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Aurelia #1
Hydro
A nuclear war has utterly desolated Earth, leaving mankind in a barbaric state. While the rest of the population tries to survive on a barren planet, a small number of people have fled Earth to Hydro, a secret compound on the Moon. Unsympathetic, the citizens of Hydro refuse to help anyone on Earth. Seventeen-year-old Blake lives on Earth with his dad, Asriel, and little brother, Ronny. Unexpectedly, Blake's dad becomes gravely ill. To save his dad, Blake attempts to escape from Earth to Hydro, where they have the technology that could save Asriel. With so many obstacles along his journey, will Blake be able to save his dad in time?
382 pages, Paperback
First published September 19, 2014
280 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 30, 2015
What I liked: I really liked the basis of where I can see this series going, war-torn people find habitable planet to begin anew on after abandoning Earth. I do think this series will take place over successive generations because no matter the speed of your ship, it’s very far away and will take a very long time to reach even at the speed of light. Blake was a fun character to follow, to see how someone from Earth would take to Hydro, a place drastically different from the kind of place he grew up in. I would have liked for a bit more about him adapting to things he’s never seen, and likely never heard of. Ziva on the other hand, is drastically different. She’s a bit bookish and spends all her time studying for different test (though I have no idea how that even relates to living on Hydro, does it have any effects on what jobs they get/are applicable for?). She also seems to blindly follow things she was taught, which since she’s never really known anything else makes complete sense. Though, I would have liked my main “bad guy” to be a bit more cunning and a lot less seemingly paranoid and unnecessarily aggressive about Blake, it was a dead giveaway that he was going to be the cause of problems from the start. There were also a few things, such as Blake’s brother, which brought a bit of entertainment to the story.
What I didn’t like: Earth is supposed to the be experiencing nuclear fallout world-wide 75 years after World War III basically happened, devastating most of the planet and leaving it mostly uninhabitable due to the drastic changes in weather. The former wealthy people fled to this compound on the moon where they now live in relative peace away from the people who survived on Earth. Now, I’m not a very science-orientated person but I’m fairly sure history class mentioned that nuclear fallout not only kills, but causes these very weird mutations in people by the next generation (things like extra limbs, extra fingers, extra ears, deformities of all kinds) and I was very confused about how that wasn’t happening. I know it’s fiction but that is something that happens with nuclear fallout, I know it can be a tabooish subject but the bombings of Hiroshima Nagasaki did do this to those who survived and were exposed to the fallout for only a bit. I’m thinking I remember that Chernobyl had the same problem. Also, hand guns are clip fed, not magazine fed. It’s the little things like that I got a little hung up on, but when you spend family time shooting guns at targets you learn the lingo of guns, and magazine always makes me think of rather large guns that you can’t really hide and have to hold in two hands. This, also read a little rough with other small errors, grammatical and spelling mostly. Also, still unsure why they don’t just grow their food on the moon, since that’s kind of a thing.
Overall Review: This book wasn’t what I was expecting, because I was expecting more space-y/future-ish stuff and there a few things that were a little off, some stuff that could be fixed through simple research. Overall it had an interesting storyline, and there were a few things that were entertaining to read to say the least, although there were certain other things that I’m unsure about how they will have relevance to the story as it continues.
Recommend?: It has an interesting story, and I’m very curious to see how this series will play out in the future.
What I didn’t like: Earth is supposed to the be experiencing nuclear fallout world-wide 75 years after World War III basically happened, devastating most of the planet and leaving it mostly uninhabitable due to the drastic changes in weather. The former wealthy people fled to this compound on the moon where they now live in relative peace away from the people who survived on Earth. Now, I’m not a very science-orientated person but I’m fairly sure history class mentioned that nuclear fallout not only kills, but causes these very weird mutations in people by the next generation (things like extra limbs, extra fingers, extra ears, deformities of all kinds) and I was very confused about how that wasn’t happening. I know it’s fiction but that is something that happens with nuclear fallout, I know it can be a tabooish subject but the bombings of Hiroshima Nagasaki did do this to those who survived and were exposed to the fallout for only a bit. I’m thinking I remember that Chernobyl had the same problem. Also, hand guns are clip fed, not magazine fed. It’s the little things like that I got a little hung up on, but when you spend family time shooting guns at targets you learn the lingo of guns, and magazine always makes me think of rather large guns that you can’t really hide and have to hold in two hands. This, also read a little rough with other small errors, grammatical and spelling mostly. Also, still unsure why they don’t just grow their food on the moon, since that’s kind of a thing.
