Colony: A High-Stakes YA Sci-Fi Survival Thriller

by Ron Wolff

THERE'S LIFE ON MARSAdam Flynn is the only human ever born on Mars. After seventeen years of isolation with only a handful of scientists for company, the arrival of new colonists is a dream come true—until that dream becomes a nightmare.

Beneath the planet’s barren surface, something ancient stirs. Something hungry.

When an alien swarm ravages the colony, Adam finds himself leading a band of teenage survivors in a desperate battle against an enemy that doesn’t just kill—it can think, plan, and burrow its way into human minds.

This adrenaline-fueled sci-fi thriller weaves heart-stopping horror into a story of survival, found family, first love, and the true meaning of home—even when home wants to kill you.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Space

398 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 27, 2025

About the author

Ron Wolff loves outer space, high-stakes survival, and epic fight scenes. She came by her bug obsession honestly. Years of living in both India and Hawaii will do that to a person. She enjoys painting imaginary planets, will never forgive gravity, and believes the most important survival skill is knowing when to run. Especially on Mars.
Ron Wolff is the pseudonym for a bestselling author of more earthbound fiction.

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4 stars ⭐️

𝚂𝙾𝙽𝙶 𝙼𝙰𝚃𝙲𝙷 — 𝙸𝚜𝚊𝚊𝚌’𝚜 𝙸𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚜 𝚋𝚢 𝙸𝚜𝚊𝚊𝚌 𝙳𝚞𝚗𝚋𝚊𝚛

// Insects want my head cut off
They want my eyes and beating heart, yeah //

They’re coming. And they will find us.

Dog-sized killer insects? I’m thoroughly creeped out. Colony was pretty entertaining, YA sci-fi survival thriller with a cool protagonist, lots of heart-racing, high-stakes action.

If these organisms originated here on Mars, then what else lies dormant beneath the soil?

At first, I thought it would be like The Martian, but actually it was closer to Life or The Thing — an alien species is discovered/re-awakened and wants to kill everyone. That’s basically the plot.

“We humans are completely self-regarding animals. Our house is on fire, and we’re sitting here nitpicking over whose room might burn first.”

My issue with the plot is that every adult is extremely dumb. They’re being killed off by bugs and are like ‘ooh, life on mars!’ . Nah bro, EVACUATE. LEAVE THE DAMN INSECTS.
But it’s YA, so I get it, adults dumb and kids super smart. It still irked me. You could’ve left one normal one.

Nonetheless, I still highly enjoyed this thrilling sci-fi read and even though the ending felt more HFN, it was still satisfying.

They’re humming, a steady drone that vibrates through me, like they’re calling for me. Adam.

I received an advance review copy from BookSirens, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 stars for the first half, two stars for the second half.

Colony started off really well. The opening was great. It really sucked me into the story.

A small group of people have been living on Mars for 20 years. The youngest, at 17, was born on Mars. A previous attempt to send additional people to Mars failed, but now another ship with 79 people onboard has arrived. Adam, the teenager, is understandably nervous. He’s known seven people his entire life, and he has never been on Earth.

As the newcomers meet and mingle with the existing crew, the interactions are very believable. Adam is basically a fully functioning crew member. He’s watched a lot of movies and TV shows, so he gets pop culture references, but he doesn’t understand a lot of what is said to him, or how the other teenagers interact with each other. Adam is used to being treated like an equal by the adults. The new mission commander is an absolute jerk (and totally believable). He won’t listen to anyone else, doesn’t respect what the others have done, treats Adam like a child. His own children are almost as bad. Adam struggles to convey to the newcomers: everyone must do their part or we will die.

I really enjoyed Colony up to the halfway point. I was able to set aside the implausibility of some things happening, but the second half tips into fantasy. I really think the author could have chosen a different path that would have been just as scary but not as outlandish. I don’t want to get into spoiler territory for people who might read Colony, but the whole monster on Mars could have been done in a much more believable (but still terrifying) way. There’s also a lot of pointless running back and forth while getting out of situations that one should not have been able to get out of. (And sometimes, that one should not have been stupid enough to get into.)

