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Gaia: A Novel
Sixteen-year-old Vicky Sobin's only wish is to help her mother. Since Vicky's birth, her mother has been completely unresponsive. Her body is present, but Vicky senses that her mind is somewhere far, far away. What happened to her? Where has she gone?
Vicky gets the answers to her life's biggest mystery with the arrival of Troy, an aloof stranger claiming to be her twin brother. Troy brings extraordinary news. While Vicky is human, Troy is alien and was raised on Gaia, a planet under the threat of warfare. Troy was intended to be his planet's hope for survival. He failed. Now, it is up to Vicky.
Vicky does not completely understand or trust Troy. He may be her brother, but he is still an alien and a stranger. If Vicky helps him, Troy promises her the one thing she has been yearning for her entire life: he will save their mother.
In this intergalactic young-adult adventure, Vicky and her best friend, Ming, are transported to an alien planet full of wonders and danger. When Troy and his people take a stand against violent invaders, the two girls will learn what it truly means to be human.
Vicky gets the answers to her life's biggest mystery with the arrival of Troy, an aloof stranger claiming to be her twin brother. Troy brings extraordinary news. While Vicky is human, Troy is alien and was raised on Gaia, a planet under the threat of warfare. Troy was intended to be his planet's hope for survival. He failed. Now, it is up to Vicky.
Vicky does not completely understand or trust Troy. He may be her brother, but he is still an alien and a stranger. If Vicky helps him, Troy promises her the one thing she has been yearning for her entire life: he will save their mother.
In this intergalactic young-adult adventure, Vicky and her best friend, Ming, are transported to an alien planet full of wonders and danger. When Troy and his people take a stand against violent invaders, the two girls will learn what it truly means to be human.
296 pages, Paperback
Published November 8, 2017
2 people are currently reading
878 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 27, 2018
This book read like a pitch. Not refined definitely needs some editing but the storyline was solid.
April 6, 2018
I received this book for free through a giveaway hosted by the author.
Gaia by JA Darmanin was an imaginative and beautifully written novel. Darmanin begins with an intriguing premise, the idea that a girl has an alien twin brother whom she never knew about, and uses it at a jumping off point in order to take us on a trip through space and into the midst of a brewing war between a vengeful former colony planet and a population who is unable to even consider fighting back, thanks to a backfired experiment to remove the negative emotions which led their people to ruin generations prior. Although fanciful, Gaia's storyline is believable within the rules upon which it sets for itself, and there are no obvious examples of rulebreaking. That, combined with Darmanin's talent for vivid descriptions, from the most beautiful landscape to the most horrific enemy life form, makes for a rich reading experience. One could almost close their eyes after reading a passage and see it replayed in movie theatre quality.
That is not to say, however, that the novel was perfect. Gaia is Darmanin's first novel, and it is plain to tell from its writing. Although none were to the point of being distracting, there was a number of spelling mistakes throughout the book, and the author consistently wrote OK rather than spelling out okay. Also, although the author has obvious talent, and I enjoyed the book overall, I did not get drawn into the book until close to the end, when the book only had two chapters left.
Despite this, I do not regret reading the book, and am definitely grateful to have received a signed copy through a GoodReads giveaway. As I said above, the author has potential as a writer, even if her first book didn’t quite hit the mark perfectly. The author has all the skills to write an even better book the next time, and would perhaps benefit from having a few extra proofreaders and beta readers to help her edit her next novel. Her bio in the book says she is already working on her next book, and I am definitely looking forward to reading it and seeing how Darmanin grows as a writer with each subsequent release.
Gaia by JA Darmanin was an imaginative and beautifully written novel. Darmanin begins with an intriguing premise, the idea that a girl has an alien twin brother whom she never knew about, and uses it at a jumping off point in order to take us on a trip through space and into the midst of a brewing war between a vengeful former colony planet and a population who is unable to even consider fighting back, thanks to a backfired experiment to remove the negative emotions which led their people to ruin generations prior. Although fanciful, Gaia's storyline is believable within the rules upon which it sets for itself, and there are no obvious examples of rulebreaking. That, combined with Darmanin's talent for vivid descriptions, from the most beautiful landscape to the most horrific enemy life form, makes for a rich reading experience. One could almost close their eyes after reading a passage and see it replayed in movie theatre quality.
That is not to say, however, that the novel was perfect. Gaia is Darmanin's first novel, and it is plain to tell from its writing. Although none were to the point of being distracting, there was a number of spelling mistakes throughout the book, and the author consistently wrote OK rather than spelling out okay. Also, although the author has obvious talent, and I enjoyed the book overall, I did not get drawn into the book until close to the end, when the book only had two chapters left.
Despite this, I do not regret reading the book, and am definitely grateful to have received a signed copy through a GoodReads giveaway. As I said above, the author has potential as a writer, even if her first book didn’t quite hit the mark perfectly. The author has all the skills to write an even better book the next time, and would perhaps benefit from having a few extra proofreaders and beta readers to help her edit her next novel. Her bio in the book says she is already working on her next book, and I am definitely looking forward to reading it and seeing how Darmanin grows as a writer with each subsequent release.
