’ feeling.
The story ended hastily and did leave me with questions, but it is only about 71 pages. Overall, it was a delightful read. And I feel like I am invested in this book for the long run. I definitely will read the next one, I have too now! I’m curious!
I really enjoyed the story of Qeya, and I am really glad I got a chance to read it. It is a nice, short and lovely written tell. And within the pages, I caught a glimpse of a unique and wonderful world.
November 1, 2012
We met Jennifer through an online book forum. She then sent us this really nice e-mail asking us to review her book. We looked it up on GoodReads and found that the premise was pretty good, and it received a lot of good reviews. Intrigued, we then asked her for a copy and she was very sweet about it and sent us the file.
The storyline may not be the most original storyline, but it could have had the potential to be one of the good ones. Honestly, we had a hard time reading it. The chapters often served as information dumps. The scenes were very confusing, and there were a lot of fragmented sentences. At the end of the book, readers are still left with questions about the world-building, and about the characters themselves.
Scenes seemed a bit rushed, and sometimes, we even questioned the validity of the characters' emotional responses. The world building was, in short, misleading. We couldn't get a feel for the setting and mood. Details were murky and vague at best.
The cast of characters were dull and unrealistic. Qeya is an uninteresting character. We couldn't think of any other description for her, aside from being a caring person. Ohre, on the other hand, appeared too good to be true. He saved the spoiled royals without any complaint. Until the end, he is never an equal in their eyes. As far as the summary goes about "old enemies forming new alliances", the Royals' view of Ohre seemed to dissipate as soon as they realized that they cannot fend for themselves without him. And even that took probably less than two hours, tops. Arvex, Qeya's brother, is quickly straddled with the role as the new King-a role he is unfit for as he is pretty much useless. Qeya and Ohre's budding relationship could only be described as a fling, what with Qeya quickly dismissing Ohre as soon as a more suitable suitor showed up.
The last scene was quite random. The both of us were actually quite surprised that all the problems got resolved that quickly. Readers will never find out who attacked the ship, as well as the motives of the said attackers.
All in all, Qeya was a very confusing read; but if Qeya were to receive an overhaul with regards to editing, and depth would be added to the storyline, we, at The Twins Read, would sure want to revisit Qeya.
The storyline may not be the most original storyline, but it could have had the potential to be one of the good ones. Honestly, we had a hard time reading it. The chapters often served as information dumps. The scenes were very confusing, and there were a lot of fragmented sentences. At the end of the book, readers are still left with questions about the world-building, and about the characters themselves.
Scenes seemed a bit rushed, and sometimes, we even questioned the validity of the characters' emotional responses. The world building was, in short, misleading. We couldn't get a feel for the setting and mood. Details were murky and vague at best.
The cast of characters were dull and unrealistic. Qeya is an uninteresting character. We couldn't think of any other description for her, aside from being a caring person. Ohre, on the other hand, appeared too good to be true. He saved the spoiled royals without any complaint. Until the end, he is never an equal in their eyes. As far as the summary goes about "old enemies forming new alliances", the Royals' view of Ohre seemed to dissipate as soon as they realized that they cannot fend for themselves without him. And even that took probably less than two hours, tops. Arvex, Qeya's brother, is quickly straddled with the role as the new King-a role he is unfit for as he is pretty much useless. Qeya and Ohre's budding relationship could only be described as a fling, what with Qeya quickly dismissing Ohre as soon as a more suitable suitor showed up.
The last scene was quite random. The both of us were actually quite surprised that all the problems got resolved that quickly. Readers will never find out who attacked the ship, as well as the motives of the said attackers.
All in all, Qeya was a very confusing read; but if Qeya were to receive an overhaul with regards to editing, and depth would be added to the storyline, we, at The Twins Read, would sure want to revisit Qeya.
October 17, 2012
"My childhood lullaby was the metallic blend of grinding gears, of hissing hydro fans and the growl of plasma engines burning."
