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The Tomb: A Novel
S. A. Bodeen delivers yet another heart-pounding YA thriller in The Tomb, where Kiva and Seth must fight to save what remains of human civilization even as they fight their feelings for each other.
Nothing is as it seems.
These are the first words Kiva's best friend Seth says, after three years of silence.
Kiva thought she was growing up in ancient Alexandria. That's what she and all her classmates had been led to believe by their parents. It turns out she was living in virtual reality, in a sleep chamber in deep space, and three years ago, Seth woke up. Now it's her turn to join him.
Together, Kiva and Seth must take an escape shuttle to search for the engine part their home ship needs to keep running. But it's been a long time since the Krakatoa has communicated with any of the other three ships harboring human civilization. Kiva and Seth are not sure what they'll find if and when they finally make contact.
Danger, romance and twists you'll never see coming abound in this high-stakes science fiction adventure.
252 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 25, 2018
16 people are currently reading
1384 people want to read
About the author
S.A. Bodeen
17 books749 followersAlso writes as Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen.
Stephanie is the award-winning author of the Elizabeti's Doll series of picture books, as well as several others. Her young adult novels include the award-winning The Compound and The Raft, and her next YA The Detour releases October 2015. The first two volumes of her middle grade series, Shipwreck Island and Lost, are available now.
Stephanie is the award-winning author of the Elizabeti's Doll series of picture books, as well as several others. Her young adult novels include the award-winning The Compound and The Raft, and her next YA The Detour releases October 2015. The first two volumes of her middle grade series, Shipwreck Island and Lost, are available now.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
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May 7, 2020Not too hot. Messy and needs more thought + building into the world. I think the concept had potential but it needed to be fleshed out more.
June 11, 2018
2 stars.
Big thanks to Fierce Reads for sending this my way early, but the entire thing screams meh all the way through.
Big thanks to Fierce Reads for sending this my way early, but the entire thing screams meh all the way through.
July 19, 2018
Meh. This was boring AF! And implausible but mostly boring. The only reason I give this two stars instead of one is there was a cat involved...in space. There was a cute cat in space so I figured that deserved another star.
September 29, 2018
*Source* Publisher
*Genre* YA / Science Fiction
*Rating* 3.0
*Thoughts*
S.A. Bodeen's The Tomb has to be one of the strangest stories that I have read this year. And, that is saying a whole lot. The story is told in the third person narrative following a girl named Mika Stone. She truly believes that she is growing up in Alexandria. She goes to school, she trains to become a doctor under Alexandria's physician Fai, but she misses her friend Seth, who she hasn't spoken to in 3 years. Then one day, she receives a creepy message from him.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
*Genre* YA / Science Fiction
*Rating* 3.0
*Thoughts*
S.A. Bodeen's The Tomb has to be one of the strangest stories that I have read this year. And, that is saying a whole lot. The story is told in the third person narrative following a girl named Mika Stone. She truly believes that she is growing up in Alexandria. She goes to school, she trains to become a doctor under Alexandria's physician Fai, but she misses her friend Seth, who she hasn't spoken to in 3 years. Then one day, she receives a creepy message from him.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
September 14, 2019
The cover art is amazing, and the space shuttle setting is pretty awesome, too. But other than internally yelling at the characters when they do stupid stuff (press buttons they shouldn't press, eat things they shouldn't eat), I find them quite bland. The novel ends on a cliffhanger, but there's no word on a sequel being commissioned.
Far from the author's best. I rather enjoyed The Compound and The Gardener, while The Detour is on my wishlist.
Far from the author's best. I rather enjoyed The Compound and The Gardener, while The Detour is on my wishlist.
August 2, 2018
Ugh. This book was such a disappointment. I’ve been so happy with other Bodeen books, but this one fell real short. Characters were flat, plot was just plain strange (and not in a fun way), and the “romance” was weird. The only reason I gave it two stars was because I was compelled to finish the story rather than bail on it, but since it ends on a cliffhanger I won’t be seeking out the sequel.
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December 21, 2018Kiva has just woken up to a brand new world, and she is immediately bombarded with the responsibility of keeping everyone on the Krakatoa alive, with only the help of her former best friend, Seth.
Earth has become a desolate planet with little to no living creatures. A very small portion of the human population has escaped into deep space, on their way to a space station. During the voyage to this space station, the four American ships have lost contact with each other, but the Krakatoa needs a new part to keep themselves going. Kiva and Seth are sent to find another ship, and negotiate to bring this extra part back, but they have no idea of what is out there.
A theme of this book is people against different beliefs. This is seen through the story as Kiva is constantly trying to prove her worth to Seth, who treats her like she can’t handle herself. Another example is the Manifesters. These are people who believe that those who were not on the original manifest of the space ships should not be allowed to join them on the space station. These people go to many lengths to achieve their goal of getting rid of the people who were not on the manifest.
S.A. Bodeen has written The Tomb brilliantly, and has succeeded in always keeping a sense of suspense and mystery, as you never know what will happen next. Seth and Kiva may be talking, or falling asleep, and a proximity alarm will go off, notifying them that another ship is near.
VERDICT The Tomb is a perfect book for people who love Star Trek, and any post-apocalyptic world story.
Earth has become a desolate planet with little to no living creatures. A very small portion of the human population has escaped into deep space, on their way to a space station. During the voyage to this space station, the four American ships have lost contact with each other, but the Krakatoa needs a new part to keep themselves going. Kiva and Seth are sent to find another ship, and negotiate to bring this extra part back, but they have no idea of what is out there.
A theme of this book is people against different beliefs. This is seen through the story as Kiva is constantly trying to prove her worth to Seth, who treats her like she can’t handle herself. Another example is the Manifesters. These are people who believe that those who were not on the original manifest of the space ships should not be allowed to join them on the space station. These people go to many lengths to achieve their goal of getting rid of the people who were not on the manifest.
S.A. Bodeen has written The Tomb brilliantly, and has succeeded in always keeping a sense of suspense and mystery, as you never know what will happen next. Seth and Kiva may be talking, or falling asleep, and a proximity alarm will go off, notifying them that another ship is near.
VERDICT The Tomb is a perfect book for people who love Star Trek, and any post-apocalyptic world story.
October 25, 2018
Although someone who has read a lot of science fiction probably won't be enamored with this one, it is classic S. A. Bodeen with a couple of twists and surprises. I'd consider it to be sci fi lite, possibly a good introduction to the genre since the characters are relatable and the premise highly plausible, at least in the future. I would expect there to be a sequel to this one since it ends with a cliffhanger. The plot revolves around a girl named Kiva who has been nursing a broken heart after her best friend, Seth, the son of the Pharaoh, has ignored her for several years. After he "dies," Kiva is chosen to accompany him to the hereafter. But as it turns out, everything that Kiva thought that she knew about her Alexandria home is not true, and the two of them must journey to another ship to bring back an important part for the residents of their home. Much of this is predictable, and I really could not believe that Seth was so trusting as to eat the refreshments offered by Dr. Kubota when they meet him. The author had me interested to some extent until the arrival of the renegade group led by Glinda, dubbed a witch. I felt pretty disoriented by that point. We'll see what happens next, but there's a lot of drama, emotional turmoil, and misunderstandings on the part of the two main characters. I'm not so sure that I'd want to be in suspended animation with any of these folks.
August 30, 2018
So definitely a series and with the switcheroo when Kiva came out of torp and realized that she was not in Alexandria anymore, it was definitely an SA Bodeen novel! I enjoyed that it's a quick jaunt in science fiction land because so much of it is heavy and wordy-- this one was to the point though rushed but obviously with a cliffhanger sequel, worldbuilding will come.
