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Dove Chronicles #1
Dove Arising
Fans of Ender's Game and The Maze Runner will love this smart sci-fi debut!
Phaet Theta has lived her whole life in a colony on the Moon. She’s barely spoken since her father died in an accident nine years ago. She cultivates the plants in Greenhouse 22, lets her best friend talk for her, and stays off the government’s radar.
Then her mother is arrested.
The only way to save her younger siblings from the degrading Shelter is by enlisting in the Militia, the faceless army that polices the Lunar bases and protects them from attacks by desperate Earth dwellers. Training is brutal, but it’s where Phaet forms an uneasy but meaningful alliance with the preternaturally accomplished Wes, a fellow outsider.
Rank high, save her siblings, free her mom: that’s the plan. Until Phaet’s logically ordered world begins to crumble...
Suspenseful, intelligent, and hauntingly prescient, Dove Arising stands on the shoulders of our greatest tales of the future to tell a story that is all too relevant today.
Phaet Theta has lived her whole life in a colony on the Moon. She’s barely spoken since her father died in an accident nine years ago. She cultivates the plants in Greenhouse 22, lets her best friend talk for her, and stays off the government’s radar.
Then her mother is arrested.
The only way to save her younger siblings from the degrading Shelter is by enlisting in the Militia, the faceless army that polices the Lunar bases and protects them from attacks by desperate Earth dwellers. Training is brutal, but it’s where Phaet forms an uneasy but meaningful alliance with the preternaturally accomplished Wes, a fellow outsider.
Rank high, save her siblings, free her mom: that’s the plan. Until Phaet’s logically ordered world begins to crumble...
Suspenseful, intelligent, and hauntingly prescient, Dove Arising stands on the shoulders of our greatest tales of the future to tell a story that is all too relevant today.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published February 24, 2015
65 people are currently reading
5023 people want to read
About the author
Karen Bao
5 books185 followersKaren Jialu Bao does science in the lab, then goes home and writes about it. A Ph.D. candidate at Harvard University, she studies mosquito brains by blasting them with an electron beam. She has eight ear piercings for no reason. Her favorite activities include cooking, tending her plants, singing, and playing her violin. She is the author of Pangu’s Shadow (Lerner, 2024), the Dove Chronicles trilogy (Penguin Teen), and a contributor to the upcoming YA anthology (AB)SOLUTELY NORMAL (Candlewick Press, 2023).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 322 reviews
February 8, 2017
DNF at 40%
I was so excited and looking forward to reading this book, and was beyond excited when I was approved through the Penguin First to Read program. Ultimately there were a few too many issues for me to enjoy this book.
I really should start re-reading the summary blurbs before starting the book - it might save me a lot of concerns and issues. Instead, I spent the first 15% irritated that the main character, Phaet, hadn't said a single word or responded in any sort of way to anyone that spoke to her. Even so, I'll buy the selective-mute aspect of her personality, especially in a society where the likelihood of someone listening is always high, but there could have been some sort of response. Instead she just internally mused, endlessly. Someone asks a question, she thinks about it. Someone states something, she considers it. Someone requests, she contemplates. Then she randomly starts speaking, still sparsely, but it was already beyond irritating to me. I'm not a huge fan of always being in someone's head, hearing about what things are happening and not feeling like we're participating in the scenes as they're happening. There's also the fact that Phaet prickly personality reminded me a lot of Katniss (The Hunger Games) and it's not the first similarity I noted to other books.
The world-building felt patched together. There's a world where people have given up their essential freedoms in order to be kept "safe" on this Lunar colony. But the liberties that have been supplanted are random and don't make sense for a society that is truly concerned with the number of population. There's no regulation on the number of children, or mating ages/rules. There's rent and Committee fees, food costs, and low paying jobs. There are ridiculous laws against any number of things, and there's Big Brother watching all the time through their handscreens - which also provide convenient information about other characters.
Both characters and world, if not done well, are enough to make it so I don't enjoy a book. However, this book also had the issue of not having an actual plot. Phaet ends up at a Militia training facility, trying to earn enough money to support her family and save her mother, but there's no real inducement to any of her actions. She's kind of just going along, doing the bare minimum that she has to do - until she has to do more. Even so, it never feels really necessary. It's just one girl's struggle, and honestly I kept waiting for the moment when "Phaet's logically ordered world begins to crumble..." But by 41% into the book there was just...nothing.
Back to those similarities that I was mentioning - Phaet's personality reminds me a lot of Katniss, the training reminds me a lot of Tris' in Divergent, the unrequited love interest (as her oldest friend) reminds me a lot of Gale and Katniss' dynamic. Then there's the new boy, who's quiet and mysterious and trying to help Phaet out....and he just might have feelings for her that are a bit more, which - of course - reminds me of Peeta. I could draw comparisons to scenes that I've seen in Ender's Game about the simulations of ship battles.
There's just nothing there to keep me wanting to read on. I do wish I knew what happened, or if there was something worth continuing for, but not enough to keep pushing myself through a book that's doing nothing to hook me.
I was so excited and looking forward to reading this book, and was beyond excited when I was approved through the Penguin First to Read program. Ultimately there were a few too many issues for me to enjoy this book.
I really should start re-reading the summary blurbs before starting the book - it might save me a lot of concerns and issues. Instead, I spent the first 15% irritated that the main character, Phaet, hadn't said a single word or responded in any sort of way to anyone that spoke to her. Even so, I'll buy the selective-mute aspect of her personality, especially in a society where the likelihood of someone listening is always high, but there could have been some sort of response. Instead she just internally mused, endlessly. Someone asks a question, she thinks about it. Someone states something, she considers it. Someone requests, she contemplates. Then she randomly starts speaking, still sparsely, but it was already beyond irritating to me. I'm not a huge fan of always being in someone's head, hearing about what things are happening and not feeling like we're participating in the scenes as they're happening. There's also the fact that Phaet prickly personality reminded me a lot of Katniss (The Hunger Games) and it's not the first similarity I noted to other books.
The world-building felt patched together. There's a world where people have given up their essential freedoms in order to be kept "safe" on this Lunar colony. But the liberties that have been supplanted are random and don't make sense for a society that is truly concerned with the number of population. There's no regulation on the number of children, or mating ages/rules. There's rent and Committee fees, food costs, and low paying jobs. There are ridiculous laws against any number of things, and there's Big Brother watching all the time through their handscreens - which also provide convenient information about other characters.
Both characters and world, if not done well, are enough to make it so I don't enjoy a book. However, this book also had the issue of not having an actual plot. Phaet ends up at a Militia training facility, trying to earn enough money to support her family and save her mother, but there's no real inducement to any of her actions. She's kind of just going along, doing the bare minimum that she has to do - until she has to do more. Even so, it never feels really necessary. It's just one girl's struggle, and honestly I kept waiting for the moment when "Phaet's logically ordered world begins to crumble..." But by 41% into the book there was just...nothing.
Back to those similarities that I was mentioning - Phaet's personality reminds me a lot of Katniss, the training reminds me a lot of Tris' in Divergent, the unrequited love interest (as her oldest friend) reminds me a lot of Gale and Katniss' dynamic. Then there's the new boy, who's quiet and mysterious and trying to help Phaet out....and he just might have feelings for her that are a bit more, which - of course - reminds me of Peeta. I could draw comparisons to scenes that I've seen in Ender's Game about the simulations of ship battles.
There's just nothing there to keep me wanting to read on. I do wish I knew what happened, or if there was something worth continuing for, but not enough to keep pushing myself through a book that's doing nothing to hook me.
January 29, 2015
2.5 Stars
I am kind of having a hard time figuring out my thoughts about this book. On one hand, it was enjoyable and I liked the characters. On the other hand, there were some flaws and some parts that seemed like they were straight out of Divergent, among other books.
First of all, this book is set on the moon. The moon. That is pretty fantastic in itself. Of course, things on the moon are not all happy and wonderful, because that would be a boring book. But when it starts, Phaet (pronounced like Fate) is fifteen and really into plants and hanging out with her friend Umbriel. (If she'd shot at some turkeys, we'd just call her Katniss.) Phaet is a quiet character, not particularly outgoing or emotive. Things are copacetic until her mom is taken away to quarantine for having some kind of space-pox. (No, it isn't called that, I don't remember what it is called.) Suddenly, Phaet and her siblings are pretty much broke and aren't going to be able to pay the bills, since Mom won't be working. They turn to Umbriel's family for help, but the most help Umbriel's mom can muster is a quick point in the direction of the public shelter.
So what is the most obvious choice for a girl who likes to sit in a greenhouse? Of course, it's joining the military!! The military pays the recruits who score the highest in their recruit testing (read: Dauntless initiation), and offers them elite (and higher paying) jobs. Obviously, no one in Phaet's family thinks this is a good plan, probably because she is fifteen and has zero experience and it is kind of an awful plan. But alas, on the moon I guess it's fine to be fifteen and in the military, so off she goes.
Things get a bit more exciting during the testing/training when Phaet meets Wes, who is a few years older and has quite a bit of experience. He helps her to train after hours so that she stands a chance with the recruits who are all a few years older than her. Phaet even makes some female friends, which does help to show her personality a bit more. Things get insanely Dauntless-y when some jerks who think they are "owed" good positions start attacking people who are ranking higher, there are some fighting tests, and of course, space capture the flag.
Despite her rather ornery temperament, I liked Phaet. She was in a particularly tough situation, and I admired her for wanting to protect her family. Plus, as she came out of her shell, she became far more likable. I also enjoyed her interactions with Wes far more than her interactions with Umbriel. In fact, I didn't particularly like Umbriel as a character. At first he seemed protective of Phaet and her family, but there were times he almost seemed controlling, which was a turn off. I also rather enjoyed Phaet's interactions with her siblings, especially because they seemed pretty honest. Sometimes they loved each other fiercely, and other times they fought as siblings do, which was refreshing since it was neither all of one or the other.
The world building of the colony that Phaet lived in was pretty good, especially in the military training situations. I didn't have a great feel for the moon/Earth as a whole, but I would assume there will be more of that in the next books.
There's also a huge other part of the story that comes into play later, but I don't want to spoil anything. So just be aware that the whole book isn't just Phaet training for the military, there are other plot points that will be revealed. Some of the plot points were a bit too convenient, but some worked well. My main problem with the convenience of the plot points was that they kind of made parts of the story seem really far fetched (which it already did since we're talking a fifteen year old training to become military elite).
Bottom Line: Despite my complaints, the book is quite entertaining, and I liked the growth that Phaet underwent. She had to grow up quite quickly, which was sad in a sense, but also inspiring. There was enough going on that I found it enjoyable, and there were definitely plenty of questions for a sequel. I will most likely read the next book, because I do want to know what happens to Phaet, her family, Wes, (and fine, I guess Umbriel too).
**Copy provided by publisher for review**
This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight
I am kind of having a hard time figuring out my thoughts about this book. On one hand, it was enjoyable and I liked the characters. On the other hand, there were some flaws and some parts that seemed like they were straight out of Divergent, among other books.
First of all, this book is set on the moon. The moon. That is pretty fantastic in itself. Of course, things on the moon are not all happy and wonderful, because that would be a boring book. But when it starts, Phaet (pronounced like Fate) is fifteen and really into plants and hanging out with her friend Umbriel. (If she'd shot at some turkeys, we'd just call her Katniss.) Phaet is a quiet character, not particularly outgoing or emotive. Things are copacetic until her mom is taken away to quarantine for having some kind of space-pox. (No, it isn't called that, I don't remember what it is called.) Suddenly, Phaet and her siblings are pretty much broke and aren't going to be able to pay the bills, since Mom won't be working. They turn to Umbriel's family for help, but the most help Umbriel's mom can muster is a quick point in the direction of the public shelter.
So what is the most obvious choice for a girl who likes to sit in a greenhouse? Of course, it's joining the military!! The military pays the recruits who score the highest in their recruit testing (read: Dauntless initiation), and offers them elite (and higher paying) jobs. Obviously, no one in Phaet's family thinks this is a good plan, probably because she is fifteen and has zero experience and it is kind of an awful plan. But alas, on the moon I guess it's fine to be fifteen and in the military, so off she goes.
