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Waterblaze Trilogy #1
Standing
In a future where two tyrants hold the world in an iron grip, humanity is about to meet its doom. An empathic girl from the past is called to action by a group of technologically advanced mermaids. An apocalypse is coming. Along with fellow time traveler, Force, she is sent to the future as the last hope for humanity. The stakes are high, the odds against her. Can she overcome her fears and step into her destiny? Can she lead a people to victory who lost hope long ago?
- GenresDystopia
122 pages, Paperback
First published August 31, 2014
694 people want to read
About the author
China Dennington
4 books15 followersThis author is also published under Quinn Elmsworth.
Quinn Elmsworth is a 25-year-old who majored in English and History at Emory University. She has always adored science fiction & fantasy. From mermaids to aliens, anything fantastical or related to space captures her attention! In her free time she enjoys crocheting wonky blankets and watching her favorite queer TV shows.
Quinn Elmsworth is a 25-year-old who majored in English and History at Emory University. She has always adored science fiction & fantasy. From mermaids to aliens, anything fantastical or related to space captures her attention! In her free time she enjoys crocheting wonky blankets and watching her favorite queer TV shows.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 30, 2016
Thanks to China Dennington for giving this book to review.
Gale has always been afraid of the sea but when she rescues her sister from drowning, she discovers a group of technologically advanced mermaids who need her help. Because of her genes she can travel into the future and the mermaids need her, along with another human Force, to go to 2212 to stop the apocalypse. Will they be able to stop two tyrants before it is too late to go back to their time?
Standing is an enjoyable and unique story as it is mixture of paranormal, sci-fi and dystopia. It was predictable and a bit naïve story but still a fun light read. I tend to have problems with time travel but I liked this one. I feel the story could have been fleshed out a bit more with a 100 more pages. Also the beginning was too fast and I found I struggled to work out what was going on.
All of the characters are likeable (apart from the baddies) if a bit one-dimensional and I would have liked to have seen both good and bad sides of them and for them to act their age. Gale is intuitive, kind and a strong leader but I would have liked her to have panicked a bit when discovering everything rather than calmly accepting it. Force is smart, sensible but also fun-loving and curious.
While this book is not perfect, considering the age China Dennigton wrote this book, it was good and I look forward to seeing her grow her writing talents and see what she writes next. I would recommend Standing to fans of unique paranormal novels.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
Gale has always been afraid of the sea but when she rescues her sister from drowning, she discovers a group of technologically advanced mermaids who need her help. Because of her genes she can travel into the future and the mermaids need her, along with another human Force, to go to 2212 to stop the apocalypse. Will they be able to stop two tyrants before it is too late to go back to their time?
Standing is an enjoyable and unique story as it is mixture of paranormal, sci-fi and dystopia. It was predictable and a bit naïve story but still a fun light read. I tend to have problems with time travel but I liked this one. I feel the story could have been fleshed out a bit more with a 100 more pages. Also the beginning was too fast and I found I struggled to work out what was going on.
All of the characters are likeable (apart from the baddies) if a bit one-dimensional and I would have liked to have seen both good and bad sides of them and for them to act their age. Gale is intuitive, kind and a strong leader but I would have liked her to have panicked a bit when discovering everything rather than calmly accepting it. Force is smart, sensible but also fun-loving and curious.
While this book is not perfect, considering the age China Dennigton wrote this book, it was good and I look forward to seeing her grow her writing talents and see what she writes next. I would recommend Standing to fans of unique paranormal novels.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
December 8, 2015
3.5*
The author kindly provided me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Standing is the first book in a mermaid trilogy, written by China Dennington, who at the time of writing was only thirteen years old. Kudos for that! Anyway, this first book in the trilogy follows Gale, a seventeen-year-old girl who finds that she has the ability to time-travel from mermaids. She travels to the future with fellow time-traveler Force in order to save the world from certain doom.
This book was a real fun ride! The plot was super interesting and I really enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed Gale's character, she was really fun and quirky and not at all as angsty as many other YA heroines are. Here and there the book felt a bit rushed and plot parts and characters could have been a bit further developped, but overall this was really good and a super fun read! Video review coming on my channel on March 18!