The action certainly began to pickup steam once readers understood Kiva and Seth's situation aboard the ship and it transformed to an accessible drama of a future society where Earth is no longer habitable. The romance was ill-formed and needs to be developed, as does the backstory in a future novel but if she keeps them short, it's an absolute no-brainer recommendation for those that want to dip their toes into the waters before something like The Illuminae Files.
The action certainly began to pickup steam once readers understood Kiva and Seth's situation aboard the ship and it transformed to an accessible drama of a future society where Earth is no longer habitable. The romance was ill-formed and needs to be developed, as does the backstory in a future novel but if she keeps them short, it's an absolute no-brainer recommendation for those that want to dip their toes into the waters before something like The Illuminae Files.
April 28, 2024
2.5
Don’t get me wrong, this book was good. Devoured in a day. The ending just pisses me off so much that it knocked off 1.5 stars from my review. So abrupt for literally no reason. It felt like the ending was there just to reach a deadline and I felt like there could’ve been so many other ways to end it where it felt complete and instead I’m left with more questions; as a standalone, that’s a no-no for me.
Don’t get me wrong, this book was good. Devoured in a day. The ending just pisses me off so much that it knocked off 1.5 stars from my review. So abrupt for literally no reason. It felt like the ending was there just to reach a deadline and I felt like there could’ve been so many other ways to end it where it felt complete and instead I’m left with more questions; as a standalone, that’s a no-no for me.
September 4, 2020
Wasn't that great. Premise was okay, but that was about it. Seth was Very unlikable. Wasn't into the "I've been in love with you since we were 12" thing. I thought Kiva did rational things and then Seth made her feel terrible for it, got a gas-light vibe off the whole thing. I can't remember now if any of Bodeen's other books ended on cliff hangers but I'm not a fan. I might read a sequel, if there even is going to be one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2021
What the hell was that and where is the sequel ffs
September 11, 2021
Very light read. Good to get your mind off of things but don’t expect a literary masterpiece
March 28, 2021
This book is so non-sensical and random at times I thought I was watching an episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway?
I respect Bodeen as a writer but this book has no themes? And seemed to really have no value. It was like a stream of consciousness gone wrong.
I respect Bodeen as a writer but this book has no themes? And seemed to really have no value. It was like a stream of consciousness gone wrong.
September 19, 2018
I really liked this one!!! I hope there ends up being a sequel
January 11, 2022
The entire book was very messy. Writing overall was very hard to follow, but the actual story was a waste of time from beginning to end. Terrible.
October 25, 2018
Kiva and Seth believed that they were growing up in ancient Alexandria, but it was pretty clear to me that something was off. It just didn't seem very authentic, and I didn't think it was because Bodeen had been sloppy with her research. As it turned out, I was right. The details were "off" because the people who set up the virtual reality program for Alexandria had been a little lazy and didn't bother making all of the details completely authentic. As it turned out, Kiva and Seth were actually growing up on board a spaceship and their brains were experiencing life via virtual reality so that they could still learn while their bodies were sustained in torpor chambers. I don't really feel like I am giving away any spoilers, though, since this was all revealed fairly early on as Kiva was taken out of torpor and sent along with Seth on board a search vessel, called The Tomb, to try and get a part for their failing ship.
Fans of Across the Universe , Defy the Stars , These Broken Stars , and The 100 should definitely check this one out. The main "problem" I had with this book, though, is that it has quite a cliff-hanger ending and seems to be the beginning of a series -- but Goodreads doesn't name it as part of a series! I am hoping that's just because it's so new.
Happy Reading!
Fans of Across the Universe , Defy the Stars , These Broken Stars , and The 100 should definitely check this one out. The main "problem" I had with this book, though, is that it has quite a cliff-hanger ending and seems to be the beginning of a series -- but Goodreads doesn't name it as part of a series! I am hoping that's just because it's so new.
Happy Reading!