For me, Colony is an example of wasted potential. I know it's horror, but there is horror ("this could happen!") and horror ("I don't buy this for a second"). I read an advance reader copy of Colony from Edelweiss.

[Bianca ‎♡‧₊˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as an ARC through BookSirens for an honest review.

What a lovely time I had! 4.5 ⭐️
This read like a classic alien movie and kept me engaged the whole time.

I’ve said in another review that I love bug horror, and now I’ve discovered ALIEN bug horror. This was so nasty, so fun. Very fast paced, I devoured it. I haven’t put it down all day.

Super brutal, I did cry a couple of times. I think the dynamics between characters became pretty well fleshed out and the emotion was really raw at times.

Definitely recommend for anyone that wants a story that sucks you in and doesn’t let you go. The best way I can describe reading this was that I felt like I was racing down the highway at 100 miles an hour in a metal death trap of a car screaming while continually passing horrible gut wrenching monstrosities. It was AWESOME!

[Lupita_333 (on a break) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

The characters personalities were very similar to each other and they didn’t have a detailed backstory other than Adam. The writing is mainly more tell than show. The second half of the story is way more enjoyable than the first half.

Other than that I enjoyed this story that was about a group of kids on mars who have to fight against some bugs that are attacking and destroying them. The bugs were such a cool and scary thing that they had to fight against. The descriptions of what the bugs did to the humans was creepy. I love how hard they all fought against them and their character growth.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Shannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colony really surprised me—in a good way. It’s a YA sci-fi set on Mars, and while that alone is usually enough to pique my interest, it’s the character dynamics and rising tension that truly hooked me.

The story follows Adam, the first human born on Mars, who’s lived his whole life on a tight-knit colony. But when a new wave of colonists arrives from Earth, things go downhill fast. The power struggle between the original Martian-born teens and the newly arrived Earth kids (who are a bit full of themselves, to be honest) sets the stage for some serious drama. And just when you think it’s all just cliques and leadership battles—bam—alien bugs.

Wolff balances the science-fiction elements with real coming-of-age vibes. Adam’s growth as a character feels natural, and the way he steps up when everything falls apart (thanks to an alien invasion and a power-hungry adult who loses it) makes him an easy protagonist to root for.

There were moments where the pacing dipped slightly, but overall the tension builds well, especially once the mystery of the missing colonists kicks in. The relationships between the kids are layered with typical teenage bravado, banter, and bonding under pressure—which made it feel grounded despite the whole “we’re being hunted by aliens on Mars” thing.

Fans of The 100 or Red Rising (the lighter YA side of it) will probably enjoy this. It’s got survival, suspense, and just enough sci-fi to feel fresh without getting bogged down in too much tech.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy in exchange for an honest review!

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d give this book 3.5 stars. Overall a fast paced, quick read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book started off really well. I was intrigued and drawn in. There was a lot of characters that we got to meet and the dynamics were interesting. And then the horror starts.

This was fast paced and hard to put down because I just wanted to see what happened and if they got out of the situations. I felt the tension and anxiety.

A quick, fun and easy read.

[Mireya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to BookSirens for the ARC copy of Colony. This has not affected my review at all, which are my own thoughts.

Colony follows a, well, colony of humans based in Mars, the red planet. Mainly, we follow Adam, son of one of the original settlers and resident mechanic. And now, a new wave of people (adults and kids) are arriving to Hellas Station, to Mars, to start a new life with Adam and his family. Except, the novelty and giddiness soon die when something else wakes deep in Mars and goes up to surface to "welcome" the humans. And feed on them. A fight between humanity and aliens for survival will ensue and only one will stand on their feet at the end.

What an amazing book. Ron Wolff has crafted an epic story of survival in a completely unknown environment, mixed with horror elements and all the science expected from a book based in Mars. In fact, I appreciated that Wolff didn't shy away from showing and describing all the elements that come into play to establishing a colony in a planet like Mars (without atmosphere, available water and such); if you're going to write a science fiction book, no matter where it is based, lean into all the science bits and show them to make the world more believable. In my opinion, at least.