The author kindly provided me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Standing is the first book in a mermaid trilogy, written by China Dennington, who at the time of writing was only thirteen years old. Kudos for that! Anyway, this first book in the trilogy follows Gale, a seventeen-year-old girl who finds that she has the ability to time-travel from mermaids. She travels to the future with fellow time-traveler Force in order to save the world from certain doom.
This book was a real fun ride! The plot was super interesting and I really enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed Gale's character, she was really fun and quirky and not at all as angsty as many other YA heroines are. Here and there the book felt a bit rushed and plot parts and characters could have been a bit further developped, but overall this was really good and a super fun read! Video review coming on my channel on March 18!
March 19, 2015
First I would like to say how cool it is that China Dennignton wrote this when she was only thirteen. I've been struggling with writing my book since I was twenty, so kudos to her. It's always gives me inspiration and pushes me harder when I hear about such young authors. It was well written for someone at such a young age and that is the last I will say anything about her age.
Gale is a teenager that finds out she can travel through time, from mermaids. So she agrees to go on a mission with another time traveling teenager named Force, to save the world. They have fifty days to figure out what is going to destroy all of man (and mermaid) kind and stop it.
It was a little difficult to concentrate after I read mermaids and time travel in the same sentence but I got through it. It's an interesting tale, definitely one of a kind and that's a great thing. Too many books seem so similar these days and I can say that now I have read a time travel story that also had mermaids in it.
Gale was a great female lead. She wasn't whiny like so many female leads have a tendency of being. She was witty and always seemed to make me laugh. Force was very smart and caring, making him another great lead. They worked well together and I felt connected to them, proving how well written it was. Junior was cute and I want one of my own please!
The names of characters were very unique. China Dennington did a great job creating names that seem like they could be from the future. Names are very important to the story and I liked the ones that she chose. The entire world that she created was truly magical, I commend Dennington for that. The cover of the book is beautiful also, it really draws your eyes to it.
Some things did seem a little rushed at the beginning. I felt Gale came to terms with everything she heard a little too quickly. At least I think I would have needed a moment to freak out about the whole being under water and breathing thing but that's just me. There was a lot of history and information thrown at you in the first few chapters and that is always a turn off to me. It makes me feel like I'll miss or forget something when all the important stuff is at the very beginning.
I think those are the only things I can think that I didn't like about the book. So I say overall I really enjoyed this book. It was fun, the characters were great and it had a great storyline. The Epilogue was great and left little to question and that's always good. I look forward to reading more of China Dennington's works.
For more of my reviews visit: http://www.hyperashley.com/
Gale is a teenager that finds out she can travel through time, from mermaids. So she agrees to go on a mission with another time traveling teenager named Force, to save the world. They have fifty days to figure out what is going to destroy all of man (and mermaid) kind and stop it.
It was a little difficult to concentrate after I read mermaids and time travel in the same sentence but I got through it. It's an interesting tale, definitely one of a kind and that's a great thing. Too many books seem so similar these days and I can say that now I have read a time travel story that also had mermaids in it.
Gale was a great female lead. She wasn't whiny like so many female leads have a tendency of being. She was witty and always seemed to make me laugh. Force was very smart and caring, making him another great lead. They worked well together and I felt connected to them, proving how well written it was. Junior was cute and I want one of my own please!
The names of characters were very unique. China Dennington did a great job creating names that seem like they could be from the future. Names are very important to the story and I liked the ones that she chose. The entire world that she created was truly magical, I commend Dennington for that. The cover of the book is beautiful also, it really draws your eyes to it.
Some things did seem a little rushed at the beginning. I felt Gale came to terms with everything she heard a little too quickly. At least I think I would have needed a moment to freak out about the whole being under water and breathing thing but that's just me. There was a lot of history and information thrown at you in the first few chapters and that is always a turn off to me. It makes me feel like I'll miss or forget something when all the important stuff is at the very beginning.
I think those are the only things I can think that I didn't like about the book. So I say overall I really enjoyed this book. It was fun, the characters were great and it had a great storyline. The Epilogue was great and left little to question and that's always good. I look forward to reading more of China Dennington's works.
For more of my reviews visit: http://www.hyperashley.com/
July 14, 2015
***I received the eBook free as a review copy from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review***
I enjoyed reading this book.
This book is written by a fourteen-year old author, which I found amazing because for someone of a young age to write a book is just awesome and amazing.
This book is basically about a girl, who has the perfect sequence of DNA and can therefore breathe water and therefore go to the underwater world called Dellinia, the home to mermaids. There she meets Force, another human with the same DNA sequence. The girl then finds out from the mermaids, that they can all time-travel, in a cycle called the Continuance. The mermaids can travel 20 years into the future, while the humans can travel 200 years into the future. The present mermaids got a message from the future, that the end of humanity and Dellinia occurred. So, Force and the girl have to travel to the future to prevent it from happening.
I found, that the plot of the book was well developed because everything happened in a logical pattern. The characters were interesting and easily likable.
I think that the beginning of the book could have been developed more because almost all the information about the girl was told within the first page, which might be a bit too much to remember. I liked though, that the name of the girl wasn't told until the end of the chapter, the reason why I am withholding her name now. Also, there was a special type of connection that was missing at the beginning. The reader wasn't pulled immediately into the story because instead of stating the obvious, there is also the possibility that you can describe the scene and the facial expressions of the character. Besides that, I just thought that during the beginning of the adventure, there were too few conflicts which were solved too easily.
I liked the idea of the story, it is original. Later on in the book, the writing style developed and it was very interesting to read. I really liked the ending of the book and the plot definitely made up for the beginning. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars!
I enjoyed reading this book.
This book is written by a fourteen-year old author, which I found amazing because for someone of a young age to write a book is just awesome and amazing.
This book is basically about a girl, who has the perfect sequence of DNA and can therefore breathe water and therefore go to the underwater world called Dellinia, the home to mermaids. There she meets Force, another human with the same DNA sequence. The girl then finds out from the mermaids, that they can all time-travel, in a cycle called the Continuance. The mermaids can travel 20 years into the future, while the humans can travel 200 years into the future. The present mermaids got a message from the future, that the end of humanity and Dellinia occurred. So, Force and the girl have to travel to the future to prevent it from happening.
I found, that the plot of the book was well developed because everything happened in a logical pattern. The characters were interesting and easily likable.
I think that the beginning of the book could have been developed more because almost all the information about the girl was told within the first page, which might be a bit too much to remember. I liked though, that the name of the girl wasn't told until the end of the chapter, the reason why I am withholding her name now. Also, there was a special type of connection that was missing at the beginning. The reader wasn't pulled immediately into the story because instead of stating the obvious, there is also the possibility that you can describe the scene and the facial expressions of the character. Besides that, I just thought that during the beginning of the adventure, there were too few conflicts which were solved too easily.
I liked the idea of the story, it is original. Later on in the book, the writing style developed and it was very interesting to read. I really liked the ending of the book and the plot definitely made up for the beginning. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars!
March 26, 2015
Standing foi-me enviado pela própria autora que está agora a apresentar o seu livro. Por essa razão este post será traduzido para inglês.
Sereias e viajar no tempo. Parece estranho? É porque é mesmo.
A autora apresenta-nos um típico livro de young adult com uma personagem adolescente como centro da história. A sua escrita necessita ainda de amadurecer bem como a história.
Apesar de ser de rápida leitura e até algo engraçada nota-se que merece uma revisão para acrescentar alguns detalhes já que tudo parece acontecer muito depressa e sem muito pensar das nossas personagens.
Gale por exemplo aceita tudo o que lhe acontece de forma cega e sem questionar o quer que seja.
Ainda assim foi uma leitura engraçada e espero ler mais da autora.
*****
Standing was sent to me by the author who's presenting her work. For that reason this post was translated to enlgish.
Mermaids and time travel. It seems strange? That's because it is.
The author presents us a typical young adult book with a teenage character as the center of history. Her writing needs to mature a bit just like the story presented.
Despite being quick to read and even funny it's easy to see that needs to be a reviewed in order to add some details. Everything seems to happen very quickly and without much thought of our characters.