July 10, 2019
The Tomb by S. A. Bodeen, 249 pages. Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan), 2018. $18
Language: PG: (7 swear, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13 (some descriptions of mummifying a person and doctor related surgeries); Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Kiva knows only her life in ancient Alexandria. She goes to school, helps her mom, and is apprenticing to become a doctor. When Seth shows up at school, Kiva is surprised to see him. Seth was her best friend but when his mom died, he left school and she hasn’t seen him since then. Kiva wishes things could be different. When there is a major earthquake and Seth is killed, Kiva’s mother tells her that she has been chosen as Seth’s companion as he moves into the Underworld. When Kiva wakes, everything is different. Seth finds her and tells her they aren’t in the Underworld and everything she believes about her life in Alexandria is false. The truth is she has been living in virtual reality and they are actually on a ship that left Earth long before they were born. They have never even been to Earth.
For the most part, I enjoyed this book. It’s a quick, easy read, and I like science fiction. There are ships, possible space pirates, a mystery, virtual reality, and a great cover. The ending, however, wasn’t quite a cliffhanger but it sure felt like the story hadn’t ended. There were too many new people and situations introduced in the last 20 pages, and too many holes throughout to give it a satisfying ending. I’d sure like to see a sequel to clear up those loose threads and give it a stronger ending.
Reviewer: RB
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2019...
Language: PG: (7 swear, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13 (some descriptions of mummifying a person and doctor related surgeries); Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Kiva knows only her life in ancient Alexandria. She goes to school, helps her mom, and is apprenticing to become a doctor. When Seth shows up at school, Kiva is surprised to see him. Seth was her best friend but when his mom died, he left school and she hasn’t seen him since then. Kiva wishes things could be different. When there is a major earthquake and Seth is killed, Kiva’s mother tells her that she has been chosen as Seth’s companion as he moves into the Underworld. When Kiva wakes, everything is different. Seth finds her and tells her they aren’t in the Underworld and everything she believes about her life in Alexandria is false. The truth is she has been living in virtual reality and they are actually on a ship that left Earth long before they were born. They have never even been to Earth.
For the most part, I enjoyed this book. It’s a quick, easy read, and I like science fiction. There are ships, possible space pirates, a mystery, virtual reality, and a great cover. The ending, however, wasn’t quite a cliffhanger but it sure felt like the story hadn’t ended. There were too many new people and situations introduced in the last 20 pages, and too many holes throughout to give it a satisfying ending. I’d sure like to see a sequel to clear up those loose threads and give it a stronger ending.
Reviewer: RB
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2019...
December 22, 2019
The Tomb, written by S.A. Bodeen, is what I thought to be a very enigmatic book. It's mainly about the troubles that Kiva and her best friend, Seth, had to go through to keep everyone on the Krakatoa, a spaceship, alive. The cover art was amazing, and I thought that the space shuttle setting was also intriguing. Bodeen has a unique way of describing things, so you have to sort of read between the lines to be able to paint a picture in your head. The book sometimes made me laugh a little when Kiva cracked cringy jokes, and it also made me feel heartbroken when disturbing cases that I can relate to happened to the characters. There is also a bonus for Harry Potter fans like me out there—the voice of one of the devices is called Hermione, which according to Seth was named after an old book he read last year. It was confusing when the book ended with a cliffhanger, with no word on a sequel being commissioned. The book was also hard to follow and a bit tedious at times but besides that, I enjoyed reading this book. I would recommend this book to middle-grade readers because it would be too lovey-dovey for elementary school kids and without any sophisticated vocabulary, it would be child's play to read for high schoolers so it would be an ideal book for middle-aged readers. I would rate this book four out of five for those various reasons.
July 17, 2018
Thank you Fierce Reads for sending me an advanced copy of The Tomb.
The Tomb felt like sci-fi lite, good for people who maybe aren’t really into sci-fi. The plot is fairly simple and not many characters.
I think the target audience is 12-16, which I not. There wasn’t any language, sex or violence. There is some mild action and a dead corpse.
The writing style is good and I was enjoying it for at least the first half. It was simple which was a nice change.