This is the first sentence of Qeya, and it should give you an idea of just how fabulous this book is. Qeya is a space-scifi-political-epic survival drama. Those are a lot of ideas for one book, and you'd think that the author would have difficulty keeping the story dynamic and cohesive. False. Qeya sucked me in right from that amazing first sentence and didn't let up.
I loved Qeya as a character; she was smart and actually used her brain, and wasn't afraid to do what she needed to do to keep her people alive. From the very beginning, when she is one of the only people to see the danger for what it is (catastrophic) to the end, when she and the remaining survivors from her ship are stranded on a deadly planet, Qeya remained a strong female character that put the good of her people above her own needs. That is the kind of woman I like to read about!
And the details! They were short, but not lacking for punch. I loved to read about the Miners and the interesting 'hunan' race. And, well, everything.
This book was short- about 71 pages or so. I would have liked to read more, because it was such an interesting story. Otherwise, this is a five star book. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fast, engaging read.
I got a free copy of Qeya in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first sentence of Qeya, and it should give you an idea of just how fabulous this book is. Qeya is a space-scifi-political-epic survival drama. Those are a lot of ideas for one book, and you'd think that the author would have difficulty keeping the story dynamic and cohesive. False. Qeya sucked me in right from that amazing first sentence and didn't let up.
I loved Qeya as a character; she was smart and actually used her brain, and wasn't afraid to do what she needed to do to keep her people alive. From the very beginning, when she is one of the only people to see the danger for what it is (catastrophic) to the end, when she and the remaining survivors from her ship are stranded on a deadly planet, Qeya remained a strong female character that put the good of her people above her own needs. That is the kind of woman I like to read about!
And the details! They were short, but not lacking for punch. I loved to read about the Miners and the interesting 'hunan' race. And, well, everything.
This book was short- about 71 pages or so. I would have liked to read more, because it was such an interesting story. Otherwise, this is a five star book. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fast, engaging read.
I got a free copy of Qeya in exchange for an honest review.
August 21, 2012
I had the pleasure of editing Qeya for Jennifer, or more rightly described, watching her weave a good story into a great one, and I'm simply honored to have been able to be a part of that. A member of the royal family, Qeya is a smart but watchful and wary girl thrust into a situation in which her planned destiny to become the healer of her people and the voice of her brother--who will one day be king--seems almost to be declared useless. An upheaval on her planet has sent her family and others like it into space, looking either for a new home or a way to return to their previous one. Qeya can't help but feel that this sense of waiting for something to happen is somehow misguided and that they are likely to remain adrift on this ship forever. Until one day something DOES happen, and Qeya realizes her training may serve an important purpose after all.
Jennifer does an excellent job of pulling one right into the story from the get-go, and her use of dialogue and language makes her characters (and their species) feel very real, very believable. I could easily visualize the characters and experienced their adventures right along with them. I highly recommend Qeya and look forward to any sequels in this potential series! :)
Jennifer does an excellent job of pulling one right into the story from the get-go, and her use of dialogue and language makes her characters (and their species) feel very real, very believable. I could easily visualize the characters and experienced their adventures right along with them. I highly recommend Qeya and look forward to any sequels in this potential series! :)
October 3, 2014
I recieved this books as an R2R in the group Young Adult Reads.
This is such a sweet little book that I really enjoyed reading. It's quite short so it's quick and easy to read and perfect for challenges. It's really easy to get into to the story and I was really intrigued to find out about these strange "hunans" that are similar to people but have gills and silvery hair. The story kept my attention the whole time and was very nicely written. I will probably be reading the next in the series at some point 'cause I want to know what'll happen with Ohre, the miner.
The only thing I wasn't too keen on was Ohre's way of speaking. Just about everyone in this book spoke normally but than Ohre would say something and I'd have to re-read what he said because it just didn't match the rest of the book. Here's an exaple of something Ohre says in the middle of a completely normal sounding conversation: ���How it be cranking there, Navigator?���
For me this was just annoying but I understand why he speaks like this. It does set him apart from the hunans (he's a miner) but in my opinion it would have made more sense if he talked more normally.