Overall Review: This book wasn’t what I was expecting, because I was expecting more space-y/future-ish stuff and there a few things that were a little off, some stuff that could be fixed through simple research. Overall it had an interesting storyline, and there were a few things that were entertaining to read to say the least, although there were certain other things that I’m unsure about how they will have relevance to the story as it continues.
Recommend?: It has an interesting story, and I’m very curious to see how this series will play out in the future.
January 14, 2015
I do love a good post-apoc and I'm always excited to read any new ones that appear on my dystopian radar. Hydro recently appeared on said radar and it was a really enjoyable read.
It's set towards the end of this century, a nuclear war has decimated Earth, the population that was not killed by the blasts is struggling to survive but a lucky few managed to escape look down upon the once thriving planet from the safety of a compound on the moon called Hydro.
Hydro is very much the perfect utopia, everyone lives longer and are much healthier than their counterparts on Earth but there are some things that they just cannot do.
All of the food for Hydro is still grown on Earth in giant greenhouses which the survivors frequently try to get in to, the population of Hydro really do take their lives for granted until the arrival of a stowaway on a ship from Earth, a young man has arrived on Hydro and his name is Blake.
Blake has come from Earth to try and make a deal with the Hydro council in return for revealing the location of a new planet which could solve all their problems, a planet which could be the new home for both the residents of Hydro and Earth he wants their help to help save his father who has a terminal illness.
But he has a lot in his way, starting with the Commander of Earth who views Blake as a criminal and doesn't trust him at all, the feeling is very mutual with Blake hating him in return. Blake finds himself in the company of teens his age and through them he finds that the plan is to return to Earth, they have been told that work is currently under way to make it habitable again for them. He tells them that this is not the case and as far as he can see nothing is changing, the question is why are they being lied to?
One of the teens that Blake has befriended is Ziva who is the Commander's granddaughter, she wants to know why he has been lying to her and decides to help Blake in his mission to get to the bottom of what is being hidden from the residents of Earth and Hydro.
This is a great young adult read, it reads very nicely and has plenty of plot to keep you interested. The characters do come across as a little young in parts but they are sixteen and seventeen so they are young! I do like they idea of a compound on the moon and the world building of Hydro was very well done.
I'm you enjoy your young adult novels with a good dose of dystopia then you will enjoy this.
Awarded 4 out of 5
I was given a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review
It's set towards the end of this century, a nuclear war has decimated Earth, the population that was not killed by the blasts is struggling to survive but a lucky few managed to escape look down upon the once thriving planet from the safety of a compound on the moon called Hydro.
Hydro is very much the perfect utopia, everyone lives longer and are much healthier than their counterparts on Earth but there are some things that they just cannot do.
All of the food for Hydro is still grown on Earth in giant greenhouses which the survivors frequently try to get in to, the population of Hydro really do take their lives for granted until the arrival of a stowaway on a ship from Earth, a young man has arrived on Hydro and his name is Blake.
Blake has come from Earth to try and make a deal with the Hydro council in return for revealing the location of a new planet which could solve all their problems, a planet which could be the new home for both the residents of Hydro and Earth he wants their help to help save his father who has a terminal illness.
But he has a lot in his way, starting with the Commander of Earth who views Blake as a criminal and doesn't trust him at all, the feeling is very mutual with Blake hating him in return. Blake finds himself in the company of teens his age and through them he finds that the plan is to return to Earth, they have been told that work is currently under way to make it habitable again for them. He tells them that this is not the case and as far as he can see nothing is changing, the question is why are they being lied to?
One of the teens that Blake has befriended is Ziva who is the Commander's granddaughter, she wants to know why he has been lying to her and decides to help Blake in his mission to get to the bottom of what is being hidden from the residents of Earth and Hydro.
This is a great young adult read, it reads very nicely and has plenty of plot to keep you interested. The characters do come across as a little young in parts but they are sixteen and seventeen so they are young! I do like they idea of a compound on the moon and the world building of Hydro was very well done.
I'm you enjoy your young adult novels with a good dose of dystopia then you will enjoy this.
Awarded 4 out of 5
I was given a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review
January 8, 2015
What I Thought:
I enjoyed this book. I thought it was a good mix of emotion and problem-solving. I like to believe that, if I were in Blake's situation, I would handle things the same way.
The beginning of the book gave you a good amount of background into the situation on Earth. It showed you detail of how they lived, and what they needed to do to survive. I did find a few of the details confusing at the beginning, as not a lot of background was given to support them, but these are explained later, so stick with it.
It was interested to see how Blake was able to get into the position that he was in, being able to offer up a habitable planet. I say this because Blake clearly states that he understands what his dad is looking for, but has had no interest in learning how it is done or much about it. With that in mind, being an astrophysicist myself, I do wonder how he was actually able to hone in on the planet and know how to use the equipment. I would have liked a bit more detail on this. However, it is minor and didn't affect my belief that this is a good read too much.
I liked how the story progressed, with Blake deciding to take action to save his father. After losing his mother to cancer, he wasn't going to idly sit by and watch as his father continued to perish. I found this brave and it really attached me to Blake, making me hope and cheer for his success.
The entrance of Ziva, who is of a similar age to Blake, helps the story take even more of an interesting twist. It makes you question and wonder just what the Hydro peoples are up to. Are they hiding a secret or just trying to make sure that future generations don't know about and forget both Earth and the people still there?
I like the connection between the two and felt that their similarity in age and questioning minds really made their reactions and actions believable.
The characters, especially the two main ones, had enough depth and personality to make the story interesting and fun to read. I found that the plot moved along well and gave adequate time for details to unfold.
Overall, this is a good read. I would recommend it to YAs, especially as it'll get their mind questioning and thinking.
I enjoyed this book. I thought it was a good mix of emotion and problem-solving. I like to believe that, if I were in Blake's situation, I would handle things the same way.
The beginning of the book gave you a good amount of background into the situation on Earth. It showed you detail of how they lived, and what they needed to do to survive. I did find a few of the details confusing at the beginning, as not a lot of background was given to support them, but these are explained later, so stick with it.
It was interested to see how Blake was able to get into the position that he was in, being able to offer up a habitable planet. I say this because Blake clearly states that he understands what his dad is looking for, but has had no interest in learning how it is done or much about it. With that in mind, being an astrophysicist myself, I do wonder how he was actually able to hone in on the planet and know how to use the equipment. I would have liked a bit more detail on this. However, it is minor and didn't affect my belief that this is a good read too much.
I liked how the story progressed, with Blake deciding to take action to save his father. After losing his mother to cancer, he wasn't going to idly sit by and watch as his father continued to perish. I found this brave and it really attached me to Blake, making me hope and cheer for his success.
The entrance of Ziva, who is of a similar age to Blake, helps the story take even more of an interesting twist. It makes you question and wonder just what the Hydro peoples are up to. Are they hiding a secret or just trying to make sure that future generations don't know about and forget both Earth and the people still there?
I like the connection between the two and felt that their similarity in age and questioning minds really made their reactions and actions believable.
The characters, especially the two main ones, had enough depth and personality to make the story interesting and fun to read. I found that the plot moved along well and gave adequate time for details to unfold.
Overall, this is a good read. I would recommend it to YAs, especially as it'll get their mind questioning and thinking.
January 8, 2015
4 stars!
After the nuclear war of 2016. Earth is left in peril. The human population that maintained to survive not find themselves fighting starvation, rebels and dying of cancer at young ages because of the radiation.
Earth in it’s current state is all that Blake has ever known. After seeing his mother die of cancer he refuses to let his father do the same. Going over his father’s research he finds a planet that might be able to sustain life
Taking this newfound knowledge he sneaks aboard a food cargo ship to Hydro. Hydro is a facility on the moon where the fortunate have managed to live, cancer free, with electrify and modern science. Blake is taken captive and told that he must go to school and follow the rules that all the other teenagers on Hydro do until his scheduled council meeting where he will reveal the location of the planet in exchange for his father’s cancer to be cured.
Blake quickly makes friends with Ziva, the daughter of Hydro’s leader and granddaughter to Isom. Isom is one evil bastard and has blackmailed Blake, threatening the life of his brother. Blake must escape back to earth to save him but by doing so he risks not making it back in time for the council meeting and losing all hope to save his dad.
I really don’t want to say much more in risk of spoiling it but man PINS AND NEEDLES, PINS AND NEEDLES!
Action packed and very well written. I could easily see this book becoming a movie or TV series.
After the nuclear war of 2016. Earth is left in peril. The human population that maintained to survive not find themselves fighting starvation, rebels and dying of cancer at young ages because of the radiation.