It’s about a girl named Kiva who grew up in ancient Alexandria only to discover she’s on a space ship and was woken because they needed her help for a mission to fix a broken piece on the ship.
I found the romance a bit eye rolly at times and that started to bug me. Also the characters felt immature. I know they’re young (16) but I’m used to my teen characters being a little less dense.
Kiva was very dense at times when it came to reading people and circumstances. And the guy main character was so rude all the time.
It was a short read and I do think one that people who maybe don’t like sci-fi could try. I also do think the target audience is a lot younger. I imagine my daughter enjoying this more than I did.
The Tomb felt like sci-fi lite, good for people who maybe aren’t really into sci-fi. The plot is fairly simple and not many characters.
I think the target audience is 12-16, which I not. There wasn’t any language, sex or violence. There is some mild action and a dead corpse.
The writing style is good and I was enjoying it for at least the first half. It was simple which was a nice change.
It’s about a girl named Kiva who grew up in ancient Alexandria only to discover she’s on a space ship and was woken because they needed her help for a mission to fix a broken piece on the ship.
I found the romance a bit eye rolly at times and that started to bug me. Also the characters felt immature. I know they’re young (16) but I’m used to my teen characters being a little less dense.
Kiva was very dense at times when it came to reading people and circumstances. And the guy main character was so rude all the time.
It was a short read and I do think one that people who maybe don’t like sci-fi could try. I also do think the target audience is a lot younger. I imagine my daughter enjoying this more than I did.
June 14, 2018
WOW,WOW,WOW! I have read other books and series by this author, and this one does not disappoint. It is a great kick start to a new series (I hope!) with a unique enough premise to keep the reader hooked. Not having read a summary of what the book was about before opening it, I was a little confused in the beginning. But, it all became clear quickly and then it was hard to put down. Fans of any YA Dystopian series and fans of this author will not be disappointed!
June 20, 2018
Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC.
Undoubtedly, the beginning of a young adult series, The Tomb is based on the premise that Earth was plunged into an impact winter and some lucky people made it onto some space ships to find a new home. Kiva wakes up out of torpor suspension with very little memory of what was before.
Undoubtedly, the beginning of a young adult series, The Tomb is based on the premise that Earth was plunged into an impact winter and some lucky people made it onto some space ships to find a new home. Kiva wakes up out of torpor suspension with very little memory of what was before.
November 23, 2018
Neat apocalypse story. How things worked was neatly explained. A bit heavy on the descriptions, but they did help create the world. More of a middle grade feel to this story than YA, still an enjoyable and quick read.
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October 18, 2018uh...
September 16, 2022
Not sure why all the stinky reviews. I really enjoyed the story!
August 11, 2020
What even? What did I just read? I'm so confused. I've read a couple of other books by this author and loved them! This didn't feel well-thought-out, edited, or executed. It was a whole mishmash of ideas with no substance. A virtual reality set in ancient Alexandria, only to realize that the main character is in cryo-sleep on a ship in space? Cool concept, bro. Except...it wasn't. From the get-go, there was no flavor of ancient Alexandria. A rich culture and historical perspective could have been so immersive, yet this could have been set virtually (haha) anywhere. And there were no anachronisms that could have been utilized brilliantly to foreshadow to the reader that all is not right or as it seems in paradise. Not that that even mattered, because the plot quickly rushed forward into the realization that it was only a virtual reality and she was on a space ship. Okay. Again, I can look past that...this is a short book, so the author wanted to push the plot along. Except, well, there was NO plot. Not really. Just a bunch of random ass encounters with no real ramifications, all as a backdrop for what the book is really about - a romance between two extremely selfish, obtuse, and inconsistent characters. I don't know who infuriated me more - Kiva, the MC, who was so clueless she deserved to be put back in the cryosleep pods, or Seth, the love interest, who is a self-absorbed jerk who runs hot and cold faster than a faucet. I couldn't pin down him, his motives, or anything redeemable about him; he was just a very shallow character who did nothing more than serve the plot and its jagged rip/tear motion from one point to the next, all to...what end? The story introduces a whole new storyline, characters, and potentially magic (?) in the last 10 pages, with no resolution. It ended on a cliffhanger, but it wasn't even a good one, just a head-scratcher. In the end, I don't understand how this ever got published in the state it's in. It needed a LOT of work: 1.) better character development (heck, maybe kill off Seth and/or Kiva altogether), 2.) plot direction, 3.) the dialogue was hollow and rang false - talk about an alternate reality!, 4.) it needed to decide whether it was middle grade or ya, because it rode the line in very unsettling ways from page to page, and 5.) it needs to be longer. As much as it kills me to say this book needed to longer because it was pretty grating to read, I think length would have actually serviced this well...PROVIDED all the above changes were made beforehand. It's jumbled, it's messy. Some interesting ideas but there was nothing to gel them together to make this the novel it could have been.
July 8, 2019
Its bad enough when a book is only mildly interesting, its worse when the author thinks they can pull a 180 and make everything you read a complete and utter waste of time within 10 pages.
I love a good twist, but this was not the right way to do it, I am highly annoyed by this book.
Two kids, Seth and Kiva, wake up from virtual reality to find they actually live in space, and they are selected to go on a mission to find a missing part their ship needs to continue their voyage through space. [Because yes it makes perfect sense to send two 15-16 year olds on such an important mission.] You spend majority of this book dealing with two teenagers who don't know how to deal with their "feelings" for each other, which was so frustrating and annoying to read through.
They meet up with another ship and the old dude on it is a psycho and Kiva magically is able to get them to safety from him [oh yah did I mention shes only been awake from this virtual world for like a day, while Seth has been awake from it for like 3 years], and then you go back to the two kids dealing with their freaking feelings AGAIN.
Then in the last 10 pages the writer tries to pull a twist, with meeting another ship, but we have EXACTLY no clue who they are, but apparently there are a few important people on this ship but we never find out why. Then Seth just backtracks EVERYTHING he felt about Kiva in 0.1 seconds, for a freaking ship part and is like "oh well sorry bye" Making all that suffering through of reading about their feelings completely POINTLESS. She introduces new characters, gives insight that there is important people, no one knows where this other ship came from and why it has the same signal as the main ship floating around, and then THE BOOK JUST ENDS.
Nothing is answered, everything you read through becomes completely pointless, you are left with more questions then anything else [like why you even bothered to read this]
Lets also not forget that the author did end it on some frivolous quote about, 'not really knowing someone', and that just ticked me off more. This was going to get a 2.5 star from me originally but after that "twist" end its lucky it even gets 1 star.
I love a good twist, but this was not the right way to do it, I am highly annoyed by this book.
Two kids, Seth and Kiva, wake up from virtual reality to find they actually live in space, and they are selected to go on a mission to find a missing part their ship needs to continue their voyage through space. [Because yes it makes perfect sense to send two 15-16 year olds on such an important mission.] You spend majority of this book dealing with two teenagers who don't know how to deal with their "feelings" for each other, which was so frustrating and annoying to read through.
They meet up with another ship and the old dude on it is a psycho and Kiva magically is able to get them to safety from him [oh yah did I mention shes only been awake from this virtual world for like a day, while Seth has been awake from it for like 3 years], and then you go back to the two kids dealing with their freaking feelings AGAIN.
Then in the last 10 pages the writer tries to pull a twist, with meeting another ship, but we have EXACTLY no clue who they are, but apparently there are a few important people on this ship but we never find out why. Then Seth just backtracks EVERYTHING he felt about Kiva in 0.1 seconds, for a freaking ship part and is like "oh well sorry bye" Making all that suffering through of reading about their feelings completely POINTLESS. She introduces new characters, gives insight that there is important people, no one knows where this other ship came from and why it has the same signal as the main ship floating around, and then THE BOOK JUST ENDS.