This is such a sweet little book that I really enjoyed reading. It's quite short so it's quick and easy to read and perfect for challenges. It's really easy to get into to the story and I was really intrigued to find out about these strange "hunans" that are similar to people but have gills and silvery hair. The story kept my attention the whole time and was very nicely written. I will probably be reading the next in the series at some point 'cause I want to know what'll happen with Ohre, the miner.
The only thing I wasn't too keen on was Ohre's way of speaking. Just about everyone in this book spoke normally but than Ohre would say something and I'd have to re-read what he said because it just didn't match the rest of the book. Here's an exaple of something Ohre says in the middle of a completely normal sounding conversation: ���How it be cranking there, Navigator?���
For me this was just annoying but I understand why he speaks like this. It does set him apart from the hunans (he's a miner) but in my opinion it would have made more sense if he talked more normally.
September 23, 2012
I recieved this books as an R2R in the group Young Adult Reads.
This is such a sweet little book that I really enjoyed reading. It's quite short so it's quick and easy to read and perfect for challenges. It's really easy to get into to the story and I was really intrigued to find out about these strange "hunans" that are similar to people but have gills and silvery hair. The story kept my attention the whole time and was very nicely written. I will probably be reading the next in the series at some point 'cause I want to know what'll happen with Ohre, the miner.
The only thing I wasn't too keen on was Ohre's way of speaking. Just about everyone in this book spoke normally but than Ohre would say something and I'd have to re-read what he said because it just didn't match the rest of the book. Here's an exaple of something Ohre says in the middle of a completely normal sounding conversation: “How it be cranking there, Navigator?”
For me this was just annoying but I understand why he speaks like this. It does set him apart from the hunans (he's a miner) but in my opinion it would have made more sense if he talked more normally.
This is such a sweet little book that I really enjoyed reading. It's quite short so it's quick and easy to read and perfect for challenges. It's really easy to get into to the story and I was really intrigued to find out about these strange "hunans" that are similar to people but have gills and silvery hair. The story kept my attention the whole time and was very nicely written. I will probably be reading the next in the series at some point 'cause I want to know what'll happen with Ohre, the miner.
The only thing I wasn't too keen on was Ohre's way of speaking. Just about everyone in this book spoke normally but than Ohre would say something and I'd have to re-read what he said because it just didn't match the rest of the book. Here's an exaple of something Ohre says in the middle of a completely normal sounding conversation: “How it be cranking there, Navigator?”
For me this was just annoying but I understand why he speaks like this. It does set him apart from the hunans (he's a miner) but in my opinion it would have made more sense if he talked more normally.
September 22, 2012
I recieved his book from a r2r program.
I thought this novella was amazing. This story is beautifully crafted. The author does a fantastic job creating this entire fanstasy world and explaining its people and customs. Very easy and fun reading.
It's gripping!! Just when I was worried I might start to get bored, the author read my mind and fixed that in a jiffy by blowing up a spaceship.
I really liked the gifts these characters have. The sharing memory gift sounds like it would be wonderful and horrible for so many reasons. Although I would enjoy seeing my parents lives, seeing their deaths would be a nightmare.
I really didn't know what to expect when I requested this book, but I thought the cover looked cute, and I'm really a sucker for a cute title. I honestly didn't expect such a well written story.
I would easily recommend this book to any of my fantasy/scifi friends.
I thought this novella was amazing. This story is beautifully crafted. The author does a fantastic job creating this entire fanstasy world and explaining its people and customs. Very easy and fun reading.
It's gripping!! Just when I was worried I might start to get bored, the author read my mind and fixed that in a jiffy by blowing up a spaceship.
I really liked the gifts these characters have. The sharing memory gift sounds like it would be wonderful and horrible for so many reasons. Although I would enjoy seeing my parents lives, seeing their deaths would be a nightmare.
I really didn't know what to expect when I requested this book, but I thought the cover looked cute, and I'm really a sucker for a cute title. I honestly didn't expect such a well written story.
I would easily recommend this book to any of my fantasy/scifi friends.
