Canopy

Canopy #1

by Crystal Lee

As Earth's pollution problems increase in the year 2042, Jash Lepitt has decisions to make. Does he take the responsible route, fusing by inhaling DOOGS: specialized alien species of gnats that will genetically enhance him? Or does he remain flawed; be discriminated against by a society rewarding fused people? Desperate to win over Lissy Darrish, he questions it because she's a Danat-a purist opposed to changing the body. In addition to her convictions, she's also falling in love with a Danat, Tryst Navar. Devoting his time to protecting her from Tryst is harder than it seems for Jash. Tryst witnessed a friend of his being attacked by aggressive DOOGS while on the job building houses in the treetops. What will happen when all three of them become involved in the secrecy of the canopy's DOOGS? And will Lissy risk being with Jash when being intimate can possibly contaminate her?

Genres: Science Fiction, Romance, Aliens, Relationships

406 pages, Paperback

First published August 23, 2012

Reviews

[Jo Michaels · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was one of the editors of this book and I designed the cover. With that said, I've obviously read it and will now give you a review!

Crystal Lee writes with a style all her own. Canopy is a romance novel with a science fiction twist. The main characters of this chilling tale are: Lissy, Jash, and Trystan. They form a triangle of romance. Lissy is a purist, or Danat (someone who refuses to inhale gnats that give super long, disease free life), who is torn between the two boys. However, Jash quickly becomes persona-non-Grata because of decisions he makes. That doesn't stop Lissy from loving him, but her emotions are on a roller-coaster because of the powerful and charismatic Tristan.

Lissy has a decision to make and it's not an easy one.

Running in the background is the science fiction element that pulls it all together and creates the barriers that spring up between the young lovers. It comes in the form of genetically enhanced gnats that people pay to be fused with because they give one superhuman strength and ward off disease. There are twists and turns in this book I never saw coming that left me breathless and dying to read the next installment in the series.

While the heavy use of dialogue may put some off (not an issue for me), the pacing of the book was good and really left you scratching your head in the end and saying, "Wow! I did NOT see THAT coming!"

All in all, a very good read that I would highly recommend for anyone that loves romantic triangles and a bit of science fiction that's used in an extremely complimentary way.

[Go · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like extensive character development then this book is for you. It flows pretty easily with normal everyday teenage life. That being said, teenagers may enjoy it more than I did. I struggled with all of the giggling and tickling going on. I read a lot of young adult books but the type of romance I typically enjoy has more comedy or action as in Graceling, Twilight, The Hunger Games, or The Princess bride. Straight romance is not my style. I prefer to have something significant occur while the characters relationships are building or a character is introduced. Toward the end of the book was when the pace picked up. The brothers love-hate relationship was naturally believable the way they harassed each other. It reminded me of all the brothers I hung out with in High School. My favorite line was by Tryst. After Dryn complains “I don’t let my friends come over and eat our food” Tryst’s quick-witted response is “yeah, that’s because imaginary friends don’t eat.” I was hoping for more sci-fi. The mystery with the cane was interesting. I wanted to hear more concerning the gnats and their enhancing capabilities. It took a good 100 pages or so to read descriptions as to how the gnats affected the physical body. I was anxious to read more about the fused population and move away from the “normal” purists. I thought the end was well written.

[Sandra]

This was a DNF for me. There's really nothing wrong - the writing is solid, and grammatically sound. The subject matter wasn't for me.

If you like a bit of romance in a sci-fi setting, I urge you to give this a try.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise. It was hard to pick who you wanted the heroine to end up with because both the guys had tendencies of jack assedness. But when you get to the end you stop caring, because the mystery is much more interesting than the relationships. The ending was a great way to pull readers into this new series.