Another thing that Wollf has managed to do is have me rooting for the characters survival against all odds, even for the annoying ones, kids and adults. Because, at the end of the day, they're all on the same boat and their survival depends on staying together, letting their differences aside and work to win the upcoming battle. I loved seeing all these characters show their smarter sides, show why they were selected to go to the colony, but also, how they interacted with each other, AKA, their human side, their lights and shadows. Sometimes, having so many characters can demeaned a book, because most of them don't get enough page time to get well develop and be known to us (readers); but that is not the case with Colony, where the characters, on different levels, all get something, from the most basic to be three dimensional and feeling like real humans dealing with the worst event possible that could happen when trying to establish yourself in a different place, let alone, planet.

And the aliens. *Chef's kiss*. Vivid and detailed descriptions, showing their beauty and their terror, how interesting it is to find dormant life in Mars, but also the horrifying realization that they can and will outnumber the humans and kill them if the people don't manage to find a solution to it all.

Because nothing is perfect in this life, there's a couple things that I didn't like that I'd like to tackle. Mainly, the fact that it felt like the fight between the aliens was dragged on almost forever. The invasion started a bit before the 50% of the book, as I expected, of course, but after that, things kept happening, and people fought and they did not have a moment to breathe easy, but since the book is almost 400 pages, for me, it felt like it dragged in some parts, to show what happened to most characters and how Adam and his little group of friends finally got together to escape the invasion. And I'm not saying I don't appreciate that we were shown character growth and develop relationships, but I think the pace and my enjoyment of the book suffered a bit from it. But, maybe other people will not see issue with this at all.

Anyway, I always loved it when a book makes me feel what the characters are feeling, dragging me along with them in their shenanigans and the consequences of their choices. All lace with a coherent plot and an amazing world, and I'm sold. And that's exactly what Ron Wolff did so well with Colony.

To sum up, do yourself a favor and go read Colony if you are a fan of the horror science fiction genre (think "Alien") and are looking for a story that highlights the raw emotions that flare up when people is confronted with a life or death situation, where panic could get you killed and survival comes both with the help of others and at their expense.

[John Purvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first publication under the pen name Ron Wolff (https://ronwolffbooks.com), though the author has published under other names. Colony was published late last April. It is the 42nd book I completed reading in 2025.

I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence and some mature language, I categorize this novel as R.

Adam Flynn is 17 and has lived his entire life on Mars. His mother had died shortly after his birth, leaving him to grow up with his father and the 6 other people living on Mars. As the story begins, they are preparing to receive the second ship dispatched from Earth with colonists. Sadly, the first had been destroyed years earlier as it attempted to enter the atmosphere.

Adam is looking forward to meeting all of the 79 new people. Especially the kids. His entire existence has been around adults. But things don’t go the way he had hoped. Neither the kids nor their parents are as friendly as he was expecting. Commander David Flynn had led the crew on Mars for years, making Adam feel a part of them. He could fix almost anything that broke, and he was often called upon to contribute this skill. While living on Mars was dangerous, the eight souls living there were part of a relaxed, cohesive community.

The new Hallas Station commander, Colonel Mike Griggs, had a different perspective. More spit-and-polish, and expected all to follow the clear chain of command. And he ignored Adam’s experience, treating him as just another of the kids. The only kid Adam had any connection with was Scar. He had been messaging Scar for months as the Starship Horizon approached. Only after they had arrived does Adam discover that Scar is 16-year-old Scarlett Evers. In the short time on Mars, Scarlett becomes Adam’s closest friend.

The colonists had not been on Mars long before strange things began to happen. Contact is lost with the nearby New Holland outpost. Antje and Koen Brill have occupied the igloo-shaped outpost and have been broadcasting a reality show back to Earth. They document life on Mars and perform their respective scientific duties. She is a biochemist, and Koen is a volcanologist.

When New Holland is investigated, Antje is found dead, and Koen is missing. It is not long before the first contact with the Martian ‘bugs’ takes place. Though Mars has long been thought to be devoid of life, life has only been dormant. Soon after the encounter, Hallas Station is under assault. Having warmed the Martian soil for farming in the GreenHab dome, the dormant bugs have been awoken. Now they want to feed.

The station becomes a war zone as the bugs infiltrate the facility. The colonists attempt to fight them off, but they are overwhelmed by the sheer number of bugs. A handful led by Adam survives, fleeing from Halla Station to New Holland. It is up to this small group to confront the bugs if they are to survive.

I enjoyed the 7.5 hours I spent reading this 378-page young adult science fiction novel. I enjoyed this novel even though it was clearly targeted at young adults with an interest in SciFi Horror. The cover art chosen for this novel was particularly fitting. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tension soars as life as a colonist on Mars becomes a gruesome fight for survival.

Adam is the first person to be born on Mars. Being the only child and raised by scientists has made him socially unique in many ways, too. So when new colonists arrive to expand the project, he's excited and nervous that he'll finally meet kids his own age. The group is specially chosen, since the colony is still an experiment, and there's no way back to Earth. But considering the circumstances, the teens are much less mature than he expected. Their constant drama leads to dangerous problems, and the new head of the colony, a general and father of two of them, isn't making things easier with his arrogant, mean, and all-commanding-know-everything attitude. When colonists begin to mysteriously die, it becomes clear that a new danger exists...and this one only wants to kill.

The first chapters grab the reader into Adam's world and build a wholesome atmosphere (despite the difficulties of being on a Mars colony). Adam is very kind, intelligent, hardworking, and easy to be around. The calm atmosphere then offers a clashing juxtaposition with the arrival of the new colonists. Tension hits immediately and sets the motion toward tension and mayhem. Adam's struggles to find his own spot amongst his peers makes him very relatable, while his level-headed attitude and kindness makes him easy to root for until the end...whatever that might hold. (Yep, tons of suspense, since I don't want to ruin anything).

The characters hit with varying flair. While Adam is fleshed out, most of the sub-characters don't gain as much depth, which makes them more difficult to root for. While there are a couple which I hoped would make it through, others were so nasty that death seemed to make Adam's life easier. Especially the attitude of some of the new colonists had me laying the book to the side for a bit due to frustration. For 'specially chosen from thousands with ideal training', they didn't make complete sense. Nor did the general's sudden presence of attitude and power in a fragile experiment. Along with other logic holes later on, this knocked what might have been a 5-star read for me down a notch or so. But it still was an entertaining read...enough so that I can recommend it to thrill and horror fans.

This is a fast-paced tale, and even the first chapters of world-building weave interesting moments and details into the mix as crumbs of what is to come. The second part of the read, where the monsters come in, shifts everything into high-tension gear. High stakes and gruesome moments take control. Horror and action fans are in for an exciting ride as things take unexpected and horrific twists and turns. It creates tension pure and grabs in all the right ways. So, this one isn't only for sci-fi fans, by any means.

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A shockingly great YA Sci-Fi thriller that earns its suspense and pays it off repeatedly. Highly recommended for any sci-fi fan.

At a time when establishing an outpost on Mars seems more plausible than ever before, Ron Wolff’s Colony opens – appetizingly so – with a detailed schematic diagram of Hellas Station, a base for human colonization and scientific exploration. What follows next is a frenetic scene where Hellas Station can’t reach the Starship Horizon, which has just arrived with colonists.

For background, we learn that Adam Flynn, son of Commander David Flynn, was born on Mars. His mother died during childbirth. At just 17 years old, he’s already been a member of the crews for years. With just eight people living on the planet, it’s safe to say that the arrival of 79 colonists is the defining moment of Adam’s life.

Mercifully, Wolff doesn’t follow the now-predictable trope of frontloading the novel with an act of shocking violence and using flashbacks to fill in the backstory. Instead, he builds suspense by allowing readers to experience what feels like a perfect simulation of the wonder and difficulty in scaling a colony on Mars in linear fashion. Several chapters in, and right on time, the inevitable first sign that something is terribly wrong happens as Adam finds the body of Antje, one of the Dutch colonists. And during the autopsy, a shocking revelation – Antje’s corpse is completely empty inside. She was consumed from within.

What long-dormant alien has risen from Mars’ surface? That’s the singular question as Wolff accelerates the narrative to thrilling effect. Not that the colonists have much time to ponder it. As the body count rises due to an alien presence they don’t yet understand, Adam is soon thrust into an unlikely leadership role. A team of young survivors, each of them memorable in their own right, must engage in a strategic battle of intellect and wits.

Just as in any dystopian novel, the survivors need to make do with what they can find. The creativity required in order for what’s left of Wolff’s fledgling colony to battle for their lives makes for an extremely entertaining read (Ammonia, anyone? Liquid Oxygen?). The result is an absolute blast.

Colony is marketed as a young adult Sci-Fi survival thriller, which it most certainly is. But just because the book doesn’t feature sex or objectionable subject matter doesn’t mean the rest of us won’t love it too. This is a rare thriller that the entire family can rally around.

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this ARC on a whim. I'm new to BookSirens, and I thought a quick YA sci-fi horror would be a good way to check out the site and see how it operates. I honestly wasn't expecting to enjoy the book much.

To my surprise, I really loved this! Wolff's writing is excellent, even though it's geared at the low-to-mid-teen age range. The characters are well drawn and mostly avoid becoming caricatures or stereotypes. Some of the dialogue feels forced at times, but that often comes with the YA territory. The science aspects seem well-researched, or else Wolff does a good job of sounding knowledgeable. And once you get past the first couple of setup chapters, the plot moves at a good clip. Each chapter ends on a suspenseful note that makes you want to keep turning pages. So while this appears to be the author's first sci-fi novel, that isn't glaringly obvious.

It certainly isn't obvious that this is the author's first horror novel, too. The horror elements are extremely effective, especially if you have any level of aversion to bugs. If you plan to offer this book to a young teen (or if any young teens are reading this review), be aware that there are some pretty hardcore body-horror moments that would even make horror-loving adult readers squirm. Reader discretion is advised.

I do have one criticism, though. I was sure this was heading for a 5-star rating, but towards the end, the plot started to fall apart just a little bit. Again, it's aimed more at the 12 - 16 age range, so I'm not going to be as critical as I would for an adult book. And nothing happened that completely ruined my enjoyment of the rest of the book. It just gets a bit campy and tropey, and I wasn't expecting that based on the strength of the first 3/4. I think readers just need to go into it understanding that it's unapologetically YA. Don't expect it to break any new ground, just sit back and enjoy the creepy sci-fi vibes.

In conclusion, this is a fun, skin-crawling, page-turning sci-fi horror. It's written for a YA audience, but adults can also appreciate the strong writing and the creepy vibes.

Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

[Martina Bučková · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book from Ron Wolff and it was pretty good. It has been some time I read a good space apocalypse novel and this fulfilled all my expectations.

Main character is Adam, who was born on Mars, his mother died, because of hormones in anti-gravity, but he is skilled technician and one of the few crew members who build Hellas colony on Mars and designed the GreenHub, where they are able to grow vegetables. There are only 6 people and 2 other people living on the New Holland colony - Anja and Koen.

Adam is smart, a bit awkward teenager, he does not know anything else than Mars. Now it is the time that new members of the colony are coming and they are supposed to populate Mars, they are in all age categories and especially big group is "kids". Kids work under Adam as their supervisor in the GreenHub, when comes the dust storm. For them it is the first time such storm is of course happening. During the storm there is a hole made in the GreenHub, which causes pressure decrease and oxygen loss, but Adam is able to fix it even though he almost dies. He is heavily scolded by the new general on the colony Griggs, who is in charge.
Adam is sent to check what happened on New Holland, because normally Koen and Antje have their Tv show and are always online. But now the cameras are dead.

After Adam arrives to New Holland, he find only dead Antje. They find out after autopsy, that she was "eaten" from inside. They think bugs did this, that Koen who is researching near the caverns in volcano found some Martian bugs who are new species. Oh how right they were.

At this moment the whole book changes into one survival, killing bugs, larvae, mantises and other stages of bugs killing all the colonists with the deadly spinsters or the acid.
Adam is smart, but even he got cheated by the end of the novel, called by the queen, who wants him to get her to Earth.

This book gets better and better page by page. So if you do not like it at the beginning, do not give up, it will just get perfect by the end.
Highly recommended, this book was exactly what I needed now. Thank you for providing this ARC.

[DarkS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colony grabbed me from the very first chapters. The story starts by immersing us in Adam’s world on Mars, which feels surprisingly wholesome despite the challenges of life on a colony. Adam himself is easy to root for—kind, intelligent, hardworking, and just generally a likable guy. Watching him navigate friendships and figure out his place among his peers makes him really relatable.

Once the new colonists arrive, the tension skyrockets. The mystery of who’s missing and what’s happening drives the story forward, keeping the suspense high. The relationships between the kids are fun and layered—full of teenage banter, bravado, and moments of bonding under pressure—which keeps the story grounded, even when they’re being hunted by aliens.

The pacing has a few dips here and there, but for the most part, it’s fast, tense, and stressful in the best way. Dialogue can sometimes undercut the danger, with characters joking through life-or-death situations, but it didn’t ruin the overall intensity. The world itself is compelling, even if it borrows familiar sci-fi tropes (Ender’s Game vibes, anyone?).

It’s a quick, fun read with solid momentum, and while the ending feels a bit abrupt, it’s still satisfying enough to leave you wanting more. Colony really surprised me—it’s more than just a YA sci-fi adventure on Mars; it’s a story about character dynamics, tension, and suspense that hooks you from start to finish.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for me.

I'm not usually a YA reader but I do love a good Sci-Fi Horror novel and Colony really appealed to me.

I was sucked in almost instantly, the plot was so interesting to me: a kid born on Mars, raised by his dad and a handful of crewmates in a fully self-sustaining colony. The characters had personality and the interactions were great. Once the new group of colonists arrive, I feel like the story and the dialogue got a little repetitive but it wasn't too bad and I was able to shrug it off.

I was really enjoying the story until about the 70-75% mark, where things went from slightly realistic (hey, giant bugs on Mars could be real) and went into full-on unbelievable mode. I had a hard time continuing after this, what with the different types of bugs acting as one unit (mantises, scorpion-like things, and beetles all in one hive?). After that, the ending felt a little rushed and not very enjoyable to me, specifically the final 5-6 chapters.

Overall, I enjoyed this book for the premise and most of the characters but the ending felt rushed and almost ruined the entire experience for me. I still think it deserves 3/5 stars because I did enjoy most of the book.

I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colony is a face paced, edge of your seat thrill ride of a YA novel. It doesn't pull any punches with the horror or the gore, making you feel like you're right there with the characters struggling to survive. Our main character Adam was born on Mars, living there for seventeen years with his crew. When a group of colonists from Earth finally touch down, there's more to worry about than interpersonal drama and how to keep eighty people fed.

I can't lie, there were a few characters whose fate I knew the second they appeared on page. Like Adam, I read and watch a lot of horror media, so it's easy to spot who is going to end up as canon fodder. There were a few surprises though! Both with survivors and with deaths. Wolff does a great job building tension and suspense throughout the novel. I saw a review saying that the pace dragged in the second half, but I have to kindly disagree. Once a certain frustrating character was killed off, I had no problem flying through the rest of the story. I will admit there were a few times I was so frustrated with that specific character that I actually had to put the book down and take a breather.

Overall, it's a fun and quick read full of just as much heart as it has adventure and horror. And bugs. Lots and lots of bugs.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Dionne Muller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ron Wolff's sci-fi thriller "Colony" offers a tantalizing premise—the first and only human born on Mars finds his isolated existence upended by the arrival of new colonists.

Adam Flynn's role leading a ragtag group of teenage survivors against a relentless alien threat has potential, but the breakneck pace leaves little room for nuance or to explore the intriguing themes of survival, found family, young love and the meaning of home that the book touches on.

I found the writing style to be disjointed and jarring at times, which disrupts the flow of the narrative. More problematically, the plot rushes headlong into conflict mere moments after the new arrivals set foot on the red planet. It's as if the author assumes that readers will only be entertained by immediate tension and danger, without taking the time to properly develop the characters, setting and situation.