July 14, 2013
Descriptive and thorough - the author has created a story with complete history and background.
There are a ton of names: people, places, titles, parts of the ship, etc and it can be a bit overwhelming especially since this is given to you upfront.
My biggest problem was the confusion over Kahne's gender. 99% of the time Kahne is a girl and then, it drops a 'his' instead of 'hers' and I'm confused again. Anyway, no biggie because it goes back to female pronouns, just means this needs to be edited again.
Overall this is a decent story, though I found it to be a bit short. Space sci-fi, done well!
There are a ton of names: people, places, titles, parts of the ship, etc and it can be a bit overwhelming especially since this is given to you upfront.
My biggest problem was the confusion over Kahne's gender. 99% of the time Kahne is a girl and then, it drops a 'his' instead of 'hers' and I'm confused again. Anyway, no biggie because it goes back to female pronouns, just means this needs to be edited again.
Overall this is a decent story, though I found it to be a bit short. Space sci-fi, done well!
February 21, 2017
It is a good story with some really interesting concepts to it. Being a novella, it is fairly short. This is one of those stories though that leaves the reader wishing the author had taken the time and written it out into a full story. Or at least lengthened it out more. There is a lot of jumping forward in it to keep the story going and the length short. The people and culture were fleshed out, but just enough to kind of get what is going on. There are still many questions that left open by the end and more created as I went.
June 6, 2013
A great read for anyone who enjoys reading about world's outside our own. Very enjoyable!
December 23, 2017
Qeya har levt hela sitt liv på ett skepp i rymden. Hon är en av dom kungliga och får lära sig hur hon ska leda när de kommer tillbaka till sin hemplanet. Hennes öde är att bli en Orona, sitt folks röst och en person med kraft att hela. Allt har redan planerats åt henne gör henne inget och är inget hon tänker på. Allt går som planerat tills den dagen då hennes skepp blir attackerat och störtar ner på en främmande planet. Nu tvingas Qeya ta ledarrollen innan hon är redo och hon måste försöka lägga åt sidan alla gamla fördomar hon har så alla kan överleva tillsammans. Men kommer de klara sig i en främmande värld som de inte vet mycket om?
En bok jag var lite skeptisk till först, men efter några kapitel blev jag mer positiv och ville veta mer om karaktärerna. Dock hade jag velat ha mer bakrundshistoria för jag vill veta mer än det jag får reda på i boken. Kanske kommer det mer information i de andra delarna, finns ju två böcker till. Lite synd bara att berättelsen var så kort, den kunde gärna ha fått broderats ut mer för den kändes lite tunn ibland. Trots det var boken en helt okej läsning och inte lik andra böcker jag läst i samma genre.
En bok jag var lite skeptisk till först, men efter några kapitel blev jag mer positiv och ville veta mer om karaktärerna. Dock hade jag velat ha mer bakrundshistoria för jag vill veta mer än det jag får reda på i boken. Kanske kommer det mer information i de andra delarna, finns ju två böcker till. Lite synd bara att berättelsen var så kort, den kunde gärna ha fått broderats ut mer för den kändes lite tunn ibland. Trots det var boken en helt okej läsning och inte lik andra böcker jag läst i samma genre.
January 23, 2013
3.5 Stars
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was different to the other books I have read lately, so it was nice to have something new to read. I think it has a more sci-fi element to it, as there are no actual humans in the story, the characters all appear to be aliens, some with gills, others bald all with out of this world technology. It was a bit intense as the young characters have to take on so much responsibility at a young age, but it was definitely fun!
Qeya is an Orona, and her brother will be the future King, and it is in her bloodline and in the histories that she will take on that role as the healer. Their whole lives have been mapped out for most of their kind, even coupled with their future mates at a young age. Qeya’s role is to also guide the younger children and ensure that they are getting their education.
They have been travelling on the spaceship for 7 years with another race which they call the Miners. The Miners have control of the forth level, and drive the ship. Qeya and her people live on the first and second levels, adults on first and children on second. They do not mingle with the miners as they believe that the miners are lower class people.
After Qeya ventures to the first level to report to her father, the King, she over hears a conversation between the royals and the miners that has her questioning her Fathers beliefs. She decides to visit the lower level of the ship to get answers for herself and ends up confronting Ohre, one of the miners who she saw speaking to her father. While she is speaking to Ohre, the ship is attacked and Qeya has to make some swift decisions to save herself and the children on second level. Together with Ohre, they make it back to the second level and prepare as best as they can for a crash landing onto the planet close by. This is where their adventure begins and Qeya and her brother Avwen need to take on their roles that they have been destined for. They guide what is left of their race as best as they can with the help of Ohre the miner, who has sworn to protect Qeya.
I enjoyed the build up of this story where the author filled us in on why these two races were stuck trolling the universe in the first place. We learnt the background of Qeya’s people and how they exist and how they remember their earliest memories. Qeya is a smart girl, and with everything that has happened in her lifetime, she is starting to question her beliefs, but is willing to stand up for the rest of her people. She forms a close relationship with the miner, although she is determined to find Tamn, her best friend and promised partner.
Qeya is only a short story, but it is action packed!! Not only do they crash land onto a strange planet, they try to track down other survivors and are hunted by evil creatures themselves. They are continually watched by something unseen and need to fend for themselves. It was a great beginning to the series and at the conclusion of the book I was left thinking about what will happen next!
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was different to the other books I have read lately, so it was nice to have something new to read. I think it has a more sci-fi element to it, as there are no actual humans in the story, the characters all appear to be aliens, some with gills, others bald all with out of this world technology. It was a bit intense as the young characters have to take on so much responsibility at a young age, but it was definitely fun!
Qeya is an Orona, and her brother will be the future King, and it is in her bloodline and in the histories that she will take on that role as the healer. Their whole lives have been mapped out for most of their kind, even coupled with their future mates at a young age. Qeya’s role is to also guide the younger children and ensure that they are getting their education.
They have been travelling on the spaceship for 7 years with another race which they call the Miners. The Miners have control of the forth level, and drive the ship. Qeya and her people live on the first and second levels, adults on first and children on second. They do not mingle with the miners as they believe that the miners are lower class people.
After Qeya ventures to the first level to report to her father, the King, she over hears a conversation between the royals and the miners that has her questioning her Fathers beliefs. She decides to visit the lower level of the ship to get answers for herself and ends up confronting Ohre, one of the miners who she saw speaking to her father. While she is speaking to Ohre, the ship is attacked and Qeya has to make some swift decisions to save herself and the children on second level. Together with Ohre, they make it back to the second level and prepare as best as they can for a crash landing onto the planet close by. This is where their adventure begins and Qeya and her brother Avwen need to take on their roles that they have been destined for. They guide what is left of their race as best as they can with the help of Ohre the miner, who has sworn to protect Qeya.
I enjoyed the build up of this story where the author filled us in on why these two races were stuck trolling the universe in the first place. We learnt the background of Qeya’s people and how they exist and how they remember their earliest memories. Qeya is a smart girl, and with everything that has happened in her lifetime, she is starting to question her beliefs, but is willing to stand up for the rest of her people. She forms a close relationship with the miner, although she is determined to find Tamn, her best friend and promised partner.
Qeya is only a short story, but it is action packed!! Not only do they crash land onto a strange planet, they try to track down other survivors and are hunted by evil creatures themselves. They are continually watched by something unseen and need to fend for themselves. It was a great beginning to the series and at the conclusion of the book I was left thinking about what will happen next!
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
January 11, 2013
I am going to state this right up front, so there is no confusion. I am not a large fan of short stories or novellas. Phew, got that one of my chest! I've said, many times, that I am a character driven reader. If I can't find something endearing or uniquely interesting with a character (good or bad) I have a horrible time getting into the book. Which is why shorts give me so much grief. They are rarely long enough for me to get a solid feel for the character.