Nothing is answered, everything you read through becomes completely pointless, you are left with more questions then anything else [like why you even bothered to read this]
Lets also not forget that the author did end it on some frivolous quote about, 'not really knowing someone', and that just ticked me off more. This was going to get a 2.5 star from me originally but after that "twist" end its lucky it even gets 1 star.
September 3, 2019
...where is the ending of the story?
The story starts out pretty interesting: Kiva's a girl living in Alexandria (though for some reason there aren't many people around. Her best friend Seth's snubbed her for years, but he suddenly appears and tells her some creepy cryptic message.
Then an earthquake strikes, and while she's still sorting out her feelings from his message, she finds out he's dead. And that because it's Alexandria, princely burials require retainers to accompany them, and she's been selected.
Kiva goes to sleep thinking she's got 70 days to plan an escape, but when she wakes up, she finds out that she's apparently lived past all 70 days, and that the burial is the next day. Disorientated, she goes to see Seth's body, and suddenly hears voices. She blacks out, and wakes up to find that Alexandria's been a complete lie. It's been a VR game she and everyone else has been immersed in to make life better as they orbit in space around a ruined Earth, waiting for their new home, Home Base, to be completed. Their ship's been hit by wreckage though, and she'll need to travel with the not-actually-dead-(surprise~) Seth to get a spare equipment piece from another orbiting ship.
Sounds like a great premise, which was why I thought I'd really like it.
But the book's pretty thin, so when a new twist popped up in the story with about 10 pages left I was very worried it couldn't end.
AND IT COULDN'T. Why is there no ending in this story??
At least it's clean.
In honour of the lack of the ending of the story, here's a very lacking ending to this too.
The story starts out pretty interesting: Kiva's a girl living in Alexandria (though for some reason there aren't many people around. Her best friend Seth's snubbed her for years, but he suddenly appears and tells her some creepy cryptic message.
Then an earthquake strikes, and while she's still sorting out her feelings from his message, she finds out he's dead. And that because it's Alexandria, princely burials require retainers to accompany them, and she's been selected.
Kiva goes to sleep thinking she's got 70 days to plan an escape, but when she wakes up, she finds out that she's apparently lived past all 70 days, and that the burial is the next day. Disorientated, she goes to see Seth's body, and suddenly hears voices. She blacks out, and wakes up to find that Alexandria's been a complete lie. It's been a VR game she and everyone else has been immersed in to make life better as they orbit in space around a ruined Earth, waiting for their new home, Home Base, to be completed. Their ship's been hit by wreckage though, and she'll need to travel with the not-actually-dead-(surprise~) Seth to get a spare equipment piece from another orbiting ship.
Sounds like a great premise, which was why I thought I'd really like it.
But the book's pretty thin, so when a new twist popped up in the story with about 10 pages left I was very worried it couldn't end.
AND IT COULDN'T. Why is there no ending in this story??
At least it's clean.
In honour of the lack of the ending of the story, here's a very lacking ending to this too.
August 30, 2020
The concept of this book seemed so cool, which made me ignore what might be one of the lowest ratings I’ve ever seen on Goodreads. (2.88 as of right now). Turns out, I should have listened.
First off, WAY more time was needed in Ancient Egypt. Yes, I knew it was fake since it says it right there in the summary, but I still wanted more. Even though Kiva wakes up in space way too early, I was actually enjoying this book quite a bit. Yes, things weren’t explained too well and yes, there was an annoying not-quite romance, but I was finding the plot to be a lot of fun. And then I noticed I was really close to the end of the book but an entirely new cast of characters and a new plot had just been introduced, so that must mean there’s a sequel, right?
Nope.
As far as I can tell, this is a stand-alone book with no plans for a sequel. Considering this book literally ends in the middle of a scene, I’m beyond annoyed. I probably would have given this 3 stars just for entertainment factor had it included an actual ending, even if it was stupid. But there is literally NO ending to this book! It reads like the author had one or two chapters left and then just shut her laptop by accident or something and it got sent to her publisher unfinished. I’ve read a LOT of terrible endings, and I’ve also read a lot of open-ended ones that force you to wonder what happens next. But I’ve never read a book that just ends in the middle of a scene when there is no plans for another book.
