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The creature caught my arm with superhuman strength. Sharp nails popped from the tips of its fingers like retractable claws. In a flash, the creature slashed my right shoulder. Holding a tiny white ball between its thumb and forefinger, it spoke with a gravelly voice. “No one steals a gypsy pearl!”
“I didn’t steal anything!”
With a violent shove, the creature crammed the ball into my wound and hurled me free of the space buggy...

***

Caz hates living in space. All her life, she has just wanted the chance to explore the Surface of any one of the three planets in the Granbo System. Her chance comes when she is sentenced to a Reformatory for violent youth on the blue-green planet Caren.

But the same strange creature that attacked her in space now follows her to the Surface and continues to make her life a living nightmare--until the day she realizes her life's purpose is to save the creature and its whole species. To do so, she must travel to all three planets on a quest to cycle a gypsy pearl and obtain untold power.

219 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 6, 2013

58 people are currently reading
147 people want to read

About the author

Lia London

56 books55 followers
Lia London was born in Oregon and raised in multiple states and countries (including 3 years in Europe). She earned two degrees from Western Oregon University. Upon graduation, she served for 18 months as a missionary in Guatemala, teaching cholera prevention, literacy, and gospel messages. She worked as a high school teacher and ESL instructor for college students for a few years before becoming a home schooling mom and launching her writing career. She later took up martial arts, earned her 3rd degree black belt and taught classes for 7 years.

London has returned to her college town where she currently leads the music for the children's worship class at her church. She also is the founder and chief administrator of a network called Clean Indie Reads, an organization of over 1500 authors, illustrators, and marketing specialists who work in the independent publishing industry. She loves milk chocolate, extra-cheesy pizza and cuddling with her husband, toddler, and two cats to watch everything from Marvel movies to Masterpiece Theater to Muppets.

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5 stars
51 (56%)
4 stars
23 (25%)
3 stars
14 (15%)
2 stars
1 (1%)
1 star
2 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
Profile Image for Rich Weatherly.
Author 2 books74 followers
December 12, 2013
A YA Science Fiction Adventure, suitable for children of all ages.

Lia London’s, The Gypsy Pearl (Book 1: Caren) offers readers a fast paced, entertaining science fiction, fantasy adventure that is targeted for young readers. It meets these criteria and then some. While my last statement is true, it is in many ways like Walt Disney movies that were billed as suitable to “children of all ages.” This is a book I can unquestionably recommend to any member of my family.

The story, while set at an undetermined place in time with an Earth like planet and an orbiting ICS space station like vehicle named Arxon, gives readers a cast of realistic characters. Nothing is glossed over. Fourteen year Caz is the protagonist. She’s smart, inquisitive and longs to visit Arxon. She lives with her sister and Dad, the doctor on Arxon. Her mom had gone missing ten years earlier. In the opening chapter, Caz appears to be attacked by a creature who travels with gypsies. He slashes her arm with razor like claws, then inserts a white spherical like object into her wound. As a result she develops superhuman strength. When the tallest, dumbest guy in class gets into an argument and shoving match, then punches her, Caz defends herself. When she attempts to report the incident to the Station Master, Caz is charged with a violent assault. She’s given a choice, solitary confinement or deportation to a Reformatory for violent youth on the planet Caren. She jumps at the chance.

This story is packed with surprises. Caz continually uses ingenuity to solve problems. As I mentioned earlier, it is a fast paced page turner. If you enjoyed C.S. Lewis’ Narnia, I think you’ll enjoy this story. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Profile Image for Rolando Garcia.
Author 6 books54 followers
November 15, 2021
In this work of young adult fiction, author Lia London introduces us to fourteen-year-old Caz Artemus, who is your typical bored Interplanetary City Station (ICS) teenager. Caz feels burdened by rules seemingly designed to extinguish any chance of having fun, so she is constantly getting herself in trouble. In one of her escapades, she is given an unusual power by an alien being called a Fanep. It is this power which allows her to get back at a school bully, but unfortunately this gets her sent to a reformatory for young offenders in the planet Caren. However, this is the first step in an imaginative journey of discovery, growth, adventure, and peril, in which Caz finds new friends and maybe something more.

I loved how the author describes Caz’s sensations upon disembarking in a new world. After living in the cramped ICS all her life, Caz experiences, for the first time, oceans, sunlight, blue skies, trees, wind, and even stairs! I also liked the author’s portrayal of Caz. Her fears and insecurities are laid bare when she embarks on her new life away from family and everything else she has known. But you also come across her convictions and determination as she awakens to the realization of who she is, and to the fact that, if she can complete her dangerous journey and acquire all the powers, she will be able to make a difference. Will Caz receive all her powers? And if she does, how will she use them?

The Gypsy Pearl is the first book of a trilogy about the saga of Caz and her friends. The book is written in 2-to-9-page chapters, each with its own title, which highlights the basic ideas to be presented and makes for a pleasant page-turning read as the author moves the action at a brisk pace. My only qualm is that I would have appreciated an introduction, but that doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of the book.

This is a book that both teenagers and adults will love
Profile Image for Ozsaur.
1,029 reviews
August 14, 2018
In spite of the three stars, I found Caren, the first book in The Gypsy Pearl trilogy, very enjoyable. The book is a fun adventure story about fourteen year old Caz, who can't seem to conform to the strict behavior required for life on a space station. After one too many infractions, Caz is sent to the surface of a planet.

Nothing turns out the way she expects. I loved her reactions to normal things that aren't found on a space station. I also loved how she was quick to make friends, and re-evaluate the prejudices learned on an insular station.

Caz doesn't turn away from problems, but tackles them head on. Even though she becomes frightened, she doesn't let that stop her. She's curious, quick, and brave.

My issues with the book were with a couple of pointless deaths. I honestly don't think they were necessary. They only seemed to be there to give Caz a moment of sadness. She seems to get over both deaths fairly quickly, even though the author tried to show that she learned a lesson from them. It really didn't work for me.

The book doesn't end on a cliffhanger, several questions are answered, but it certainly doesn't stand on its own.

I did like that there wasn't any kind of romance. Caz is too busy trying to figure out how to achieve her goals to have time for a boyfriend. At least for now. I guess I'll see how that aspect turns out with the next book.

One last thing. The writing style makes this book a good read for everyone - middle school, YA, or adult.
Profile Image for Miriam.
399 reviews8 followers
April 12, 2025
Not at all what I expected, in a good way!

This book is not at all what I expected, but I really liked it! This isn’t my usual genre to read but I picked it up when I was looking for something different. This was definitely that! There were a few times when I was a little confused about what was going on, but it didn’t take away from the overall story. It’s a bit simplistic in some ways and is probably intended for a younger audience. However, this middle-aged mom of 5 still enjoyed it. 😁 It definitely gave me some Star Wars vibes but was far from copying that world. I always appreciate books that are free from foul language, gory violence, and sexual content or innuendo. Thank you! I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Profile Image for Lisa Rector.
Author 37 books59 followers
April 8, 2020
Cute story for middle-grade readers. Adventure that keeps on moving on a world other than Earth’s. I think the fun of the read is the newness of the new world. The tale is odd. Not sure of the reasons why things happen to Caz, but it makes more sense as the story goes on. The ending wasn’t really an ending. I don’t really like novels that don’t finish. The characters are cute though. I’m just glad this wasn’t a novel of her time stuck at the detention place.
Profile Image for Lea Carter.
Author 20 books43 followers
August 30, 2022
Blew my mind.

"Ordinary" events that are brand new to the main character are described in vivid, delightful detail, from bodies of water to bugs and trees.

Un-ordinary events, like encountering a new species, are equally vivid and believably related.

I appreciated the maturity of the young main character--and especially that it wasn't automatic, it wasn't just a given. She grows as a result of her choices, then as a result of what's going on around her.
Profile Image for A. Powers.
Author 12 books26 followers
August 6, 2018
I usually love Lia London's books, but this one just wasn't written for me, I guess. The writing itself is excellent as always, but the genre and story-line weren't really my thing. Pretty unique setting and characters though!
Profile Image for Lauren.
157 reviews
August 20, 2021
I really enjoyed this story and am looking forward to finishing the series. Caz is very spunky and I really like how the author made the character of King complex even with his limited communication.
357 reviews29 followers
April 26, 2018
I really enjoyed this book and I hope
the rest of the series is just as good.
Profile Image for Maria do Socorro Baptista.
Author 1 book27 followers
April 7, 2020
Uma narrativa de ficção científica que mistura viagens espaciais com preconceitos e exclusão social, fantasia e mitos, além de uma incessante busca por identidade. Interessante.
Profile Image for Sandra Olson.
Author 26 books29 followers
August 20, 2021
Wonderful

What a unique story. The author has invented strange new characters, races and environments which hold your attention and spark your imagination.
18 reviews
March 17, 2022
Great book

Really liked this book. Great storyline. A little confused in the beginning. I thought caz was a boy. Hope the other books are as good.
Profile Image for Ami.
2,405 reviews14 followers
February 17, 2020
I love this story! I believe that my top ten favorite authors is about to be shuffled. I can hardly wait to read book 2 in the wonderful series. I sincerely hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Read via Kindle Unlimited
Profile Image for Cynthia Port.
Author 7 books16 followers
September 25, 2014
Here's what I love about this book - the reader gets to figure things out. Author London combines masterful pacing with main characters lost in a new world, to slowly reveal her story. For example, Caz doesn't even notice that she is developing powers; we get to see other people's reactions to Caz, which lets us figure it out even before Caz does. Same with the Fanep. It's clear to the reader that they are intelligent creatures, even while the human characters are assuming the opposite. This approach brings the reader along on the adventure too, instead of just watching Caz have all the fun (and danger).

As your basic chomping-at-the-bit kind of girl stuck in a tin can in space, Caz is refreshingly real. She doesn't have all the answers or make all the right moves, making her a sympathetic character we can all relate to.

I'm giving four stars because I would have liked more character development in some of the other main characters. I also would have liked the planet Caren to be a little more weird and wonderful. As with other reviewers here, it was fun experiencing "surface life" with Caz - seeing for the first time things that we inveterate surface dwellers take for granted, like mud and oceans and sunshine. But with a few exceptions, I didn't get the sense, at least from the descriptions, that the planet's geography/flora/fauna were very different from earth. Sometimes I forgot I was on a different planet from earth, which seems like a missed literary opportunity.

This is a solid middle grade read, but I would recommend it to anyone who likes a fast-paced, adventurous, sci-fi plot. The trilogy was beautifully set up, and I will most definitely be taking another journey with Caz!
Profile Image for Michelle Isenhoff.
Author 57 books91 followers
June 16, 2014
Okay, I wrote up a fantistic review for this one right after I read it and promptly lost it. A few weeks later, I wrote this one. I feel like it doesn't quite do it justice. But the book was an easy five stars.

Caz doesn’t mean to get in trouble, but trouble always seems to find her. When a choice of punishments includes a penal institution on the Surface, she jumps at the chance. She’s always hated life on the Arxon, an Interplanetary City Station and has dreamed of visiting the Surface. This is her long-awaited opportunity! But she doesn’t count on the transport ship filled with gypsies. Or the bloody encounter with their creature and its life-altering results.

This is my favorite Lia London book so far (and I've read them all), but I’m not sure I can actually pinpoint why. Ms. London’s writing is always beautiful. She’s an artist who paints in words. The prose is always smooth and easy to read. I do believe she’s getting better and better. Perhaps it’s because Caz is my favorite character. I quickly identified with this quirky kid. I sympathized with her, and I laughed out loud at some of the outrageous things she said. The adventure is definitely part of it, as well. The plot led in some unexpected directions. But the ordinary gets a special touch, too. I especially loved rediscovering wind and smells and dirt with someone who had never experienced them before.

The mystery has me to eagerly await the next installment, which leads me to my one complaint. Three times Lia has written book one of a series. I want to read a book two. :)

This one, please!
Profile Image for Dianne Astle.
Author 7 books216 followers
June 9, 2014
The Gypsy Pearl was a very enjoyable read. It was quick moving and action packed. Lia London quickly drew me in with this tale of a 14 year old girl who lives on a space station.

Caz is bored and longs to visit the surface of the three worlds that the space station visits in its cycle. She constantly gets into trouble in her search for something more. Cas is accused of having no respect for authority, trespassing in areas where she doesn’t belong, and being disruptive in school. Fights with other students result in injury to two of them. When the second student is injured Cas is sent to a reformatory on the surface. Cas begins a journey that will help her find what she is truly looking for; a life with meaning and purpose.

Cas is chosen to receive special gifts by a strange creature who is the travelling companion to gypsies. The Fanep’s people have been subjected to oppression and taken into captivity. The Fanep gives Cas gifts so that she can help the creature rescue his people.

Cas appealed to me as the teen who never quite fit the life other expected her to live. She appealed to me as someone who was determined to be her own person. I appreciated her growth as a person to become someone who was able to care about more than just herself.

This book is a great read for younger teens, but it is also a book that people of all ages will enjoy. From beginning to end it is a captivating story. I look forward to reading the sequel.
Profile Image for Diane Rapp.
Author 18 books111 followers
September 9, 2015
A YA story that would appeal to anyone

This YA sci-fantasy grabbed my attention on the first page and kept my interest throughout. Caz is a compelling character, daring, curious, and ready for adventure. This is the first book in a trilogy but it should contain a warning: You'll get addicted to the story and want to finish the whole trilogy. It's like potato chips, you can't just eat one.

Caz might be a young girl but the challenges she faces are universal. She learns to make friends, overcomes daunting challenges, and stands for what is right. There's a bit of romance, lots of imagination, and exciting action. What more could you want? I recommend this book to young and not-so-young readers alike. I'm a grandmother and would feel happy to pass it along to my granddaughter. Start reading today, but I'd bet you can't read just this one.
Profile Image for Steve.
Author 2 books15 followers
January 9, 2014
A quiet, unassuming story that captures the imagination.
I found myself surprised at how quickly I was drawn to Caz (the lead character). She seemed to be doing nothing but making bad decisions while living in a space station-like city and having to pay the piper for them. She was completely unrepentant. Only when we are introduced to other characters she meets on her way to a prison on the surface of the world of Caren does it begin to appear that there is more to this simple story of a teen rebel. The plot develops at a deliberate and unhurried pace, allowing the reader to become better acquainted with the main characters and the culture into which (along with Caz) we have been dropped into. I really recommend this book and am looking forward to the later books in the series.
Profile Image for Onisha Ellis.
28 reviews191 followers
December 30, 2013
Caz Artemus lives in a slow-moving Inter-planetary City Station and she is bored. She gazes into the universe and dreams of what it would be like to live on “the surface” There is so much that Caz wants to know and experience but everyone treats her like a trouble-maker and even her sister Felly despairs of Caz ever learning to be a good citizen and fit in. An encounter with a gypsy’s pet fanep changes everything for Caz.

Even though Gypsy Pearl is written towards the YA genre I easily identified with Caz. If you were ever that child who continually asked “why” you will enjoy it too. Caz captured my heart and I can’t wait for the next in the series.
Profile Image for Gina.
Author 47 books442 followers
December 18, 2013
A magnificent tale of a young, troubled girl who leaves her boring, cloistered life in a space shuttle and finds her destiny on the planet of Caren with the help of a ragtag group of gypsies, a mysterious creature named King, and the special pearl meant to be hers. With imaginative worldbuilding, a riveting plot, and emotional twists, The Gypsy Pearl is a futuristic YA that will leave you breathless and eager for more.
Profile Image for Katy.
Author 31 books141 followers
July 8, 2014
I feel like I've done more than read a book--I've gone on a journey to an incredible place and experienced strange and wonderful events with a cast of fascinating people, both familiar and alien. The writing is superb; the characters are so real you can hear their voices and feel their pain; the setting is painted masterfully with all five senses. This story will resonate for a long, long time, and I eagerly await the next in the series to find out what happens next to Caz & company.
Profile Image for Alan Black.
Author 22 books312 followers
July 25, 2015
A young adult novel that is worth reading even for older readers. It has a quick paced action read with realistic dialog.

Caz feels trapped living on a claustrophobic space station, hemmed in by rules and regulations. A minor rebellion gets her banished to a reform school on a nearby planet. Then the trouble really starts as she finds out who she really is and why people want to kill her.

Lia London writes a compelling story. So much so that I rushed back to buy book 2.
Profile Image for Valerie.
Author 45 books130 followers
July 6, 2014
Great book! Can't wait to read the second book in the series! Very well written sci-fi. One of my new favorite authors!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews

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