Terra Nova

The Molly Stout Adventures #2

by Shane Arbuthnott

The city of Terra Nova was founded on a lie: that the spirits who cross over from the spirit world are evil and must be captured for the safety of humanity. But Molly Stout and her family have learned that the spirits are thinking, feeling beings, enslaved to enrich the wealthy, especially the spirit-harvesting company Haviland Industries and its founder, Charles Arkwright.

With the help of her family and the aetheric spirits Ariel and Legerdemain, Molly has been fighting to free the spirits. But Terra Nova runs on spiritual machinery, and for each factory they shut down, another takes its place. As Haviland Industries and the authorities of Terra Nova tighten their nets around Molly, she begins to question whether she is really making any difference or if her rebellion puts people and spirits at risk.

Terra Nova is the sequel to Dominion.

Genres: Fantasy, Steampunk, Fiction, Middle Grade

288 pages, Paperback

Published March 27, 2018

About the author

Shane grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and now lives in Ontario with his family. Dominion, his first novel, was published in 2017 by Orca. His short fiction has previously appeared in On Spec and Open Spaces. When he is not writing, he can be seen chasing his three adventurous children, trying to convince them to occasionally eat green things. For more information, visit www.shanearbuthnott.com.

Reviews

[Shai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terra Nova is the second book in The Molly Stout Adventures series. Despite that I still haven’t read the first book, Dominion, I was able to follow what the tale of Molly and her family in this second installment. The book is categorized under children’s fiction, but I reckon that it is more of a young adult fiction. I found that the narrative is quite long, thus I’ve started to lost interest while I was in the one-third of the story. I just continue reading the book and the story begun to pick-up near the mid-part.

Molly and her feisty personality will amaze and impressed readers; her audacity and dedication to what they believe is truly admirable and is a good image to be copied to. The bond of her family and Molly’s love for them was also an inspiration and commendable. For those who love to read about steampunk, fantasy and adventure type of stories, Terra Nova is highly recommended.

[✨faith✨trust✨pixiedust✨ Dead Account; Not Coming Back · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this ARC from Orca Book Publishers via LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book in any way.

I have never cried reading a book so much; it has all the feels. I absolutely love it.

It's always worse before you start. So start.

The Writing and Worldbuilding

The writing had some of the pacing issues the first one had where it tended to run a little slow in the beginning, but, like Dominion, once it picked up, it was steady and intriguing throughout all the way to the end.

Shane is great at writing believable, wonderful character arcs and themes. He doesn't shove them into your face, he just gently prods you with them. I absolutely loved the themes in this: blame, shame, fear, anger, weariness, and above all, responsibility were major themes. Those are some of my favorite themes in any book, so it was truly great to read them in this. Besides that, it has themes of revolution, of equal rights and social liberty. This book is so relevant to today's society.

"Identifying who began something like this is like picking out the stone that began an avalanche. It began somewhere, true enough [...] but once it well and truly begins, we are all just stones moving together. One stone rolling down a mountain changes nothing unless others move with it."

The world expanded a lot and I really enjoyed learning more about and understanding the unique magic system and alternate history timeline Arbuthnott created. It was masterfully crafted and the visuals were fantastic.

The Characters

"You forget this from time to time, Molly, but you are not alone. I am here. Your family is here. [...] Not every responsibility is yours."

Molly: Molly struggles with her conscience, her desire to do what's right, and her fear that her efforts are only hurting people and spirits. She learns a lesson that was very personal to me, a lesson I've been struggling with all my life: that it is okay to take a break, that it is not quitting; that you are not responsible for the decisions of others, only your own actions are yours to judge, and that being a little selfish is not a bad thing, but being self-centered is. She is melancholy and depressed for a lot of the book, understandably so, but she learns to use her emotions to drive her to do what she knows she needs to do, instead of trying to fight them, trying to ignore her own sadness. Molly is most definitely one of my favorite characters of all time.

"So the good things you've accomplished, those you had help with. But the danger. The blame. Those belong to you alone?"

Da (man, I don't think he even has a name): Molly's father grows so much in this book. In Dominion, he was a bit of a stereotype, though still really interesting; but the book didn't really focus on him and so he didn't really have much room to show who he really was and to grow into a better person. Terra Nova gave him all the room, and he definitely used it. He became one of my favorite characters, a deeply complex man trying to protect his children but knowing that they might not need him anymore. Ultimately, he was selfless and strong.

"I did not survive this long by being fragile, and I have found other ways to get what I need."

Arkwright: As usual, Arkwright was super creepy, but he wasn't an Obvious Villain™. Rather, he was also deeply complex and flawed and frankly, frightening in his intensity and drive. His ideology was so interesting and I found him to be a very compelling villain.

Rory: As usual, Rory was a riot and I absolutely adore him. He was so funny and great, but he also grew a lot and I found a lot of depth in him. His sibling bond with Molly was palpable and even had understandable reasons. I love him.

Kiernan: He wasn't as fleshed out as the rest of the family, but he was still very consistent and well written. I cared about his character a lot.

"It is selfish, true, but there is nothing wrong with selfish thoughts. Sometimes they provide good counsel. But those thoughts must be tempered with more generous ones, lest we [...] forget that the world is filled with beings of equal significance to ourselves."

Theresa: She was a new addition, but she was fantastic, and I really liked her. She is smart, and motherly even, acting as a great mother figure and friend to Molly when she needed it most.

Ariel: She played less of an important role in this, but she did provide a lot of comfort and sage advice to Molly.

Brighid: She was expanded a lot more in this, and if there is another book (which I suspect there won't be, because everything was wrapped up rather nicely), I would like to have her character explored more.

Conclusion

I love Shane Arbuthnott's writing. I cried so much reading this, and I felt the story so deeply in my soul. This series has quickly become one of my all-time favorites, and I sincerely want him to write many more books, either in this world, or otherwise. I will read anything this man writes.

She looked down at the city. It was changing, and she didn't know what it would look like when it was done. Maybe it would never be done.

[catherine ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thank you to LibraryThing for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!*

This book was definitely more suited towards middle graders, but like the first book, I found that I still really enjoyed it.

Molly was a very likable heroine, and I really loved seeing her character development throughout these two books, from a quiet yet curious girl to someone who was strong, brave, and able to take on the weight of the world if it was the right thing to do.

The world that Shane Arbuthnott created is definitely one that is very original and imaginative; I really loved learning about how the worlds were connected, but I would have loved it if there was even more visual imagery so that I could imagine what every little detail was like in my head.

The plot was great as well; it did follow a little bit of the generic "revolution" storyline, but there was one thing in Terra Nova that strongly stood out to me. The way the book talked about grief and survivor's guilt was something I had never seen before, and I was taken aback by its heart-wrenching depth. I definitely have to give the author props for that, and it leads me to point out that this book may be meant for ages 10 and up, but it has lessons that could touch the hearts of everybody.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a wonderful follow up book to the first! Shane Arbuthnott did an excellent job of showing Molly's growth as a person, both physically and mentally. While I loved her youthful vigor and passion in the first book, I loved her tenacity and selflessness in this book even more. Molly comes to understand that she's part of something so much bigger than herself and, rather than shy away, she embraces it wholeheartedly. Consequences be damned.

The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars was that it felt a little slow in places. I know that there was a lot to pack into this second book, and so I was willing to let it go, but I did miss the breakneck pace and adventure of the first book. This second installment is much more internal, or much more character based. It doesn't make it bad, by any means. Just different. I acknowledge that.

I'll follow Molly wherever she goes next. You can count on that.

[Staci Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spirits were not the simple, evil beings Molly had been taught they were. Infact her best friend Ariel, is a spirit. It was a realization that Molly had known for a long time, what the city did to the spirits was wrong. She had lied to herself because she didnt want to upend her life, but Molly knew what she was to do. Molly was after all, Spirit Touched, which means she felt sympathy for the spirits, the ones they were locking into iron boxes and forcing into labor until death or escaping.
Molly, Ariel, and her brother Rory need to find something in order to help a spirit, spirits. They will have to get help of course, but they needed to find a Terric Font. Only problem is if not harvested already, they were heavily manned. They will have to travel into the docks of Terra Nova to find help, but her family is the Most Wanted right now, and posters of their faces are everywhere!!
Get ready for an amazing adventure, in this genre bending, intense ride!! Take an adventure through the industrial city of Terra Nova with Molly and spirit friend Ariel. Fantasy and scif-fi fans, both will enjoy this beautifully created world and characters alike!! Given by NetGalley for my honest review, I had the chance to read it early. However I will be buying this, on release date March 27th, 2018!!!

[Kathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I adored the adventures of Molly Stout in DOMINION, and TERRA NOVA is a excellent sequel that continues Molly's mission to free the spirits and battle against the injustices of Haviland Industries. Molly is a gutsy, feisty character that will let nothing stop her, but is also full of compassion and an obsession to help all those around her.

I will definitely be recommending this series to those readers who enjoy an adventure mixed with a side of scientific fantasy.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent sequel to Dominion, in which we were introduced to Molly Stout and her family. Terra Nova finds Molly joined by her family in rescuing spirits from machines, while her sister Brighid is working for Haviland Industries making speeches against her. Molly does a lot of growing and goes through some harrowing experiences in this book, all of which strengthen her resolve to free the spirits and bring down Haviland Industries. She makes new friends in unlikely places to help make her mission possible. I really liked that her family backed her in this book. I also like how the dependence on spirits for energy can be likened to, say, our dependence on fossil fuels. Granted, they aren’t sentient, but using them is destroying the planet just as much as Haviland Industries grand plans for using their top of the line harvesters to vacuum up fonts and all of their spirits, essentially bleeding them dry, was going to destroy Terra Nova and the spirit realm. This is a grittier book, because it moves away from the ideas and gets into the actual execution of the plans to take down Haviland. It involves more risks for Molly, and Disposal is getting better at keeping up with her. Meeting enough like-minded people really helps her, I think. I especially liked (I’m not sure that’s the right word—appreciated?) the use of the asylum to lock away dissenters, because that’s so true to life. It’s an excellent way to discredit people, and I felt that was very well done. I admire Molly for her stubbornness and her willingness to listen to the spirits to begin with. I think she’s a wonderful example of how empathy and kindness are much more important values than avarice and the willingness to follow blindly. I don’t know if there will be another book in this series or if Mr. Arbuthnott is working on something new, but I highly recommend this book and would definitely read anything else he wrote.

ARC supplied by Orca Press. Opinions are entirely my own. As this was the second of two books Orca kindly provided a copy of Dominion as well, which is greatly appreciated, because it made it easier to understand what was happening in the second book.

[Courtney Giraldo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This weeks book was provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review.

Terra Nova is the follow up novel to Dominion, taking place shortly after it's ending. Molly and her family have teamed up with the Unionists, a faction of people fed up with Haviland Industries and their exploitation of the poor of Terra Nova. While the two groups don't see eye to eye about the spirits, they unite under the common enemy of Haviland Industries to break into factories, freeing the workers and spirits alike. The rebellion becomes increasingly more dangerous as Disposal agents become equipped with more advanced weaponry and a formidably adversary comes back into the picture. As Molly risks everything for the cause she believes in, she questions herself as those she loves the most are put in jeopardy. Will Molly's rebellion finally crush the oppressive regime of Haviland Industries and if so, at what cost? 

I really enjoyed this follow up to Dominion, even more so with the new glimpses into Molly's world with the introduction of a new character Wiskacan (sidenote: I would be interested to read a story featuring Wiskacan and more about his home and way of life!). As with the previous novel, there were lots of underlying themes that I felt were really highlighted well. Oppression of those not like us plays a pretty pervasive part in much of humanities history. Oppression based on fear but also the hunger for power and maintaining the status quo in the world. Arbuthnott very cleverly reminds us that we can build the world up better and faster by working alongside of our neighbors, versus from the sweat of the oppressed brows. Much like its predecessor, this book was filled with action packed adventure, loveable spirits, and a fearless heroine in Molly. My favorite part of the book hands down was the glimpse into the font, seeing what the spirit side entailed. (Can I live there?!) 

I'm not sure if Molly Stouts adventure ends here, or if Arbuthnott has more up his sleeve, but this is definitely a series I would continue reading if so! 

[Key · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for an honest review through Librarything's Early Reviewer's program.

My review of Dominion: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

If you're just looking for something fun and adventurous, this is good. It's an okay book in general.
I don't feel like it was either an improvement or much worse than Dominion, so I was kind of disappointed. You could basically copy and paste the negatives and questions from my review of Dominion and put them here. I definitely wasn't enjoying this as much as Dominion, though, as I was expecting improvement of some sort.

I think one day I'd like to see Arbuthnott make either a YA or an adult series based in this world that gives a lot more depth and explanation.


Couple of things I want to bring up while I was reading:

We were introduced to a Native character. Unforunately, I was disappointed because he was a minor extra and it was entirely what I was expecting this series would write a Native character as: (again) a minor character, who's culture is super entwined with the natural world of the spirits, and is there to be a quick quide. I was hoping to have some questions answered but was disappointed.

There's a small mention that being homosexual seems to be okay in this alternate history. It's cool that he's made the attempt to normalize it to kids, but it jutted out very awkwardly to me.

Also, there's a scene where Molly is trying to get to Arkwright by using a font. She ran all the way back to the one she put Legerdemain in and used approximate guesswork to get to Arkwright.
1) It wasn't explained until then that the distance between both is the same
2) We never learnt the rules for font making. It would have made more sense for her to just create a font right beside where Arkwright was. Shorter distance, more accuracy? Unless she can only open one at a time? Who knows?

[Ioanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In the land of Terra Nova, things aren't quite what they seem to be. People have been lied to for a long time, and they now believe that the spirits are malevolent, trying to do harm. Molly and her family, however, know the truth. They know the spirits are good entities, and they know that Haviland Industries enslave them in order to harness their power. And that is something Molly is determined to stop.

This is a magical story about discovering what is wrong and doing what you believe is right. With a fast paced plot that leaves no time to get bored, and a lot of bumps on the heroine's road, it's a book that can be read in a day and keep you interested to the last page.

Molly is a strong girl that has gone through a lot in her short life, and still keeps going. Human enough to have doubts at times and even come to the verge of giving up, she is the example of a genuine hero that has flaws as well as strengths. In the end, you do what you believe is right, and fight for that even when you are scared, and that is the most important lesson I have derived from this story.

As with all good books, Terra Nova is not just for children and teenagers. It's a story everyone can benefit from, and it's a good book to read along with your children. This is the second book on the Molly Stout series, but if you decide to skip the first and jump right up to this one, it will still be an easy read.

[Jennifer Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terra Nova is the follow-up to Dominion, Shane Arbuthnott's debut novel, and the truth is that it's just as fantastic. This second book focused on Molly Stout is even more magical and action-packed than the first book, bringing her world more alive and giving readers that much more reason to fall into the book and remain enchanted. Parents should definitely be aware that this is a bit darker than the first book--where the first book gave hints of darkness related to the main characters, but in a way that offered more depth for adults and less room for fear in really young readers, this second book offers a lot of both. It's got the sort of darkness that adults will find really horrifying, and children may well just as take as the nature of adventure without giving it more thought, but that pushes the book a bit more toward YA territory than MG territory at a lot of points. But beyond that one caveat, the simple truth is that Arbuthnott's writing and world-building are descriptive, strangely magical, and utterly engaging, right along with his characters.

This second book has a much more conclusive ending than the first book in the series, Dominion, so I'm not entirely sure whether or not the author will give us more books about Molly Stout, but I certainly hope he does. This is going to be one of those books that I adore, recommend, and pass on as much as I can. And I'll certainly be in line for whatever the author writes next.

Absolutely recommended (but do read the first book, Dominion, first!).

[Ronald McCutchan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow managed to read book 2 first, but I enjoyed Arbuthnott's world immensely, and now that I'm in the middle of Dominion, I'm enjoying discovering the backstory of characters and events from the second book (different experience than the expose, but equally intriguing). Terra Nova did not give much information as to why the mainland was off-limits, aside from the explanation that parties sent to explore did not return--and then the introduction of a character from the mainland--given the Native American/indigenous peoples parallel, I'm thinking maybe the author, being Canadian, might have been sidestepping just a bit, either out of respect or out of caution. I'm only a few chapters in, so maybe there will be more history revealed later in Dominion.