February 21, 2018
Vicky is a twin, only until Troy appeared on the hill that day she never knew. In fact, she wasn't the only one not to realise. Her own parents had no idea of his existence. He had been a experiment, carried out by a race desperate to save their own kind. To do so they impregnated Earth females, Vicky had been a complication, her mother hadn't meant to be pregnant, but this complication may now be their only hope. Vicky could never remember her mother being well, she was always distant, lost in her own world, now with Troy's arrival she understands why. She agrees to help him, to return to Gaia with him, on one condition, they cure her mother. But Vicky may have bitten off more than she can chew, and since her best friend Ming, decided to come along for the journey she has more to worry about than just the fate of an entire world, she has her friend's safety to consider as well.
Gaia, by JA Darmanin is a steady paced space opera written in the first person perspective of Vicky. This is her story, and based around the threat of war coming to Gaia, the home planet of Troy, her twin brother. The attention to detail and writing style makes it idea for the young adult market, and science fiction fans will find enough to tantalise their taste buds with technologies and ideas that are as brilliant as they are inspiring, not to mention a touch of intergalactic travel. Vicky, Ming, and Troy show some good development through the plot progression, more noticeable in Troy as he starts to 'get the hang' of Earth slang and dialect. Action, adventure, hostilities, and discovery, will hold a reader's attention, especially those who enjoy a UFO adventure with undertones of conspiracy.
Gaia, by JA Darmanin is a steady paced space opera written in the first person perspective of Vicky. This is her story, and based around the threat of war coming to Gaia, the home planet of Troy, her twin brother. The attention to detail and writing style makes it idea for the young adult market, and science fiction fans will find enough to tantalise their taste buds with technologies and ideas that are as brilliant as they are inspiring, not to mention a touch of intergalactic travel. Vicky, Ming, and Troy show some good development through the plot progression, more noticeable in Troy as he starts to 'get the hang' of Earth slang and dialect. Action, adventure, hostilities, and discovery, will hold a reader's attention, especially those who enjoy a UFO adventure with undertones of conspiracy.
May 6, 2018
***THIS BOOK WAS RECEIVED FROM A GOODREADS GIVEAWAY***
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it’s one of those basic Young Adult stories, replete with the clichés like the “normal girl who finds out she’s super-special” and “main character is the only one who can save the world.” However, it also didn’t have the obscenity, violence, and sexuality that as seemed to permeate most YA books of late. Similarly, I found the main characters to be incredibly annoying, but then they were also written as teenage girls . . . so I guess there’s an amount of realism there.
While there are certainly polished elements to this book, including the cover and some of the formatting, there are a few amateur mistakes that reveal that this is the author’s first book. The biggest problem I had was the variety of plot holes present throughout the book. Sure, there were a few moments that came into play later, but then there were others that ended up being utterly pointless after the fact. I also felt there were probably one too many characters in the central trio, but the “third wheel” kept changing between the main character and her best friend (why was the best friend allowed to come to an alien planet, again?).
Gaia is an admirable first attempt, but some serious revision and polish could certainly make it a better book. I mean, the overplayed mind-reading cliché is an author’s cheat to get into the character’s head, but often I found it to be inconsistent in this book, if not wholly unnecessary. Plus, I don’t know many teenage girls who are obsessed with history, especially when the knowledge they convey isn’t anything past a basic understanding. At the very least, there weren’t any apparent hints of a sequel, which was nice.
An adequate first novel filled with clichés, I give Gaia 2.5 stars out of 5.
1/2
For more reviews of books and movies like this, please visit www.benjamin-m-weilert.com
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it’s one of those basic Young Adult stories, replete with the clichés like the “normal girl who finds out she’s super-special” and “main character is the only one who can save the world.” However, it also didn’t have the obscenity, violence, and sexuality that as seemed to permeate most YA books of late. Similarly, I found the main characters to be incredibly annoying, but then they were also written as teenage girls . . . so I guess there’s an amount of realism there.
While there are certainly polished elements to this book, including the cover and some of the formatting, there are a few amateur mistakes that reveal that this is the author’s first book. The biggest problem I had was the variety of plot holes present throughout the book. Sure, there were a few moments that came into play later, but then there were others that ended up being utterly pointless after the fact. I also felt there were probably one too many characters in the central trio, but the “third wheel” kept changing between the main character and her best friend (why was the best friend allowed to come to an alien planet, again?).
Gaia is an admirable first attempt, but some serious revision and polish could certainly make it a better book. I mean, the overplayed mind-reading cliché is an author’s cheat to get into the character’s head, but often I found it to be inconsistent in this book, if not wholly unnecessary. Plus, I don’t know many teenage girls who are obsessed with history, especially when the knowledge they convey isn’t anything past a basic understanding. At the very least, there weren’t any apparent hints of a sequel, which was nice.
An adequate first novel filled with clichés, I give Gaia 2.5 stars out of 5.
1/2 For more reviews of books and movies like this, please visit www.benjamin-m-weilert.com
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews