Earth Star

Earth Girl #2

by Janet Edwards

Sequel to Earth Girl.

18-year-old Jarra has a lot to prove. After being awarded one of the military’s highest honours for her role in a daring rescue attempt, Jarra finds herself – and her Ape status – in the spotlight. Jarra is one of the unlucky few born with an immune system that cannot survive on other planets. Derided as an ‘ape’ – a ‘throwback’ – by the rest of the universe, Jarra is on a mission to prove that Earth Girls are just as good as anyone else.

Except now the planet she loves is under threat by what could be humanity’s first ever alien contact. Jarra’s bravery – and specialist knowledge – will once again be at the centre of the maelstrom, but will the rest of the universe consider Earth worth fighting for?

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Romance, Dystopia, Fiction, Aliens, Space

374 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 2013

About the author

Latest release:- Adversary, the fifth book in the Hive Mind series. 

Please visit Janet's website to get more information, and sign up for her newsletter if you'd like to be kept informed of future releases.

SET IN THE HIVE FUTURE
PERILOUS: Hive Mind A Prequel Novella  
TELEPATH
DEFENDER
HURRICANE
BORDERLINE
ADVERSARY

SET IN THE 25th CENTURY PORTAL FUTURE 
SCAVENGER ALLIANCE 
SCAVENGER BLOOD

SET IN THE 28th CENTURY PORTAL FUTURE
Set in 2781
HERA 2781: A Drago Short Story
HESTIA 2781: A Drago Novel
ARRAY 2781: A Drago Novel
SOL 2781: A Drago novel

Set in 2788, the year before the Earth Girl Trilogy
EARTH 2788: The Earth Girl Short Stories
EARTH AND FIRE: An Earth Girl Novella 1
EARTH AND AIR: An Earth Girl Novella 2
FRONTIER:  An Epsilon Sector Novella

Set in 2789, the Main Earth Girl Trilogy
EARTH GIRL
EARTH STAR
EARTH FLIGHT

Set in 2789 directly after the Earth Girl Trilogy
EARTH PRIME: The Earth Girl Aftermath Stories 1

SET IN THE GAME FUTURE
REAPER

EARTH GIRL:-
◾Voted an American Library Association YALSA Teens' Top Ten title for 2014.
◾A Tayshas 2014 choice.
◾Kirkus starred review for a book of exceptional merit.
◾A Kirkus best book of 2013.
◾Booklist starred review for being outstanding in its genre.
◾Booklist Editors’ Choice: Books for Youth, 2013.
◾An Amazon.co.uk best Young Adult book of 2012.
◾A Kobobooks.com best Young Adult book of 2012.

Reviews

[Dear Faye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, Earth Star. What to do with you?

First, let me say this: I loved Earth Girl. It was an astounding book despite a few flaws here and there and I enjoyed it immensely. World-building was pretty good, the romance was boring but it was pretty fulfilling, main character was awesome but perhaps just a bit too awesome, but hey! In the end, I was satisfied, and that's what mattered right?Earth Girl pretty much set up and introduced to us the foundation of the series, so for a sequel, of course I was expecting a bit more plot, a bit more action and suspense, a bit more thrill and enough of the OMG-JARRA-YOU-ARE-RAMBO-PERSONIFIED-IS-THERE-ANYTHING-YOU-CAN'T-DO?

Unfortunately, Earth Star didn't impress me. Actually, it disappointed me so much that it hurt.


I wanted to like Jarra, but she annoyed me to no end. I wanted to really believe in her capabilities, but of course the book just had to make her the most impressive person ever and that we should all bow down and kiss her toes. If she was portrayed as awesome-in-everything in Earth Girl,  it gets worse here. She was illustrated astoo-perfect-to-be-true that every time something happened that showed how speshul she was, I'd get this urge to go ape-shit, because... damn, everything was just fucking ridiculous, really. It's like she achieved Saiyan mode in the first book, and she achieved SUPER SAIYAN mode here... effortlessly. I don't know about you, folks, but there's a fine line between acceptable and comically absurd when it comes to being "awesome".

So we know that she's super talented, well-versed, and knowledgable in a lot of things, and I accept that. She's got guts, she's courageous, and she earned her Artemis medal, the highest accolade ever in the Military. OK, cool. Then in this instalment, the military decides to get her for the Alien Contact Programme, and she is awarded Commander, and we later find out that OF COURSE she was a descendant of Tellon Blaze, that super legendary hero back in the good old days. It was at this point my eyebrows were twitching because sweetheart, do you really have to be THAT fucking special? I was shaking my head because it was becoming borderline unbelievable. And of course, she's the one that thinks of the solution to why the aliens came... besting many others who had a lot more knowledge and experience than her, which led her to leading an excavation. Riiiiiight.

*FACEPALM*

I know the sky's the limit, but seriously? SERIOUSLY?

Not to mention the dialogue and narration were just... bizarre. I don't know but it felt like Jarra was a completely different person from the Jarra I knew in Earth Girl. A lot of the lines were cheesy as hell to me. She kept on giggling at everything ("I giggled."), and every time she kept on mentioning about Fian looking like Arrack San Domex, I wanted to punch a wall and make my fist bleed. It was absolutely horrid. Imagine being in a dire situation and she just had to ruin all the sense of suspense and urgency because Fian looked like Arrack San Domex and she couldn't stop fantasizing about it. GAAAH. I WANTED TO CHOKE HER.

Speaking of Fian, if he was boring in Earth Girl, he sure as hell is even more bland here. Goodness, I get that he's nice, but come on, dude! Have a bit of personality here! Their romance was mind-numbingly boring, and as another reviewer has pointed out, they acted more like an old married couple than anything else. I just wanted to roll my eyes every time they'd throw cheesy mushy lines to each other. Here you have a boring character, and another boring character.... who dared think this would have worked out? I didn't see any chemistry at all in their romance and for the first time ever I was PLEADING to the high heavens for a love triangle to happen JUST SO THEY COULD SPICE IT UP. This Fian/Jarra relationship can easily get the MOST BORING COUPLE award. Congratulations.

The secondary characters were boring as hell, too, and their dialogues weren't memorable at all. Ugh, I wish I took samples, but they were easily forgettable after a page. I wish they had better lines but theirs were just as bad as Jarra's and Fian's. So sad. :(

I don't think I'll be continuing the series. Maybe I will, but I am not going to eagerly anticipate it anymore. If Jarra is going to become more awesome without showing any significant flaws, then I'm jetting out of here.

[Mogsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...

Jarra has carried out a successful rescue mission, saved lives at the risk of losing her own, and received the Earth Star and the highest honor of the Artemis medal. But still our protagonist finds herself defined by her disability.

I’d been eagerly waiting to read this book ever since I read Earth Girl. Earth Star is the sequel, picking up right where the first book left off. Things have pretty much returned to normal after the events of the unprecedented solar storm that put the New York dig site and Jarra in the spotlight. The whole world knows she’s Handicapped now, that she is among one in a thousand born with an immune system disorder that confines her to earth. But while most of her classmates have come to terms with learning her secret, not everyone has been so accepting of Jarra.

I continue to enjoy this series for its ability to engage as well as its departures from the usual YA conventions. Unsurprisingly, these books probably won’t be for everyone, though I do wish more people knew about them. Not only is there an important message, I also love the universe Janet Edwards has created, and here she expands the idea further by throwing humanity a curveball – the possibility of aliens on Earth’s doorstep. When the military discovers a strange sphere in orbit, the planet goes into high alert and Jarra is drafted to help.

You would think that the arrival of an extraterrestrial presence might bring humankind together, but that isn’t the case. The book continues the theme of showing how deep-rooted bigotry and intolerance can be, even though Jarra has proven herself to be as capable as any Norm time and time again. The prejudice against the Handicapped has been ingrained in this society for generations, and Earth has become a second-class planet, with those who have the immune disorder somehow seen as less than human.

But there is hope yet. There are plenty of those who don’t share those close-minded views. Jarra and her boyfriend Fian have gotten much closer since the first book; the two have pledged their commitment to each other and Fian continues to be Jarra’s strongest and most loyal supporter. But like I said, we aren’t going to be treated to the same old tropes here, so Jarra and Fian’s relationship also has a completely different dynamic than your typical YA novel. I wouldn’t recommend going into these books expecting a strong romance plot. It’s just not that kind of book, and I’m cool with that. Still, that doesn’t mean that it is completely devoid of romantic tension. A private person by nature, Jarra still struggles with opening up to Fian, and Fian comes across as almost insecure in his desperation to get through to her. His role feels slightly diminished here, but then I suppose the force of Jarra’s personality has a way of overshadowing those around her.

For make no mistake, these books are all about Jarra’s journey, her own exceptional fight against adversity, from without and within. But I also like the fact she is not painted as the invincible hero. Reviewers including myself have noted in the first book that her character seems to be an expert at everything and know all the answers. In spite of that, I see now that she has her fears and doubts. The message is clear: as a Handicapped, Jarra is nevertheless able to do everything that a Norm can do, but it works both ways. She’s also just as liable to fall victim to her own anxieties and lose confidence in herself, just like everyone else. After all, she’s only human. Like all of us.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A continuation of the story and world-building from Earth Girl which has the already very impressive Jarra Tel Morrath leveling up past the point of plausibility.

Jarra and Fian are back at their first year of University Prehistory at an archeological dig in Africa when they both receive a message from Colonel Riak Torrek. Their expertise is required to deal with something very strange: potentially the first contact with intelligent alien life.

Jarra isn't quite a Mary Sue. She has self-esteem issues associated with her status as Handicapped and she finds it nearly impossible to talk about her feelings and problems. However, everything else about her is pretty much perfect. and this is constantly recognized by people in authority, to the point of ignoring her actual flaws. In the Earth of 2789, psychological evaluations for leadership positions are apparently not-a-thing.

For me, there was just too much of Jarra-has-all-the-good-ideas going on and despite there being great and smart characters all around her, much of the action seemed centered on the rest of the cast waiting until Jarra comes up with something. Given she's 18, still in school, and portrayed as being taught by extremely competent people, this really doesn't seem reasonable.

However, the universe that this author has created remains interesting, portraying reasonable differences between different factions of humanity and a relatively believable (if YA-simplistic) social structure and not ignoring the forces of xenophobia and prejudice.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Earth Star (Earth Girl, #2) by Janet Edwards, 18-year-old Jarra has a lot to prove. After being awarded one of the military’s highest honours for her role in a daring rescue attempt, Jarra finds herself in the spotlight. Jarra is one of the unlucky few born with an immune system that cannot survive on other planets. Derided as an ‘ape’ – a ‘throwback’ – by the rest of the universe, Jarra is on a mission to prove that Earth Girls are just as good as anyone else.

Except now the planet she loves is under threat by what could be humanity’s first ever alien contact. Jarra’s bravery – and specialist knowledge – will once again be at the center of the maelstrom, but will the rest of the universe consider Earth worth fighting for?

[Glory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Вот и вторая часть перечитана. Моя любимая в серии. Взросление старых героев и знакомство с новыми - лучшим лжецом в армии Драго, умопомрачительно спокойным Левеком, серьезной и при этом насмешливой Марлиз и многими-многими другими. Обострение неприязни к инвалидам, поиски инопланетного артефакта, а главное - совершенно оправданное превращение ГГев в военных. И да, потихоньку начинают стрелять развешенные в первой части ружья.
Даже зная, что меня ждёт, жутко переживала и радовалась вместе с героями.
Приступаю к роскошному финальному роману)))

[Nara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review also found on Looking for the Panacea

I do have to start by saying that this series is not for everyone. It's a tad on the heavy side of science fiction (well, young adult sci-fi anyway, it's not really that heavily focused on sci-fi), and there's a particular style to the writing which may not suit everyone. BUT basically what I'd like is for everyone to give the book a try. Because I do think it's one of those books you're either going to hate or absolutely love, and how are you going to know which category you fit under unless you give it a try?

I personally think that the Earth Girl series is a series that deserves a lot more hype. It's incredibly original and unique and I don't think I've read any young adult books even remotely similar. The world building is. Absolutely. Zan. Totally, totally zan. Just the amount of detail that is put into building up every aspect of the setting is incredible. And the ideas are so interesting! Impact suits and tagging and vid bees and portals! On another note, I am very curious as to what cheese fluffle tastes like.

I know a lot of people seem to hate it when authors make up words, but personally, I think it's actually a really nice way of adding another layer of richness to the story. Earth Girl is set waaaay into the future, so I think it's rather reasonable to have a few new words here and there, because of course the English language isn't going to be exactly the same! So that being said, if there is a word in this review that you don't understand, or that you thought was a typo or something, it's because I'm attempting (and probably failing) to be clever and using the language in the book.

Minor criticism- the conversation style can get a bit heavy at times- but it wasn't so much so that the pace of the book was slowed, or that I got bored or anything like that, it was just that the characters' speech seemed to be a bit too...descriptive? I don't really know, but there was something about it that made it slightly heavy.

Back to talking about awesomeness: FIAN. Don't even get me started on Fian! HE'S FREAKING AMAZING! ASDFKJALSDF! (In case you haven't realised, he's the love interest in the series). I just love how he's so supportive and understanding and nice, but still tough when he needs to be, and quirky and just amaz. I'm going to stop now before I sound like a gushing mess. Probs too late.

Gahhhhhhhhhh that cliffhanger! How could you do this to me Janet! 2014 come at me! (Note: the cliffhanger wasn't that massive, but I'm a really curious person and the ending was such that I wanted more.)

-

FREAKING AWESOME.
Reason 1- No love triangle!
Reason 2- World building=epic
Reason 3- Fian.

Review coming soon!

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
I could have shelved this Space Opera, since space travel exists and this is about the first sign of intelligent extra-terrestrial alien life (aliens are technically anyone who don't have citizenship in the country in which you live, even though in scifi it means something else :) ).

I have to say that this isn't just a fun series, lots of adventure, a girl who is "Handicapped" because she will die of anaphylaxis within 2 minutes of portalling to another planet. All other handicaps are repairable. In fact, she was sent to Earth immediately after birth in order to save her life. This is a series with a consistent level of writing that manages to be good without a love triangle (can't tell you how tired I am of that in y/a scifi and certain other often-seen features. By this book she has overcome most of her anger at the lack of rights (the Handicapped can't vote, are called 'apes", "neans" and so on by others), the fact that her parents abandoned her by not following her to earth, just like 92 percent of parents of the handicapped (she didn't try to contact them when she turned 14, sure to be disappointed, and I wont' tell you if she did it in the first book or not), etc.

In this book she and her twoing partner (twoing, or even threeing, is a pre-marriage contract of 3 months, or sometiems longer, which is required by law before a couple can marry, at least in most sectors of space), a norm, are called to a new Military base when an alien sphere has appeard. For any remote reason why she might have been called, read the first book, although that won't answer it completely.

All I can say is, if you like scifi and/or y/a, this is an excellent series! I'm now reading the third book, and so far the writing has NOT gone downhill :) :) :).

[Cathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. It was so bad it was laughable. Literally, I kept reading to see how much more ridiculous it could get. An alien sphere appears above earth. Must get Jarra to the rescue! Let’s make her a captain in the military despite having no military training! But she’s watched vids on the military so she gets it. Only Jarra remembers that there is conveniently a giant underground cavern where humanity can hide to safely wait out the danger. Only Jarra’s presence will expose xenophobia in the military (oh, and her ‘norm’ boyfriend kissing her in public helps too). And holy cow, not only is she an honour child of a great Colonel but she’s actually descended from one of the greatest heroes humanity has even seen. But humble Jarra is so humble still. Look at her aw shucks her way to greatness (while still expecting her pablum boyfriend to pack her ‘cheese fluffle’ back into the stasis box for her while she goes to shower). Luckily, Jarra is there to figure out the sphere is a probe that must have been triggered by something buried underground that she must now lead an expedition to uncover. How nice that the military colonel defers to her and trusts her judgement so much. How nice that she is surrounded by people who make her rest and eat because she is just so unaware of her limitations and so self-sacrificing. But so noble. She faces all her fears and is willing to give up all her dreams for the sake of humanity. Special, noble, humble Jarra. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

[Jaylia3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of Earth Star ever since I finished Earth Girl, and I enjoyed this second book of the series just as much as the first. I love the setting, which is several hundred years in the future when most of humanity is living in off-planet colonies, and I love all the details about the different cultures of those colonies and their thoroughly thought out histories. Like the first, this second book is a few notches down from perfect and that keeps me from recommending it unreservedly--for one thing the main character is a bit of a knows everything and is good at everything Mary Sue type who giggles a lot--but both books held me enthralled and both times I couldn’t help loving the overly talented Jarra because she’s full of enthusiasm and good intentions, and she has some very big challenges. For me Jarra’s Mary Sue qualities are mitigated because the story is wonderful and told in the first person. The reader hears Jarra’s insecurities in her own voice, and she doesn’t brag or see herself as exceptional. On the contrary.

Since most humans now reside in one of the many off-planet colonies connected by easily traversed portals, people like Jarra with an immune system that only allows them to live on Earth are considered handicapped, and rudely referred to as “apes”. Growing up Jarra hadn’t had much contact with “normals” but in the last book she got herself into the first year Earth-based program of a university from Gamma colony by hiding her identity and “condition” from her classmates. It’s a history program and the off-planet students have come to Earth to study what remains of its abandoned settlements. Jarra has already had some experience in the dangerous dig sites of New York City’s ruins so compared to her classmates she’s a superstar. While she had expected to be enemies with her fellow students, assuming they would despise her for her disability, she ends up making friends, falling in love, and is largely (but not completely) accepted by her peers when her unfitness for off planet travel is revealed.

In this second book Jarra and her class are excavating the ruins of what was once the most advanced city on Earth, Eden in Africa. Constructed just before most of humanity fled the planet Eden had advanced technologies humans no longer understand so it’s thrilling work, but the students have barely gotten started when Jarra and her boyfriend are abruptly and secretly drafted into the military and put in charge of a new history division created to research possible past contact with intelligent alien life. That new division is needed because an alien probe has been spotted--not in one of humanity’s faraway colonies, but hovering just above Earth--and the powers that be don’t yet know what to make of it.

Jarra has Earth-bound experiences and a military family background that make it a little less absurd that bigwigs high up the chain of command turn to her for leadership and advice. We learn more about Jarra’s family in this book, which is both interesting and moving, and seeing the future Earth from Jarra’s lively perspective is definitely fun--at one point the whole planet is temporarily evacuated into a huge network of caverns carved under Australia where they proceed to party like it’s the end of the world (and it just might be.)

Earth Star is the middle book of a trilogy and as sometimes happens with that placement its conclusion in my opinion is not strong, but that didn’t much affect my pleasure while reading and I can’t wait to get my hands on the conclusion of the series.