Overall, while "Colony" delivers some adrenaline-pumping thrills and raises provocative questions, it stumbles in the storytelling, leaving readers craving a more cohesive and thoughtful approach to this compelling sci-fi scenario.

[Chrystal Mahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up Colony while searching for something in the vein of The Martian, Project Hail Mary, and the Bobiverse series. This book definitely delivered on the sci-fi adventure and survival themes I was craving. It mixes hard science fiction with intense horror and a strong emotional core.

Adam Flynn is the only human ever born on Mars. For seventeen years, he has lived in isolation with a small group of scientists, dreaming of the day more people would arrive. When new colonists finally land, that dream quickly turns into a nightmare.

Something ancient and deadly is stirring beneath the Martian surface. An alien swarm devastates the colony, leaving Adam and a small group of teenage survivors to fight back. But this is no mindless monster. It can think, plan, and even invade human minds.

What follows is a fast-paced, heart-pounding story filled with suspense, unexpected twists, and deeply human moments. Colony blends science fiction, horror, and coming-of-age in a way that fans of survival stories and alien thrillers will love.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Courtney (why did I request all these!?) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions

DNF @ 40%

I think this book would be a good read for someone in high school, but the writing was a little too juvenile for me. I always have a really difficult time when teenage hormones are flying during really horrific events where cliquishness, petty child politics and crushes should realistically be taking a backseat.

I think in particular the scenes where the teenagers keep going in circles over and over again about farming their food were very unrealistic to me. These are second generation humans colonizing Mars, all of which have top scientists as their parents. The blasé attitude of, "I don't need to do this work, someone else will" might fly for a kid who doesn't feel like washing the dishes at home, but I can't imagine it actually happening on an uninhabited planet.

The book did start to pick up once the gore begins, but that lasts all of about two chapters before the petty squabbling starts up again. At that point I knew I wasn't going to enjoy the rest of the book and decided to move on.

Well wishes to this author and their books in the future!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read. Yes, there are a lot of things that don't make sense or don't work like that, but every time I got to them I would note it and then be like eh - this is just a light, fun read. Somehow the writing made me not really care as I was enjoying it so much.

I really liked reading Adam (who was born on Mars) and him dealing with the new colonists that showed up. Now that is the big this doesn't make any sense thing for me - the people who show up and how they acted I do not believe for a second would be the people who were chosen for this mission. Most of the kids were horrible, they somehow didn't think they would have to do any work to you know survive on Mars and they didn't seem to care messed up critical things for survive, and the adults were not much better. But eh. I still had fun reading it.

Now the bugs were interesting and this was just plain fun. I would definitely read more from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of this book.

[Ella S · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Colony was a good action-packed story. I enjoyed the first part of the book the most. I immediately liked the protagonist, Adam. It was interesting seeing his perspective as a boy growing up on Mars with no other children and a small group of adults. He grew up in a world where not following protocol could mean the death of everyone. I would have loved to have those aspects explored even more.

While it was fun seeing Adam interact with the children from Earth, the other characters weren't as memorable. I didn't find myself become attached to any of them.

As someone who doesn't like bugs, having them be attacked by insect-like alien made it creepier. I thought these scenes were well-written, intense, and scary. There plot wasn't very original and predictable, but I always enjoy a good YA story about teens surviving when the adults don't. I also found the ending a bit rushed.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Tye Brantley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is well-written, with a solid grasp of pacing. The alien bugs were detailed and intense, and the action scenes delivered. However, the ending felt emotionally underwhelming. After so much build-up, I expected a more impactful conclusion—either something deeply resonant or a twist that stuck with me.

Additionally, while entertaining, the story didn’t feel very original. It echoed familiar territory already explored in classics like Starship Troopers, Ender’s Game, and Children of Time. If you’ve read or watched a lot of sci-fi involving alien insects or hive-minded species, much of this will feel predictable. Still, it’s a solid read if you’re looking for something well-crafted within the genre. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Chris McCollum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reviewed this book as a judge for a contest put together by Biblioboard. As such, I have received this book for free.