That being said, that was not the only issue I had with Qeya. Of course, I had a hard time with character development but that is totally my issue. I don't believe most readers are as quirky about this as me. Don't get me wrong, they were not horribly developed in Qeya ~ it just wasn't enough for me.
Qeya is a strong girl. She's determined and has an admirable sense of responsibility. Ohre is an intriguing character but I never felt like I really knew who he was.
Qeya, her family and all other survivors are on the run. They were forced to leave their home world and now travel through space hoping for a new safe planet. When the ship is attacked, Qeya and some fellow shipmates are saved by the mysteriously heroic Ohre. However, being "saved" did not last long as they ended up on a crazy, strange and dangerous planet and must fight to survive.
The character issues are really incidental here though. My biggest problem was all the other detail. I was overwhelmed by some of the information and completely confused by the lack of detail in some other areas.
The story itself is one that I think I would truly enjoy if it was full length. I loved the science fiction of it and the bits of world building that really played out well. I think Silverwood has tapped into something that could be much, much bigger than a novella and the writing style is really spot on.
Though this one was not really a great fit for me, I do have another of this authors title sitting in wait on my ereader and I am anxious to read it. I think there is some solid talent here and ultimately I just needed this to be a full length story.
That being said, that was not the only issue I had with Qeya. Of course, I had a hard time with character development but that is totally my issue. I don't believe most readers are as quirky about this as me. Don't get me wrong, they were not horribly developed in Qeya ~ it just wasn't enough for me.
Qeya is a strong girl. She's determined and has an admirable sense of responsibility. Ohre is an intriguing character but I never felt like I really knew who he was.
Qeya, her family and all other survivors are on the run. They were forced to leave their home world and now travel through space hoping for a new safe planet. When the ship is attacked, Qeya and some fellow shipmates are saved by the mysteriously heroic Ohre. However, being "saved" did not last long as they ended up on a crazy, strange and dangerous planet and must fight to survive.
The character issues are really incidental here though. My biggest problem was all the other detail. I was overwhelmed by some of the information and completely confused by the lack of detail in some other areas.
The story itself is one that I think I would truly enjoy if it was full length. I loved the science fiction of it and the bits of world building that really played out well. I think Silverwood has tapped into something that could be much, much bigger than a novella and the writing style is really spot on.
Though this one was not really a great fit for me, I do have another of this authors title sitting in wait on my ereader and I am anxious to read it. I think there is some solid talent here and ultimately I just needed this to be a full length story.
November 20, 2012
First I wish to thank the author, Jennifer Silverwood, for providing me a copy to read and review. This genre is one of my favorites too.
This novella, is centered around Qeya. She's the upcoming healer in her royal family. Travelling through the stars, hoping to return one day to the only home they knew, their craft is attacked and she, along with several others, escape to the alien planet below. Unfortunately only a handful survive and they are determined to find the group of their kind who had gone down to the planet earlier to survey. What follows is heartache, hope, loss, love, and more.
I found myself quickly attached to the story. I didn't want to put the book down at all, I carried it everywhere with me. The beginning had a few distractions though. The wording was a bit rough in spots and the imagery wasn't as clear as could be. There were times when I just couldn't picture what the characters were seeing or describing. I would have liked a bit more time on the craft before it's destruction, investing myself a bit more into the culture these beings had been transferred into.
Once on the alien planet, a new friendship is forged with a fellow being whose social stature had been considered much below them. You get the feel of racial prejudice being more than just earth bound. The author gives you just enough to understand the social chain, but doesn't drag it on, thankfully.
I found myself enjoying a YA scifi that is a bit different than what is out there right now. The roots of the book being a traditional scifi without all the extra elements of other genres being thrown in. The ending of this novella comes to a quick wrap up, too quick for my taste. I wanted more.
So you may be asking why only 3 stars? Wording and an inconsistent pace of the story is why. The story itself? I look forward to reading the other books/novella's in this series. I recommend it to anyone who likes a good scifi with mutually strong characters and not a lot of romance thrown at you.
