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Echoes of Past Lives #1

Two Moons: Memories from a World with One

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When night falls and dreams come…

…they can change everything.

How will Jay use what he learns?

On a parallel world, the people know reincarnation is real, but that knowledge comes with a price. The accumulated wisdom of previous lives can be valuable. With it, though, comes the memories, both good and bad.

For some it’s too much.

For Jay it may destroy him.

Ri Sun-Hui was a brilliant scientist, a loving mother, and the pawn of a cruel dictator. Now, in this life, as a young man coming-of-age, he’s faced with the burden of history.

How will he forget?

Does he even want to?

You’ll love this thrilling story, because it looks at society through a duel lens that is anything but rose colored.

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261 pages, ebook

Published July 19, 2018

13 people are currently reading
40 people want to read

About the author

R.E. Johnston

4 books5 followers

RE Johnston writes speculative fiction for teens and young-minded adults, blowing their minds open to experience what their lives would be like "if only."

In his debut novel, Two Moons, RE introduced us to a planet (much like ours) populated with people (much like us) who have detailed memories of their past lives on Earth (where they were us.) Now he’s expanding Two Moons’ world into a series, Echoes of Past Lives. The second book, League of Secrets, will be released in early 2021. He is irrationally optimistic that young adult reincarnation fiction will become the next big thing.

RE has degrees in physics and management. He spent a very long time developing systems and bossing people around, but he’s finally settled down to invent new worlds. He lives with his wife, Valerie, in Fort Worth, Texas: “Where the West Begins.”



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5 stars
13 (43%)
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8 (26%)
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4 (13%)
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3 (10%)
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2 (6%)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for Denise.
381 reviews41 followers
December 29, 2018
DNF
Sorry NetGalley- this one sounded interesting but the writing is pretty unsophisticated. I hope the author will have a chance to take the plot line and workshop it further.
Profile Image for Jessica Welch.
167 reviews6 followers
January 7, 2021
I recieved a free copy of this book. I absolutely loved every single thing about this book. The characters are so real and easy to connect with. The story is unique and thought provoking. It really makes you think about how the world works and about what is truly important in life. It really drives the message that sometimes what we accept as truth is really far from it and often we only see what those in power want us to see. It is also a good example of how far some people are willing to go to protect the ones they love and shows that heroes can come from unexpected places.
Profile Image for Insert Name Here.
347 reviews8 followers
May 25, 2019
The idea of this book was brilliant. Another planet where about half the people from Earth reincarnate and, starting from their teen years, remember their lives fully? It should have been a fascinating read. Sadly, it's let down by two things; the language and its lack of alien touches. On a completely different world – not a colony or a transplanted Earth, a whole new planet – people eat toast and protein bars and use airplanes and phones. Now, maybe the author was just translating those things for us, and they're actually using something completely different, but I would have preferred to know the alien equivalent.

The language is too simple for its age group as well. This is aimed at teens but the language is more suited to ten or eleven. The action pretty much all happens off screen; this book boils down to a lot of people sitting around and talking about things. This can be fine if it's done well, but this one just fell flat I'm afraid.

There's a great story here. It just needs a little more work.


Thank you netgalley and Gazebo Bookworks for allowing me to read it. My review reflects my honest opinions.
Profile Image for Jack Kuhn.
Author 3 books5 followers
December 30, 2020
This is an enjoyable read for young adults, written in what might be called a “classic” science fiction style. It is a reincarnation story, and while some of the themes are vaguely reminiscent of such classics as the Riverworld series (Philip Jose Farmer), the story is nicely-placed within in a modern (i.e. 2020) setting.