[Vava · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a rare occurrence for me to like a sequel more than the first book, but that's exactly what happened to me with Terra Nova.

There's more characterization, world-building, and the pacing is faster. I like the fact that Molly finally has the support of her family, especially her Dad. I like the lighthearted moments she has with her brothers and spirit friends.

There are some scenes that are a bit awkward for me though, for example, that shower scene with Theresa. I also felt some scenes may be a bit hard to read for middle-grade readers, which I believe is the target audience for this book.

The author isn't afraid to bid adieu to some characters to propel the story forward and give Molly more emotional motivation. But it works, and Molly manages to rise from all her ordeals as a true heroine. The ending doesn't tie up all the loose ends in a pretty little bow, but it's a realistic and proper ending that will leave readers satisfied.

I give this book 3.5 stars. Thank you to Orca Book Publishers for my review copy.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book on early reviewers and I was sent the 1st book Dominion as a perk. I loved book 1 and could not wait till I finished 2.
I loved how the author builds into the story, giving exactly the right amount of information to ease the readers into this new world of his, without it being overwhelming.
The writing is absolutely beautiful and it has perfect pace. The characters are brilliant and each of them grow as the book progresses. For some reason I picture Moly as more of an adult than a 13 yr old. She just gives off the adult vibe. I love Rory and Kiernan is just the perfect big brotherly big brother. I love Ariel and how humane her character is, I know tht is kind of besides the point but thought I would mention it. I would love to see this adapted into a film or tv series.
This book keeps up to the hype Dominion built. Story progresses really nicely and it is super exciting to read.
Such a masterpiece the author has created.
Thank you so much for writing this.

[Jill Elizabeth]

Once again - nothing wrong with the book/series, per se, just not a good fit for me. As I wrote in my "review" of Dominion, the first in this series, this story and I just didn't mesh. I was intrigued by the blurb, but concerned it might be too YA steampunk for me - but wanted to give it a try anyway. Turns out, my instinct was spot-on. Once again, the writing was fine, and the character development seemed on pace for what the book was - this just wasn't the series for me.

My review copy was provided by NetGalley.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Can I just start off by saying that I absolutely loved this book? This is a series that pulled me in entirely because I loved the covers but they have been so much fun to read and I really think that I’ll reread them sometime soon. If you haven’t read the first one yet but are looking for a great middle grade/young YA series then definitely check out the first one!

This book takes place about a year after the events of the first book but we’re thrown into the action immediately. Molly is now 15 and has spent the last year with her family trying to free as many spirits as possible. Molly is once again what makes this book for me, she’s such a lovely character. She definitely has her flaws but she’s also a kid who’s growing and learning and I think that it’s represented quite well. I also really liked her family in this one, their relationships aren’t perfect but they are realistic and I liked reading about how they interact. The new characters were also really well done! Theresa is definitely my favourite but all the others have an important part in the story.

The story in these books is also just really fun, it’s kind of a darker topic but it’s handled well and I really love that Molly acknowledges that she’d like to do more to help but is also okay with just doing what she’s capable of doing, it’s a nice viewpoint to read about. And the spirits themselves! I loved all of them so much, they have such unique personalities and it was always easy to distinguish between them.

Honestly I just really really loved reading this book. It took me no time at all because it’s so fast paced and you just get sucked into the story. I loved the way that this one ended and I don’t know if there’s going to be another book but if there is I will definitely be picking it up!

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, poor Molly. I really hoped things would work out after the last book, and they didn't quite. But you didn't let that get you down. Even when you were suffering awful losses - a couple of those really hurt, Shane! - you kept fighting and doing what was right, even when it was almost impossible. I'm glad you got the ending you did this time.
I hope there's more to your story, but if this is the end is a good one. Thanks for bringing me along with you.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I so enjoyed this series! Totally engrossing with a fun and very capable female protagonist. Great read!

[♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

When I got the second book I had hoped to enjoy it more than the first one. Unfortunately I couldn't get into it again. My friend's little sister loved the first one so I'm sure she will love this one. Though these books aren't for me, I'm not that into steampunk and that seems to be a genre of this two book series. The writing was great and so were the characters but this isn't my type of book.