Things get a bit more exciting during the testing/training when Phaet meets Wes, who is a few years older and has quite a bit of experience. He helps her to train after hours so that she stands a chance with the recruits who are all a few years older than her. Phaet even makes some female friends, which does help to show her personality a bit more. Things get insanely Dauntless-y when some jerks who think they are "owed" good positions start attacking people who are ranking higher, there are some fighting tests, and of course, space capture the flag.
Despite her rather ornery temperament, I liked Phaet. She was in a particularly tough situation, and I admired her for wanting to protect her family. Plus, as she came out of her shell, she became far more likable. I also enjoyed her interactions with Wes far more than her interactions with Umbriel. In fact, I didn't particularly like Umbriel as a character. At first he seemed protective of Phaet and her family, but there were times he almost seemed controlling, which was a turn off. I also rather enjoyed Phaet's interactions with her siblings, especially because they seemed pretty honest. Sometimes they loved each other fiercely, and other times they fought as siblings do, which was refreshing since it was neither all of one or the other.
The world building of the colony that Phaet lived in was pretty good, especially in the military training situations. I didn't have a great feel for the moon/Earth as a whole, but I would assume there will be more of that in the next books.
There's also a huge other part of the story that comes into play later, but I don't want to spoil anything. So just be aware that the whole book isn't just Phaet training for the military, there are other plot points that will be revealed. Some of the plot points were a bit too convenient, but some worked well. My main problem with the convenience of the plot points was that they kind of made parts of the story seem really far fetched (which it already did since we're talking a fifteen year old training to become military elite).
Bottom Line: Despite my complaints, the book is quite entertaining, and I liked the growth that Phaet underwent. She had to grow up quite quickly, which was sad in a sense, but also inspiring. There was enough going on that I found it enjoyable, and there were definitely plenty of questions for a sequel. I will most likely read the next book, because I do want to know what happens to Phaet, her family, Wes, (and fine, I guess Umbriel too).
**Copy provided by publisher for review**
This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight
January 27, 2020
I liked the story idea of going off to military school to save your mother. I feel the story lagged in a lot of spots. Felt myself bored and withdrawn from the characters. Like how many times did they have to say she was 15. She was the youngest. She was the smallest. Like oh well. I get that. I really wanted to like this one. Just wasn't that into it.
Read
May 6, 2015I'm not the most experienced sci-fi reader, but somehow the idea of a book set on the moon really captured my imagination. While I did find much to like about this book, there were also some things that prevented me from loving it.
For me, Dove Arising started out strong. We see Phaet and her best friend Umbriel working in the greenhouses, where food for her moon colony is genetically engineered. We also see cool futuristic technology -- maybe you joke about your phone being glued to your hand? In this world, that's exactly where your personal screen is implanted.
I liked Phaet as a narrator -- she had a precise, intelligent way of telling a story that resonated with me as a reader. She's an interesting character -- obviously smart, yet when she's with Umbriel and her family, she speaks very little.
The conflict in the book also started out strong. Phaet has a younger brother and sister, and the kids are a close-knit group after the death of their father. When Phaet's mother is imprisoned, Phaet has to either come up with money or be sent to a dismal shelter with her siblings. But she thinks of a third alternative: she'll join the military. This led into a long training sequence that marked the point when the book started to unravel a bit for me. The plotline about Phaet's mother gets put on the back burner so the plot can turn to a Divergent-like fight club with a scoreboard. I was not interested in this, and sad to have lost that feeling of being on the moon. The book finally got back to Phaet's mom and siblings, but by that point I'd sort of forgotten the details of that subplot and when it was revealed that a certain character did something bad, I had to page back to figure out who that person even was.
While I'm not sure this trilogy is going to be for me, I definitely think the book -- and its writer -- have many strengths. I thought the characters and premise had promise, but the plot meandered (or stalled in the middle?) too much for my taste.
And I miss the old cover! This new one is not nearly as good.
For me, Dove Arising started out strong. We see Phaet and her best friend Umbriel working in the greenhouses, where food for her moon colony is genetically engineered. We also see cool futuristic technology -- maybe you joke about your phone being glued to your hand? In this world, that's exactly where your personal screen is implanted.
I liked Phaet as a narrator -- she had a precise, intelligent way of telling a story that resonated with me as a reader. She's an interesting character -- obviously smart, yet when she's with Umbriel and her family, she speaks very little.
The conflict in the book also started out strong. Phaet has a younger brother and sister, and the kids are a close-knit group after the death of their father. When Phaet's mother is imprisoned, Phaet has to either come up with money or be sent to a dismal shelter with her siblings. But she thinks of a third alternative: she'll join the military. This led into a long training sequence that marked the point when the book started to unravel a bit for me. The plotline about Phaet's mother gets put on the back burner so the plot can turn to a Divergent-like fight club with a scoreboard. I was not interested in this, and sad to have lost that feeling of being on the moon. The book finally got back to Phaet's mom and siblings, but by that point I'd sort of forgotten the details of that subplot and when it was revealed that a certain character did something bad, I had to page back to figure out who that person even was.
While I'm not sure this trilogy is going to be for me, I definitely think the book -- and its writer -- have many strengths. I thought the characters and premise had promise, but the plot meandered (or stalled in the middle?) too much for my taste.
And I miss the old cover! This new one is not nearly as good.
August 18, 2019
This was a decent sci-fi dystopian story set on the moon. 15 year old Phaet (pronounced Fate) joins the Moon’s military for the pay needed to pay her mom’s medical bills and support her siblings. If she makes it to the top of her class, she’ll become a Sergeant which will give her enough pay to continue supporting her family.
There was some really great sci-fi tech in here, and I really enjoyed Phaet and Wes's friendship. The book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger so I need to find out what happens next!
I have the 2nd book pulled and plan to start it tonight.
There was some really great sci-fi tech in here, and I really enjoyed Phaet and Wes's friendship. The book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger so I need to find out what happens next!
I have the 2nd book pulled and plan to start it tonight.
September 22, 2025
#️⃣4️⃣6️⃣9️⃣ Read & Reviewed in 2025 💔🩸
Date : 🚀 Sunday, September 14, 2025 🚫🔻❌
Word Count📃: 85k Words 🧨🔪🎈
⋆⭒𓆟⋆｡˚𖦹𓆜✩⋆ >-;;;;€ᐷ °‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡
( ˶°ㅁ°) !! My 43th read in "READING AS MANY BOOKS AS I CANNN 😢 cuz smth....happened.....irl.........😥" September ⚡
4️⃣🌟, underrated gemmmm 💎💎💎💎💎💎💎
——————————————————————
➕➖0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟✖️➗
Sci-fi story about Theta saving her siblings, her mother, basically her entire family so that they can meet together once again and be in each other's embrace 💓 without financial problems cuz GURL THEY BROKE AF ✊😔. It is a sci-fi story with many action scenes and many other interesting characters that we meet along the way especially when she goes through this journey and meets a new group of friends that helps and support her in defeating enemies and villains for the *kaching kaching* 🪙🫰💰💰💵🤑. She joins the military and funds enough money to save her dying mom
It is a pretty simple story so it doesn't take anything too serious like the world building and the characters. Like a light fun dystopian sci-fi fit for a quick read. I admit its kinda pretty stupid but its not that bad really. Mildly good world-building and exciting action scenes.
Date : 🚀 Sunday, September 14, 2025 🚫🔻❌
Word Count📃: 85k Words 🧨🔪🎈
⋆⭒𓆟⋆｡˚𖦹𓆜✩⋆ >-;;;;€ᐷ °‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡
( ˶°ㅁ°) !! My 43th read in "READING AS MANY BOOKS AS I CANNN 😢 cuz smth....happened.....irl.........😥" September ⚡
4️⃣🌟, underrated gemmmm 💎💎💎💎💎💎💎
——————————————————————
➕➖0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟✖️➗
Sci-fi story about Theta saving her siblings, her mother, basically her entire family so that they can meet together once again and be in each other's embrace 💓 without financial problems cuz GURL THEY BROKE AF ✊😔. It is a sci-fi story with many action scenes and many other interesting characters that we meet along the way especially when she goes through this journey and meets a new group of friends that helps and support her in defeating enemies and villains for the *kaching kaching* 🪙🫰💰💰💵🤑. She joins the military and funds enough money to save her dying mom
It is a pretty simple story so it doesn't take anything too serious like the world building and the characters. Like a light fun dystopian sci-fi fit for a quick read. I admit its kinda pretty stupid but its not that bad really. Mildly good world-building and exciting action scenes.
May 11, 2019
This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
I received an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
MY THOUGHTS
I guess I have an odd soft spot for dystopian books. I think I read only the first sentence of the synopsis and immediately added it to my TBR list! A dystopian society on the moon? Yes please! And this was a good book.
Phaet lives in a Moon colony with her sister, brother, and mom. When her mom is taken into quarantine for having a fever, Phaet and her siblings are sent to live in Shelter. To avoid having her siblings live in that horrible environment, Phaet enlists in the Militia, despite her young age of 15. Phaet has to undergo brutal training in order to get to the top rankings, where she will make enough money to help her mother, who is now in jail.
I think my main problem in this book is just that it didn't catch my attention enough. I don't know. I felt like this book wasn't anything new in the dystopian genre. I've seen many books with plots similar to this, especially the Militia training scenes which reminded me of Tris training to be Dauntless in Divergent. I'm not accusing the author of copying or anything like that, Divergent wasn't the first book with this. And I still enjoyed the plot because I am a sucker for these dystopians. As far as world-building, it was nicely done. I did get a pretty good grasp on what it was like in the Moon colony. I did have issues with how little I seemed to know about the war between Earth and the Moon. I felt like I was told about it, but I never saw anything that hinted about it.
Characterization-wise, the main character is a great one. Phaet is very loyal to her family and it's obvious that she loves them. I also applaud her dedication to helping her family. It's not easy to give up your future and then go through training that can potentially damage you. Then she has to compete against a bunch of 18-year-olds. I really have to give this girl props. I would also like to mention that her family and friends see her as changed because of the training. She disagrees with them, but I do think she changed just not in a bad way as her friends and family say. She became stronger.
This book also has no romance by the way. That may change in future books, but there was no annoying romance to distract the plot. If you are one who avoids books with romance, this is a book you can pick up!
This book is a bit slow-paced for the most part though. A majority of the book is the training, but near the end of the book, there is a huge climax. A heaping load of events happen near the end and we find out about many important things. It takes a bit to get there, but it does get to be a very exciting book.
IN CONCLUSION
Overall, this isn't a new story. It's similar to other dystopians and it is a bit slow-paced, but the book really picks up near the end. I know I sound really nit-picky about this book, but I did like this book. It was very interesting with great characters and no romance! After the way this book ended, I am looking forward to the next book!
I received an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
MY THOUGHTS
I guess I have an odd soft spot for dystopian books. I think I read only the first sentence of the synopsis and immediately added it to my TBR list! A dystopian society on the moon? Yes please! And this was a good book.
Phaet lives in a Moon colony with her sister, brother, and mom. When her mom is taken into quarantine for having a fever, Phaet and her siblings are sent to live in Shelter. To avoid having her siblings live in that horrible environment, Phaet enlists in the Militia, despite her young age of 15. Phaet has to undergo brutal training in order to get to the top rankings, where she will make enough money to help her mother, who is now in jail.
I think my main problem in this book is just that it didn't catch my attention enough. I don't know. I felt like this book wasn't anything new in the dystopian genre. I've seen many books with plots similar to this, especially the Militia training scenes which reminded me of Tris training to be Dauntless in Divergent. I'm not accusing the author of copying or anything like that, Divergent wasn't the first book with this. And I still enjoyed the plot because I am a sucker for these dystopians. As far as world-building, it was nicely done. I did get a pretty good grasp on what it was like in the Moon colony. I did have issues with how little I seemed to know about the war between Earth and the Moon. I felt like I was told about it, but I never saw anything that hinted about it.
Characterization-wise, the main character is a great one. Phaet is very loyal to her family and it's obvious that she loves them. I also applaud her dedication to helping her family. It's not easy to give up your future and then go through training that can potentially damage you. Then she has to compete against a bunch of 18-year-olds. I really have to give this girl props. I would also like to mention that her family and friends see her as changed because of the training. She disagrees with them, but I do think she changed just not in a bad way as her friends and family say. She became stronger.