The overall story arc describes the emergence of the prior-life experience of the adolescent Jay Shipman, and the subsequent consequences of that emergence experience. (In the story, prior-life experiences are submerged until adolescence and then slowly appear as part of growing up – more simply, if you thought puberty was hard, try it with a prior life emerging *GRIN*…)

Unfortunately, Jay’s prior-life experience is as a scientist engaged in developing biological weapons. Due to the political applicability of this experience, Jay is rapidly drawn into the international politics of his homeworld (Duorth). During the course of the story, his youthful naivety is stripped away, to be replaced with a more nuanced (but still optimistic) viewpoint.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital ARC for this novel. However, both the decision to post a review and the contents of the review are voluntary and my own alone.

There were a lot of things I liked about this story. For example:

Clear storytelling: The author has done a very nice job of storytelling. For example, rather than miring the reader in complex world-building around multiple new cultures (and potentially burying Jay’s story underneath a detailed and complex political environment), the author has simplified the politics of Duorth into three countries, Ariana, Roticia and Swotia. (Swotia is the neutral mediator between Ariana and Roticia). This is a nice technique which permits more expansion of Jay’s character than would be possible in a book with more world-building (note that Hunger Games did essentially the same thing, by simplifying the politics into the Capital and the Districts, and focusing on Katniss).

Relevant reincarnation themes: One of the first things one notices about the prior-life experiences is that they are cast within a 2020 world picture. For example, Jay’s prior life is as a female North Korean biological scientist. Jay’s mother’s prior life was as a Somalian guerrilla who worshiped his warlord and died for him. Jay’s father’s prior life was as a farmer in Myanmar, who left his village and died of starvation. Other past-lives are woven throughout the book, and they are (interestingly enough) both relevant and generally dark (the author may be going somewhere with this in future books). Even the more humorous ones (Jay’s sister’s past life is as a whale) have a dark side (the whale loses her baby to a shark attack).

A nice touch with the gaming: Woven throughout the story are gaming interludes, most based on the blockbuster game King of the Earth (KOTE). The game supports the storyline in that hacking the game will (eventually) permit surreptitious contact between Jay and his friends from other countries after such contact is denied by political events. However, the KOTE game also permits action and adventure inside a storyline that could become too cerebral for many readers. Saying this another way, discussion about the nature of reincarnation and the human mind are periodically interspersed with gunfights staged in an Earth-like “historical” environment. This could be touchy (as it risks losing the story amidst the gunfights) but the author pulls it off quite well.

Jay's approach to politics: A key part of the storyline is the opposition between Roticia and Ariana, mediated by the neutral Swotia. Jay begins with a very naïve position about the political environment, but as the story develops, he becomes much more aware of the political elements. This progression is marked by a series of conversations between Jay and his father. A key sentence from these conversations (which is repeated throughout the book to highlight Jay’s development) is “Who would have something to gain?” Jay’s initial comments are on the order of “haters” and “reporters”, develop into “Roticia because they are stealing our scientists” and generically “the government”, become financially more nuanced with “weapons dealers”, and somewhat conclude with the perceptive answer, “Swotia, their gain is having a chance to rule the world.”

The one thing I did struggle with in this story was (curiously enough) the ending. Now before anybody panics, the story has a very positive ending. (Happy endings are good, right?) My issue was that the ending was so positive as to seem banal. Even the first Star Wars movie (which ends with Princess Leia giving out awards to all and sundry) STILL had Darth Vader spinning off into space. While I recognize that this is a young adult story (and thus happy endings are generally more desirable) the ending still struck me as a bit too "Disney".
Profile Image for Susan Stradiotto.
Author 51 books198 followers
July 2, 2018
Two Moons – Speculative at its best!

Two Moons is a fascinating read following characters that our youth can identify with, and it brings so many social, religious, and political concepts to light. It is a study in science, reincarnation, and the value of knowledge told through the lens of a main character who could only possibly have this much wisdom through the inheritance of another’s memories. It has the depth of character and connection to family and young love that ground it in our reality today while allowing your imagination to accept what might be were all of these concepts a reality.

I believe this story has wide appeal. Adults will enjoy the thought provoking study in the socio-political environment while young adults will identify with the adolescent who enjoys video games, his friends, and his girlfriend. In literature, I consider this the type of story that should be introduced into curriculum as it teaches on a broad spectrum of societal factors and makes you think about what might be if only.

RE Johnston also introduces some humor through simple observation that plays nicely to build his world. For example, after having some Texas Toast, Jay Shipman (the main character) says,
“He wasn’t even sure what Texas was, but he sure liked the toast.”

Family dynamics play a nice role in Johnston’s story, and it’s nice to see a functional family unit featuring in a novel rather than a broken one. I was enamored with the sibling banter, as Jay thinks about his sister, Portia, whose memories from her past life are being a whale:
“I guess it makes sense you were something with a really big mouth.”

As an adult reader, I also found cynical humor in some of the naïve conversation of adolescents regarding assumptions about what governments will and will not do:
Vlad said, “That would be stupid. I’m sure my government would never cut people off from talking with each other.”
Jay agreed, “Yeah, mine either.”
Later that day both boys were proven wrong.

As I was reading, I highlighted so many quotes that were simply poignant. All-in-all, I think the message around the power of knowledge is one point that resonated the best for me, and conversely where the real weakness lies:
“The greatest power on Duorth lies in our shared knowledge, both our recollections of Earthly genius, as well as what we learn in this life.”

and
“…the weaknesses…didn’t lie in knowledge but rather in our inability to grasp the fundamental truths that seem always just beyond our reach.”

I'd actually give it a 4.5 stars, but went down in this case as the primary genre is Young Adult. I think the appeal is slightly more geared toward the adult reader, but it is one that really holds universal messages.
As always, looking forward to the next page!
Profile Image for Megs.
14 reviews24 followers
January 19, 2021
Perfect for teenagers who are wanting to dip their toe into the sci-fi genre but are wanting to break away from distopian worlds.

Two Moons is an entertaining teen story with an original premise, set in a future/parallel time on a second world where the inhabitants have memories of the first world,our Earth. It was definitely interesting to read in the middle of a pandemic considering the main character is mulling over the dangers of knowing the full extent of disease and biological weapons from his previous life.
The main plot is well-paced and wrapped up nicely, with enough breadcrumbs along the way to make the conclusion satisfying. I enjoyed the way the main character, the main teacher and his mother were written. Other characters could have been fleshed out better and at times the dialogue between the teenagers felt unrealistic as to how teens really talk to each other, except for between the main character and his sister; it reminded me of fights/bickering with my brother around that age.
The author creates an original concept in this story that is fun to learn about as you read. I would have been happy with the story being longer to get to know this world in more detail. It would probably be a quicker read for a younger audience; I hadn't read anything for this age group in a while so I was picking it up less frequently than I usually do when reading, despite enjoying the story. I would guess that the twelve to sixteen years old range is the sweet spot for this book.
Profile Image for S. Jeyran  Main.
1,645 reviews131 followers
August 12, 2018
Two Moons is a young adult fiction novel. The story is set in a parallel world where everyone has vivid memories of previous life on Earth. The story begins with the protagonist coming of age recollecting being a female bio-weapon scientist. As a person with both sexes, he becomes a dangerous asset remembering being a mother and also being a scientist.


I found the story to raise many social, political, religious and other perceptions to mind. It also resembled a reincarnation state of mind where one could have been a whale before being a human. The humor did take place which added to the diverse nature of the story.



The literature was in good standing. The pace was steady, and I enjoyed reading the novel. What I believe stood out in this story was the storyline. While it remained to be suitable for its genre, it also would interest adult readers.



I found the world set to be excellent. Duorth was fascinating and filled with scenes where the sky has two moons. The fantasy world needs saving as well as Jay needs to protect himself.



I recommend this book to people who enjoy reading fantasy stories and appreciates original stories.