Earth in it’s current state is all that Blake has ever known. After seeing his mother die of cancer he refuses to let his father do the same. Going over his father’s research he finds a planet that might be able to sustain life
Taking this newfound knowledge he sneaks aboard a food cargo ship to Hydro. Hydro is a facility on the moon where the fortunate have managed to live, cancer free, with electrify and modern science. Blake is taken captive and told that he must go to school and follow the rules that all the other teenagers on Hydro do until his scheduled council meeting where he will reveal the location of the planet in exchange for his father’s cancer to be cured.
Blake quickly makes friends with Ziva, the daughter of Hydro’s leader and granddaughter to Isom. Isom is one evil bastard and has blackmailed Blake, threatening the life of his brother. Blake must escape back to earth to save him but by doing so he risks not making it back in time for the council meeting and losing all hope to save his dad.
I really don’t want to say much more in risk of spoiling it but man PINS AND NEEDLES, PINS AND NEEDLES!
Action packed and very well written. I could easily see this book becoming a movie or TV series.
January 23, 2015
My Review:
I received an e ARC of Hydro in exchange with an honest review.
I would like to praise the author for coming up with such fresh, post apocalyptic story. The plot itself has lots of potential, but the writing got in the way.
I had huge problem with Blake's dialogues, he seems to only "order people around". It just makes the the character look a jerk and sound boring if after everything he says, the phrase he ordered follows. Not exactly everything, but a lot !
I found the element of conflicted feelings out of place because no one should convinced that easily over an important matter in only a few lines. If a person is conflicted, that person would stay in doubt for a very long time and would simply change allies that quickly.
Not mention a couple of plot holes in novel.
I think the book was published way too early. It definitely needed 3-4 more rounds of editing to serve the plot some justice.
I am probably not going to stick around for the rest of the series, but I hope that the next book is well edited because it would be such a shame to have such a great idea left unread
I give this book 2/5 stars and a D- according to my own rating scale.
I received an e ARC of Hydro in exchange with an honest review.
I would like to praise the author for coming up with such fresh, post apocalyptic story. The plot itself has lots of potential, but the writing got in the way.
I had huge problem with Blake's dialogues, he seems to only "order people around". It just makes the the character look a jerk and sound boring if after everything he says, the phrase he ordered follows. Not exactly everything, but a lot !
I found the element of conflicted feelings out of place because no one should convinced that easily over an important matter in only a few lines. If a person is conflicted, that person would stay in doubt for a very long time and would simply change allies that quickly.
Not mention a couple of plot holes in novel.
I think the book was published way too early. It definitely needed 3-4 more rounds of editing to serve the plot some justice.
I am probably not going to stick around for the rest of the series, but I hope that the next book is well edited because it would be such a shame to have such a great idea left unread
I give this book 2/5 stars and a D- according to my own rating scale.
March 21, 2015
This was a fast-paced, enjoyable read.
The main character, Blake, was raised in pretty bleak circumstances (post-apocalyptic Earth can be such a downer sometimes). Despite this, or maybe because of it, he has a lot of swagger and the enviable habit of putting others' needs before his own. Blake's interactions with other teens when he arrives on the moon-base Hydro are fun to read. The other teens live in a world of relative comfort and safety until Blake's arrival challenges them to see things differently and decide which leader they will follow.
There are quite a few twists in this book to keep things interesting, including one I never saw coming. A great dystopian read for teens of all ages.
This is the twenty-third book I've featured on my book's (Atomic Aardvark) blog called "Bobbing for Indie eBooks" . A feature where I promote and give away copies of eBooks by Indie authors I've discovered and whose books I have enjoyed.
The main character, Blake, was raised in pretty bleak circumstances (post-apocalyptic Earth can be such a downer sometimes). Despite this, or maybe because of it, he has a lot of swagger and the enviable habit of putting others' needs before his own. Blake's interactions with other teens when he arrives on the moon-base Hydro are fun to read. The other teens live in a world of relative comfort and safety until Blake's arrival challenges them to see things differently and decide which leader they will follow.
There are quite a few twists in this book to keep things interesting, including one I never saw coming. A great dystopian read for teens of all ages.
This is the twenty-third book I've featured on my book's (Atomic Aardvark) blog called "Bobbing for Indie eBooks" . A feature where I promote and give away copies of eBooks by Indie authors I've discovered and whose books I have enjoyed.
December 1, 2014
When the world gets used up Humanity starts looking for a new place to hang it's hat. When he finds a habitable planet using his kidnapped and dying father's telescope, Blake must find his way up to the orbiting station of Hydro to try to save his family and humanity. Aided by Ziva, the granddaughter of their leader, he negotiates perils of a people who just might not want to change the status quo. Fans of the CW's 100 or the Hunger Games will enjoy this novel.
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