This book also has no romance by the way. That may change in future books, but there was no annoying romance to distract the plot. If you are one who avoids books with romance, this is a book you can pick up!
This book is a bit slow-paced for the most part though. A majority of the book is the training, but near the end of the book, there is a huge climax. A heaping load of events happen near the end and we find out about many important things. It takes a bit to get there, but it does get to be a very exciting book.
IN CONCLUSION
Overall, this isn't a new story. It's similar to other dystopians and it is a bit slow-paced, but the book really picks up near the end. I know I sound really nit-picky about this book, but I did like this book. It was very interesting with great characters and no romance! After the way this book ended, I am looking forward to the next book!
to-read-arc-or-galley
May 6, 2015Have a preview galley for this book, so I'll write a brief reflection on this soon. I'm also hoping to be able to read the full work on this eventually, whether by galley or for the actual release. *fingers crossed*
March 29, 2015
I received Dove Arising from the publisher via from First To Read in return for an honest review. Phaet lives on the moon she works in the garden and hopes to one day be a bioengineer. However that is never meant to happen when her mom becomes sick only to end up on trial and Phaet with her younger siblings is sent to shelter. Knowing the only way to take care of her siblings is to join the Militia Phaet signs up being one of the youngest trainees and not only does she succeed in finishing the training she ends up a high ranking Captain which will change her future and provide enough Sputniks to support her family.
With the money from graduation she’s able to bail out her mother and she will get a sooner trial allowing her to live at home till she meets the council. Upon rescuing her mother she learns that she’s been badly taken of and seeing her daughter dressed as a Captain takes a toll. At her mother’s request Phaet stays away because seeing her upset’s her so much. Phaet’s first assignment is to watch the Atrium patrol oversea the privates until an important assignment will be ready for her. Her assignment is quickly wearing her down as a baby sitter she doesn’t have anything really to do. With the upcoming trial for her mother only weeks away Phaet suddenly gets her new assignment to travel to earth and find out about a potential attack. Only problem she leaves the same day of her mother’s trial, will she go or stay risking it all. What about the reason her mother is on trial?
I liked Phaet she’s smart and choose to do what is needed for the family even if it changed the future she had been hoping for. I just didn’t love her like I wanted to I really tried to but I wasn’t able to connect with her. I felt her family and friend are to judgmental and I didn’t care for that, I was frustrated that they didn't support her.
I’ve had Dove Arising on my TBR for a long time and when I happened to win an advanced copy I couldn’t wait to dive right in. Right from the start I struggled with Phaet’s story she was a likeable character but not memorable and I spent most of the book wanting to love her but not. I think the author did a great job creating an interesting concept the idea of Earth vs the Moon colonies is still new and exciting for me. While the idea is awesome I just don’t think it was executed the story felt slow and like it dragged on. I’ve been picking up the book and putting it down for month lacking the motivation to start it. It’s taken me about 5 days to read it and the whole time I kept hoping it would get better. It’s just not fast paced enough for me, and I was hoping for more. The author’s writing style is a little overwhelming but overall it’s really not that bad. I think for a first book she did a great job and I plan to read the next one in the series because I would like to see what happens to Phaet because the last 40% was much better than the beginning.
With the money from graduation she’s able to bail out her mother and she will get a sooner trial allowing her to live at home till she meets the council. Upon rescuing her mother she learns that she’s been badly taken of and seeing her daughter dressed as a Captain takes a toll. At her mother’s request Phaet stays away because seeing her upset’s her so much. Phaet’s first assignment is to watch the Atrium patrol oversea the privates until an important assignment will be ready for her. Her assignment is quickly wearing her down as a baby sitter she doesn’t have anything really to do. With the upcoming trial for her mother only weeks away Phaet suddenly gets her new assignment to travel to earth and find out about a potential attack. Only problem she leaves the same day of her mother’s trial, will she go or stay risking it all. What about the reason her mother is on trial?
I liked Phaet she’s smart and choose to do what is needed for the family even if it changed the future she had been hoping for. I just didn’t love her like I wanted to I really tried to but I wasn’t able to connect with her. I felt her family and friend are to judgmental and I didn’t care for that, I was frustrated that they didn't support her.
I’ve had Dove Arising on my TBR for a long time and when I happened to win an advanced copy I couldn’t wait to dive right in. Right from the start I struggled with Phaet’s story she was a likeable character but not memorable and I spent most of the book wanting to love her but not. I think the author did a great job creating an interesting concept the idea of Earth vs the Moon colonies is still new and exciting for me. While the idea is awesome I just don’t think it was executed the story felt slow and like it dragged on. I’ve been picking up the book and putting it down for month lacking the motivation to start it. It’s taken me about 5 days to read it and the whole time I kept hoping it would get better. It’s just not fast paced enough for me, and I was hoping for more. The author’s writing style is a little overwhelming but overall it’s really not that bad. I think for a first book she did a great job and I plan to read the next one in the series because I would like to see what happens to Phaet because the last 40% was much better than the beginning.
August 26, 2015
This book was a great read. Most books always try to make everything work out. For example, the bad guys lose, and the good guys win...bla... bla...bla...Sometimes I think that books shouldn't always end like a fairy tale. So when an author does something you don't see coming, you get this kind of thrill inside you. Anticipation if you will. And I love when I find a book that does that...Anyway, there was somethings that I think could have been made better, but I still loved this book. I loved hearing her thoughts, and that part in the book when Fhaet says her first complete sentence to Wes...It was so beautiful. *Sigh*
Anyway I loved this book. I could hardly put it down. And I may seriously start going insane if I don't read the next one SOON....Jk...Or am I....? ;D
Anyway I loved this book. I could hardly put it down. And I may seriously start going insane if I don't read the next one SOON....Jk...Or am I....? ;D
June 13, 2015
I decided to pick up two books I have never heard of and this is one of them. After reading the premise of this book I decided to pick it up. The idea of people living on the moon is not new but it's still fun to read about especially if the government has major issues like in this book. This "moon city" has some issues, there is disease and shelters that are not so nice.
The main character Phaet, pronounced fate, is really tough she would do anything to help her family. Even though she did not talk much in the beginning you could see her opening up to her new friends throughout the book. You could see her development flying off the page.
This book was a pretty fun experience and I look forward to the sequel that comes out next year.
The main character Phaet, pronounced fate, is really tough she would do anything to help her family. Even though she did not talk much in the beginning you could see her opening up to her new friends throughout the book. You could see her development flying off the page.
This book was a pretty fun experience and I look forward to the sequel that comes out next year.
July 26, 2016
Actual rating: 3,5 stars.
A little too easy to predict but otherwise good. An impressive debut.
Review in Swedish at Boktycke.
A little too easy to predict but otherwise good. An impressive debut.
Review in Swedish at Boktycke.
March 9, 2015
review originally posted on Rather Be Reading:
I may not be a huge science fiction reader but I am a big fan of eclectic reading palettes and debut writers — especially when those debut writers wrote their book secretly during their senior year in high school. It’s so darn impressive!
I felt a strong Mulan vibe from the moment I started Dove Arising. Main character Phaet (“fate”) and Mulan have a lot in common — both are willing to go to great lengths for the ones they love, even if it means putting themselves in danger. Phaet is only 15 years old but when her mother is arrested she steps up to the plate in a big way — willing to leave her siblings and her best friend to join the Militia and earn money to pay her mother’s bail and support the household.
It’s bold, it’s crazy, and, with a ton of training, it just might work.
Author Karen Bao isn’t presenting the Moon as a must-see destination by any means. It’s dismal, heavily monitored by the government, and sounds like the kind of place where life is all about going through the motions. Very few of the Moon citizens shake things up, and when/if they do, they become a target. Even Phaet’s tone is filled with defeat through most of the book. She is a product of her environment: extremely quiet and shy but full of observations and emotions she’s never comfortable expressing. Later, I liked how this trait morphed into one of her strengths.
Not only is Phaet making a huge decision about her future, but she struggling to gain her mother’s acceptance, mourning her deceased father, and coming to terms with feelings she has for the most unexpected person. She’s forced to grow up so fast, and I trust the repercussions from that sacrifice are only just beginning. Will it all be worth it? Does she have the power to help change her world?
In series, I find many of the first books focus a ton on world-building and providing readers with a foundation. There were so many great details here (particularly, Phaet’s hair) and the more action packed scenes felt like I was in the middle of a simulator ride. (Even if the urgency wasn’t turned up where it needed to be.) It’s my hope with the next two books, Bao dives deeper into Phaet’s character development and her emotions. In Dove Arising, I admired Phaet for her loyalty but I wished I had connected with her on other levels too.
I did discover something about myself while reading this. I’m really fascinated about the details that lead to Earth’s demise in books like these. Does this make me a sadist? Or maybe a secret sci-fi geek?
One final thing: I can’t tell you much about the ending. I mean, I won’t tell you anything about the ending, but I got a little giddy when I realized just how Bao was challenging Phaet next. It’s going to make for a very interesting second book, that’s for sure.
I may not be a huge science fiction reader but I am a big fan of eclectic reading palettes and debut writers — especially when those debut writers wrote their book secretly during their senior year in high school. It’s so darn impressive!
I felt a strong Mulan vibe from the moment I started Dove Arising. Main character Phaet (“fate”) and Mulan have a lot in common — both are willing to go to great lengths for the ones they love, even if it means putting themselves in danger. Phaet is only 15 years old but when her mother is arrested she steps up to the plate in a big way — willing to leave her siblings and her best friend to join the Militia and earn money to pay her mother’s bail and support the household.
It’s bold, it’s crazy, and, with a ton of training, it just might work.
Author Karen Bao isn’t presenting the Moon as a must-see destination by any means. It’s dismal, heavily monitored by the government, and sounds like the kind of place where life is all about going through the motions. Very few of the Moon citizens shake things up, and when/if they do, they become a target. Even Phaet’s tone is filled with defeat through most of the book. She is a product of her environment: extremely quiet and shy but full of observations and emotions she’s never comfortable expressing. Later, I liked how this trait morphed into one of her strengths.
Not only is Phaet making a huge decision about her future, but she struggling to gain her mother’s acceptance, mourning her deceased father, and coming to terms with feelings she has for the most unexpected person. She’s forced to grow up so fast, and I trust the repercussions from that sacrifice are only just beginning. Will it all be worth it? Does she have the power to help change her world?
In series, I find many of the first books focus a ton on world-building and providing readers with a foundation. There were so many great details here (particularly, Phaet’s hair) and the more action packed scenes felt like I was in the middle of a simulator ride. (Even if the urgency wasn’t turned up where it needed to be.) It’s my hope with the next two books, Bao dives deeper into Phaet’s character development and her emotions. In Dove Arising, I admired Phaet for her loyalty but I wished I had connected with her on other levels too.
I did discover something about myself while reading this. I’m really fascinated about the details that lead to Earth’s demise in books like these. Does this make me a sadist? Or maybe a secret sci-fi geek?
One final thing: I can’t tell you much about the ending. I mean, I won’t tell you anything about the ending, but I got a little giddy when I realized just how Bao was challenging Phaet next. It’s going to make for a very interesting second book, that’s for sure.
April 2, 2015
Actual rating 2.5 rounded up to 3 full stars.
Phaet (pronounced "fate") Theta lives on Moon Base IV and works as a Greenhouse 22 Gardener Assistant. She hasn't spoken much of anything in the nine years since her father died, but she lets her best friend, Umbriel, do most of the talking for her - and like others she stays off the government's radar. Things change after her mother is arrested because the only way for Phaet to keep her younger brother and sister safe is by enlisting in the Militia as the youngest ever trainee at fifteen years old. The Militia polices the the bases and protects them from Earthbound attacks. People have been known to die in the incredibly brutal militia training, but Phaet hopes that if she does well and ranks high she will be able to earn more than she could have in her old position. Luckily, she's warily struck up an alliance with one of the best new recruits, Wes Kappa, an unknown tranfer from Base I. If she can rank high, she can free her mother and save her siblings. That was the plan, anyway, until Phaet's world and everything she thought she knew began to crumble all around her.
The best thing about Dove Arising is our main character, Phaet. Her loyalty and dedication to her family is great. We can see how much she cares for them just by her decision to join the militia and undergo potentially killer training in order to earn enough to save her family from ruin. She's a bit different from your average dystopian lead, as she doesn't say much at all. She's a very quiet character, but she still manages to accomplish a good deal and grow quite a bit over the course of the story.