[Figgy · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's something about the way Janet Edwards writes that I find incredibly fun and easy to read. I get pulled in, I care about her characters, I tear through the book as quickly as possible, because I need it all NOW.

They aren't without issues, but my enjoyment outranks them for the most part.

The Recaps, won't anybody think of the poor Recaps?:
I understand WHY it happened, and I understand that it means that someone CAN accidentally pick the books up out of order and still know what's going on. But the first couple of chapters were so heavy with recaps.


"As you know, Bob."
Instances of this just don't ring true as dialogue. They read as a bit stiff, and the reader loses the flow.
Once again, I know why they happened, but that doesn't make them any smoother.


Overuse of words I didn't notice in book 1:

Evil grin - Playdon's, that is.
Giggled/giggling - Jarra. Always with the giggling in this book.
Instantly - Not HEAPS, but enough to get on my nerves. I don't LIKE the word instantly when used to describe what a character is doing. Immediately, quickly, and even automatically tend to work better, and not break the flow as much.


Ignorance of the character as to different methods of travel: Military Colonels, Commanders, Majors, EVERYONE seems to think that Portals are the sign of an advanced race, and that a ship, having come from far away, would HAVE to have done so by portal, or taken hundreds or thousands of years.
What about Hyperdrives, what about Infinite Improbability Drives, what about a rip in the fabric of the universe and these aliens aren't actually from this universe?

I felt that the tactical team was very closed minded when it came to figuring out how this alien ship arrived.

Once again, I understand why this is. It was covered in book one, when Playdon told them about the vehicles people used to use, and how fast they could travel. He explained that they don't need fast vehicles anymore, because everyone travels by portal. I understand that they're not used to thinking about things travelling fast.

But the tactical team? In the Alien Contact programme? Aren't they supposed to think outside the sphere?


Wow, looking back on that list, it might seem like I really hated this book.

I didn't. I read it in a little over a day (a day on which I had work) and lost a decent chunk of sleep in order to find out what happened. I love Janet Edwards' books, I love her writing style, I love Jarra as a main character, and I can't wait for book three to come out.

[mussolet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: Review contains spoilers about Earth Girl.

I wasn't too sure about wanting to read the second book in the "Earth Girl" series. I'd loved Earth Girl (see my review), and I've had quite a few series in the past where I'd loved the first books but not the follow-ups. Then came the pink cover and the aliens in the description, and I was even more sceptical.
What I loved about Earth Girl was the history, the different cultures, Jarra's military "experiment". I was sure that this would be lost in the second book. And I was happy to see that I was wrong :).

There are some difficulties in the first chapter - mostly due to the most unfitting recaps since the explanation of Quidditch in every Harry Potter book, but once the story got going, that was out of the way.
Jarra gets drafted into the military - and as it turns out, there are a lot of good reasons for her superiors to do so. Those lines on the book cover might tell you the usual thing about Jarra being the one and whatnot, but luckily there are really good explanations for why she is chosen to do what she has to do. That she then does a good job of it is another matter - I was afraid there would be no real reason for her to get the power that she does. There is.

There's also something missing that is currently used in basically every young adult trilogy - the third guy. Fian and Jarra are a couple with a load of problems, and they show us that they try to work through them as the adults they are becoming. Jarra's faced with a lot of new problems, some her own fault, some way out of her control, and once she opens up, she learns that she can rely on Fian and her ever-widening circle of friends and extended family. There's some side character development as well, though not as deep as Jarra's or Fian's.

In the last book I could really identify with Jarra - once I got over all the teen reactions and the hero worship of the hot dude -, this time I've found something where we differ. Jarra doesn't like maths or science. I do. And luckily for me, Fian knows something about this as well. And what with Jarra being interested in everthing about Fian, she listens to scientific conversations just because he takes part in them. She may not be fascinated by all that stuff, but I am, and I'm happy that it's all conceivable and doesn't sound fake to me.

We get to see more of the changes that have happened since our own time - Jarra gets to go around Earth, delves into abandoned projects and other people's perceptions. Thankfully there is no wonder cure (yet), so we can still explore society's reaction to Jarra and her handicap. I wonder about the next book though.

What with this being a trilogy, there is one thing I worry about, and that is the fact that I have yet to see a satisfying ending that doesn't leave out half of the interesting reactions to the previous climax. In the first book I just missed something, here I seriously thought the ending was quite abrupt - I wonder how it will work out in the third book, when there's no follow-up in which the author can show flashbacks to the previous book. But this is still a year away - in the meantime I'll enjoy re-reading the first two books and spending time communicating with aliens in my mind :).

----
Review can also be found at 238 books in 238 days.

[Zoe and the Edge · Rating 3 out of 5]

My main issue with Janet Edwards is she is just too long-winded. There's a lot of good to her books that sort of gets lost in the muddling, boring and tedious info dumps.
Despite that, I like her confident writing style. She inserts her world's terminology easily and I like some of her made-up colloquialisms. She's so comfortable with her characters and her world.

There's Keon who I especially liked because he's so observant but just gives off this lazy air.
“We’re refugees from a party that started seven hours before portal lockdown and is now totally out of control.”

And Krath. He's developed nicely as a strange combination of offensive chatterbox and kicked puppy.
I stared at him. “You’d do that to stop me looking a nardle? Krath, that’s pretty noble.”
He shrugged. “Not really. I’m always looking a nardle anyway.”

We also meet a new friend in a fighter pilot named Drago Tell Dramis.

”This is Major Tell Morrath. That’s a very kind offer, Drago, but I want to take a look from the air myself. You carry on talking to Earth Rolling News.’”
“This is Commander Tell Dramis, who is running out of things to say to Earth Rolling News.”
“This is Captain Eklund, who finds that hard to believe.”

Fian Eklund
Candace and my friends all think I bully poor downtrodden Fian.

I like the joke about Fian being from Delta so he should be conservative when it comes to physical intimacy. Of course, Fian is just like any teenage boy so I had to smile.

Fian - ”I can distract myself from the awful music by thinking how I’ll undress you and …’”
Jarra - “I’m shocked. Deltans should be content with just holding hands.”
“I’m a very bad Deltan.”

Fian's actually feeling a bit insecure over his relationship with Jarra now that she's got all these fancy titles and respect while Fian's just “the boyfriend”. He's got a jealous streak a mile long when Jarra starts getting excited over new experiences and friends.

[Nele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing book by Janet Edwards, and an amazing weekend read! My copy arrived just in time on Friday and I've learned my lesson to be picky when I start certain books...
I loved the first book in this trilogy, which is Earth Girl. And I wanted to read more about this utopian world. However, I wasn't expecting a lot from n° 2 in the series. After Earth Girl, I just couldn't imagine how she was going to make another incredible story, but Janet delivered! I'm so glad that I ordered n° 3 this weekend, so it's due to arrive next Thursday.

Janet has just created a whole, fantastic world, that just makes me want to fast forward 800+ years in my time machine. You'd think that humanity would have learned a lesson or 2 in those hundreds of years. But nothing less is true. Even if they are able to portal to other planets and galaxies, some people just stay close-minded and petty ('I'm better than you, hehehe').
And allthough Jarra is a little know-it-all, I like her and I keep rooting for her. I also love the other characters, and I may not like that some people have to die in this book, I enjoyed reading it very much. It gave me goosebumps, choked me up and made me laugh out loud (yes, Janet is a funny one).

Only 4 days and a half until the weekend... and I can read Earth Flight. YES!

[Sun · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Oh Jarra, you're so special and no-one else can help us but you!" Everyone chorused.
"No!" Jarra said with an evil smile. "It's just that I have such great ancestors. I am just a humble smelly ape."
"Oh no you're not!" said the universe repeatedly set up to be inherently xenophobic and racist, but not to Jarra.

[Jules (Never enough time to read) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the characters and I enjoyed the writing style, but the plot felt a bit like a series of events all stuck together rather than a well planned story arc.

I will still definitely be reading the next book and hopefully soon.

[Laura | What's Hot? · Rating 3 out of 5]

Earth Star begins straight after the events of Earth Girl with Jarra being awarded the Artemis, the highest military honour, for her self-sacrificing help during a military rescue. Jarra is an 'ape', 'handicapped' because she cannot portal to other planets in the universe like the rest of the 'norms'. She is confined to Earth and many 'norms' are prejudiced against 'apes', believing them to be stupid and inferior. Jarra proved in Earth Girl that the handicapped are just as capable as norms but even though she's reached her own goals, things haven't settled down. A mysterious sphere has appeared in the Earth's atmosphere and it's intentions are unknown. It is clearly something alien, but whether hostile or friendly, noone knows. Jarra and her 'twoing' partner (i.e. boyfriend) Fian have been drafted into the military to use their knowledge of history to try and figure out where this sphere has come from, who sent it and what it wants but things aren't plain sailing because of Jarra's 'ape' status.

I was hoping that after the immense amount of time and detail dedicated to setting up this series in book one, that book two would have a much faster plot with a lot more things going on; however, this was not the case. An alien sphere is introduced at the beginning of the story and I expected many exciting things to happen but by the end of the book we still hadn't really found out anything about the sphere which was disappointing. Like in Earth Girl, there is a sort of continuous plot strand throughout the book but it moves at a steady, slow pace with no dips or bumps along the way. Small events were described in masses of detail that was really unnecessary, whilst major events were merely glanced over. The plot had much potential but unfortunately I don't think it really fulfilled it and I can't help but feel that this story could've been told with half the amount of the words.

Fian and Jarra's relationship doesn't particularly develop at all in Earth Star. The pair signed up for a 'twoing' contract in Earth Girl so I expected more romance in Earth Star, but really the pair just acted like an old married couple and I really fail to see the 'spark' in their relationship. I still don't really identify with the main character, Jarra, because her personality is hidden behind the fact that she doesn't 'do' emotions, but consequently this meant that I couldn't see in her what all the characters in the book could. Her narrative is quite interesting, but I don't particularly like her as a character or a narrator so I felt a little detached whilst reading this. Jarra was a lot sassier in Earth Girl and I quite enjoyed her snarky bitterness, but I don't think that part of her personality came with her to Earth Star which was a great shame.

The general setting of the book and the universe that these events take place in is fascinating. Janet Edwards has created a completely new world that still has some vague similarities to Earth as we know it, but there are also many differences. A great deal of detail is spent describing the planets, their customs, the tools that are being used, the different social rankings etc. which is all very interesting to read and learn about. Although portalling between planets isn't something new to the sci-fi genre, having 'handicapped' characters who are tied to planet Earth, is. In addition, these characters communicate with a whole new language and I felt a lot like an old lady trying to understand teenage slang when I first started reading this but by the end of this book I was basically fluent in it. I really love the world that Janet Edwards has created for Jarra and all the other characters and the framework that supports this novel is soso good, but unfortunately the plot let the book down.

Although you don't need to read Earth Girl to understand what's going on in Earth Star, I would certainly recommend it. Earth Girl sets up the backdrop for this series with lots of details about the new universe that Janet Edwards has created and there's a lot of new terms which you have to get to grips with in order to understand how the characters speak and act. Any references made to people or events from Earth Girl are thoroughly explained in Earth Star which does slow down the book considerably for those that have already read the first book, but if you're diving in at book two then this will do you fine.

All in all, Earth Star was a bit of a disappointment but it's still a fairly intriguing read. The world that Janet Edwards has created is absolutely superb and I've spent so much time reading her two books over the last few days that I've even adopted some of the new language used in her book, e.g. nardlebrain, but I don't think there's enough of a plot to really bring this world to life. I still have high hopes for the third book in this series which I'm praying will have a plot with a much faster pace with a lot more excitement but we'll just have to wait and see!

[Sloane Deterding · Rating 5 out of 5]

really loving these right now

[Pili · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earth Star is the sequel to Earth Girl and it starts right where Earth Girl left us: Jarra has received the Earth Star & the Artemis medals from the military, everyone knows she's a Handicapped (or an "ape" to use the pejorative term) and she has to face her classmates after lying to them. She's got Fian supporting her even without the approval of his family and she's got her love for History and archeology.

Once they're trying to get back to the routine of classes after moving to a different site dig called Eden in Africa, for Jarra with some unpleasant surprises in the shape of bullying from some of her classmates, there are some news that throw everything they think they know for a loop! Jarra and Fian are called up by the military under the utmost secrecy to be part of the Alien Contact program that has been activated.

What does that mean? Well, it's a military protocol established for the moment when humanity in their reach for the stars happen onto intelligent & civilized alien life... except that they haven't found it out there... alien civilization has come to Earth in the shape of an unmanned sphere!

This is at the same time thrilling and scary and Jarra once again finds herself in the thick of it! She's even made part of the military along with Fian and she finds herself providing key information and getting thrown into a command position in the madness of it all.

Jarra is still adjusting to being ok with who she is and appreciating the fact that she's good at what she does and that her being an "ape" still doesn't give others the right to judge her. She's gone from being angry at the world to not wanting to make a fuss about other people's disrespect and clear hatred of her just for having a different immune system.

Earth Star continues to show us how close minded humans can be and how easily we make divisions between the "us" and the "others" for the silliest of reasons. If you find it difficult to believe the fact that a deficient immune system would turn those humans into pariahs and having so many other consider them subhumans, just look back and look now and see how there are still people that think a different skin tone makes someone less than them. Now, take this one stage further and think, if we can do that to fellow humans with a difference, what would we not to do really different beings, like aliens?

I love how this book manages to present us with some serious issues and questions and at the same time add some realistic and well needed levity, like having your prudish Deltan lecturer be a rock'n'roll drum player!

Jarra is doing so much growing up in this book, on dealing with who she is, finding out more about her family, her relationship with Fian... She is still learning to trust Fian and to not expect him to run when things get complicated, and she's quite lucky to have such a stubborn and loyal guy that won't let her throw away their relationship for fear of making things difficult for him. Fian also has to deal with some issues himself, but he's an all around solid character.

The plot progresses without major twists but instead keeps on building up the the climax of a cliffhanger ending and leaves us hanging till the next book is released!

Earth Star doesn't suffer from the middle book syndrome, instead it gives the overall plot of the series a new twist and rises the stakes up a notch! Very well deserved 4 stars!

[Kathylill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book not as good as the first one. Jarra's relationship with her boyfriend was rather boring: I mean they get engaged with rings and all.

But the plot is full of action and I really wanted to know what happend with the aliens. I found it rather unrealistic that Jarra is now in the military with a hight rank and a lot of responsibility. I don't have the impression that Jarra really grows up. She hasn't changed at all.

The story is well paced, but I rather wanted to know more about her interactions with her friends than the military. All in all a rather boring experience

[Mandapanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, interesting premise but very much a children's book. Jarra is given ridiculously unbelievable promotions and responsibilities (e.g. suddenly made a 'Major' in the military and put in charge of the archaeological dig for the alien device which will save the world). Her boyfriend is given lots of promotions too just because he's... her boyfriend! Her constant whining and resentment of being an 'ape' is not ringing true considering the accolades and admiration she receives on every page.

[Anya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Earth Star by Janet Edwards in the second book in the Earth Girl series and continues Jarra’s adventures in the far future where humans have invented interstellar portals, but one in a thousand babies are born unable to survive on any planet other than Earth. Earth Star picks up shortly after Earth Girl and makes it clear that humankind has much bigger issues than anyone suspected ;-). The awesome messages about acceptance and the horrible pain that discrimination causes continue in Earth Star, but the plot was even better than book one and I literally couldn’t read Earth Star fast enough! I cannot recommend this series enough to fans of sci-fi :D.
Note: I received Earth Star from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.



Earth Star by Janet Edwards (Earth Girl #2)
Published by Pyr on April 15th, 2014
Genres: Sci-fi, YA
Length: 285 pages
How I got my copy: Publisher

Eighteen-year-old Jarra has a lot to prove. After being awarded one of the military's highest honors for her role in a daring rescue attempt, Jarra finds herself - and her Ape status - in the spotlight. Jarra is one of the unlucky few born with an immune system that cannot survive on other planets. Derided as an "ape"- a "throwback" - by the rest of the universe, Jarra is on a mission to prove that Earth Girls are just as good as anyone else.

Except now the planet she loves is under threat by what could be humanity's first ever alien contact. Jarra's bravery - and specialist knowledge - will once again be at the center of the maelstrom, but will the rest of the universe consider Earth worth fighting for?

Strengths:
Earth Star had me gripping the covers with white knuckles and reading as fast as I could. It is full of edge-of-your-seat excitement and tension, even while Jarra is working at an archeological dig site. We know from book one that Jarra is not immune to horrendous injury and death can happen at dig sites, so in combination with the alien mystery sphere showing up in Earth Star, the day to day work adds up to a lot of tension in the best possible way ;-).
Jarra continues to be her wonderful and snarky self, but in Earth Star the banter with secondary characters has really ramped up. Since Jarra is finally surrounded by actual friends, there are a lot of absolutely hilarious dialogue moments.
Fian is so freaking adorable and his and Jarra’s relationship gets a lot more depth added to it in Earth Star. Now that the goofy/joyful honeymoon period of their relationship is over, they have to deal with all of the various issues you can imagine would crop up with parents and future planning. I was really happy to see actual responsible relationship discussions between them when they weren’t being adorkable ;-).
The prejudice and discrimination that Jarra deals with in Earth Star is both similar and different than what she dealt with in Earth Girl. I very much appreciated how these elements were handled, since Jarra now does have a lot of allies, but still wants to stand up for herself. More than anything, I love the painful but important first-person portrayal of fighting against and tolerating bigotry through Jarra.
So, I really freaking love alien stories when they are done well. I have frequently sat back and tried to logically think through how we might encounter intelligent alien life and how we would react as a world. Therefore, I was ecstatic to see how Earth Star handled a possible alien encounter. I kept worrying that it would get cheesy and it never did; it was blissfully realistic to the very end :D.
Jarra travels a bit more in Earth Star, so we get a much fuller picture of what Earth looks like in her time and how their history (and therefore our future) played out to lead to Jarra’s time. I especially liked the emphasis on the loss of technology due to the crash of the Internet, so that humankind in Jarra’s time have recovered and surpassed some knowledge, but not even close to all of it.

Weaknesses:
There are a couple of times in Earth Star where Jarra is recording information for the public and it is clearly a wonderful opportunity to dump information on the reader. I enjoyed the information, though once I got to the second page of it, I couldn’t help but notice how densely it was conveyed.
Jarra is telling the story of Earth Star in her typical Jarra style, but she sometimes veers off into introspection that takes away from the pacing of the story while reminding the reader of a previous event.

Summary:
Earth Star is an amazing sequel to a very fun and fresh sci-fi story. It beautifully combines a moving portrayal of humankind’s tendency to unfounded prejudice with a fast-paced and addicting story of what we might actually do when confronted with a mysterious and alien technology for the first time. Jarra continues to be a spunky, sometimes impulsive, but always clever main character. Her relationships with both Fian and her true friends deepen remarkably in Earth Star, which is probably a good thing given what they have to deal with this time around! I am sorely tempted to order the final book of this trilogy from the UK just so I can read it that much sooner ;-).

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much for young people. Entertaining. Nothing deep. Worth reading.

[Kribu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Earth Girl a great deal - enough to pre-order Earth Star, even though I was a little worried: would the second book stand up? Would it be as good?

It did, and it was. I'm sort of hovering between four and five stars here, really - it's only a few minor things that don't quite allow me to give it the full five (which I'm trying hard not to hand out happily to every single book I've enjoyed).

Anyway. The story in Earth Star picks up very soon from where Earth Girl ended, and builds directly on the events of that first book, so I'm rather glad I didn't have a long wait between the two (although major points are recapped, briefly). Jarra, the main character, is a bit more balanced and clearly a bit more mature in this one - she's still a teenager, and she's not done a 180° turn, obviously, so there's still some impulsiveness, some hesitation, trouble with opening up and all that, which makes a lot of sense, but I've enjoyed seeing her actually develop from the (understandably) angry girl of the first book into someone who will almost certainly become a mature adult some day.

I'm generally not one for teen romance in books, but I have to say I like Jarra and Fian. Fian is such a thoroughly decent young man, which is so refreshing. He's a capable, intelligent boy; he's not a doormat, and he's got enough sense to put his foot down when needed, and he's just genuinely decent, funny and respectful (when needed) that, well ... as I said, it's a refreshing change from all the usual dangerous bad boys in YA books. (Also, no triangles. And while Jarra and Fian hit it off pretty quickly in the first book, it doesn't come off as the usual YA insta-love - there's physical attraction, certainly, but they've also got problems, and they're actually working at their relationship.)

Also, I adore Playdon. Like Fian, he's just also so thoroughly decent. It's so nice to have characters like that. I was really hoping that this book would continue enough from the first one to keep the same cast of characters, and it did - and to my great relief Playdon was still in it, too. :D

As far as plot goes ... on the one hand, when I'm being a realist, it is, of course, rather silly to believe that the military would draft an 18-year-old - granted, an 18-year-old with skills and experience far above average for her age group, but still a relatively inexperienced 18-year-old - into a significant role for a First Contact situation. We all know it wouldn't happen - not on 21st century Earth, and probably not some centuries in the future either.

On the other hand, a relatively inexperienced teenager taking charge and achieving the impossible is a staple of YA fiction, speculative and otherwise. There's a legion of very young literary heroes doing the impossible - and being handed the responsibility to do stuff by their elders. It's a convention of the genre, and one where I'm perfectly willing to suspend disbelief. In this particular case, I appreciated how this was actually pointed out, repeatedly, by Jarra herself - and how there was at least a good attempt to explain it in the narrative, to give reasons for it. And the way it happened, basically going from Jarra being drafted to flush out the more prejudiced members of the Alien Contact teams to deciding to make her the face of the campaign (after she made some good suggestions and offered a fresh and different angle), while making it very clear that the experienced people, the experts, were doing most of the hard behind-the-scenes work - that worked for me well enough.

Niggling issue (that is at least partly responsible for the loss of that fifth star): I loved Playdon "flashing his evil grin" the first three times or so. But at one point in the middle of the book, it happened just way too often. Half the times would have sufficed.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The students of University Asgard’s Pre-History Foundation course are returning to Earth after a short break. Except for Jarra, who cannot leave due to her faulty immune system, and her twoing partner, Fian. They are moving from New York to the Eden dig site in Africa to continue their studies at Earth’s last new city. Surrounded by reclaimed rainforest, this site poses a whole new set of risks but Jarra and Fian are called away suddenly by the military; the Alien Contact programme has been activated.

I was quite excited when I started reading this and the alien sphere lurking above Earth was revealed. It could go two ways, destruction of planet earth or new found friends (was anyone else thinking they could be the key to a cure for the handicapped?). However the sphere isn’t doing much of anything and the military gather experts from all fields to work out what the risk of attack is. And what on Earth they should do about it. Literally on Earth, which has its own special problems. They can’t just evacuate the planet because the handicapped can’t leave, Jarra among them. Whilst some think the handicapped are an acceptable loss, the military is fortunately on Jarra’s side.

The realism maybe cuts down on the tension. It’s believable that there would be quiet times and it’s sensible for Jarra to return to normal life in-between things happening, but this is fiction and it takes away from the pace. This isn’t a race against time alien invasion but an archaeological adventure as before. And as we all know, archaeology done well takes time. I still enjoyed the history in the future aspect and the excavation scenes are oddly gripping. Earth has turned against humanity and the once safe cities are now death-traps. So moving some debris can be a life or death situation.

In the first book it felt a lot more like the world was against Jarra but now everything seems to fall in her lap. Things were just solved a little too simply in many ways, however I was very glad during a certain scene in the hospital where Fian veered her away from a stupid life choice. Which might have seemed like the perfect solution to her. Maybe the easy solutions were to contrast Jarra’s dramatics and over-thinking. She worries about something, but as soon as it stops being Jarra against the world and she trusts someone, things turn out to be easy.

There were some lovely scenes with the supporting characters and I loved the new locations on Earth. Especially Jarra’s brief visit to the pyramids. Do we meet aliens? Well that would be telling but one thing, the end will make you wish the next book was here right now. Bring on the future.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Earth Girl several years ago when it first came out in the U.K. and loved it. I mean, how could I not, with one of the main characters having the same last name as me. Even though I loved it, for whatever reason I never continued with the series. Recently, I was going through my unfinished series shelf on Goodreads, and saw that the rest of the series was still on there, so I decided to pick up the second book, Earth Star. I'm so glad I did. It was absolute perfection.

Even though it had been a while since I had read Earth Girl, I was able to jump into Earth Star right away without having to re-read Earth Girl, or being lost. There were very mini recaps throughout the book on what had happened in the first book, which I really enjoyed. It made the book easier to read, and helped to fill in some of the details. In no time, I remembered everything that happened, and was able to immerse myself back into the world again, which was exciting for me because it's one of my favorite settings/worlds out of all of the books I've read. Janet Edwards has a way of writing worlds that makes the reader so immersed in the book, they feel like they are right there with Jarra, going through the dig sites and other challenges she has to face on Earth.

Speaking of Jarra, I love how much she matured in Earth Star. She had a lot thrust onto her plate. I enjoyed how she dealt with her new status, and was able to figure out how to deal with the perks and disadvantages that came with it. No matter what anyone said or did, she always held her head up high, and didn't let it get to her. I also enjoyed watching her relationships with those around her change and evolve. It was great to see her interact with her dig site teammates, and to watch them go from being teammates to friends. I love the dynamic between her and Fian. I hope it continues onto the next book. I can't wait to see their relationship go to the next level.

I thought Earth Star was the perfect sequel to Earth Girl. It had everything I wanted in the sequel, and more. I'm excited to read the final book in the series, and see where the storyline continues. I can't wait to experience more of Jarra and the rest of the crew's adventures, and see them all mature together. I also want to read more of Janet Edwards other books. I have a feeling once I finish the Earth Girl trilogy, she's going to become an automatic one-click author.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

*Received in exchange for an honest review*
*Big thank you to Harper Voyager*

An absolutely brilliant to sequel to what was an amazing first book! This book was even more captivating than Earth Girl, with the characters given even more depth and an introduction to some truly wonderful characters. Everything was so much more intense and there was so much more action in it. I really enjoyed it. It isn't a series that I would usually read, but having read so many raving reviews about the series, I am so glad that I took the plunge.

Earth Star pics up where Earth Girl finished off. Jarra has finally come clean about being a Handicap and we find that there is some friction between her and some of the students. I'm really glad that the book displayed realistic elements. It was nice to read a book which displayed the wrongs in both Jarra's judgement of the 'Norms' but also that these prejudices against the Handicap exist. The majority of the class is accepting but it was nice to read something which wasn't radical either way. There was no radical hatred of Jarra but there was also no 'oh wow it doesn't matter we all still love you' etc. Nice and realistic in a sci-fi setting.

I loved the development between Jarra and Fian. They're Twoing is going really well, but they are also still getting to know each other. It reads as something so fresh and it isn't too full on. I love that Ms. Edwards managers to make the subject of sex entirely hysterical. The fact that most of the characters use the word 'legs' to describe your bum is brilliant. It made me think of how sex is treated as such a taboo subject in a lot of YA literature, and I read it as a mocking of this, although I'm not sure if this is how it was intended.

The inclusion of the military within this novel is great. It adds so much more tension and is described in such a realistic way. It is an easy book to lose yourself in and I love that. What I most enjoy is that, perhaps in the distant future, something like this is possible. Although the novel is science-fiction and deals with a variety of planets, I really didn't see the events within the book as something impossible. It made for a brilliant read and I highly, highly recommend it!

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure where the review is for the first time I read this book, but I have to say that I enjoyed it just as much the second time and had managed to forget enough in between to not remember everything that went on, which in this sort of novel is rather helpful.

Due to some specific things about her and what she's done, Jarra finds herself in the spotlight when what could be the first contact with sentient, advanced aliens. Although she is bound to earth due to an immune problem that hits 1/1000 people, the contact is happening on earth, not on a distant planet, and she becomes part of the team that is working on humans' First Contact. Yes, she's only 18--this is young adult--but then Alexander was just a teen when he became a general (and he's not the only teen in history to do amazing things), so it's just possible enough that a rare teen might have the ability needed. Also, brain flexibility and thinking outside of the box is frequently the domain of the young (most brilliant mathematicians that make huge breakthroughs do it by the age of 21; physicist by the time they are in their 30s) so there a few intuitive things she comes up with that I thought quite believable within this entirely unbelievable future where one travels to other planets by stepping into a portal.

[Leslie Nettleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are so many things I love about this book. I love the setting, and the world building, and the premise of the world. ---- but I have to agree with many other reviewers that say the main character is not believable. I can go all in on worlds where teenagers have amazing skills and do heroic things- but not all the time---especially when there are generations of capable adults around. In this case, Jarra is too perfect. I can believe that she is skilled at Earth things, as she has spent her life on Earth--- I can even believe that she can be good at other things, like flying and history. But I can't believe that a teenage girl is given the rank of Major and is the only one who can save the earth and is the only one who knows things about the flora and fauna and caves. All of those experts and all of those professionals have to wait around for her to educate them and to get her next big idea, and then she is the only one who can execute it. And her constant giggling.... I wish she laughed, or guffawed, or snorted or did anything but giggle. Her only flaw is she doesn't express her emotions? (except for giggling?) Really-- flaws are good! I don't think I'll read the third book.

[Steffi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es ist eine Ewigkeit her, dass ich den ersten Teil der Earth Girl Reihe gelesen habe, aber für eine Challenge habe ich dann endlich mal den zweiten Teil vom Sub befreit.

Ich habe ein wenig gebraucht, um wieder in die Geschehnisse reinzufinden und mich an Ereignisse zu erinnern. Da mich der erste Teil nicht so wirklich begeistert hattte, waren meine Erwartungen an das Buch relativ gering. Ich muss sagen, dass es mir dafür dann aber doch ganz gut gefallen hat.

Es gab immer wieder spannende und interessante Ansätze, die für meinen Geschmack dann aber manchmal zu schnell vergessen oder nur angerissen worden sind. So haben sich für mich immer wieder Längen eingeschlichen und es kam des öfteren auch Langeweile auf. Hier wäre Potenzial für eine spannendere und flüssigere Geschichte da gewesen.

Das Setting habe ich diesmal als deutlich besser ausgearbeitet empfunden und ich fand die Welt sehr interessant. Dennoch hatte ich ein paar Probleme mir vorzustellen wie die diese neuen Welten funktionieren.

[Maya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. Maybe I've spent too much time reading dystopian novels because this book felt ridiculously, unrealistically chipper. Main character Jarra can do anything: lead military teams without experience, recover from PTSD just like that, and outsmart everyone all while giggling and proclaiming "it was zan!!!"

The good: Fantastic imaging of transport technology, far future location, portrayal of archeology and history as exciting, and an interesting premise (handicapped = people with genetic condition that won't let them go off-world). Probably best appreciated by imaginative, optimistic teens.