Profile Image for Doctor Nyk.
108 reviews5 followers
December 30, 2020
"Yesterday he thought of Ri Sun-Hui as a mad scientist. Today he understood her as a sane scientist in a mad society." page 21

I never enjoyed reading when I was a kid, but now that I am an adult I love reading. Young Adult books are great for easy quick reading for me. I wish I could have found a book like this when I was a kid so I could have loved reading sooner.

The story is reminiscent of Divergent and Hunger Games both in writing quality and story structure. Citizens' recollections seem to shape people into who they are in their current lives and give them perspective. People who come from war torn countries on earth appreciate the safe homes they live in on Duorth.
Everyone has different experiences, but they use those experiences to learn about themselves and the people around them. Experiencing a past life as a parent can make you a more affectionate child to your parents.

The theory of reincarnation has always been an interesting subject to me. I'm happy with the way the author used people's recollections to explain privilege in a different way that's easy for everyone to understand. It explains a way that connects people in a touching way that I kind of hope is true in real life.
Profile Image for Sammithenerd  Wood.
91 reviews2 followers
February 1, 2021
Disclaimer - I was given a free copy of this book through Voracious Readers Only in exchange for a honest review

I really enjoyed this book. I like the idea of another world where we are reincarnated with our memories of this life.
I liked how this book shows how much the media manipulates our thoughts and how much we just take it at face value that we are being told the truth.
I appreciated the friendship between the three boys and how they overcame stereotypes to secure that friend ship.
It was a touch too slow for me at times but overall a solid read.
Profile Image for Christie.
1,239 reviews12 followers
February 7, 2021
I received this book from Voracious Readers Only and the author. This is not my usual genre of book, however the description of the book intrigued me. It did take me a few chapters to get into it, but once I understood about the past lives and really got to know the characters, I could not put the book down. I loved how well written the story is so I could picture where they lived and could picture exactly what was happening. I can't wait to see where the story takes Jay and his friends next.
Profile Image for Lynne.
869 reviews13 followers
May 24, 2021
A good idea, but I found it very tedious at times. Also most of the world-building and action had references to modern day America.
Profile Image for Valerie.
21 reviews4 followers
June 14, 2021
A must read

I loved the story. It's such an interesting concept. I can't wait to see where the story goes and evolves
Profile Image for Korra II Allison Baskerville.
250 reviews8 followers
November 17, 2021
The content of this book is all over the place. Amazon says the age rating is “12 – 18 years” or grades 7 – 9, about 12 – 14 if memory serves correctly. At times, it feels as if it’s intended for a slightly older audience, around the age of 15, and other times, it feels as if it’s written for 9 – 11-year-olds.

After listening for a while and checking the timer, I seen that I was 2 hours in; about 1/3 of the way through. The book was putting me to sleep. Not because of the intended age of the readers, I quite enjoy the concept of people being reincarnated on an Earth-like planet. Nothing ever happens. They’re just standing there and talking, though it’s rarely ever anything of note.

With lines like “Jay doesn’t have a girlfriend, but if he did, it would be her.” and the constant chatter about videogames, explosives, etc. The main characters are all boys and the girls are just desired girlfriends or moody, it’s clear this novel is intended for young boys. But the exact age range as I said before, is all over the place.

Early on, the characters learn that despite our perceived differences, we’re all just people. That government and religious institutions are easily corrupted and cannot be trusted. I have no objection here, other than to say that the author goes too softly on them because of the intended age range. But I bring this up because of the lack of subtlety or nuance. The book just bangs you over the head with the message instead of letting the readers learn that on their own.

My very first impression of the narrator was how amateur he sounded. When I heard his reading of the title, followed by the intro, I burst out laughing. His tone will randomly change every other word, up and down. Other times he’ll pause for half a second between words, which makes his reading sound stilted. His character voices are just awful and inconsistent.

I think it’s an interesting concept that falls flat. The writing is all over the place, as is the audio narration. Maybe a younger audience would be more forgiving; however, I’ve read enough stories that are either for a younger audience or kid-friendly that do a better job. Even if I was a kid in this age range, I’d feel as if I was being talked down to.

NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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