I really liked the book! The plot was fast paced, the main character was likeable, and I felt like I read this 400 page book like it was only 200 pages. The plot chilled me to the bone, I finished it a couple days ago and it's still on my mind.

My only complaint is that the supporting cast of characters did not behave very believably. They oscillated between geniuses and idiots depending on what the story required of them at the time. I feel like the author could have made the smart character's mistakes come from a place of misunderstanding rather than gross incompetence.

Overall it was a very good book! I'm happy it was assigned to me, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Max · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh god this was bad!
A very dry and unoriginal book with terrible characters.
The writing isn’t offensively bad, but also not unique in any way and just generally bland.
The plot is nothing you haven’t seen before, with an extremely underwhelming alien threat as the antagonist.
The characters though, are my biggest gripe with this book. At no point in this book could I convince myself that these people were scientists, specifically trained by NASA, given the slew of dumb decisions they constantly make. Then there is also the issue, that the majority of the people in this book were never even given any characterization and the ones who were, are all incredibly unlikable stereotypes.
A colossal waste of time!

I want to thank Edelweiss for providing me with an eARC of this book.

[Morrison Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can't avoid the similarities with The Martian, but the "teens on Mars" angle did have some good dramatic potential. There was some rather clunky exposition at the beginning which could have been smoothed out a lot, and then that left the ending feeling rather rushed (and considerably less believable than the start) It cracked along pretty quickly and there were some good characters but ultimately it felt quite derivative and a bit of a wasted opportunity; the central character began well and his journey of discovery of his humanity (and his ... martianity...) were probably the best bit. Oh, and the sciencing the shit out of it, of course!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off a big thank you to Booksirens as well as to the author Ron Wolff for letting me read and review Colony, it was everything I was hoping it to be , nonstop from the very start ,and with each turn of the page to the next you can literally feel the tension blinding as well as the suspense. The Inter time I was reading this I was on edge as well as jumpy. I could definitely see this as a movie if done right , plus how the author set up the Atmosphere of the book made it even more enjoyable to read, but I do have to to say if your not into horror, or sci fi horror, or blood then this might not be for you.

[Christinaraven · Rating 5 out of 5]

The blurb says it all…. truly a psychological thriller that had me glued to the end and guessing what was going on as the craziness begins. I loved Adam and felt for him as in the beginning he is hopeful that the new colonists will be an easy fit and he will make friends. But as he starts to meet them and deal with the angst of teens, something pops up and everything goes sideways and I was glued to the end. A great story that drew me in and had me holding my breath and rooting for Adam. Plus it all happens on Mars so air is a problem and so far away from outside help made it so much more fun to read.

[Samanta Lang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reviewed from an ARC copy provided by NetGalley. A gripping mix of YA drama and cosmic horror, this novel follows a group of teens who brave Mars’s red wastelands in humanity’s aim to survive. The author doesn’t shy away from the terrors of alien isolation: grotesque body horror, high-stakes betrayals, and the bone-cold fear of being the only heartbeat on an empty planet. Amid the dread lies raw coming-of-age tension—friendships strained to the breaking point and the crushing weight of becoming humanity’s hope. Perfect for young readers who want their sci-fi served with a generous dose of chills, it’s a dark, fast-paced ride that lingers long after lights-out.

[Bethany Bannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast-paced and stressful in the best way—this book keeps the tension high almost nonstop. The dialogue, though, doesn’t always match the stakes; characters joke through life-or-death moments, which pulls you out of the intensity. The world is compelling, even if it feels like a remix of Ender’s Game and every familiar sci-fi trope. Despite that, it’s a fun, quick read with solid momentum. The ending? Abrupt, but not enough to ruin the ride.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised on how good this book was. It kept my interest the whole time. I am not a huge space nerd, but this book did sound very plausible for the situations rather than some special pop-up bubble shelter or teleportation to save the day. I could feel the isolation and the calm/panic mix the characters would have felt.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Marion McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant example of a YA take on sci fi! I thought of it a bit like "Aliens" for teens, set in a colony where nobody will listen to the wisdom of the voice of experience because of who they are. Very grateful for my ARC copy and I'll be keen to read more from this author in future too!