For the most part, we have what we need to know about Phaet's world, but I would have greatly appreciated more information. I would have liked to know more about the war between the Earth and the Moon and other vague or absent details. Generally speaking, though, what we do know is enough in terms of the characters and nature of the story.
My main issue with Dove Arising is that the plot is just so familiar and not all that unique. Let's just say that Phaet could have just as easily been a Dauntless initiate alongside Tris from Divergent. Add in a pinch of Ender's Game and Legend for good measure, and you've basically got Dove Arising. As much as I enjoyed those stories, I had high hopes for this one, but it can't really hold up under it's own power. Don't get me wrong - it's not bad, but the story has been done so many times before and this one doesn't offer a lot when it comes time to stand out from the crowd.
Phaet (pronounced "fate") Theta lives on Moon Base IV and works as a Greenhouse 22 Gardener Assistant. She hasn't spoken much of anything in the nine years since her father died, but she lets her best friend, Umbriel, do most of the talking for her - and like others she stays off the government's radar. Things change after her mother is arrested because the only way for Phaet to keep her younger brother and sister safe is by enlisting in the Militia as the youngest ever trainee at fifteen years old. The Militia polices the the bases and protects them from Earthbound attacks. People have been known to die in the incredibly brutal militia training, but Phaet hopes that if she does well and ranks high she will be able to earn more than she could have in her old position. Luckily, she's warily struck up an alliance with one of the best new recruits, Wes Kappa, an unknown tranfer from Base I. If she can rank high, she can free her mother and save her siblings. That was the plan, anyway, until Phaet's world and everything she thought she knew began to crumble all around her.
The best thing about Dove Arising is our main character, Phaet. Her loyalty and dedication to her family is great. We can see how much she cares for them just by her decision to join the militia and undergo potentially killer training in order to earn enough to save her family from ruin. She's a bit different from your average dystopian lead, as she doesn't say much at all. She's a very quiet character, but she still manages to accomplish a good deal and grow quite a bit over the course of the story.
For the most part, we have what we need to know about Phaet's world, but I would have greatly appreciated more information. I would have liked to know more about the war between the Earth and the Moon and other vague or absent details. Generally speaking, though, what we do know is enough in terms of the characters and nature of the story.
My main issue with Dove Arising is that the plot is just so familiar and not all that unique. Let's just say that Phaet could have just as easily been a Dauntless initiate alongside Tris from Divergent. Add in a pinch of Ender's Game and Legend for good measure, and you've basically got Dove Arising. As much as I enjoyed those stories, I had high hopes for this one, but it can't really hold up under it's own power. Don't get me wrong - it's not bad, but the story has been done so many times before and this one doesn't offer a lot when it comes time to stand out from the crowd.
Read
January 22, 2015I am DNFing on page 126. I Just can't be bothered to read anymore. It's SO slowly paced and boring. I do not care about these people. I do not care about military training. I do not care about their moon base. Nothing is happening. It's just page after page of exposition and description. I would imagine that something has to happen eventually, but if it hasn't happened by now, I just cannot be bothered.
This is my first DNF of 2015. I was hoping to not have one so soon.
This is my first DNF of 2015. I was hoping to not have one so soon.
November 15, 2020
I don't feel like writing a review so I'll just say this book was meh.
September 13, 2019
Dove Arising book review.
I think Dove Arising, by Karen Bao, is a really compelling dystopian novel. The setting of this book starts on the moon, where hundreds of people have escaped the crumbling earth to live somewhere else. The technology on the moon is so advanced that the government can send anything to civilians, smartwatches. Phaet, who is the girl protagonist, is an introverted girl ever since her dad disappeared. She lives with her mom (who is a writer for the newspaper), her brother, and her sister. She has a best friend and they both work at a greenhouse station to earn money. Her whole life, she has tried to avoid the government as much as possible.
Then, her mom gets hospitalized because of sickness. She and her siblings are kicked out of their apartment and put into a homeless area called Shelter. The medical fee for her mom is so high, that she has no other choice than joining the lunar base's military. A few months ago, joining the militia would seem worse than living in a shelter, but Phaet decides she must do whatever she can to help her Mom get out of the hospital healthy. In the militia, she must run, jump, fight and do other excruciating physical activities to learn to become a militia leader. She also has to do that while being one of the youngest ones in the training. She has to endure teasing from other older trainees. Then, one day, in training, an older boy called Wezn befriends her and they work together to try to get the highest scores. The one with the highest scores at the end of the training year will get militia rank and a lot of money. Phaet soon calculates that if she doesn't get first place, she won't have enough money to pay the medical fees, pay the apartment fee and the food fee. She doesn't tell Wezn that she has to get 1st place. Little by little, she climbs up on the leaderboard until she is second place, one place behind Wezn. Then, finally, she tells Wezn the reason she tries so much and uses every ounce of her energy in the training. At first, Wezn gives sympathy but he won't let her get first place. It all comes down to the final assessment. Phaet and Wezn are very close in points and if Phaet's team can beat Wezn's team, she will get 1st place. Things are going bad for Phaet when suddenly Wezn appears and has a chance to finish the assessment by eliminating Phaet in the simulation, but he decides to let Phaet eliminate him so she can get the 1st place. When Phaet wins, she immediately gets access to enough money to pay the medical fee.
Right, when things are going well, Phaet receives a mission, to extract a long lost spaceship near earth. She is confused about why they would give her an mission so quick and she gets a little suspicious when she realizes the mission is on the same day as the day her mother is coming out of the hospital. The day of the mission, when she and Wezn, who is her crew member, fly out to the earth, her smartwatch starts playing a video. In the video, her mother is shown in court. Her mother is accused of writing bad things about the government. The Elders, who are a group of 9 powerful lunar people, decide she is guilty and deserves immediate execution. Phaet watches them execute her mother and wants to go back to fight, but Wezn talks her out of it. Wezn reasons that they would only do that to try to lure her back to the lunar base so they can execute her. If they find her, they will also find her siblings so instead, they head off. Phaet finds out where they are headed when she sees around, blue sphere. They parachute off the ship and land on the earth's sea. They swim all the way to land, where a dove welcomes them. She and Wezn will start a new life, on planet earth...
I plan on reading the second (and last) book of this series so stay tuned!
Andrew
I think Dove Arising, by Karen Bao, is a really compelling dystopian novel. The setting of this book starts on the moon, where hundreds of people have escaped the crumbling earth to live somewhere else. The technology on the moon is so advanced that the government can send anything to civilians, smartwatches. Phaet, who is the girl protagonist, is an introverted girl ever since her dad disappeared. She lives with her mom (who is a writer for the newspaper), her brother, and her sister. She has a best friend and they both work at a greenhouse station to earn money. Her whole life, she has tried to avoid the government as much as possible.
Then, her mom gets hospitalized because of sickness. She and her siblings are kicked out of their apartment and put into a homeless area called Shelter. The medical fee for her mom is so high, that she has no other choice than joining the lunar base's military. A few months ago, joining the militia would seem worse than living in a shelter, but Phaet decides she must do whatever she can to help her Mom get out of the hospital healthy. In the militia, she must run, jump, fight and do other excruciating physical activities to learn to become a militia leader. She also has to do that while being one of the youngest ones in the training. She has to endure teasing from other older trainees. Then, one day, in training, an older boy called Wezn befriends her and they work together to try to get the highest scores. The one with the highest scores at the end of the training year will get militia rank and a lot of money. Phaet soon calculates that if she doesn't get first place, she won't have enough money to pay the medical fees, pay the apartment fee and the food fee. She doesn't tell Wezn that she has to get 1st place. Little by little, she climbs up on the leaderboard until she is second place, one place behind Wezn. Then, finally, she tells Wezn the reason she tries so much and uses every ounce of her energy in the training. At first, Wezn gives sympathy but he won't let her get first place. It all comes down to the final assessment. Phaet and Wezn are very close in points and if Phaet's team can beat Wezn's team, she will get 1st place. Things are going bad for Phaet when suddenly Wezn appears and has a chance to finish the assessment by eliminating Phaet in the simulation, but he decides to let Phaet eliminate him so she can get the 1st place. When Phaet wins, she immediately gets access to enough money to pay the medical fee.
Right, when things are going well, Phaet receives a mission, to extract a long lost spaceship near earth. She is confused about why they would give her an mission so quick and she gets a little suspicious when she realizes the mission is on the same day as the day her mother is coming out of the hospital. The day of the mission, when she and Wezn, who is her crew member, fly out to the earth, her smartwatch starts playing a video. In the video, her mother is shown in court. Her mother is accused of writing bad things about the government. The Elders, who are a group of 9 powerful lunar people, decide she is guilty and deserves immediate execution. Phaet watches them execute her mother and wants to go back to fight, but Wezn talks her out of it. Wezn reasons that they would only do that to try to lure her back to the lunar base so they can execute her. If they find her, they will also find her siblings so instead, they head off. Phaet finds out where they are headed when she sees around, blue sphere. They parachute off the ship and land on the earth's sea. They swim all the way to land, where a dove welcomes them. She and Wezn will start a new life, on planet earth...
I plan on reading the second (and last) book of this series so stay tuned!
Andrew
September 9, 2017
3.5 stars
This was a fast, easy and exciting read. I would say Dove Arising is a typical ya dystopia with some sci-fi elements, so just the kind of book I love! But it wasn't enough for me to really love it, because it wasn't anything new...
While the storyline was exciting and there was a lot of action, it felt like I'd already read the same book countless times. The training scenes in the first half reminded me of Divergent, and the beginning rebellion in the last chapters was...well, like in any other ya dystopia. And while all that wasn't bad, it just wasn't amazing, either.
I enjoyed the world and I would've loved to get to know more about how it got that way and especially what is happening on earth, since there are obviously still people living. Phaet as a main character...I couldn't really establish a connection to her, and what bothered me was that on the one hand, she's still a girl and pretty insecure, but on the other hand she's suddenly top of her class and does all this military training like she's never done anything else. Is there one thing she doesn't know how to do?!
I liked the two male characters a lot more. Umbriel, Phaets childhood friend, was someone I'd loved to get to know better. Wes was interesting and had many facets about him. I also liked how we got to know more of his backstory in the end.
So all in all I enjoyed this book enough to give it 3.5 stars, but there were too many things that bothered me and also I sometimes found the writing to be a bit rushed, or little things not good enough explained. Not a bad book, but nothing special either.
This was a fast, easy and exciting read. I would say Dove Arising is a typical ya dystopia with some sci-fi elements, so just the kind of book I love! But it wasn't enough for me to really love it, because it wasn't anything new...
While the storyline was exciting and there was a lot of action, it felt like I'd already read the same book countless times. The training scenes in the first half reminded me of Divergent, and the beginning rebellion in the last chapters was...well, like in any other ya dystopia. And while all that wasn't bad, it just wasn't amazing, either.
I enjoyed the world and I would've loved to get to know more about how it got that way and especially what is happening on earth, since there are obviously still people living. Phaet as a main character...I couldn't really establish a connection to her, and what bothered me was that on the one hand, she's still a girl and pretty insecure, but on the other hand she's suddenly top of her class and does all this military training like she's never done anything else. Is there one thing she doesn't know how to do?!
I liked the two male characters a lot more. Umbriel, Phaets childhood friend, was someone I'd loved to get to know better. Wes was interesting and had many facets about him. I also liked how we got to know more of his backstory in the end.
So all in all I enjoyed this book enough to give it 3.5 stars, but there were too many things that bothered me and also I sometimes found the writing to be a bit rushed, or little things not good enough explained. Not a bad book, but nothing special either.
June 5, 2019
Wenn man sich vor Lachen schüttelt, fühlt sich das Erdbeben nicht mehr so schlimm an.
Ich konnte leider nicht lachen. Ganz abgesehen vom sehr abgehakten Schreibstil (der gegen Ende aber nicht mehr ganz so schlimm war), waren die Charaktere und die Geschichte für mich zum Teil einfach nur ein Graus.
Was für eine blöde Familie hat Phaet denn bitte?! Davon fand ich ihre Mutter ganz besondern schlimm. Die Frau... Furchtbar!
Dazu das System an sich... Nach acht Wochen Ausbildung sind die Teenies voll einsatzbereit in der Miliz und auch, wenn man gerademal acht Wochen hinter sich hat, noch keinen Tag echte Erfahrung, wenn man die meisten Punkte hat, wird man gleich Vorgesetzter. Macht ja total Sinn.
Ich bin einfach nur genervt und werde die Reihe nicht weiterverfolgen.
March 17, 2019
One of my favorite series ever.
I loved this book. I started reading it expecting something cliche, but it turned out to be amazing.
I'm just leaving reviews on all of my favorite books.
Is it weird that I kind of want to live on their six bases, but where the Committee is still in power? It seems like a utopian dystopia setting. Perfect. But I don't particularly like handscreens. They make me squeamish.
Everyone should read this really underrated book, which also has real science! Always a great sign.
I loved this book. I started reading it expecting something cliche, but it turned out to be amazing.
I'm just leaving reviews on all of my favorite books.
Is it weird that I kind of want to live on their six bases, but where the Committee is still in power? It seems like a utopian dystopia setting. Perfect. But I don't particularly like handscreens. They make me squeamish.
Everyone should read this really underrated book, which also has real science! Always a great sign.
March 9, 2015
This review (and others) can be seen in all its proper formatting glory on my blog Beauty and the Bookshelf.
Hmm...3.5 stars, but closer to 3 stars.
Dove Arising had an element I wish I saw in more books: a space setting. Unfortunately, I never really felt like I was in space; the setting wasn't lush enough. With elements reminiscent of The Hunger Games and Divergent trilogies--though not blatantly or in a way that bothered me--this is the tale of a government that's not all it's cracked up to be, and a girl's fight to care for her family--and it takes place on the Moon over three hundreds into the future (they have screens in their hands).
Meet Phaet. She hasn't talked much since her father died in an accident nine years ago, when she was six. She works in the Greenhouse on Base IV (the Moon is composed of bases, like we have states) with her best friend (and probably future husband) Umbriel, where she works for a meager wage to help her mom care for her and her younger siblings, the sensitive Anka and super hacker extraordinaire Cygnus. And then one day her mother is taken away--because she's "sick and contagious"--and arrested. To avoid going to Shelter--think District 12, super grimy, full of mistreated people--Phaet enlists in the Militia, even though she's only fifteen, so that she can make enough money to keep her siblings from the horrible Shelter.
This started out kind of info-dumpy and I was quickly bored (and wanted to set it aside), but when Phaet entered military training the story really started to pick up, there was a bit of an engrossing factor, and the story started getting good. Military training was kind of like Dauntless initiation in Divergent; there are different tasks, and they all add up to give each member a ranking, and of course, the higher the ranking, the better. I thought these scenes and parts of the book were fun, and it was nice to see Phaet's character develop as she made friends and got stronger. Most of the secondary characters were kind of just there, except for Wes, who I really liked. And I wouldn't say there's a love triangle--romance isn't huge in this--but I ship Phaet with Wes, Sorry not sorry, Umbriel.
Originally, this had a gorgeous cover. And when I saw the redesign I was like WHYYY. But since reading the book, I think the new cover is actually more fitting. There really isn't a way to say this nicely, but I think the original cover would've created too high of expectations for Dove Arising, and suggested a higher quality novel (gosh, that sounds mean). The writing was too simple--sometimes it felt like an essay--world building could've been stronger, some of the dialogue was awkward and unnatural, and some of Phaet's internal dialogue and actions made we want to kind of roll my eyes. It lacked...maturity, almost. Some people will love this, but for me, it just wasn't quite up to my standards.
All that said, I did like Dove Arising! And more so than not! In fact, I want to get my hands on the sequel and see what happens after where the story left off (though I don't need it). Parts of the story were predictable, but I like how--or where--it ended. Dove Arising is a slight page-turner that pulls you in through Moon Militia training, then keeps you going by adding in dire situations. It certainly wasn't perfect and had enough issues to keep me from loving or really liking it, but again--I want the sequel.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, and that in no way sways my opinion of the book.
Hmm...3.5 stars, but closer to 3 stars.
Dove Arising had an element I wish I saw in more books: a space setting. Unfortunately, I never really felt like I was in space; the setting wasn't lush enough. With elements reminiscent of The Hunger Games and Divergent trilogies--though not blatantly or in a way that bothered me--this is the tale of a government that's not all it's cracked up to be, and a girl's fight to care for her family--and it takes place on the Moon over three hundreds into the future (they have screens in their hands).
Meet Phaet. She hasn't talked much since her father died in an accident nine years ago, when she was six. She works in the Greenhouse on Base IV (the Moon is composed of bases, like we have states) with her best friend (and probably future husband) Umbriel, where she works for a meager wage to help her mom care for her and her younger siblings, the sensitive Anka and super hacker extraordinaire Cygnus. And then one day her mother is taken away--because she's "sick and contagious"--and arrested. To avoid going to Shelter--think District 12, super grimy, full of mistreated people--Phaet enlists in the Militia, even though she's only fifteen, so that she can make enough money to keep her siblings from the horrible Shelter.
This started out kind of info-dumpy and I was quickly bored (and wanted to set it aside), but when Phaet entered military training the story really started to pick up, there was a bit of an engrossing factor, and the story started getting good. Military training was kind of like Dauntless initiation in Divergent; there are different tasks, and they all add up to give each member a ranking, and of course, the higher the ranking, the better. I thought these scenes and parts of the book were fun, and it was nice to see Phaet's character develop as she made friends and got stronger. Most of the secondary characters were kind of just there, except for Wes, who I really liked. And I wouldn't say there's a love triangle--romance isn't huge in this--but I ship Phaet with Wes, Sorry not sorry, Umbriel.
Originally, this had a gorgeous cover. And when I saw the redesign I was like WHYYY. But since reading the book, I think the new cover is actually more fitting. There really isn't a way to say this nicely, but I think the original cover would've created too high of expectations for Dove Arising, and suggested a higher quality novel (gosh, that sounds mean). The writing was too simple--sometimes it felt like an essay--world building could've been stronger, some of the dialogue was awkward and unnatural, and some of Phaet's internal dialogue and actions made we want to kind of roll my eyes. It lacked...maturity, almost. Some people will love this, but for me, it just wasn't quite up to my standards.
All that said, I did like Dove Arising! And more so than not! In fact, I want to get my hands on the sequel and see what happens after where the story left off (though I don't need it). Parts of the story were predictable, but I like how--or where--it ended. Dove Arising is a slight page-turner that pulls you in through Moon Militia training, then keeps you going by adding in dire situations. It certainly wasn't perfect and had enough issues to keep me from loving or really liking it, but again--I want the sequel.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, and that in no way sways my opinion of the book.
July 11, 2023
Phaet Theta (first names are all after celestial things, surnames Greek letters--this was published by Viking, so a bona fide publishing house, but is the debut novel of a young college student majoring in a STEM field) is 15 when her mother is taken first into medical care and then arrested. Because they have no father and no income, she is faced with either living in poverty in a filthy area with her sister and brother, or managing to get accepted into the military even though she is rather young. Naturally, she is accepted, and if she can place in the top 7 after their two months of training (ie boot camp, but that term isn't used) she can afford her mother's bail. Naturally there are a number of challenges and obstacles, and since this is the first in a trilogy, the story isn't over with the book.
This isn't a boundary pushing book full of new themes, and there are times that the characters aren't fully developed. The world building isn't terrible (I've read a few reviews that think it's really bad, but I've read books where it is much worse), but it can be a bit predictable at times. I understood Phaet's selective mutism given her background and didn't think that was a problem, but there were things not fully developed. That said, as the book went on I began to care more about what was going to happen and I am planning to read the next book in this trilogy to see if Bao grew as a writer. It is rather impressive to have a young adult trilogy published by Viking while also attending college, and I suspect that this book is much more popular with its actual target audience than adults. Young teens aren't always as particular about some of the things in writing that adults are--I know I wasn't at that point in my life.
This isn't a boundary pushing book full of new themes, and there are times that the characters aren't fully developed. The world building isn't terrible (I've read a few reviews that think it's really bad, but I've read books where it is much worse), but it can be a bit predictable at times. I understood Phaet's selective mutism given her background and didn't think that was a problem, but there were things not fully developed. That said, as the book went on I began to care more about what was going to happen and I am planning to read the next book in this trilogy to see if Bao grew as a writer. It is rather impressive to have a young adult trilogy published by Viking while also attending college, and I suspect that this book is much more popular with its actual target audience than adults. Young teens aren't always as particular about some of the things in writing that adults are--I know I wasn't at that point in my life.
February 13, 2015
Generic YA post-apocalypse dystopia... in space!
This book follows what is now an overdone and tired framework for YA dystopias. Precocious girl suspiciously devoid of personality, whose best friend is in love with her even though she has no romantic feelings for him, gets screwed over by the system that she doesn't yet question. She 'grows up', in this case by joining Dauntless...er, i mean, The Militia, and starts to learn that maybe her life is built on lies.
About the only thing this book does differently from the dozens of others that are the same in nearly every way is that the Obligatory Love Triangle is not (yet) drowning out everything else. Phaet gets funny, mysterious feelings in her tummy when she sees the boy in question, but it hasn't become Plot A yet. Yet. Because i'm sure by book 2 Phaet will be having tearful monologs about how she loves them both and how can she choose blah blah blah.
I would have given this book three stars, as it is a very solid example of the tropes it signed up to fill. If you want a fleshed out checklist of stereotypes in YA dystopia books, look no further. However, i knocked a star off because the author is setting up a Faith vs Science thing, as if the two are mutually exclusive and necessarily conflicting. Heck, maybe by the end of book three the moral will be 'wow, i can understand science as a framework for understanding the universe while still believing in something more'. I'll never know, though, because i have better things to do with my time than continue reading this series.
This book follows what is now an overdone and tired framework for YA dystopias. Precocious girl suspiciously devoid of personality, whose best friend is in love with her even though she has no romantic feelings for him, gets screwed over by the system that she doesn't yet question. She 'grows up', in this case by joining Dauntless...er, i mean, The Militia, and starts to learn that maybe her life is built on lies.
About the only thing this book does differently from the dozens of others that are the same in nearly every way is that the Obligatory Love Triangle is not (yet) drowning out everything else. Phaet gets funny, mysterious feelings in her tummy when she sees the boy in question, but it hasn't become Plot A yet. Yet. Because i'm sure by book 2 Phaet will be having tearful monologs about how she loves them both and how can she choose blah blah blah.
I would have given this book three stars, as it is a very solid example of the tropes it signed up to fill. If you want a fleshed out checklist of stereotypes in YA dystopia books, look no further. However, i knocked a star off because the author is setting up a Faith vs Science thing, as if the two are mutually exclusive and necessarily conflicting. Heck, maybe by the end of book three the moral will be 'wow, i can understand science as a framework for understanding the universe while still believing in something more'. I'll never know, though, because i have better things to do with my time than continue reading this series.
January 1, 2017
2.5 stars
This will be a popular book with youth who enjoyed Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner, and others in the genre; mainly because it feels very similar to them in various parts. Young woman sacrifices her future (her life) to save her younger sibling[s] from a horrible fate, she competes against others in a brutal competition of fighting and weapons, then finds out a terrible secret that has been hidden from her and escapes confinement to an outside world and an adventure (to be continued in the next novels) to overturn a repressive regime and save her world.
Although I read and enjoy a lot of YA, this one started out well, but ended up crashing and burning for me. I enjoyed the world building, characters, and even the predictable plot. What ended up falling flat for me was the sequence of events starting with her graduation from military school. Just - too much, too quickly, with no real storytelling, just infodumps. Everything works out just way too quickly, after the slow buildup of the plot in the first 3/4 of the book.
I won't be continuing with this series. For adults who enjoy this type of story, I highly recommend Red Rising instead.
This will be a popular book with youth who enjoyed Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner, and others in the genre; mainly because it feels very similar to them in various parts. Young woman sacrifices her future (her life) to save her younger sibling[s] from a horrible fate, she competes against others in a brutal competition of fighting and weapons, then finds out a terrible secret that has been hidden from her and escapes confinement to an outside world and an adventure (to be continued in the next novels) to overturn a repressive regime and save her world.
Although I read and enjoy a lot of YA, this one started out well, but ended up crashing and burning for me. I enjoyed the world building, characters, and even the predictable plot. What ended up falling flat for me was the sequence of events starting with her graduation from military school. Just - too much, too quickly, with no real storytelling, just infodumps. Everything works out just way too quickly, after the slow buildup of the plot in the first 3/4 of the book.
I won't be continuing with this series. For adults who enjoy this type of story, I highly recommend Red Rising instead.
March 12, 2016
Phaet Theta knows only of her life, living in a colony on the Moon. She spends her days cultivating plants in the Greenhouse, as well as spending time with her family and her best friend. All of this changes the day that her Mom is taken away by the Militia. Facing a move to Shelter, where the destitute are forced to live barring any other options, Phaet takes it upon herself to join the training class for Militia. Winning would mean enough money to get her Mom back and allow her family to stay in their relatively safe apartment, but will Phaet be able to do what it takes when the time comes?
I was excited to read Dove Arising by the strength of the synopsis alone, but was disappointed with the execution because the concept was lacking. Some of the story just did not make any sense, especially Phaet's commanding officer incessantly using the word "Cool". The author clearly shows Phaet's ordered and organized mind, but allows her to break character whenever it suits the plot. This book reminds me, in ways, of Ender's Game, although the author was not really successful in achieving the same level of characterization. At the end of the day, although I enjoyed the science fiction premise, I felt that the main storyline was too similar to other books in this genre.
I was excited to read Dove Arising by the strength of the synopsis alone, but was disappointed with the execution because the concept was lacking. Some of the story just did not make any sense, especially Phaet's commanding officer incessantly using the word "Cool". The author clearly shows Phaet's ordered and organized mind, but allows her to break character whenever it suits the plot. This book reminds me, in ways, of Ender's Game, although the author was not really successful in achieving the same level of characterization. At the end of the day, although I enjoyed the science fiction premise, I felt that the main storyline was too similar to other books in this genre.
June 11, 2016
First to Read gave me this wonderful opportunity to read this book for free before it was published. This book is a new twist on your typical futuristic dystopian novel. Unlike the other reviewers, I'm more like Phaet and don't need to write ten pages about the book.
Phaet (sounds like Fate) lives on the moon with her family. Her mother is arrested, she needs to join Militia to make money for her family- her two siblings and her mom. Her brother is a hacker, and her neighbors are practically family. She is likely to marry the neighbor boy until all of this happens.
Enter Wes- also in Militia training with her. How she knows him? He took her mother away to the 'hospital' before she ended up in a cell for her crimes. Yet she forms a bond with him.
I really recommend this book, but would probably wait until the next book is out to read it. You'll probably be as irritated as I am about the cliff-hanger at the end! At least give us a little cheat chapter of the next book!
****SPOILER OF SORTS- You don't have to worry about a love triangle, at least not in this book. Finally! Since half of the books in the YA department have one! ****
Phaet (sounds like Fate) lives on the moon with her family. Her mother is arrested, she needs to join Militia to make money for her family- her two siblings and her mom. Her brother is a hacker, and her neighbors are practically family. She is likely to marry the neighbor boy until all of this happens.
Enter Wes- also in Militia training with her. How she knows him? He took her mother away to the 'hospital' before she ended up in a cell for her crimes. Yet she forms a bond with him.
I really recommend this book, but would probably wait until the next book is out to read it. You'll probably be as irritated as I am about the cliff-hanger at the end! At least give us a little cheat chapter of the next book!
****SPOILER OF SORTS- You don't have to worry about a love triangle, at least not in this book. Finally! Since half of the books in the YA department have one! ****
January 13, 2015
(My Advance Reader Copy of Dove Arising was given to me by the publisher as part of the Goodreads First Reads program. Though clearly labeled an ARC, I should mention that the text is clean and free of errors, as far as I can tell, so I think it's safe to assume the final product will be virtually identical.)
Nineteen-year-olds with the writing acumen of Karen Bao are extremely uncommon, though not impossible to find. Fantasy novelist Christopher Paolini was without many superiors at that age, as was the great Mary Shelley, who bequeathed to the world her primary writing legacy, Frankenstein, before her twentieth birthday. S.E. Hinton made her memorable literary debut with The Outsiders when she was still in high school. As rare as it is for a teenager to buck the trend and create intelligent and emotionally resonant literature, Karen Bao shows aptitude in both areas with Dove Arising, a novel I can easily imagine being the sweet opening notes of a writing career as imaginative and pleasant as a Bach concerto. Her vocabulary is impressively varied and undeniably deep; sometimes we're treated to its displays simply for the sake of enjoying the complex words and how they sound when fitted together skillfully. One can't accuse Karen Bao of not being wickedly smart, as are Phaet (pronounced "Fate") Theta and the other main characters in Dove Arising. Even Phaet's thirteen-year-old brother, Cygnus, has a brain packed with good stuff, street-smart tech knowledge bound to come in handy when there's a social revolution in the offing. And we get to sit back and enjoy it all.
"A dog will bite others because it can't bite its own tail."
—Dove Arising, P. 119
It's been decades since humanity's lunar colonies rose up in battle against the planet that spawned them, decisively crushing earth's fighting forces and gaining leverage over all personal and political activity in the solar system. Thirty years later, the temporary emergency Committee established during the conflict is still in place on the moon and its bases, without any elections or objective policy reviews in the interim to keep it honest. Lunar society is conducted in a particular manner that its people are expected to adhere to, and failure to do so is penalized swiftly and harshly, but most of the time the populace is fairly content with its lot under the Committee's martial rule. Fifteen-year-old Phaet is an up-and-coming bioengineer on her base colony, a student with tremendous scientific insight and cunning, her youth belied by the gray streaks in her otherwise jet-black hair. Phaet's fast track to a career in bioengineering ingenuity is derailed, however, when her mother is inexplicably taken by the authorities one day to be quarantined for a disease she doesn't appear to have. Without her mother's income as a Journalist to support Phaet and her younger brother (Cygnus) and sister (Anka, age eleven), even for only a month or so, the three of them are destined for the seedy, inescapable confines of Shelter, where society's dregs are packed like sardines to keep them away from a public that would rather not confront its poverty problem. Phaet's only recourse to keep her siblings from landing in Shelter, where safety can't be guaranteed and their future will be too dim to see anything by light of, is to change her own future plans, boldly announcing her intention to join the newest class of Military recruits. Phaet has little experience in combat or tactical ops, but an elite finishing rank in her Military class would come with a job that pays enough money to sustain her family, even if her mother were to never return from quarantine. Switching fields of training is akin to putting a permanent moratorium on her bioengineering aspirations, but what choice does Phaet have if she wants more for her siblings than second-class citizenship? If she has to sacrifice her peaceful ambitions on behalf of her loved ones, Phaet will do it.
But Phaet's mother's dilemma is more complicated than her strange quarantining indicated. Phaet's mother never required medical care; the soldiers, and by extension the government they represent, lied to Phaet. Her mother is wrapped up in a burgeoning social movement that needs quieting if the current emergency regime is to retain power, and they won't think anything of silencing the mouth of an eloquent freedom fighter whose words ring all the louder because she possesses the power of the press. As Phaet works the magic of pure desperation to rise through her Military class rankings, success achieved mostly because she needs the money while the other trainees merely want it, it soon becomes obvious that time is running out for her mother. The Committee that oversees the moon and all its bases regards Phaet's mother as a deadly threat, perhaps more so than any other "disruptive speech" felon in recent history. Something weird is going on with the Committee's arrangement to deal with Phaet's mother, as well as with the criminal trial they have set to deal with the matter once and for all, but Phaet can do little but concentrate on placing as high in her Military class as possible, assuring she has the resources to care for her family and maybe even bribe the right officials if her mother's legal proceeding goes wrong.
Oh, how unanticipated developments can shake up the sturdiest of plans, let alone ones that count on the raw energy of desperation to make them feasible. For the first time in her life, Phaet's surroundings override her introverted sensibilities, as Military teens aren't keen on allowing one another much quiet alone time. Phaet is plunged into a tough world of high expectations but also intense camaraderie, where her strong loyalty and heart are plenty to win the respect and affection of the other recruits. The cadet who escorted Phaet's mother to quarantine, an athletic redhead named Wes Kappa, takes to Phaet especially quickly, and soon they are training together late nights when others are in bed, building up Phaet's body so she can become a legitimate contender to place well in the final class rankings. But Wes may have secrets of his own, and the other recruits definitely do; the question is, how will these concealed bits of information affect Phaet's situation when they are brought to light? Friends and enemies are not always as they seem in this lunar empire, and Phaet must find out quickly whom she can trust before everything she and her mother have worked so hard for goes up in a fiery inferno...and, perhaps, so does Phaet.
Karen Bao is a more than solid writer, and her ability to make the reader feel genuine emotion is a favorable sign of what she may do in future books. Phaet is forced into a multitude of unfair scenarios in Dove Arising, some because of the untrustworthy Committee that runs the lunar setup with impunity, some because of the wretched politics that haunt all schools where those who do well are rewarded handsomely, and some because of the trepidations of her own family and friends, unsure how to react to the changed Phaet as she seems after beginning her Military training, all sharp angles, hard muscles, and merciless glares. No matter how much one loves a person, it can be hard to adjust to a sudden disconcerting change in them. But overall, Dove Arising frequently affirms the value of love in one's life, and many of the book's most memorable lines speak to that. Consider the moment when Wes Kappa confides in Phaet how much her friendship has meant to him, when no outsider would have ever predicted the two would be comfortable together. "You showed me what real companionship can be...No matter how unlikely it seemed that we'd get along." I know from experience that the sweetest of friendships often don't make sense to outsiders. We love our friends simply because we do, whether the relationship goes with or against the grain of conventional logic. And how great a healing factor and allayer of anxiety can the words "I love you, sweetie" be from a voice that has been present since one's first days in the world, particularly when one didn't know if they would ever hear that voice again? As Phaet considers, "Isn't it odd how those words can frighten fear itself out of a room?" There's no guarantee one's need for a dearly loved one today will be met tomorrow or in the days after, so we'd better make sure we appreciate them while they're here, before the days of evil that may take them from us permanently. But no matter the losses we've suffered, or fear suffering in the future, people are resilient, capable of adapting to a remarkable range of destructive changes in their lives while still holding on to some version of happiness. As Phaet's mother puts it, "Whoever's around you, in the present, is all you need."
I liked Dove Arising from page one, and I'm interested in seeing where the trilogy goes from here. I think the next book will be even better, as Karen Bao grows into her writing style and learns to construct still deeper plots, but Dove Arising is a significant accomplishment for any author, regardless of age. Like Phaet Theta, Karen Bao is a promising talent in her field, and the inevitable detours that occur along her career path shouldn't stop her from achieving greatness. I'm giving Dove Arising two and a half stars, and I was right on the verge of rounding that up rather than down. My compliments to Karen Bao for her work, and to the publisher for recognizing an extraordinary talent and supporting her. Thanks for an entertaining and thoughtful read.
Nineteen-year-olds with the writing acumen of Karen Bao are extremely uncommon, though not impossible to find. Fantasy novelist Christopher Paolini was without many superiors at that age, as was the great Mary Shelley, who bequeathed to the world her primary writing legacy, Frankenstein, before her twentieth birthday. S.E. Hinton made her memorable literary debut with The Outsiders when she was still in high school. As rare as it is for a teenager to buck the trend and create intelligent and emotionally resonant literature, Karen Bao shows aptitude in both areas with Dove Arising, a novel I can easily imagine being the sweet opening notes of a writing career as imaginative and pleasant as a Bach concerto. Her vocabulary is impressively varied and undeniably deep; sometimes we're treated to its displays simply for the sake of enjoying the complex words and how they sound when fitted together skillfully. One can't accuse Karen Bao of not being wickedly smart, as are Phaet (pronounced "Fate") Theta and the other main characters in Dove Arising. Even Phaet's thirteen-year-old brother, Cygnus, has a brain packed with good stuff, street-smart tech knowledge bound to come in handy when there's a social revolution in the offing. And we get to sit back and enjoy it all.
"A dog will bite others because it can't bite its own tail."
—Dove Arising, P. 119
It's been decades since humanity's lunar colonies rose up in battle against the planet that spawned them, decisively crushing earth's fighting forces and gaining leverage over all personal and political activity in the solar system. Thirty years later, the temporary emergency Committee established during the conflict is still in place on the moon and its bases, without any elections or objective policy reviews in the interim to keep it honest. Lunar society is conducted in a particular manner that its people are expected to adhere to, and failure to do so is penalized swiftly and harshly, but most of the time the populace is fairly content with its lot under the Committee's martial rule. Fifteen-year-old Phaet is an up-and-coming bioengineer on her base colony, a student with tremendous scientific insight and cunning, her youth belied by the gray streaks in her otherwise jet-black hair. Phaet's fast track to a career in bioengineering ingenuity is derailed, however, when her mother is inexplicably taken by the authorities one day to be quarantined for a disease she doesn't appear to have. Without her mother's income as a Journalist to support Phaet and her younger brother (Cygnus) and sister (Anka, age eleven), even for only a month or so, the three of them are destined for the seedy, inescapable confines of Shelter, where society's dregs are packed like sardines to keep them away from a public that would rather not confront its poverty problem. Phaet's only recourse to keep her siblings from landing in Shelter, where safety can't be guaranteed and their future will be too dim to see anything by light of, is to change her own future plans, boldly announcing her intention to join the newest class of Military recruits. Phaet has little experience in combat or tactical ops, but an elite finishing rank in her Military class would come with a job that pays enough money to sustain her family, even if her mother were to never return from quarantine. Switching fields of training is akin to putting a permanent moratorium on her bioengineering aspirations, but what choice does Phaet have if she wants more for her siblings than second-class citizenship? If she has to sacrifice her peaceful ambitions on behalf of her loved ones, Phaet will do it.
But Phaet's mother's dilemma is more complicated than her strange quarantining indicated. Phaet's mother never required medical care; the soldiers, and by extension the government they represent, lied to Phaet. Her mother is wrapped up in a burgeoning social movement that needs quieting if the current emergency regime is to retain power, and they won't think anything of silencing the mouth of an eloquent freedom fighter whose words ring all the louder because she possesses the power of the press. As Phaet works the magic of pure desperation to rise through her Military class rankings, success achieved mostly because she needs the money while the other trainees merely want it, it soon becomes obvious that time is running out for her mother. The Committee that oversees the moon and all its bases regards Phaet's mother as a deadly threat, perhaps more so than any other "disruptive speech" felon in recent history. Something weird is going on with the Committee's arrangement to deal with Phaet's mother, as well as with the criminal trial they have set to deal with the matter once and for all, but Phaet can do little but concentrate on placing as high in her Military class as possible, assuring she has the resources to care for her family and maybe even bribe the right officials if her mother's legal proceeding goes wrong.
Oh, how unanticipated developments can shake up the sturdiest of plans, let alone ones that count on the raw energy of desperation to make them feasible. For the first time in her life, Phaet's surroundings override her introverted sensibilities, as Military teens aren't keen on allowing one another much quiet alone time. Phaet is plunged into a tough world of high expectations but also intense camaraderie, where her strong loyalty and heart are plenty to win the respect and affection of the other recruits. The cadet who escorted Phaet's mother to quarantine, an athletic redhead named Wes Kappa, takes to Phaet especially quickly, and soon they are training together late nights when others are in bed, building up Phaet's body so she can become a legitimate contender to place well in the final class rankings. But Wes may have secrets of his own, and the other recruits definitely do; the question is, how will these concealed bits of information affect Phaet's situation when they are brought to light? Friends and enemies are not always as they seem in this lunar empire, and Phaet must find out quickly whom she can trust before everything she and her mother have worked so hard for goes up in a fiery inferno...and, perhaps, so does Phaet.
Karen Bao is a more than solid writer, and her ability to make the reader feel genuine emotion is a favorable sign of what she may do in future books. Phaet is forced into a multitude of unfair scenarios in Dove Arising, some because of the untrustworthy Committee that runs the lunar setup with impunity, some because of the wretched politics that haunt all schools where those who do well are rewarded handsomely, and some because of the trepidations of her own family and friends, unsure how to react to the changed Phaet as she seems after beginning her Military training, all sharp angles, hard muscles, and merciless glares. No matter how much one loves a person, it can be hard to adjust to a sudden disconcerting change in them. But overall, Dove Arising frequently affirms the value of love in one's life, and many of the book's most memorable lines speak to that. Consider the moment when Wes Kappa confides in Phaet how much her friendship has meant to him, when no outsider would have ever predicted the two would be comfortable together. "You showed me what real companionship can be...No matter how unlikely it seemed that we'd get along." I know from experience that the sweetest of friendships often don't make sense to outsiders. We love our friends simply because we do, whether the relationship goes with or against the grain of conventional logic. And how great a healing factor and allayer of anxiety can the words "I love you, sweetie" be from a voice that has been present since one's first days in the world, particularly when one didn't know if they would ever hear that voice again? As Phaet considers, "Isn't it odd how those words can frighten fear itself out of a room?" There's no guarantee one's need for a dearly loved one today will be met tomorrow or in the days after, so we'd better make sure we appreciate them while they're here, before the days of evil that may take them from us permanently. But no matter the losses we've suffered, or fear suffering in the future, people are resilient, capable of adapting to a remarkable range of destructive changes in their lives while still holding on to some version of happiness. As Phaet's mother puts it, "Whoever's around you, in the present, is all you need."
I liked Dove Arising from page one, and I'm interested in seeing where the trilogy goes from here. I think the next book will be even better, as Karen Bao grows into her writing style and learns to construct still deeper plots, but Dove Arising is a significant accomplishment for any author, regardless of age. Like Phaet Theta, Karen Bao is a promising talent in her field, and the inevitable detours that occur along her career path shouldn't stop her from achieving greatness. I'm giving Dove Arising two and a half stars, and I was right on the verge of rounding that up rather than down. My compliments to Karen Bao for her work, and to the publisher for recognizing an extraordinary talent and supporting her. Thanks for an entertaining and thoughtful read.
January 7, 2019
I have a lot of thoughts about this book! I already dumped most of them on my husband in a semi-rant on New Year’s Eve, so maybe I don’t have to record every random thought here?
I think it’s neat that the author started writing this when she was 17. I picked it up from the neighborhood book box when I saw it was a YA sci-fi novel starring an Asian female protagonist. I haven’t read many books with Asian or Asian-American lead characters, and thought it would be worth reading one. The author did some pretty decent world-building, and the setting is not precisely like anything else I’ve read. I think there’s a lot to be proud of here!
But there’s soooo much that didn’t work for me, and so many random or arbitrary features of the lunar society that distracted me from the story. It does feel a lot like the author threw big chunks of the Hunger Games and Divergent series in a blender, threw in some Ender’s Game, and churned out this story. I felt the same about Maze Runner, and I think much like that series I may not bother reading the sequels to this book.
Biggest distraction – how everyone has both a last name and a color of clothing that matches the apartment building they live in. Like, how does that not get confusing?! If there are two Bobs in the Theta building, they’re both named Bob Theta? And everyone who lives in the same building wears the same color clothing all the time because, reasons? It made some sense in Divergent because they were picking their factions and swearing “faction before blood” to form allegiances, but here it seems pretty random who lives in what building. And what if Phaet and Umbriel got married – they would live in one of their buildings and both either wear white or green? Or move to a new building and have to get all new clothes? It seemed like the draft of an idea about an authoritarian society that didn’t get fully explained, like the author read Divergent and decided she wanted that for her story too.
Next silliest element for me was that the governing committee regularly appears on screen… but only backlit so they’re in silhouette… and they use their real names… but they’re supposed to get to be anonymous as they go about their daily lives?! If they’re meant to be anonymous, why use real names or appear on camera at all? And if it’s fine that everyone knows their names, why appear in silhouette AND make kids memorize which name matches which profile. Arg! Again, seemed like the kernel of an idea to make them seem scarier and more remote, but not fully coherent.
I didn’t like the weirdly specific reference to quinoa spaghetti. I didn’t like that the lunar society supposedly abandoned Earth and all their loved ones who were left behind and decided to never help them or interact with them again. I don’t like that the teens train from day 1 with real knives instead of practice daggers. I don’t like that the whole thing takes place on the moon, and you’d barely know it! We got the opening scene in low gravity, and one game of capture the flag, and otherwise the whole thing could have been on earth. I don’t like the ridiculous image of everyone taking a seat in separate floating chairs, and then each chair flying each student up to accept their diploma, rather than just walk up to the stage in a room with normal gravity!
So, both small things and big things. I got the sense that the publishers thought their hook was the author’s age, and they rushed this out to capitalize on it before she got any older. I think with more time and a dedicated editor, they could have fixed a lot of the random elements in this story. Still, enjoyable to read, probably better if you haven’t read a bunch of similar stories, and an admirable first novel for a very young writer. No harm at all in having an Asian girl sci-fi lead… though it also would have been nice if she didn’t spend so much time preferring to not speak for herself and being silent. Oh, and I called the twist about Wes very early on. And the book jacket shouldn’t give away a major plot point about “then her mother is arrested” if the book’s not going to reveal she was actually arrested until page 106!! I noted the page number because it was such a crazy spoiler. And now I’ve written way more than I intended. :)
I think it’s neat that the author started writing this when she was 17. I picked it up from the neighborhood book box when I saw it was a YA sci-fi novel starring an Asian female protagonist. I haven’t read many books with Asian or Asian-American lead characters, and thought it would be worth reading one. The author did some pretty decent world-building, and the setting is not precisely like anything else I’ve read. I think there’s a lot to be proud of here!
But there’s soooo much that didn’t work for me, and so many random or arbitrary features of the lunar society that distracted me from the story. It does feel a lot like the author threw big chunks of the Hunger Games and Divergent series in a blender, threw in some Ender’s Game, and churned out this story. I felt the same about Maze Runner, and I think much like that series I may not bother reading the sequels to this book.
Biggest distraction – how everyone has both a last name and a color of clothing that matches the apartment building they live in. Like, how does that not get confusing?! If there are two Bobs in the Theta building, they’re both named Bob Theta? And everyone who lives in the same building wears the same color clothing all the time because, reasons? It made some sense in Divergent because they were picking their factions and swearing “faction before blood” to form allegiances, but here it seems pretty random who lives in what building. And what if Phaet and Umbriel got married – they would live in one of their buildings and both either wear white or green? Or move to a new building and have to get all new clothes? It seemed like the draft of an idea about an authoritarian society that didn’t get fully explained, like the author read Divergent and decided she wanted that for her story too.
Next silliest element for me was that the governing committee regularly appears on screen… but only backlit so they’re in silhouette… and they use their real names… but they’re supposed to get to be anonymous as they go about their daily lives?! If they’re meant to be anonymous, why use real names or appear on camera at all? And if it’s fine that everyone knows their names, why appear in silhouette AND make kids memorize which name matches which profile. Arg! Again, seemed like the kernel of an idea to make them seem scarier and more remote, but not fully coherent.
I didn’t like the weirdly specific reference to quinoa spaghetti. I didn’t like that the lunar society supposedly abandoned Earth and all their loved ones who were left behind and decided to never help them or interact with them again. I don’t like that the teens train from day 1 with real knives instead of practice daggers. I don’t like that the whole thing takes place on the moon, and you’d barely know it! We got the opening scene in low gravity, and one game of capture the flag, and otherwise the whole thing could have been on earth. I don’t like the ridiculous image of everyone taking a seat in separate floating chairs, and then each chair flying each student up to accept their diploma, rather than just walk up to the stage in a room with normal gravity!
So, both small things and big things. I got the sense that the publishers thought their hook was the author’s age, and they rushed this out to capitalize on it before she got any older. I think with more time and a dedicated editor, they could have fixed a lot of the random elements in this story. Still, enjoyable to read, probably better if you haven’t read a bunch of similar stories, and an admirable first novel for a very young writer. No harm at all in having an Asian girl sci-fi lead… though it also would have been nice if she didn’t spend so much time preferring to not speak for herself and being silent. Oh, and I called the twist about Wes very early on. And the book jacket shouldn’t give away a major plot point about “then her mother is arrested” if the book’s not going to reveal she was actually arrested until page 106!! I noted the page number because it was such a crazy spoiler. And now I’ve written way more than I intended. :)
March 29, 2015
18782912
Amazon / Goodreads
Phaet Theta has lived her whole life in a colony on the Moon. She’s barely spoken since her father died in an accident nine years ago. She cultivates the plants in Greenhouse 22, lets her best friend talk for her, and stays off the government’s radar.