I’m just really annoyed that I wasted my time reading something with no resolution whatsoever.
First off, WAY more time was needed in Ancient Egypt. Yes, I knew it was fake since it says it right there in the summary, but I still wanted more. Even though Kiva wakes up in space way too early, I was actually enjoying this book quite a bit. Yes, things weren’t explained too well and yes, there was an annoying not-quite romance, but I was finding the plot to be a lot of fun. And then I noticed I was really close to the end of the book but an entirely new cast of characters and a new plot had just been introduced, so that must mean there’s a sequel, right?
Nope.
As far as I can tell, this is a stand-alone book with no plans for a sequel. Considering this book literally ends in the middle of a scene, I’m beyond annoyed. I probably would have given this 3 stars just for entertainment factor had it included an actual ending, even if it was stupid. But there is literally NO ending to this book! It reads like the author had one or two chapters left and then just shut her laptop by accident or something and it got sent to her publisher unfinished. I’ve read a LOT of terrible endings, and I’ve also read a lot of open-ended ones that force you to wonder what happens next. But I’ve never read a book that just ends in the middle of a scene when there is no plans for another book.
I’m just really annoyed that I wasted my time reading something with no resolution whatsoever.
December 6, 2025
Huh. What an interesting experience. Like...the premise was really interesting, the characters felt like they were going to go somewhere, and the adventure itself was intriguing...and then it just...stops. LOL
Talk about a cliffhanger with no follow up. And normally I don't mind stand alone novels, even when they have a sort of open ending because it's like, 'oh okay, I can imagine the ending I want, that's cool.' they're not my favorite endings, but it's fine. But this one?? Literally a cliffhanger!!!! And there's no sequel! LOL
And man, it's so annoying because I felt like Seth and Kiva were going to do some serious growing up. I understood why they were the way they were, given their circumstances, and they're teenagers so being annoying is normal but there were moments of like, 'ahhh eventually they're going to grow up!' but then the ending threw about ten wrenches into that by completely obliterating Seth's character and then...just ending. LOL
Also there were SO MANY things that were obvious plot points that didn't go anywhere. In fact, none of the plot points were resolved.
I was considering giving this two stars because of how abrupt the ending was, and unresolved, but I have to give it three for the writing style and characters and premise. All these things were great, the execution was great, but it just. Ended. So, personally I wouldn't reread, nor would I tell someone to read it, but it was a good experience. I've just never been left hanging like that before LOL
And Seth. Seth, Seth, Seth. Shame on him, for real.
Huh. What an experience.
Talk about a cliffhanger with no follow up. And normally I don't mind stand alone novels, even when they have a sort of open ending because it's like, 'oh okay, I can imagine the ending I want, that's cool.' they're not my favorite endings, but it's fine. But this one?? Literally a cliffhanger!!!! And there's no sequel! LOL
And man, it's so annoying because I felt like Seth and Kiva were going to do some serious growing up. I understood why they were the way they were, given their circumstances, and they're teenagers so being annoying is normal but there were moments of like, 'ahhh eventually they're going to grow up!' but then the ending threw about ten wrenches into that by completely obliterating Seth's character and then...just ending. LOL
Also there were SO MANY things that were obvious plot points that didn't go anywhere. In fact, none of the plot points were resolved.
I was considering giving this two stars because of how abrupt the ending was, and unresolved, but I have to give it three for the writing style and characters and premise. All these things were great, the execution was great, but it just. Ended. So, personally I wouldn't reread, nor would I tell someone to read it, but it was a good experience. I've just never been left hanging like that before LOL
And Seth. Seth, Seth, Seth. Shame on him, for real.
Huh. What an experience.
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