This novella, is centered around Qeya. She's the upcoming healer in her royal family. Travelling through the stars, hoping to return one day to the only home they knew, their craft is attacked and she, along with several others, escape to the alien planet below. Unfortunately only a handful survive and they are determined to find the group of their kind who had gone down to the planet earlier to survey. What follows is heartache, hope, loss, love, and more.
I found myself quickly attached to the story. I didn't want to put the book down at all, I carried it everywhere with me. The beginning had a few distractions though. The wording was a bit rough in spots and the imagery wasn't as clear as could be. There were times when I just couldn't picture what the characters were seeing or describing. I would have liked a bit more time on the craft before it's destruction, investing myself a bit more into the culture these beings had been transferred into.
Once on the alien planet, a new friendship is forged with a fellow being whose social stature had been considered much below them. You get the feel of racial prejudice being more than just earth bound. The author gives you just enough to understand the social chain, but doesn't drag it on, thankfully.
I found myself enjoying a YA scifi that is a bit different than what is out there right now. The roots of the book being a traditional scifi without all the extra elements of other genres being thrown in. The ending of this novella comes to a quick wrap up, too quick for my taste. I wanted more.
So you may be asking why only 3 stars? Wording and an inconsistent pace of the story is why. The story itself? I look forward to reading the other books/novella's in this series. I recommend it to anyone who likes a good scifi with mutually strong characters and not a lot of romance thrown at you.
April 24, 2018
I found Qeya for free on iBooks, and I initially didn’t know what to expect from it. The summary sounded interesting enough, sure, but I was afraid it would be just another generic sci-fi.
In the end, though, I enjoyed it. The execution of the plot was fairly unique, and the writing was beautiful, in a few ways poetic. However, I did struggle to follow along at certain points, especially toward the middle; I also wish the story could’ve gone on longer.
In the end, though, I enjoyed it. The execution of the plot was fairly unique, and the writing was beautiful, in a few ways poetic. However, I did struggle to follow along at certain points, especially toward the middle; I also wish the story could’ve gone on longer.
September 13, 2017
I wrote Qeya based on a series of short YA sci-fi stories I had written as a kid. They were my first little books at nine years old I was proud of them lol. So it's only natural I bring them up to speed for my first introduction in the Indie world.
Hope you enjoy!
Hope you enjoy!
kts
August 10, 2016part of
September 30, 2012
Loved the mix of sci-fi, romance, and survival.
May 2, 2019
Queya is a Royal, she knows her place in society. She knows how to take care of the younger generations, and she knows how to wield her blades. She is prepared to rule, and she knows how to treat the miners in society. Then the ship is attacked, they land on a foreign planet, and the societal ranks are destroyed. Now, the Royals must rely on the Miners for protection and for continuing their kind.
I loved the characters and I loved the romance in this novella! The beginning was a little confusing because there was a lot of information trying to be crammed into the first few pages to give the story a setting before the attack occurs. Even though this book is the longest in the box set of novellas, I think that it could definitely take up more time.
After the attack, the story was perfect. I liked that the characters didn't automatically start working together, but I am also happy that the characters didn't hate each other so much that they would put one another in physical danger. They were able to see to the future and at least try to put aside their differences to stay alive. I can't wait to read the next books in the box set and figure out what happens to the characters after this story ends!
I would definitely recommend this novella to anyone looking for a new YA fantasy/Scifi/romance novel.
I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.
I loved the characters and I loved the romance in this novella! The beginning was a little confusing because there was a lot of information trying to be crammed into the first few pages to give the story a setting before the attack occurs. Even though this book is the longest in the box set of novellas, I think that it could definitely take up more time.
After the attack, the story was perfect. I liked that the characters didn't automatically start working together, but I am also happy that the characters didn't hate each other so much that they would put one another in physical danger. They were able to see to the future and at least try to put aside their differences to stay alive. I can't wait to read the next books in the box set and figure out what happens to the characters after this story ends!
I would definitely recommend this novella to anyone looking for a new YA fantasy/Scifi/romance novel.
I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.
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