Then her mother is arrested.
The only way to save her younger siblings from the degrading Shelter is by enlisting in the Militia, the faceless army that polices the Lunar bases and protects them from attacks by desperate Earth-dwellers. Training is brutal, but it’s where Phaet forms an uneasy but meaningful alliance with the preternaturally accomplished Wes, a fellow outsider.
Rank high, save her siblings, free her mom: that’s the plan. Until Phaet’s logically ordered world begins to crumble...
Suspenseful, intelligent, and hauntingly prescient, Dove Arising stands on the shoulders of our greatest tales of the future to tell a story that is all too relevant today.
Phate isn't a bad character. She's pretty interesting.
Her motivation is great. She is motivated by her family. By the love of her family and friends. She keeps going because of them. I'm surprised by how willing she is to give up her dreams. She's a good sister. If I ever have a sister, I hope my sister is like Phate.
She's also a tough girl. A tough spirit. I imagine that if she spoke more, she would be really sarcastic. She's quiet at first. Then, she whips out her motivation and becomes this superwoman. She's still human, though. She still bleeds. She has limits. But she tries to hard. She's so motivated. I wish I was that motivated to lose weight!
Wes. Why are you named Wes? (I don't particularly like when characters use the same name. It's hard to understand at times.) I don't mind him. He's not bad. I like that he's good with fighting. He could help Phate practice. Without Wes's help, she might not have gotten as good as she had gotten. He is quite quick and clever.
I am lost on something about Wes. Why he does act two different ways to Phate? Distant or all huggy-huggy. I didn't understand that. Was he hurt? Phate barely spoke. There isn't much that happens between them other than sparring. Does he like her? Gasp. What is Wes is acting all childish because he likes her? Ooh...
The plot is okay. It's not bad or anything.
It has good action. The fight scenes...pretty good. I like them. Phate is a clever girl. She thinks differently. With this, she fights differently. She doesn't always use brute force. In combat, she uses her brain to make ways to get out of situations. Anyways. In training, you'll have combat. The punches. The dodges. You don't always get the chance to avoid things. You sometimes have to take hits.
The majority of the book is about the training to be part of the Militia. Which can be a bit boring. There isn't a rebellion or anything. (I honestly prefer rebellions. They're interesting.) The things the trainees have to do is interesting. They have to do hand-to-hand combat. Then flight training. Weapons. They learn teamwork and alliances. These are things they might never use. The privates are mostly on the Bases. They just patrol. It doesn't seem like they will ever need to know how to fly a destroyer.
The drama with her family isn't bad. As a plot point. It's fascinating why they act like they do. Anka doesn't understand. And her brother (whose name I can't even try to spell) is trying to be mediator. And her mother...that's just another story. There are reasons to act certain ways. It's someone's way of acceptance. Seeing how Phate deals with her family is interesting. That's how she accepts her situation in a way.
Oh gosh. The way Karen Bao worded things... Her sentences were really odd.
The sentence structure was odd. I don't have examples sadly. (Most of them are in the beginning to my recall.) The sentences would trip over themselves. They seemed to skirt the point. It was odd. And hard to read. It was as if they were avoiding the point.
Either that or they used specific medical terms. Which shows her anatomy knowledge. But gives the reader a hard time. I can't imagine anyone really understanding unless you recently took a biology or anatomy class or if you're a major in one of those medical fields or something along those lines. I'm in a biology course. Sadly, my teacher didn't explain the body systems very well, so I was a bit...confused.
An example: 'Umbriel's jaw relaxes, while mine clenches so hard that my masseters cramp. (Page 282) Okay. My thoughts. Masseters? I know that's you're...jaw muscles. But still. If I hadn't taken a course on muscles recently, I wouldn't have known. At all. I mean, you can figure out what it is. But that just makes it harder for the reader. Maybe...'my jaw hurts'? Not masseters? As much as I love it when people prove they're smarter than the Average Joe, I don't need a biology lesson.
Here's another example:'Has my autonomic nervous system exhausted itself, given up on me?' (Page 312) Uh. What's the autonomic nervous system? I don't know. And there isn't any way to understand this sentence's meaning. I don't know what to think. I feel a bit stupid.
I don't really like the wording of the sentences. I typically can handle it. But this book...was too far. Too much. I couldn't handle it. Karen Bao, we get it. You're smart. I understand. Don't shove it into my face. Especially if I don't understand some of the meanings.
The ending definitely was a cliffhanger. They just landed. They have to survive. What happens? Will they survive? What about Brother-to-Phate? What about Mother-to-Phate? (Why am I writing Brother-to-Phate? I'm lazy for one. And I know I'll botch the name if I try. Phate is hard as is.)
I don't think I love or hate this. I'm neutral. I think it's a very...open-ended ending. Anything can happen. Anything at all. The author can make it rain asteroids. Or introduce a new guy who makes Wes jealous. Who knows? Wes could be gay. Phate would be secretly a hooker. You don't know. This ending doesn't give any hints. Which is great for the author. She can write her ending.
But it's also terrible for the reader. We have to wait maybe a year for the next book. And you don't know what could happen. Anything could happen. You don't know. Everything could turn sour. Or maybe it won't be sour.
Weather:
Sunny with a 50% chance of rain
3/5
Amazon / Goodreads
Phaet Theta has lived her whole life in a colony on the Moon. She’s barely spoken since her father died in an accident nine years ago. She cultivates the plants in Greenhouse 22, lets her best friend talk for her, and stays off the government’s radar.
Then her mother is arrested.
The only way to save her younger siblings from the degrading Shelter is by enlisting in the Militia, the faceless army that polices the Lunar bases and protects them from attacks by desperate Earth-dwellers. Training is brutal, but it’s where Phaet forms an uneasy but meaningful alliance with the preternaturally accomplished Wes, a fellow outsider.
Rank high, save her siblings, free her mom: that’s the plan. Until Phaet’s logically ordered world begins to crumble...
Suspenseful, intelligent, and hauntingly prescient, Dove Arising stands on the shoulders of our greatest tales of the future to tell a story that is all too relevant today.
Phate isn't a bad character. She's pretty interesting.
Her motivation is great. She is motivated by her family. By the love of her family and friends. She keeps going because of them. I'm surprised by how willing she is to give up her dreams. She's a good sister. If I ever have a sister, I hope my sister is like Phate.
She's also a tough girl. A tough spirit. I imagine that if she spoke more, she would be really sarcastic. She's quiet at first. Then, she whips out her motivation and becomes this superwoman. She's still human, though. She still bleeds. She has limits. But she tries to hard. She's so motivated. I wish I was that motivated to lose weight!
Wes. Why are you named Wes? (I don't particularly like when characters use the same name. It's hard to understand at times.) I don't mind him. He's not bad. I like that he's good with fighting. He could help Phate practice. Without Wes's help, she might not have gotten as good as she had gotten. He is quite quick and clever.
I am lost on something about Wes. Why he does act two different ways to Phate? Distant or all huggy-huggy. I didn't understand that. Was he hurt? Phate barely spoke. There isn't much that happens between them other than sparring. Does he like her? Gasp. What is Wes is acting all childish because he likes her? Ooh...
The plot is okay. It's not bad or anything.
It has good action. The fight scenes...pretty good. I like them. Phate is a clever girl. She thinks differently. With this, she fights differently. She doesn't always use brute force. In combat, she uses her brain to make ways to get out of situations. Anyways. In training, you'll have combat. The punches. The dodges. You don't always get the chance to avoid things. You sometimes have to take hits.
The majority of the book is about the training to be part of the Militia. Which can be a bit boring. There isn't a rebellion or anything. (I honestly prefer rebellions. They're interesting.) The things the trainees have to do is interesting. They have to do hand-to-hand combat. Then flight training. Weapons. They learn teamwork and alliances. These are things they might never use. The privates are mostly on the Bases. They just patrol. It doesn't seem like they will ever need to know how to fly a destroyer.
The drama with her family isn't bad. As a plot point. It's fascinating why they act like they do. Anka doesn't understand. And her brother (whose name I can't even try to spell) is trying to be mediator. And her mother...that's just another story. There are reasons to act certain ways. It's someone's way of acceptance. Seeing how Phate deals with her family is interesting. That's how she accepts her situation in a way.
Oh gosh. The way Karen Bao worded things... Her sentences were really odd.
The sentence structure was odd. I don't have examples sadly. (Most of them are in the beginning to my recall.) The sentences would trip over themselves. They seemed to skirt the point. It was odd. And hard to read. It was as if they were avoiding the point.
Either that or they used specific medical terms. Which shows her anatomy knowledge. But gives the reader a hard time. I can't imagine anyone really understanding unless you recently took a biology or anatomy class or if you're a major in one of those medical fields or something along those lines. I'm in a biology course. Sadly, my teacher didn't explain the body systems very well, so I was a bit...confused.
An example: 'Umbriel's jaw relaxes, while mine clenches so hard that my masseters cramp. (Page 282) Okay. My thoughts. Masseters? I know that's you're...jaw muscles. But still. If I hadn't taken a course on muscles recently, I wouldn't have known. At all. I mean, you can figure out what it is. But that just makes it harder for the reader. Maybe...'my jaw hurts'? Not masseters? As much as I love it when people prove they're smarter than the Average Joe, I don't need a biology lesson.
Here's another example:'Has my autonomic nervous system exhausted itself, given up on me?' (Page 312) Uh. What's the autonomic nervous system? I don't know. And there isn't any way to understand this sentence's meaning. I don't know what to think. I feel a bit stupid.
I don't really like the wording of the sentences. I typically can handle it. But this book...was too far. Too much. I couldn't handle it. Karen Bao, we get it. You're smart. I understand. Don't shove it into my face. Especially if I don't understand some of the meanings.
The ending definitely was a cliffhanger. They just landed. They have to survive. What happens? Will they survive? What about Brother-to-Phate? What about Mother-to-Phate? (Why am I writing Brother-to-Phate? I'm lazy for one. And I know I'll botch the name if I try. Phate is hard as is.)
I don't think I love or hate this. I'm neutral. I think it's a very...open-ended ending. Anything can happen. Anything at all. The author can make it rain asteroids. Or introduce a new guy who makes Wes jealous. Who knows? Wes could be gay. Phate would be secretly a hooker. You don't know. This ending doesn't give any hints. Which is great for the author. She can write her ending.
But it's also terrible for the reader. We have to wait maybe a year for the next book. And you don't know what could happen. Anything could happen. You don't know. Everything could turn sour. Or maybe it won't be sour.
Weather:
Sunny with a 50% chance of rain
3/5
September 11, 2017
3.5? YA dystopian will never really be my jam, but I definitely enjoyed this more than I expected. The worldbuilding was a bit shaky sometimes (mainly the way that the Evil Government™ worked), but overall it wasn't as cliché as I expected. I enjoyed Phaet as a narrator–she's driven, intelligent, and loyal, yet flawed, and the inside of her head never got on my nerves in the way other first-person narrators have in the past.
Also, it was terribly refreshing to read a YA dystopian with a main character who is explicitly a person of color. Phaet is Chinese, like the author, and several other characters are people of color. Also, a more minor subplot of the book is characters trying to hold onto their culture from Earth despite the government trying to convince them to assimilate which I think really added a layer to the way their oppressive society worked.
But, dear god, tell me there won't be a romance between a and eighteen-year-old and a fifteen-year-old in the sequel! He calls her "kid" and treats her like a younger sibling for a lot of the book and I'm just...uh...not into it.
Also, it was terribly refreshing to read a YA dystopian with a main character who is explicitly a person of color. Phaet is Chinese, like the author, and several other characters are people of color. Also, a more minor subplot of the book is characters trying to hold onto their culture from Earth despite the government trying to convince them to assimilate which I think really added a layer to the way their oppressive society worked.
But, dear god, tell me there won't be a romance between a and eighteen-year-old and a fifteen-year-old in the sequel! He calls her "kid" and treats her like a younger sibling for a lot of the book and I'm just...uh...not into it.
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