Gale for example accepts everything that happens, blindly and without any questions.
Still it was a reading I've enjoyed doing and I hope to read more soon.
in: http://folhaembranco.blogs.sapo.pt/st...
Sereias e viajar no tempo. Parece estranho? É porque é mesmo.
A autora apresenta-nos um típico livro de young adult com uma personagem adolescente como centro da história. A sua escrita necessita ainda de amadurecer bem como a história.
Apesar de ser de rápida leitura e até algo engraçada nota-se que merece uma revisão para acrescentar alguns detalhes já que tudo parece acontecer muito depressa e sem muito pensar das nossas personagens.
Gale por exemplo aceita tudo o que lhe acontece de forma cega e sem questionar o quer que seja.
Ainda assim foi uma leitura engraçada e espero ler mais da autora.
*****
Standing was sent to me by the author who's presenting her work. For that reason this post was translated to enlgish.
Mermaids and time travel. It seems strange? That's because it is.
The author presents us a typical young adult book with a teenage character as the center of history. Her writing needs to mature a bit just like the story presented.
Despite being quick to read and even funny it's easy to see that needs to be a reviewed in order to add some details. Everything seems to happen very quickly and without much thought of our characters.
Gale for example accepts everything that happens, blindly and without any questions.
Still it was a reading I've enjoyed doing and I hope to read more soon.
in: http://folhaembranco.blogs.sapo.pt/st...
October 19, 2014
For a fourteen year old author, this book is amazing. It has a well-developed world, clear story line, and nice characters. It held my interest to the end, and I enjoyed it very much.
In the greater scheme of things, a reader needs to forget the age of the author and concentrate on the story. That's where this book could use a little more experience. The first couple of chapters are a major information dump with the background story of the world and characters. Way too many passive verbs are used that slow down the action. The characters have it way too easy in the beginning. They adapt quickly to crazy new experiences and everything they attempt works. Everyone is just too happy and helpful!
These issues are minor, though. China Dennington has an amazing talent that will refine itself as she continues to write. I look forward to future works!
In the greater scheme of things, a reader needs to forget the age of the author and concentrate on the story. That's where this book could use a little more experience. The first couple of chapters are a major information dump with the background story of the world and characters. Way too many passive verbs are used that slow down the action. The characters have it way too easy in the beginning. They adapt quickly to crazy new experiences and everything they attempt works. Everyone is just too happy and helpful!
These issues are minor, though. China Dennington has an amazing talent that will refine itself as she continues to write. I look forward to future works!
May 25, 2015
I thought the story idea was fantastic! The author is creative and imaginative. I think this story could excel with an editor. A few grammar errors, but not many. I felt the main characters should have been in the 12-14 year range, not late teens / young adults. The majority of the book had a nice pace to it, but I would love to see some areas lengthened with more foreshadowing. For example, when Gale and Force go to the library in Dellinia we loose 2 hours. This is a pivotal life changing moment for Gale and the first time Force meets her in person. I'd also like to see her empathic side more prominently. Overall, I'd say the author is talented, I give her my congratulations on publishing her first book, and I look forward to her future work.
April 29, 2018
Standing is a mermaid story. I really wanted to like it because… C’mon, what’s not to like about mermaids? Unfortunately for me (and my brain), I couldn’t even finish it. I actually shelved this book as DNF @ 33% and I only got that far because I really pushed to keep going, hoping it would get better. So let me explain why I didn’t finish it and why I rated it 1-star... (Read more via website)
July 6, 2015
Mermaids
Well, I loved the cover and the blurb I read. The book is probably really good. However after too many stops, starts, and rereads I give up. I guess this just isn't for me. In a year ...or less I am still only at 25%
Well, I loved the cover and the blurb I read. The book is probably really good. However after too many stops, starts, and rereads I give up. I guess this just isn't for me. In a year ...or less I am still only at 25%
January 22, 2015
An easy read that shows a lot of thought from a young person with a lot of insight into hunan emotion and a great sense of right and wrong
April 4, 2015
A review for this will be up soon on my YouTube/BookTube channel! :)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews