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The Terraformer #1
Terraformer
A new dystopian sci-fi YA series from the New York Times bestselling author Colleen Houck
Warning all Astronauts:
COLONY BOUNDARY WARNING!
PERMISSION TO ENTER ALIEN FOREST IS REQUIRED
NOTE: NO RESCUE ATTEMPTS WILL BE MADE
In the future, a terraforming ship lands on a perfectly green planet.
Two perfect young men, one a budding colony leader, the other an engineer, compete for the affection of one perfect young woman training as a botanist.
The only problem?
She’s not perfect.
Astra has a secret.
A big one.
And someone or some thing just maybe trying to kill her for it
.
.
.
Deadly toxins can be hidden inside the most beautiful flowers.
That's what Astra Meador's famous biophysicist mother taught her.
As her mother's apprentice, Astra has developed skills in botany, chemistry, medicine, and, most importantly, in keeping secrets.
In fact keeping Astra's secret was the reason her family decided to leave the Earth and join a terraforming mission to colonize a distant planet called Crillain IV. But when Astra wakes early from hypersleep, she discovers that her mother never made it onboard, her father died in transit and his body has been ejected from the ship, and she suspects that she's not the only one awake.
When the ship finally lands and she's reunited with her brother, Nash, Astra hopes to settle into a new life, especially when she meets the charming young engineer, Jax, and is recruited by the mission commander to train alongside his handsome son to be a future leader of the small colony.
Then Astra learns that she's not the only one with a dark secret.
As both young men contend for her affection, Astra searches for answers, trying to determine who to trust. But with theft and murder occurring in the colony along with the sudden disappearance of her beloved brother, Astra can't listen to the whisperings of her heart, especially when someone or something else on the planet is whispering to her mind even louder.
Warning all Astronauts:
COLONY BOUNDARY WARNING!
PERMISSION TO ENTER ALIEN FOREST IS REQUIRED
NOTE: NO RESCUE ATTEMPTS WILL BE MADE
In the future, a terraforming ship lands on a perfectly green planet.
Two perfect young men, one a budding colony leader, the other an engineer, compete for the affection of one perfect young woman training as a botanist.
The only problem?
She’s not perfect.
Astra has a secret.
A big one.
And someone or some thing just maybe trying to kill her for it
.
.
.
Deadly toxins can be hidden inside the most beautiful flowers.
That's what Astra Meador's famous biophysicist mother taught her.
As her mother's apprentice, Astra has developed skills in botany, chemistry, medicine, and, most importantly, in keeping secrets.
In fact keeping Astra's secret was the reason her family decided to leave the Earth and join a terraforming mission to colonize a distant planet called Crillain IV. But when Astra wakes early from hypersleep, she discovers that her mother never made it onboard, her father died in transit and his body has been ejected from the ship, and she suspects that she's not the only one awake.
When the ship finally lands and she's reunited with her brother, Nash, Astra hopes to settle into a new life, especially when she meets the charming young engineer, Jax, and is recruited by the mission commander to train alongside his handsome son to be a future leader of the small colony.
Then Astra learns that she's not the only one with a dark secret.
As both young men contend for her affection, Astra searches for answers, trying to determine who to trust. But with theft and murder occurring in the colony along with the sudden disappearance of her beloved brother, Astra can't listen to the whisperings of her heart, especially when someone or something else on the planet is whispering to her mind even louder.
536 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 12, 2020
17 people are currently reading
1909 people want to read
About the author
Colleen Houck
27 books9,219 followersNew York Times Bestselling Author Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, science fiction, and romance. Formerly a student at the University of Arizona, she worked as a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter for seventeen years before switching careers to become an author. Colleen lives in Salem, Oregon, with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers. Follow her by signing up for her e-newsletter!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
October 20, 2020
This was such a good book!! I’ll admit, I had to take a star off because Astra was driving me nuts for a minute there. I mean it’s one of those things where you’re yelling at the book because the main character doesn’t see the blatantly obvious truths before her. She is even told the truth multiple times but it just isn’t clicking. 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ Otherwise, it was super good!!
It was a little bit of a slow start, but once they got to the planet and the mystery started to unfurl, I was hooked. I had a theory set by about halfway through, but while I figured out a few minor things, I wasn’t right and those make for the best types of stories!! There were several surprises and it keeps you guessing.
Also, I loved the imagery!! Nature has always been awe inspiring to me and I can just imagine what this gorgeous place would look like. It was described really well and I’d really like to see it. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if this became a movie at some point.
As far as characters go, I liked Astra, but she's kind of dense sometimes. Like, can I pop her in the forehead and tell her she shoulda had a V8?!?! Jax was fun and easy to like throughout the book. Thane? I’m still out in judging him. He’s interesting to say the least.
I haven’t read much by Colleen Houck, but after this, she’s definitely on my radar!! I recommend this to YA sci-fi lovers and botanists who enjoy a good fictional plant story. Super fun read!
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Colleen Houck for allowing me to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion!!
Check out my full review @ https://shannarareads.com/?p=95
It was a little bit of a slow start, but once they got to the planet and the mystery started to unfurl, I was hooked. I had a theory set by about halfway through, but while I figured out a few minor things, I wasn’t right and those make for the best types of stories!! There were several surprises and it keeps you guessing.
Also, I loved the imagery!! Nature has always been awe inspiring to me and I can just imagine what this gorgeous place would look like. It was described really well and I’d really like to see it. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if this became a movie at some point.
As far as characters go, I liked Astra, but she's kind of dense sometimes. Like, can I pop her in the forehead and tell her she shoulda had a V8?!?! Jax was fun and easy to like throughout the book. Thane? I’m still out in judging him. He’s interesting to say the least.
I haven’t read much by Colleen Houck, but after this, she’s definitely on my radar!! I recommend this to YA sci-fi lovers and botanists who enjoy a good fictional plant story. Super fun read!
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Colleen Houck for allowing me to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion!!
Check out my full review @ https://shannarareads.com/?p=95
May 10, 2020
Thanks to Trident Media Group for providing me with a digital ARC of Terraformer in exchange for an honest review.
Terraformer felt more like a draft than a book. Not because its riddled with mistakes and plot holes necessarily because Terraformer has clearly been processed and edited expertly, but this feels a lot more like someone describing a story than like someone telling one. A lot of what feel like they should be important moments are narrated instead of being told through speech. Upon 2 of the main characters meeting, we're told they have several very witty conversations but see none of them and the trend continues throughout the book. It's not only showing not telling, it's not even showing.
The world building also feels incomplete. Almost like it was never really decided how far in the future we are. At one point it sounds like we're centuries ahead of modern time but then a character mentions Audrey 2 and MC instantly goes (paraphrasing) "Oh! From Little Shop of Horrors" which considering that Little Shop is already fading from notoriety (outside of off-bway and highschool productions of the musical version) convinced me that this can't be more than a hundred or so years forwards only to quickly be told that MC has never seen a book in person. Sci-fi/futuristic books have to be selective in including pop-culture and this book just... wasn't.
Anyways, because of the describing not showing and the weird world, I never really got involved with any aspect of this story. I wouldn't recommend it though I've heard good things about Colleen Houck's other works so maybe check those out instead.
Terraformer felt more like a draft than a book. Not because its riddled with mistakes and plot holes necessarily because Terraformer has clearly been processed and edited expertly, but this feels a lot more like someone describing a story than like someone telling one. A lot of what feel like they should be important moments are narrated instead of being told through speech. Upon 2 of the main characters meeting, we're told they have several very witty conversations but see none of them and the trend continues throughout the book. It's not only showing not telling, it's not even showing.
The world building also feels incomplete. Almost like it was never really decided how far in the future we are. At one point it sounds like we're centuries ahead of modern time but then a character mentions Audrey 2 and MC instantly goes (paraphrasing) "Oh! From Little Shop of Horrors" which considering that Little Shop is already fading from notoriety (outside of off-bway and highschool productions of the musical version) convinced me that this can't be more than a hundred or so years forwards only to quickly be told that MC has never seen a book in person. Sci-fi/futuristic books have to be selective in including pop-culture and this book just... wasn't.
Anyways, because of the describing not showing and the weird world, I never really got involved with any aspect of this story. I wouldn't recommend it though I've heard good things about Colleen Houck's other works so maybe check those out instead.
July 1, 2020
Terraformer is a young adult science fiction/ dystopian novel by Colleen Houck. Terraformer is not like the typical books that I normally read. I don't read too many science fictions stories anymore, but I enjoyed this book, and it makes me want to venture outside of my comfort zone and read more dystopians and sci fis. (leave me recs of your favorites in the comments below!)
In Terraformer, our main character Astra boards a ship with her parents to travel to a distant planet, Crillain IV. The planet was supposed to be barren when they arrived, but instead they found it full of all kinds of plants, and covered with a lush forest. The world descriptions were interesting. The book is set in the future and there are heavy themes of pollution and waste that have destroyed our planet. But they were in for a big surprise on Crillain IV. The plant aspect of the story felt a little reminiscent of the movie, The Happening. (but don't worry, I enjoyed Terraformer a lot more than The Happening) When Astra wakes her parents are both gone and she is on this foreign planet pretty much by herself. (her brother is also there but he was acting strange pretty much from the moment that Astra wakes up.)
The romance starts pretty quickly in this story, which you all know I appreciated. There is a love triangle in Terraformer, between Astra, Thane and Jax. It seemed like everyone in this cast of characters had their own secrets. Some were surprising and some felt a bit contrived, but I enjoyed seeing how the secrets would fit into the overall plot. Terraformer is a science fiction, with some mystery elements woven in. The mystery of the planet, the mission they were on, and why people were turning up dead was what kept me reading. I also enjoyed the romance, but it didn't capture my attention as some of the other plotlines. Overall, this book was fun and felt like a good young adult science fiction that is all too relevant with the environmental themes. This was a good book. I enjoyed stepping out of my norm and now I am in the mood for some more young adult sci-fi with strong romantic elements.
Bottom line: If you are a fan of science fiction and romance, you will enjoy Terraformer.
In Terraformer, our main character Astra boards a ship with her parents to travel to a distant planet, Crillain IV. The planet was supposed to be barren when they arrived, but instead they found it full of all kinds of plants, and covered with a lush forest. The world descriptions were interesting. The book is set in the future and there are heavy themes of pollution and waste that have destroyed our planet. But they were in for a big surprise on Crillain IV. The plant aspect of the story felt a little reminiscent of the movie, The Happening. (but don't worry, I enjoyed Terraformer a lot more than The Happening) When Astra wakes her parents are both gone and she is on this foreign planet pretty much by herself. (her brother is also there but he was acting strange pretty much from the moment that Astra wakes up.)
The romance starts pretty quickly in this story, which you all know I appreciated. There is a love triangle in Terraformer, between Astra, Thane and Jax. It seemed like everyone in this cast of characters had their own secrets. Some were surprising and some felt a bit contrived, but I enjoyed seeing how the secrets would fit into the overall plot. Terraformer is a science fiction, with some mystery elements woven in. The mystery of the planet, the mission they were on, and why people were turning up dead was what kept me reading. I also enjoyed the romance, but it didn't capture my attention as some of the other plotlines. Overall, this book was fun and felt like a good young adult science fiction that is all too relevant with the environmental themes. This was a good book. I enjoyed stepping out of my norm and now I am in the mood for some more young adult sci-fi with strong romantic elements.
Bottom line: If you are a fan of science fiction and romance, you will enjoy Terraformer.
to-buy
April 22, 2020Cute cover... I thought it's going to be about fairies but it's set in space (not my thing) but I like Colleen's books.
May 7, 2020
Astra Meador woke up from her hypersleep before the destined time. The dream which woke her up was strange, you don’t dream in hypersleep. It was the beginning of the strange happenings. The pod containing her father was empty, data says he was dead and disposed into space. Her mother was prisoned right after she and her family went to hyper sleep. The greatest botanist of all world never made it to the ship. When they landed finally on Crillian IV, the planet was nothing like they expected it to be. It was supposed to be partially barren but this planet is full of tall thick forest and strange fruits. Her brother Nash was acting different, she felt different around Jax Prexton. Thane, the future leader of the colony has come up with a marriage proposal. Everything was moving faster when department heads were found dead one after the other, murdered by someone within. The planet was not what they thought it was. Astra felt different among the trees, her birth deformity, a secret kept hidden from the rest of the universe was nothing when she was among the trees and they are whispering to her. For her help!? What is this strange planet has in store for them!??
The story was really good. It did have the element of surprise in it which made it interesting to read. The book can be definitely catalogued under eco conscious theme. The way the writer gives life to the trees and a voice was great! The element of mythology in it was also good even though it was a simple part. I liked Jax and Astra but it was the only relationship that i was able to feel. The other bonds were not so much impressive. The book talks so much about family and relationships but i just couldn’t connect with anything. The final part was a bit on the downside. When the transformation happened, I was a bit lost in the description and the finale fight. If you are looking forward to a book based in the future and the result of all the damage we are making to the eco system, this definitely is the book for you!
The story was really good. It did have the element of surprise in it which made it interesting to read. The book can be definitely catalogued under eco conscious theme. The way the writer gives life to the trees and a voice was great! The element of mythology in it was also good even though it was a simple part. I liked Jax and Astra but it was the only relationship that i was able to feel. The other bonds were not so much impressive. The book talks so much about family and relationships but i just couldn’t connect with anything. The final part was a bit on the downside. When the transformation happened, I was a bit lost in the description and the finale fight. If you are looking forward to a book based in the future and the result of all the damage we are making to the eco system, this definitely is the book for you!
May 19, 2020
This book at first reminded me of the movie Passenger. Then as I kept reading I would say this is for fans of Across the universe series and has the earthy quality of Uprooted. This may be for fans of these series but is unique and original. I always love what a unique writer Colleen Houck is. She does a great job with her world building.
I first wanted to read this just based on the stunning cover. The cover did feel more fantasy then Science Fiction. This is not a fantasy novel. I then was like OMG a new Colleen Houck book. This is a fun read that I highly recommend.
I first wanted to read this just based on the stunning cover. The cover did feel more fantasy then Science Fiction. This is not a fantasy novel. I then was like OMG a new Colleen Houck book. This is a fun read that I highly recommend.
August 6, 2020
Interesting concept... poor execution.
Just a warning, the synopsis on Goodreads is slightly misleading.
My biggest grippe is with the characters:
Astra - the perfect meek botanist.
Thane - the cocky leader.
Jax - the brooding engineer.
Nash - the strange brother.
Uncle Harm - the boomer.
And that's about it. The rest of the characters were pretty much non-existent.
They were all one-dimensional and their interactions were downright cringey. None of the relationships felt believable to me because there would be time jumps of weeks or months in which the characters were said to interacted and apparently got along really well, but we didn't get to see that. Example: Astra and Delenna who were roommates and and apparently "friends"... but we only actually got three or four interactions between them. The rest was off-screen. It's very hard to believe that these girls were good friends if all we know of their interactions is that they shared food once and talked about their jobs a couple of times.
Another example: The love interests. Astra reportedly had plenty of witty conversations with Thane which showed their compatibility... but we never got to see those conversations! And i'm guessing it was the same with Jax? I just can't remember anymore.
On that note, let's discuss the romance. I'm not exaggerating when I say I scowled at every interaction between Jax and Astra, Thane and Astra, and Thane and Jax fighting over Astra. The romantic interactions were so sickly sweet and cringey. The boys fighting over her? Talk about toxic masculinity. But of course Astra was quiet and meek and "didn't want the boys fighting over her" and "wanted to make her own choices" but let herself be pushed around and manipulated by these guys. This book just gave us a very very poor example of what is romantic and what is an acceptable way to treat a love-interest. (Oh also Jax assures us that there is no scientific way to explain love... I guess we're just going to ignore oxytocin and all the other neurotransmitters proven to be involved in love.)
I also got a lot of anti-progress vibes from this book. The characters who were anti-vaxx, anti-technology, anti-modern medicine, anti-GMO, etc., were seen as the ultimate good and as if they could do no wrong. Here are some exmaples.
Astra info-dumps about something called wonder bars (I think) which used GMOs to pack in all the nutrients you'd need for a day into one chocolate bar. Then she goes on about how those bars were actually bad because people ate several a day when they were supposed to only eat a couple a week... and somehow the blame is turned onto the GMOs for the negative health effects associated with overeating which makes no sense whatsoever.
It's said that scientists have been able to remove genetic diseases from the gene pool... and apparently that's a bad thing? If you know that you have the the gene that will cause Huntington's, why wouldn't you want that gene reduced to the size that will not cause Huntington's? Why would you want to pass that gene down to your children if you could get it fixed? Why would you want to pass on a preventable disease? I just don't get it.
Oh and on the topic of neurodegeneration, apparently uncle Harm had "advanced neurodegeneration" (from a disease that was never named) but he was able to take care of himself and speak and do all the things that people with advanced neurodegeneration cannot (people with advanced neurodegeneration are bed-bound and need round the clock care because their disease has eaten away their brain to the bare bones.... another reason why if you have the technology to do so, you should be eradicating these diseases!). Anyway, that whole subplot was soon tossed aside with a simple "well he actually didn't go see a doctor about it and diagnosed himself so maybe he was wrong". That was just lazy writing in my opinion. I did try to figure out what exactly he had, but the only two symptoms mentioned were tremors at rest, personality changes and "spacing out" (which I assume implied dementia). It's possible the author was going for Parkinson's, but if his only motor symptom was a tremor then he wouldn't have dementia (which comes much later in the disease).
I've got a lot more to say, but I just don't have the energy to say it. Here's my takeaway from the book: bland characters, unhealthy relationships, anti-progress, lazy writing.
Hopefully you guys enjoy it more than I did.
Just a warning, the synopsis on Goodreads is slightly misleading.
My biggest grippe is with the characters:
Astra - the perfect meek botanist.
Thane - the cocky leader.
Jax - the brooding engineer.
Nash - the strange brother.
Uncle Harm - the boomer.
And that's about it. The rest of the characters were pretty much non-existent.
They were all one-dimensional and their interactions were downright cringey. None of the relationships felt believable to me because there would be time jumps of weeks or months in which the characters were said to interacted and apparently got along really well, but we didn't get to see that. Example: Astra and Delenna who were roommates and and apparently "friends"... but we only actually got three or four interactions between them. The rest was off-screen. It's very hard to believe that these girls were good friends if all we know of their interactions is that they shared food once and talked about their jobs a couple of times.
Another example: The love interests. Astra reportedly had plenty of witty conversations with Thane which showed their compatibility... but we never got to see those conversations! And i'm guessing it was the same with Jax? I just can't remember anymore.
On that note, let's discuss the romance. I'm not exaggerating when I say I scowled at every interaction between Jax and Astra, Thane and Astra, and Thane and Jax fighting over Astra. The romantic interactions were so sickly sweet and cringey. The boys fighting over her? Talk about toxic masculinity. But of course Astra was quiet and meek and "didn't want the boys fighting over her" and "wanted to make her own choices" but let herself be pushed around and manipulated by these guys. This book just gave us a very very poor example of what is romantic and what is an acceptable way to treat a love-interest. (Oh also Jax assures us that there is no scientific way to explain love... I guess we're just going to ignore oxytocin and all the other neurotransmitters proven to be involved in love.)
I also got a lot of anti-progress vibes from this book. The characters who were anti-vaxx, anti-technology, anti-modern medicine, anti-GMO, etc., were seen as the ultimate good and as if they could do no wrong. Here are some exmaples.
Astra info-dumps about something called wonder bars (I think) which used GMOs to pack in all the nutrients you'd need for a day into one chocolate bar. Then she goes on about how those bars were actually bad because people ate several a day when they were supposed to only eat a couple a week... and somehow the blame is turned onto the GMOs for the negative health effects associated with overeating which makes no sense whatsoever.
It's said that scientists have been able to remove genetic diseases from the gene pool... and apparently that's a bad thing? If you know that you have the the gene that will cause Huntington's, why wouldn't you want that gene reduced to the size that will not cause Huntington's? Why would you want to pass that gene down to your children if you could get it fixed? Why would you want to pass on a preventable disease? I just don't get it.
Oh and on the topic of neurodegeneration, apparently uncle Harm had "advanced neurodegeneration" (from a disease that was never named) but he was able to take care of himself and speak and do all the things that people with advanced neurodegeneration cannot (people with advanced neurodegeneration are bed-bound and need round the clock care because their disease has eaten away their brain to the bare bones.... another reason why if you have the technology to do so, you should be eradicating these diseases!). Anyway, that whole subplot was soon tossed aside with a simple "well he actually didn't go see a doctor about it and diagnosed himself so maybe he was wrong". That was just lazy writing in my opinion. I did try to figure out what exactly he had, but the only two symptoms mentioned were tremors at rest, personality changes and "spacing out" (which I assume implied dementia). It's possible the author was going for Parkinson's, but if his only motor symptom was a tremor then he wouldn't have dementia (which comes much later in the disease).
I've got a lot more to say, but I just don't have the energy to say it. Here's my takeaway from the book: bland characters, unhealthy relationships, anti-progress, lazy writing.
Hopefully you guys enjoy it more than I did.
May 13, 2020
Thank you to Netgalley and Trident Media Group for providing an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I have to be honest and say that I really wanted to like this book in the beginning, but at a certain point, I knew it had lost its promise. At first, it was giving me strong "The 100" vibes, which I enjoy. I was looking forward to a story that had a similar premise and feeling with it being a dystopian world where mainly young adults/teens were forced to live and repopulate on an unknown planet. I was also excited because almost immediately, the main character, Astra, and one of the love interests, Thane, reminded me a lot of Tahereh's Mafi's characters, Juliette and Warner, in her Shatter Me series, whom I adore. All of this hope quickly disappeared.
Here are the issues I had with this book:
First, there seemed to be very little character backstory or explanation. I just could not get into the characters all that much because of this. We were provided certain bits of sometimes far-fetched, crazy information about Astra or her family and then were meant to be satisfied with that. For all the characters, there seemed to lack an organic sense of character building and development. Particularly in terms of development, a favorite of mine, Thane, didn't just stay stagnant, but almost regressed. I was already upset that Astra chose Jax with what I felt was very little reasoning. To top it off, Thane was written to be a level-headed, capable, competent guy who seems to be the obvious choice, or at the very least a character an author knows readers would love. Rather than keep him that way, she had him become judgmental and almost nasty towards the end of the book. By the end, most of the characters had regressed in some way. The story itself fell apart and became unrealistic and almost absurdist, both far-fetched and oversimplified. Big things happened without proper, believable explanation. The last 15-20% of the story became a different book, one that was much less appealing and palatable, overly preachy and extreme. And with that, went the characters. Astra, a main character I didn't much care for to begin with because of her accusatory, stand-on-a-soapbox stance, became unbearable with her transformation. We basically lost any semblance of characterization she had built throughout the story. Just scrapped and replaced. The same could be said of Thane. He didn't just lose on the romantic front. He had to also become this mean, stereotypical guy that ultimately served no purpose. It wasn't true to the Thane we had been given up that point, at all. Very unnecessary. And Jax was never really interesting to me either, just concerned with obsessing over a girl he barely knew. In short, nothing played out organically and ultimately ended up sinking.
Also, I found the romance writing to be very juvenile. I hate it when authors randomly have their heroine fixating on a love interest or imagining things when we are in the middle of another, sometimes important, scene that is not at all focused on romance. It is very forced and poorly timed.
Last, Houck has a tendency of telling more than showing and a lot of times throughout this book, the telling was contrary to what was shown. Astra constantly thought and acted in inconsistent ways. She was untrusting and unsure constantly. She would be thinking something and then lash out and act contrary to what she believed. It made for an unstable story all-around.
Another thing I will note, that is, I suppose not necessarily good or bad, but just odd. There was a lot of intimate touching from the very beginning between Astra and the two boys. Lots of hand holding when not necessary, kissing (both chaste and romantic), and overall touching constantly. The romance was very much of the insta-love variety, but I was not expecting so much random touching, particularly when the characters technically didn't know each other all that well. Astra needs to walk down the corridor so she must hold Thane's hand. Astra is looking for flowers so Jax grabs her hand. Astra is hungry so one of the two guys must kiss her forehead or touch her face. Like...huh? Just strange.
It's unfortunate I couldn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted to.
I have to be honest and say that I really wanted to like this book in the beginning, but at a certain point, I knew it had lost its promise. At first, it was giving me strong "The 100" vibes, which I enjoy. I was looking forward to a story that had a similar premise and feeling with it being a dystopian world where mainly young adults/teens were forced to live and repopulate on an unknown planet. I was also excited because almost immediately, the main character, Astra, and one of the love interests, Thane, reminded me a lot of Tahereh's Mafi's characters, Juliette and Warner, in her Shatter Me series, whom I adore. All of this hope quickly disappeared.
Here are the issues I had with this book:
First, there seemed to be very little character backstory or explanation. I just could not get into the characters all that much because of this. We were provided certain bits of sometimes far-fetched, crazy information about Astra or her family and then were meant to be satisfied with that. For all the characters, there seemed to lack an organic sense of character building and development. Particularly in terms of development, a favorite of mine, Thane, didn't just stay stagnant, but almost regressed. I was already upset that Astra chose Jax with what I felt was very little reasoning. To top it off, Thane was written to be a level-headed, capable, competent guy who seems to be the obvious choice, or at the very least a character an author knows readers would love. Rather than keep him that way, she had him become judgmental and almost nasty towards the end of the book. By the end, most of the characters had regressed in some way. The story itself fell apart and became unrealistic and almost absurdist, both far-fetched and oversimplified. Big things happened without proper, believable explanation. The last 15-20% of the story became a different book, one that was much less appealing and palatable, overly preachy and extreme. And with that, went the characters. Astra, a main character I didn't much care for to begin with because of her accusatory, stand-on-a-soapbox stance, became unbearable with her transformation. We basically lost any semblance of characterization she had built throughout the story. Just scrapped and replaced. The same could be said of Thane. He didn't just lose on the romantic front. He had to also become this mean, stereotypical guy that ultimately served no purpose. It wasn't true to the Thane we had been given up that point, at all. Very unnecessary. And Jax was never really interesting to me either, just concerned with obsessing over a girl he barely knew. In short, nothing played out organically and ultimately ended up sinking.
Also, I found the romance writing to be very juvenile. I hate it when authors randomly have their heroine fixating on a love interest or imagining things when we are in the middle of another, sometimes important, scene that is not at all focused on romance. It is very forced and poorly timed.
Last, Houck has a tendency of telling more than showing and a lot of times throughout this book, the telling was contrary to what was shown. Astra constantly thought and acted in inconsistent ways. She was untrusting and unsure constantly. She would be thinking something and then lash out and act contrary to what she believed. It made for an unstable story all-around.
Another thing I will note, that is, I suppose not necessarily good or bad, but just odd. There was a lot of intimate touching from the very beginning between Astra and the two boys. Lots of hand holding when not necessary, kissing (both chaste and romantic), and overall touching constantly. The romance was very much of the insta-love variety, but I was not expecting so much random touching, particularly when the characters technically didn't know each other all that well. Astra needs to walk down the corridor so she must hold Thane's hand. Astra is looking for flowers so Jax grabs her hand. Astra is hungry so one of the two guys must kiss her forehead or touch her face. Like...huh? Just strange.
It's unfortunate I couldn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted to.
September 8, 2022
*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
O . . . kay. That was quite literally one of the strangest books I've ever read. And if I'm being honest, I am currently reconsidering my desire to read her other books. Perhaps this one is a fluke--I don't know. But if Terraformer is pretty standard for this author's writing, then I'm out.
Where to start? I guess I'll just say things as I think of them. Shall we begin?
All of the characters were written like caricatures, with a couple of characteristics accentuated and nothing else really developed. Villains were straight out of a melodrama. Thane tried to be an alpha male. Uncle Harm was pure hillbilly. Astra was . . . I don't know, kind of ridiculous. She claimed she was "strong willed," but she was spineless and quite easily swayed by the words and opinions of others. The only character I even remotely liked was Jax, and I still found him overdone.
The writing. Oh, the writing! Have you ever read a cheesy romance novel? I mean a really cheesy one. Yes? Well, apply that writing to a futuristic sci-fi book about people trying to colonize an alien planet, and you've got this book. Especially the dialogue.
This book was long. Yes, obviously--it's 536 pages. But some long books seem short because they're so good. This one lasted. Forever. Whole sections could--and should--have been cut out. Astra goes off on tangents, detailing things like the history of jet packs. Some of her ramblings were several torturous pages long. I believe it was an attempt at world building, but it just came across as a long-winded history lesson told by someone who's just trying to fill time. Information that could have been provided in maybe a paragraph.
Aside from that, the book is like that one friend that is adamant about everyone being vegan in order to prevent the collapse of the entire universe. Except apparently plants have feelings, too, and they're sentient. So . . . yep. People are bad. Genetically modifying anything as bad (unless it's done by sentient trees). Imagine an extreme--and I do mean EXTREME--tree hugger, and you've got this book. Sheesh, I hope it wasn't actually printed on real paper.
It's really just weird. And really out there. I mean, if you're enthusiastically interested in plant-animal and plant-human hybrids on far away planets, then maybe this book will be your thing.
How it ends:
Note: Maybe some mild language. Melodrama. Way too may pages.
O . . . kay. That was quite literally one of the strangest books I've ever read. And if I'm being honest, I am currently reconsidering my desire to read her other books. Perhaps this one is a fluke--I don't know. But if Terraformer is pretty standard for this author's writing, then I'm out.
Where to start? I guess I'll just say things as I think of them. Shall we begin?
All of the characters were written like caricatures, with a couple of characteristics accentuated and nothing else really developed. Villains were straight out of a melodrama. Thane tried to be an alpha male. Uncle Harm was pure hillbilly. Astra was . . . I don't know, kind of ridiculous. She claimed she was "strong willed," but she was spineless and quite easily swayed by the words and opinions of others. The only character I even remotely liked was Jax, and I still found him overdone.
The writing. Oh, the writing! Have you ever read a cheesy romance novel? I mean a really cheesy one. Yes? Well, apply that writing to a futuristic sci-fi book about people trying to colonize an alien planet, and you've got this book. Especially the dialogue.
This book was long. Yes, obviously--it's 536 pages. But some long books seem short because they're so good. This one lasted. Forever. Whole sections could--and should--have been cut out. Astra goes off on tangents, detailing things like the history of jet packs. Some of her ramblings were several torturous pages long. I believe it was an attempt at world building, but it just came across as a long-winded history lesson told by someone who's just trying to fill time. Information that could have been provided in maybe a paragraph.
Aside from that, the book is like that one friend that is adamant about everyone being vegan in order to prevent the collapse of the entire universe. Except apparently plants have feelings, too, and they're sentient. So . . . yep. People are bad. Genetically modifying anything as bad (unless it's done by sentient trees). Imagine an extreme--and I do mean EXTREME--tree hugger, and you've got this book. Sheesh, I hope it wasn't actually printed on real paper.
It's really just weird. And really out there. I mean, if you're enthusiastically interested in plant-animal and plant-human hybrids on far away planets, then maybe this book will be your thing.
How it ends:
Note: Maybe some mild language. Melodrama. Way too may pages.
August 7, 2020
I don’t know how to quite put my feelings into words for this book. So I’m going to list what sticks out for me in this book. I did not like any of the main characters. Astra was “I’m not the smart one, I’m so weak, my brother is smarter”. Astra kept going around asking dumb questions. Jax was just creepy. Thane was so obviously the “hot jerk who won’t get the girl” character. Nash was so strange that it was obvious what what going on with him right from the start. The siblings weren’t honest with one another. Too many OBVIOUS “secrets”. I also didn’t like the whole plant storyline of the book. I will not be continuing this series.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.
April 26, 2020
This book was given to me through Netgalley for review purposes, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a sci-fi, and I normally don't read this genre, but I'm happy that I got to read this book.
I like the start of the book, it is interesting, there are some things that I just read through quickly because I don't care that much for technical things, but otherwise I like the start and pacing.
But overall I actually liked this book, and read it in almost one sitting! 3,5 stars from me!
I feel that this book is a cross between The Passengers, Avatar (the blue ones) and the tv show The 100.
In the future a terraforming ship lands on a green planet. Astra Meador wakes up from hypersleep too early, only to find out that something is terribly wrong.
Two men for vie her heart, but they don't know that she carries a big secret. Though she isn't the only person with a dark secret on the ship.
Astra soon realises that somebody wants her dead, now she has to find out who it is, and complete the true mission that she came there for.
Astra wakes up one month before everybody else, her pod malfunctioned. Kind of reminds you of the movie The Passengers but at least it's only one month and not a hundred years or so! We immediately learn that Astra and her brother has a decease, or there is something wrong with their DNA which isn't good. Because in their society, you have to be perfect or else...
Astra and her family where supposed to go on this terraforming mission to find a cure for them, but that is a secret that the government are not allowed to know about.
A string of murders happen, and the ship is being sabotaged. It seems that somebody does not want this mission to succeed, but who and why? And importantly who can she trust?
Astra Meador is our protagonist, and I'm not that fond of her. And she isn't perfect like she should be, but she is special as all YA protagonists are.
Astra is different, and she has an unknown power in her.
So the big dark secret that Astra has, we learn about that early on, which is nice for a change. I really don't like when the authors make you wait almost throughout the book for the secret only to find out that it is so lack luster
Something strange is happening on the planet that they have landed on. Astra has this strange connection with the plants on this planet, which my guess must be due to the medicine that she takes, which just annoys me that she doesn't figure that out faster. Though I guess in her situation with everything going on it should be completely understandable. But still it took her almost the whole book to figure it out, for a smart girl she is really slow. Honestly she is pretty dumb. I guess you could say that she is master of one and that is plants but that is where her intelligence ends.
The connection Astra has with the planet they are on, is not just mental but also physical. Whenever something bad happens to the trees, she visibly gets sick and in pain. But what is the real reason for that? And it's not just her but also her brother Nash. Could it be due to the plants their mother used to be able to conceive them?
Meanwhile Astras brother Nash is acting weird, ever since he woke up from hypersleep he has not been the same as he used to be. What could be the reason for that?
Thane the second in command and Jax the assistant engineer serve as the two love interests, and they are obviously both good looking. So both guys quickly start liking Astra. It's kind of insta lovey. Astra feels a connection with Jax, she feels safe and that she can trust him. Astra and Jax both have that instant attraction to each other, really their romance is just insta love.
On the other side she is a perfect match with Thane, at least genetically. We barely get any "screen" time with him. We don't really get to know about his personality or backstory. Other than what Astra says, we don't "personally" get to know him as we do with Jax.
So reading this book I found the plot twists predictable. I had already figured the out what was going to happen before it did. The villain is exactly who you expect it to be. And so much info dumping, too much of it.
Around the 200 page mark, the book turns really weird, and that is also where we get the most info dumping.
And this book is romance heavy, the romance is not as much a sub plot, it's more in taking over the story. Pretty much everything is about Astras feelings towards the male lead.
Also we don't really get introduced to a lot of characters, as in if it's not the main leads you wouldn't even know that they existed. If we exclude the 3 main leads then only characters that are introduced and actually in the book, can be counted on one hand perhaps two. And these characters are barely in the book. Mostly it's just Astra and the male lead that is in the book, the second lead does not get as much attention, if any at all.
Side note something I just seemed to notice lol. There seems to be a lot of hand holding in this story, whenever the characters(Astra, Jax, Thane) goes anywhere they always offer her a hand that she takes. I mean, I don't take peoples hand in mine when I walk into their room. Astra takes a walk, she holds their hand, she's running and she's holding their hand. There is nothing wrong with it, but just something that I noticed.
This is a sci-fi, and I normally don't read this genre, but I'm happy that I got to read this book.
I like the start of the book, it is interesting, there are some things that I just read through quickly because I don't care that much for technical things, but otherwise I like the start and pacing.
But overall I actually liked this book, and read it in almost one sitting! 3,5 stars from me!
I feel that this book is a cross between The Passengers, Avatar (the blue ones) and the tv show The 100.
In the future a terraforming ship lands on a green planet. Astra Meador wakes up from hypersleep too early, only to find out that something is terribly wrong.
Two men for vie her heart, but they don't know that she carries a big secret. Though she isn't the only person with a dark secret on the ship.
Astra soon realises that somebody wants her dead, now she has to find out who it is, and complete the true mission that she came there for.
Astra wakes up one month before everybody else, her pod malfunctioned. Kind of reminds you of the movie The Passengers but at least it's only one month and not a hundred years or so! We immediately learn that Astra and her brother has a decease, or there is something wrong with their DNA which isn't good. Because in their society, you have to be perfect or else...
Astra and her family where supposed to go on this terraforming mission to find a cure for them, but that is a secret that the government are not allowed to know about.
A string of murders happen, and the ship is being sabotaged. It seems that somebody does not want this mission to succeed, but who and why? And importantly who can she trust?
Astra Meador is our protagonist, and I'm not that fond of her. And she isn't perfect like she should be, but she is special as all YA protagonists are.
Astra is different, and she has an unknown power in her.
So the big dark secret that Astra has, we learn about that early on, which is nice for a change. I really don't like when the authors make you wait almost throughout the book for the secret only to find out that it is so lack luster
Something strange is happening on the planet that they have landed on. Astra has this strange connection with the plants on this planet, which my guess must be due to the medicine that she takes, which just annoys me that she doesn't figure that out faster. Though I guess in her situation with everything going on it should be completely understandable. But still it took her almost the whole book to figure it out, for a smart girl she is really slow. Honestly she is pretty dumb. I guess you could say that she is master of one and that is plants but that is where her intelligence ends.
The connection Astra has with the planet they are on, is not just mental but also physical. Whenever something bad happens to the trees, she visibly gets sick and in pain. But what is the real reason for that? And it's not just her but also her brother Nash. Could it be due to the plants their mother used to be able to conceive them?
Meanwhile Astras brother Nash is acting weird, ever since he woke up from hypersleep he has not been the same as he used to be. What could be the reason for that?
Thane the second in command and Jax the assistant engineer serve as the two love interests, and they are obviously both good looking. So both guys quickly start liking Astra. It's kind of insta lovey. Astra feels a connection with Jax, she feels safe and that she can trust him. Astra and Jax both have that instant attraction to each other, really their romance is just insta love.
On the other side she is a perfect match with Thane, at least genetically. We barely get any "screen" time with him. We don't really get to know about his personality or backstory. Other than what Astra says, we don't "personally" get to know him as we do with Jax.
So reading this book I found the plot twists predictable. I had already figured the out what was going to happen before it did. The villain is exactly who you expect it to be. And so much info dumping, too much of it.
Around the 200 page mark, the book turns really weird, and that is also where we get the most info dumping.
And this book is romance heavy, the romance is not as much a sub plot, it's more in taking over the story. Pretty much everything is about Astras feelings towards the male lead.
Also we don't really get introduced to a lot of characters, as in if it's not the main leads you wouldn't even know that they existed. If we exclude the 3 main leads then only characters that are introduced and actually in the book, can be counted on one hand perhaps two. And these characters are barely in the book. Mostly it's just Astra and the male lead that is in the book, the second lead does not get as much attention, if any at all.
Side note something I just seemed to notice lol. There seems to be a lot of hand holding in this story, whenever the characters(Astra, Jax, Thane) goes anywhere they always offer her a hand that she takes. I mean, I don't take peoples hand in mine when I walk into their room. Astra takes a walk, she holds their hand, she's running and she's holding their hand. There is nothing wrong with it, but just something that I noticed.
July 22, 2020
Книг�� довольно большая и, прямо скажем, сильно затянута.
Язык автора мне здесь совершенно не понравился. Я, конечно, не считаю Хоук гениальной писательницей, но все остальные книги, которые я у нее читала, в общем-то были написаны неплохо. Логичные диалоги и размеренное повествование.
Здесь же создавалось впечатление, что книгу писал совершенно другой человек. Причем не столько писал, сколько пересказывал события. Вместо нормальных диалогов и помещения читателя, так сказать, в саму ситуацию, все важные события книги автор будто пересказывала нам, что очень сильно мешало и погрузиться в сюжет, и проникнуться любовью к персонажам. Между событиями могло пройти несколько месяцев, но автор нам это не сообщал, мы случайно узнавали это между делом, хотя до этого считали, что прошло едва ли ни два дня.
Я откровенно терялась во времени и сюжете, потому что, несмотря на то, что книга немаленькая, это именно пересказ, а не нормальное повествование.
Отсюда и равнодушное (даже скорее негативное) отношение ко всем персонажам книги. Ни я, ни (если верить другим отзывам), другие читатели просто не прониклись к ним никакими чувствами. Они скорее раздражали, и уж точно им нельзя было сопереживать.
А уж как автор прописала романтику. Это вообще пиши пропало. Постоянные неуместные прикосновения, облизывания пальцев героини. На все эти описания у нормальных людей только одна реакция: «Какая мерзость». Поцелуи и «облизывания» должны быть уместными. А тут в сюжете, наконец, происходит что-то важное, но вместо того, чтобы сосредоточится на событиях, автор только и делает, как рассказывает, что герои друг друга облизывают, а героиня постоянно хочет своих обнаженных парней (и да, у нее их два). При этом все это рассказано так по-детски нелепо, что читателю одновременно и смешно, и противно.
Еще раз: не считаю Хоук гениальной писательницей, но тут ее будто вообще подменили.
Начало и середина книги были, конечно, весьма разочаровывающими, но еще терпимыми. Да, я уже сто раз такое читала и смотрела: «Через вселенную» Б.Рэвис, «Аватар», «Сотня», «Терра Нова», «Пассажиры» и т.д. (причем, не считая, конечно, «Через вселенную», все остальные истории в разы лучше). Да, язык и стиль повествования крайне странные и неудачные. Да, герои, мягко говоря, так себе, а их отношения описаны откровенно глупо и неприятно. Но, в целом, не худший вариант и читаемо.
Но последние 15-20% книги – это, простите, полный трэш и угар. Многие в отзывах (рейтинг у книги 3,67 при 98 голосах… и это притом, что она вышла почти три месяца назад!) говорят, что в конце автора будто подменили. А по мне, так автор остался тем же, только вот окончательно скатился. Героиня-овощ – это, конечно, сильно, ничего не скажешь. В «Аватаре» была несколько похожая идея, но там все это было очень красиво показано, и в разы адекватнее. А тут просто смех да и только.
На лбах злодеев с первых же страниц было написано: «Злодей!». А реакция героини на все происходящее, совершенно неадекватная. Она переживала из-за своих любовных отношений, но практически никак не реагировала на смерти близких и пропажу брата (действительно, подумаешь, не до того сейчас, когда тут надо с кем-то мутки мутить, а не можешь решить, с кем именно). Может, это потому как раз, что она частично овощ (это вообще было заметно с самого начала, и многое объяснило бы).
Еще меня поражает поведение матери героини – «гениального ученого». У нее из-за экспериментов при беременности родилась больная и слабая дочь. Но ее это не смутило, она стала смело и дальше тем же способом штамповать детей одного за одним. Действительно – гениально.
До середины книги история тянула на 5-6 баллов из 10. В итоге, из-за всех откровенных косяков больше тройки ей поставить никак нельзя (что, в прочем, подтверждает и общий рейтинг).
Итоговая оценка: 3/10
Язык автора мне здесь совершенно не понравился. Я, конечно, не считаю Хоук гениальной писательницей, но все остальные книги, которые я у нее читала, в общем-то были написаны неплохо. Логичные диалоги и размеренное повествование.
Здесь же создавалось впечатление, что книгу писал совершенно другой человек. Причем не столько писал, сколько пересказывал события. Вместо нормальных диалогов и помещения читателя, так сказать, в саму ситуацию, все важные события книги автор будто пересказывала нам, что очень сильно мешало и погрузиться в сюжет, и проникнуться любовью к персонажам. Между событиями могло пройти несколько месяцев, но автор нам это не сообщал, мы случайно узнавали это между делом, хотя до этого считали, что прошло едва ли ни два дня.
Я откровенно терялась во времени и сюжете, потому что, несмотря на то, что книга немаленькая, это именно пересказ, а не нормальное повествование.
Отсюда и равнодушное (даже скорее негативное) отношение ко всем персонажам книги. Ни я, ни (если верить другим отзывам), другие читатели просто не прониклись к ним никакими чувствами. Они скорее раздражали, и уж точно им нельзя было сопереживать.
А уж как автор прописала романтику. Это вообще пиши пропало. Постоянные неуместные прикосновения, облизывания пальцев героини. На все эти описания у нормальных людей только одна реакция: «Какая мерзость». Поцелуи и «облизывания» должны быть уместными. А тут в сюжете, наконец, происходит что-то важное, но вместо того, чтобы сосредоточится на событиях, автор только и делает, как рассказывает, что герои друг друга облизывают, а героиня постоянно хочет своих обнаженных парней (и да, у нее их два). При этом все это рассказано так по-детски нелепо, что читателю одновременно и смешно, и противно.
Еще раз: не считаю Хоук гениальной писательницей, но тут ее будто вообще подменили.
Начало и середина книги были, конечно, весьма разочаровывающими, но еще терпимыми. Да, я уже сто раз такое читала и смотрела: «Через вселенную» Б.Рэвис, «Аватар», «Сотня», «Терра Нова», «Пассажиры» и т.д. (причем, не считая, конечно, «Через вселенную», все остальные истории в разы лучше). Да, язык и стиль повествования крайне странные и неудачные. Да, герои, мягко говоря, так себе, а их отношения описаны откровенно глупо и неприятно. Но, в целом, не худший вариант и читаемо.
Но последние 15-20% книги – это, простите, полный трэш и угар. Многие в отзывах (рейтинг у книги 3,67 при 98 голосах… и это притом, что она вышла почти три месяца назад!) говорят, что в конце автора будто подменили. А по мне, так автор остался тем же, только вот окончательно скатился. Героиня-овощ – это, конечно, сильно, ничего не скажешь. В «Аватаре» была несколько похожая идея, но там все это было очень красиво показано, и в разы адекватнее. А тут просто смех да и только.
На лбах злодеев с первых же страниц было написано: «Злодей!». А реакция героини на все происходящее, совершенно неадекватная. Она переживала из-за своих любовных отношений, но практически никак не реагировала на смерти близких и пропажу брата (действительно, подумаешь, не до того сейчас, когда тут надо с кем-то мутки мутить, а не можешь решить, с кем именно). Может, это потому как раз, что она частично овощ (это вообще было заметно с самого начала, и многое объяснило бы).
Еще меня поражает поведение матери героини – «гениального ученого». У нее из-за экспериментов при беременности родилась больная и слабая дочь. Но ее это не смутило, она стала смело и дальше тем же способом штамповать детей одного за одним. Действительно – гениально.
До середины книги история тянула на 5-6 баллов из 10. В итоге, из-за всех откровенных косяков больше тройки ей поставить никак нельзя (что, в прочем, подтверждает и общий рейтинг).
Итоговая оценка: 3/10
July 22, 2020
Initial Thoughts Upon Finishing
This was really fun! I admit things got a little strange towards the end there and I was all for a 5-star rating until about the 75% mark. But on the whole another amazing and unique story from Houck that is totally addictive to read and full of great characters.
Terraformer
This is Houck's first sci-fi novel and I was impressed! It's all about a terraforming mission but edges ever so slightly into the thriller genre. Our main character Astra is among the crew on a spaceship and she awakens from hypersleep several months too early after her pod malfunctions.
Right from the beginning, we have some obvious sci-fi elements that are different to the norm. Aside from travelling through space on a mission to make a planet habitable, there's some whacky stuff going on too. Astra has an implant in her chest where a special medication derived from a certain plant is installed. Thanks to certain medications her mother took during her pregnancy, Astra seems to have a strange connection to plants from the get-go. This medication helps Astra to breathe.
This is all a massive secret and important tests were altered to get Astra on this mission. But there's just something not quite right with the whole mission anyway. Neither of her parents makes it to the new planet for varying reasons and Astra's judgement of character is really put to the test between several interesting people on board (once they all wake up).
There's a really interesting love triangle, scary politics aboard the ship, and loads of hints that the plants on this planet are possibly sentient. This book really is such a mash of the TV series, Lost in Space, and Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.
What I Enjoyed
I thought Astra was a great character!! Sometimes I wanted to shake her to make her realise obvious things more quickly, but she was a relatable and caring character whose perspective I really enjoyed. True to classic Houck style, the love triangle that happens between Jax, Astra and Thane was sizzling, complicated and tense. Just the way I like. It really fed some fun drama into the whole story.
My favourite thing about this book, however, was the world-building. It was genuinely quite unique, according to my own reading experience, which I was surprised by! I wasn't expecting such in-depth world-building from Houck's first sci-fi novel. In hindsight, knowing how much effort she puts into researching and establishing her other stories, I suppose I should have seen this coming.
But the descriptions of the planet, the way it works, all the little quirks - these were really awesome things that drew me into the story so effectively. With the exception of my minor disagreeances over the ending of this book, I found this to be a near-flawless rendition of a YA sci-fi. It's right up there with anything Maria V Snyder (Sentinels of the Galaxy) or Claudia Gray (Firebird Trilogy) writes.
The one thing I absolutely have to bring up is the impeccable pacing. This is actually quite a lengthy book, clocking in at nearly 500 pages. But just when you're lulled into a sense of security and think you might put the book down to make a cup of tea, Houck drops the most massive cliff hangers/plot twists possibly imaginable. It's what made the book so easy to devour.
Summary
I'm so excited to have read something new from Houck this year and absolutely delighted that I loved it. Because I'm 100% biased, given that Houck is my favourite author, I'm simply not going to dwell on the negatives for this book as I feel the positives really do out-weigh them!!
Happy reading!
This was really fun! I admit things got a little strange towards the end there and I was all for a 5-star rating until about the 75% mark. But on the whole another amazing and unique story from Houck that is totally addictive to read and full of great characters.
Terraformer
This is Houck's first sci-fi novel and I was impressed! It's all about a terraforming mission but edges ever so slightly into the thriller genre. Our main character Astra is among the crew on a spaceship and she awakens from hypersleep several months too early after her pod malfunctions.
Right from the beginning, we have some obvious sci-fi elements that are different to the norm. Aside from travelling through space on a mission to make a planet habitable, there's some whacky stuff going on too. Astra has an implant in her chest where a special medication derived from a certain plant is installed. Thanks to certain medications her mother took during her pregnancy, Astra seems to have a strange connection to plants from the get-go. This medication helps Astra to breathe.
This is all a massive secret and important tests were altered to get Astra on this mission. But there's just something not quite right with the whole mission anyway. Neither of her parents makes it to the new planet for varying reasons and Astra's judgement of character is really put to the test between several interesting people on board (once they all wake up).
There's a really interesting love triangle, scary politics aboard the ship, and loads of hints that the plants on this planet are possibly sentient. This book really is such a mash of the TV series, Lost in Space, and Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.
What I Enjoyed
I thought Astra was a great character!! Sometimes I wanted to shake her to make her realise obvious things more quickly, but she was a relatable and caring character whose perspective I really enjoyed. True to classic Houck style, the love triangle that happens between Jax, Astra and Thane was sizzling, complicated and tense. Just the way I like. It really fed some fun drama into the whole story.
My favourite thing about this book, however, was the world-building. It was genuinely quite unique, according to my own reading experience, which I was surprised by! I wasn't expecting such in-depth world-building from Houck's first sci-fi novel. In hindsight, knowing how much effort she puts into researching and establishing her other stories, I suppose I should have seen this coming.
But the descriptions of the planet, the way it works, all the little quirks - these were really awesome things that drew me into the story so effectively. With the exception of my minor disagreeances over the ending of this book, I found this to be a near-flawless rendition of a YA sci-fi. It's right up there with anything Maria V Snyder (Sentinels of the Galaxy) or Claudia Gray (Firebird Trilogy) writes.
The one thing I absolutely have to bring up is the impeccable pacing. This is actually quite a lengthy book, clocking in at nearly 500 pages. But just when you're lulled into a sense of security and think you might put the book down to make a cup of tea, Houck drops the most massive cliff hangers/plot twists possibly imaginable. It's what made the book so easy to devour.
Summary
I'm so excited to have read something new from Houck this year and absolutely delighted that I loved it. Because I'm 100% biased, given that Houck is my favourite author, I'm simply not going to dwell on the negatives for this book as I feel the positives really do out-weigh them!!
Happy reading!
June 12, 2020
This is Science Fiction and very well done Science Fiction. Don’t let the fact that the main protagonists are teenaged fool you into to thinking this is strictly a Young Adult book. This is Science Fiction and if the main characters were ten years older the thought of YA wouldn’t cross your mind but if you are looking for a YA read then yes, this has young people in it.
Now that’s out of the way, I loved the characters, the storyline, and most of all I loved the feel of the planet on which all this takes place, not Earth. People on a mission to colonize a new planet which is going to be terraformed to support human life. The planet is not what they expected but they go on their destructive way, following the plans they have to turn this new world into a semblance of the Earth they had left behind due to the devastation of their own ecosystem.
There are some mysteries here to be solved including an all too earthly one and yes, there is bit of a love triangle going on too but it’s really all about the planet.
If you’re into Science Fiction then you will really enjoy this one!
I won this book in a FirstReads giveaway. Thank you to the author Coleen Houck.
Now that’s out of the way, I loved the characters, the storyline, and most of all I loved the feel of the planet on which all this takes place, not Earth. People on a mission to colonize a new planet which is going to be terraformed to support human life. The planet is not what they expected but they go on their destructive way, following the plans they have to turn this new world into a semblance of the Earth they had left behind due to the devastation of their own ecosystem.
There are some mysteries here to be solved including an all too earthly one and yes, there is bit of a love triangle going on too but it’s really all about the planet.
If you’re into Science Fiction then you will really enjoy this one!
I won this book in a FirstReads giveaway. Thank you to the author Coleen Houck.
February 6, 2021
While I thoroughly enjoyed the idea of this story, I was very disappointed in the actual book. When saying that sci-fi isn't believable, it is not because the created world isn't believable. It is the behavior of the characters that is unbelievable. Maybe it is because I know so many young adults and not a single one would behave the way these characters do, but I think it is more that there seemed to be a political agenda with this book. It is one that I happen to agree with, but still felt that it was being shoved down my throat and that the ultimate conclusion of this book was horrifying. The book, however, tried to make it heroic. Not my cup of tea.
May 24, 2020
I recieved this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was amazing.
I love science fiction and this book didn't dissapointed me.
This books begins when Astra wakes up too early from hypersleep and then, she discover 2 things: first, his mother nerver made it on board because she was arrested and two, her father is dead. Obviously she was very scared because she thinks her mother was arrested because of her, her family have a very depest secret about her and that is the reaseon because they decided to enter on this mission to colonize Crillian IV.
One of the many things I like about this book was Astra have asthma and never in my lifed I read a book with an asmathic main character. And why? yes, I have asthma and I feel very happy to meet Astra.
I find to many issues in this story like, characters left over, the writer made a love triangle in which she obviously made who was going to win Astra's love and the other was like an idiot (I hated him from the beginning) and this was very innecesary, poison mushrooms are missed and the characters are: ok I dind't find them maybe somebody die but oh! I forget them already. And her brother Nash was created only for the end of the book (I don´t say anything because spoilers)
BUT I loved this book so much that the things I didn't like didn't bother me as much.
This book was amazing.
I love science fiction and this book didn't dissapointed me.
This books begins when Astra wakes up too early from hypersleep and then, she discover 2 things: first, his mother nerver made it on board because she was arrested and two, her father is dead. Obviously she was very scared because she thinks her mother was arrested because of her, her family have a very depest secret about her and that is the reaseon because they decided to enter on this mission to colonize Crillian IV.
One of the many things I like about this book was Astra have asthma and never in my lifed I read a book with an asmathic main character. And why? yes, I have asthma and I feel very happy to meet Astra.
I find to many issues in this story like, characters left over, the writer made a love triangle in which she obviously made who was going to win Astra's love and the other was like an idiot (I hated him from the beginning) and this was very innecesary, poison mushrooms are missed and the characters are: ok I dind't find them maybe somebody die but oh! I forget them already. And her brother Nash was created only for the end of the book (I don´t say anything because spoilers)
BUT I loved this book so much that the things I didn't like didn't bother me as much.
September 13, 2022
Terraformer seemed interesting, the cover was just so and so. Felt very amateur-ish. But the premise was sort of interesting, but it stopped there. The main character was annoying and whiny. It was trying to be so much; romantic, dramatic, space - magic... and sadly, nothing worked for me.
I got this eARC from Netgalley
I got this eARC from Netgalley
March 18, 2022
This was an interesting read. It would’ve been 4 stars for me, but there were several situations (involving how humans acted/ reacted) that weren’t realistic for me. Some of the sci-fi parts were a bit too fantastical for me, but overall it was unique and kept my interest.
October 10, 2020
The plot was initially intriguing but executed poorly and felt like it just fell apart the further along I got in the book. I've enjoyed Colleen's other books quite well but unfortunately this one was just not for me.
September 16, 2021
3.5 ⭐
Interesting sci-fi read with environmentalist themes.
Interesting sci-fi read with environmentalist themes.
April 19, 2020
This book is a mixture of Annihilation and a cheesy romance. Yes, there are a lot of cringe moments, plot-holes and non-understanding of science but... you have to keep in mind it's YA - that means it is not intended to be read by graduated PHDs in physics and engineers. For what's worth, the book is very original, entertaining and there were so many plot twists I did not see coming! It's a solid 3.5 stars for me (and not a 2-star book at all!)
Terraformer was graciously provided for free from the publisher for a review.
Terraformer was graciously provided for free from the publisher for a review.
May 31, 2020
Such a great book, I really enjoyed this world, and these characters, and the science. Astra was fantastic to read about!
May 31, 2020
Wow. What an an absolutely unique and fully imagined story. As a longtime fan of Colleen Houck, I’ve come to expect interesting, well developed characters and immersive worlds when reading her books. While Terraformer is her first foray into science fiction, it can stand with any of her previous novels. It is a quick read and very engaging - I finished it in one day.
I really liked Astra and Jax. I adored the planet and the beings that lived there. If you like science fiction and mystery sprinkled with romance, then you’ll enjoy Terraformer.
I really liked Astra and Jax. I adored the planet and the beings that lived there. If you like science fiction and mystery sprinkled with romance, then you’ll enjoy Terraformer.
May 12, 2020
Thank you Trident Media Group and NetGalley for providing me the advanced digital copy of this book in exchange of an honest review! And would you look at that! I finished it just in time - its official release is tomorrow! (May 12th).
Let me tell you I'm the kind of girl that sees the slight hint of science fiction and I just already want to dive into it, and this is what drawn me to this book. The exploration of a new unknown world in the hopes of colonizing it to keep humankind alive is indeed an interesting subject to me - especially the part about getting to figure out new species, new environments and how it compares to Earth and what would be needed to guarantee survival. You know, all the adventure involved with that adding all the scientific background.
But I felt like that wasn't really the book's main purpose. Most of the time we're into this love triangle story between Astra, Jax and Thane in this new world. Actually, I'd say this book is a mix of science fiction, romance and fantasy, in which romance dictates most of the narrative and fantasy plays a big part in the last quarter of the book. Science fiction involves the world building. The motives, the explanations, the whole setting.
The thing is… I don't think everything was properly explained and set up about the world. I felt that there were some things missing and I didn't fully visualize the world they're in and what's going on there. Besides, I couldn't fully grasp the characters motives in some things they did. I can't properly explain who they are, their nuances and what they really want - and this is what made me more upset about this book.
I truly wanted to enjoy this book, and the writing really dragged me in in the first half, but as the pages were going after that point I was losing interest, so towards the end I probably didn't get all the impact I was supposed to considering it's supposed to have so many secrets involved, so I was left out rather disappointed.
Believe it or not, this was the first Colleen Houck novel I've ever read and her writing style is actually pretty good, my issue was mostly with the building of all the pieces being put together.
https://medium.com/@lillianfreire/col...
Let me tell you I'm the kind of girl that sees the slight hint of science fiction and I just already want to dive into it, and this is what drawn me to this book. The exploration of a new unknown world in the hopes of colonizing it to keep humankind alive is indeed an interesting subject to me - especially the part about getting to figure out new species, new environments and how it compares to Earth and what would be needed to guarantee survival. You know, all the adventure involved with that adding all the scientific background.
But I felt like that wasn't really the book's main purpose. Most of the time we're into this love triangle story between Astra, Jax and Thane in this new world. Actually, I'd say this book is a mix of science fiction, romance and fantasy, in which romance dictates most of the narrative and fantasy plays a big part in the last quarter of the book. Science fiction involves the world building. The motives, the explanations, the whole setting.
The thing is… I don't think everything was properly explained and set up about the world. I felt that there were some things missing and I didn't fully visualize the world they're in and what's going on there. Besides, I couldn't fully grasp the characters motives in some things they did. I can't properly explain who they are, their nuances and what they really want - and this is what made me more upset about this book.
I truly wanted to enjoy this book, and the writing really dragged me in in the first half, but as the pages were going after that point I was losing interest, so towards the end I probably didn't get all the impact I was supposed to considering it's supposed to have so many secrets involved, so I was left out rather disappointed.
Believe it or not, this was the first Colleen Houck novel I've ever read and her writing style is actually pretty good, my issue was mostly with the building of all the pieces being put together.
https://medium.com/@lillianfreire/col...
June 19, 2020
As I’ve come to expect from this author, I was immediately dropped into a beautifully vivid story that I could see all of the beautiful scenery and not so beautiful events just come alive off the page as I read. The cover gives you a perfect idea of how this planet the ship lands on must look. You might think it is a fantasy story, but no, this is science fiction. From the space travel, to looking at how we had polluted the Earth and our own human weaknesses coming about, it hit very close to how many people feel about the world these days.
There was a lot intrigue and mystery to keep you turning pages along with the creative science fiction aspects of the story. While this might be a YA series with the main characters being around 17 or 18, it had so many twists and turns and deeply hidden trails it was comparable to many adult science fiction novels I’ve read in the past.
Personally I’ve always been not the biggest fan of plants. I mean I have a total black thumb myself, can’t get them to grow when I try or keep them alive either. And then I’ve always been a bit creeped out by things they can do without what we would think of as a “brain”. Then the author threw in a part with flowers that could echo or speak, and that reminded me of the plants in The Ruins by Scott Smith, a favorite book of mine, but also one that is very creepy!
The creatures that developed on the planet as well as its history or background in all life in the universe was so incredible to think about that I just ended up enjoying it all and taking time to stop as I was reading just to try to picture in my head what the author had described.
I’ve enjoyed every book I’ve read by this author, and I intend to read more and even go back and finish up the ones I have not read yet.
Review first appeared on Lisa Loves Literature.
There was a lot intrigue and mystery to keep you turning pages along with the creative science fiction aspects of the story. While this might be a YA series with the main characters being around 17 or 18, it had so many twists and turns and deeply hidden trails it was comparable to many adult science fiction novels I’ve read in the past.
Personally I’ve always been not the biggest fan of plants. I mean I have a total black thumb myself, can’t get them to grow when I try or keep them alive either. And then I’ve always been a bit creeped out by things they can do without what we would think of as a “brain”. Then the author threw in a part with flowers that could echo or speak, and that reminded me of the plants in The Ruins by Scott Smith, a favorite book of mine, but also one that is very creepy!
The creatures that developed on the planet as well as its history or background in all life in the universe was so incredible to think about that I just ended up enjoying it all and taking time to stop as I was reading just to try to picture in my head what the author had described.
I’ve enjoyed every book I’ve read by this author, and I intend to read more and even go back and finish up the ones I have not read yet.
Review first appeared on Lisa Loves Literature.
May 16, 2020
(ORDER of review)
-Fistful review
-Summary
-Thoughts
-Quotes
_Recommendations / similar ideas
^^^^^Nut Shell^^^^^
A beautifully crafted world with mysteries, science, and creative world-building. Where it may falter in the human Characterization, but alien personalities she created were fun and intriguing. We follow the MC caught in a struggle to choose to save her people or save her planet.
Summary
Thoughts in the Pot
First of Colleen Houck people! I was ecstatic when I was approved of this title and this world of hers didn’t disappoint.
Likes
(Spoiler) Although there was a mythical aspect brushed over, I wasn’t exactly a fan of it.
Story
It had a lot of ups and downs, had strong interesting start: full wonder and surprises, mystery and intrigue but it sort of dwindled in the middle, it felt slow and drawn out she made weak choiceS and somehow not appear suspicious to others.
And then the in the big reveal of the villain…it was Scooby dooby doo, I mean I get he’s cornered but he’s still got a dignity to keep and just sighs at the barest threat and reveals all. Not a fan of that part. Bring me the trees again, please.
Just as I was getting tired of dealing with the trio, then it began to pick up in the last third and I was on the edge, couldn’t put the book down till reached the end. The story takes an unexpected turn full of uncertainties, and we see how that brings over an irreversible change on our MC caught in between saving her people or her planet, its struggle that was every bit riveting to read.
Writing; as above, I loved this world and I think it was quite well done giving clear foundations to future terraforming and human progress.
TECHNOLOGY
Recommendations and Similar books
Yes, for the world I found it unique, fascinating, and worthwhile.
Similarities
Aprilynne Pike
Wings (if you know you know)
Megan Spooner Amie Kaufman:
Groot
arc received from NetGalley, thank you Colleen Houck & Trident Media Group for this WONDERFUL opportunity.
-----------------------------------------------------
Cover expectation.
When in reality
After the first few chapters
-Fistful review
-Summary
-Thoughts
-Quotes
_Recommendations / similar ideas
^^^^^Nut Shell^^^^^
A beautifully crafted world with mysteries, science, and creative world-building. Where it may falter in the human Characterization, but alien personalities she created were fun and intriguing. We follow the MC caught in a struggle to choose to save her people or save her planet.
Summary
The premise takes place sometime in the future where Earth has reached the point that it entire ecosystem has been upturned and people are sent to colonize distant planets; Crillain IV is, however, the destination specifically for scientists of various specialties along with their apprentices.
However, things are amiss from the beginning as our MC, Astra wakes early and alone followed by the discovery of her father’s sudden death in stasis and presence popping right from the corner of her eye
, Nonetheless soon enough everything seems to normalize, rest of the crew waking up as programmed, the crew leader factoring her as an integral part of their community establishment, her apprenticeship now coming to use for good and also she’s not alone since she has a brother of course…
But things go awry pretty soon and everything seems to point at one thing she trusts most, then there’s the planet that’s trying to communicate…to revolt. Despite no intelligent species detected, there’s nevertheless a strong presence, demanding to be heard and beckoning her all the same.
Thoughts in the Pot
First of Colleen Houck people! I was ecstatic when I was approved of this title and this world of hers didn’t disappoint.
Likes
this world…Tree aliens…Groot family? I mean the idea is heck strange but I was totally sold since it seemed so down to earth (pun intended, sorry we learned about the botanical reaction to the environment in high school so, you get me).
It’s quite apparent from the beginning the flora or the planets’ trying to communicate with Astra, which in turn unnerves her and ultimately, ultimately, dismisses it as her natural instinct instead.
We are shown from the very beginning how the planet seems to revolt against the human colonies, thwarting their attempts of settling down conspicuously. Alongside the colonists' work to stand against those allusive threats.
Flash forward we meet them sentient plants and it was a treat, I thoroughly enjoyed their interactions and how sometimes they were realistically limited they were in their scope of viewing the world. Their unique mannerism and also the blatant dedication for life, that we discover as we go were what feel made this book enjoyable.
(Spoiler) Although there was a mythical aspect brushed over, I wasn’t exactly a fan of it.
Story
It had a lot of ups and downs, had strong interesting start: full wonder and surprises, mystery and intrigue but it sort of dwindled in the middle, it felt slow and drawn out she made weak choiceS and somehow not appear suspicious to others.
And then the in the big reveal of the villain…it was Scooby dooby doo, I mean I get he’s cornered but he’s still got a dignity to keep and just sighs at the barest threat and reveals all. Not a fan of that part. Bring me the trees again, please.
Just as I was getting tired of dealing with the trio, then it began to pick up in the last third and I was on the edge, couldn’t put the book down till reached the end. The story takes an unexpected turn full of uncertainties, and we see how that brings over an irreversible change on our MC caught in between saving her people or her planet, its struggle that was every bit riveting to read.
Writing; as above, I loved this world and I think it was quite well done giving clear foundations to future terraforming and human progress.
However as other reviews have also mentioned, asides Astra, rest of the characters ’’characterizations’’ were introduced passively. For instance,( in the early days with Thane half their interactions are simply told to us, “they played chess, they talked…” so she decided Thane was this sort of person)…the information was, unfortunately, spoon-fed to us and we never really get to experience him as much first hand as a reader. And alas he isn’t the only one.
Characters
Um...I’d have to ask Astra, since she did most of the talking, sadly.
I soon became aloof from Astra, at midpoint I wasn’t much concerned for until the last third of the book. KAbaam now that’s the Astra I like…
What jilted me the most was most of all was Astra’s friendship with Delena, which took place, again passively and we’re offhanded of what transpired between them and suddenly Delenna moves out and we are only given glimpses of interactions with her.
So she basically interacted with Thane and Jax for most of the book, and then the sentient trees came into play which for me somewhat made up for what I felt I was missing.
I love the sentient trees again, if there’s a sequel or novella, hope it has more Groot trees in it!
TECHNOLOGY
we get a fair amount of dealings with some of those and they play A MAJOR role with how the plot plays out and I found that very cool!
While some of them were just told to us in the MC’s monologue, but I still found it creative and impressive. We don’t just get Barren futuristic earth and we also get Sci-fi –Esque bit too!
Recommendations and Similar books
Yes, for the world I found it unique, fascinating, and worthwhile.
Similarities
Aprilynne Pike
Wings (if you know you know)Megan Spooner Amie Kaufman:
Groot
arc received from NetGalley, thank you Colleen Houck & Trident Media Group for this WONDERFUL opportunity.
-----------------------------------------------------
Cover expectation.
When in reality
After the first few chapters
April 24, 2020
*I was provided an ARC copy of the book through NetGalley courtesy of Trident Media Group*
This sci-fi/fantasy was so fascinatingly unique from any of Colleen Houck's prior books! Having read all of her titles to date, I was expecting the formulaic structure I've come to know and love about her books, namely a curse to be broken, mythological influences, and love triangles to sort out by the end of the story. Those elements are still here in Terraformer, but they take on an entirely new life in this interstellar journey! I loved the brief touches on Greek mythology that popped up in this book! It would be great to see the author expand on this base more in future books as she did with Indian and Egyptian mythologies in her prior series.
The best way I can describe this story is that the plot is a sort of cross of the films "Passengers" and "Avatar" with a certain brand of magic that only Colleen Houck can produce!
Astra Meador is our imperfect protagonist that we follow throughout the book. Now, personally, I enjoyed the fact that Astra was not the perfect strong female role (to start with). I could relate to her on quite a few aspects, which kept me engaged with her character and more invested in her growth and change throughout the story. Not only is Astra plagued with doubts about her own capabilities, and sense of self, apart from her protective family, she also struggles to conceal a secret about herself, a secret that could lead her to being ostracized by her fellow colonists as they start a new life on an uncharted planet. A mysterious string of murders leads Astra to question if the leaders of this colonizing mission are being perfectly candid, and soon finds her loyalties torn between an alien force beyond her understanding, and her own species. Not to mention, a growing tension between the man she is biologically a perfect match for, the future leader of the colony, and the man that she is unexplainably attracted to and with whom she feels the unprecedented ability to trust with her deepest secret.
I find the romantic relationships that I become invested in for any YA books, are the ones that are rooted in honesty, vulnerability, and of course, witty banter. There's no shortage of each of these aspects in the budding relationship between Astra and Jax...
"'Okay, tree girl,' 'I don't think tree girl is a flattering designation,' I said, drawing my hand away. 'Right,' he said, rubbing his jaw. 'How about botany babe?' 'Cut it out,' I said, grinning and punching his arm lightly."
Yup, I'm a sucker for lighthearted banter that can give me a good chuckle!
The only reason I felt I couldn't give the book a full five stars was because of the ending. Without spoilers, I will simply say that things took a turn that were a little too otherworldly for my taste, but that's coming from a reviewer who is not an avid science fiction reader! I will say that the story did come to a satisfactory ending that I felt tied off all loose ends to create a well-rounded standalone book. I highly recommend trying this one out for yourself and forming your own conclusions!
This sci-fi/fantasy was so fascinatingly unique from any of Colleen Houck's prior books! Having read all of her titles to date, I was expecting the formulaic structure I've come to know and love about her books, namely a curse to be broken, mythological influences, and love triangles to sort out by the end of the story. Those elements are still here in Terraformer, but they take on an entirely new life in this interstellar journey! I loved the brief touches on Greek mythology that popped up in this book! It would be great to see the author expand on this base more in future books as she did with Indian and Egyptian mythologies in her prior series.
The best way I can describe this story is that the plot is a sort of cross of the films "Passengers" and "Avatar" with a certain brand of magic that only Colleen Houck can produce!
Astra Meador is our imperfect protagonist that we follow throughout the book. Now, personally, I enjoyed the fact that Astra was not the perfect strong female role (to start with). I could relate to her on quite a few aspects, which kept me engaged with her character and more invested in her growth and change throughout the story. Not only is Astra plagued with doubts about her own capabilities, and sense of self, apart from her protective family, she also struggles to conceal a secret about herself, a secret that could lead her to being ostracized by her fellow colonists as they start a new life on an uncharted planet. A mysterious string of murders leads Astra to question if the leaders of this colonizing mission are being perfectly candid, and soon finds her loyalties torn between an alien force beyond her understanding, and her own species. Not to mention, a growing tension between the man she is biologically a perfect match for, the future leader of the colony, and the man that she is unexplainably attracted to and with whom she feels the unprecedented ability to trust with her deepest secret.
I find the romantic relationships that I become invested in for any YA books, are the ones that are rooted in honesty, vulnerability, and of course, witty banter. There's no shortage of each of these aspects in the budding relationship between Astra and Jax...
"'Okay, tree girl,' 'I don't think tree girl is a flattering designation,' I said, drawing my hand away. 'Right,' he said, rubbing his jaw. 'How about botany babe?' 'Cut it out,' I said, grinning and punching his arm lightly."
Yup, I'm a sucker for lighthearted banter that can give me a good chuckle!
The only reason I felt I couldn't give the book a full five stars was because of the ending. Without spoilers, I will simply say that things took a turn that were a little too otherworldly for my taste, but that's coming from a reviewer who is not an avid science fiction reader! I will say that the story did come to a satisfactory ending that I felt tied off all loose ends to create a well-rounded standalone book. I highly recommend trying this one out for yourself and forming your own conclusions!
June 7, 2020
I have been reading Terraformer for years. YEARS. Long. Drawn. Out. Angsty. Dramatic. Teenage. Dream. Years.
Ok, not really. But, it felt like it. Usually, when a book drags as much as this one did, I DNF. I have no problem DNFing. I will legit DNF on page one. Weirdly, quite like the plot of Terraformer, I kept being drawn to this book. I saw it multiple times on Netgalley but I never requested it because I already had/have 3718119 other books to review. I kept thinking about it some more. I saw some bookish friends talking about it. When it officially released in May, I couldn't and still can't find a physical copy. I ended up buying the Kindle copy. Cue, me reading it. Veeerry slowly. The story is interesting enough. The characters are... ok. But, I had no desire to pick it back up after I put it down.
Terraformer is a book that should have been perfect for me. A group, in the future, is traveling across the universe in cyro, to a distant planet to help save the human race. Or something. I honestly don't remember. Anyway, Astra wakes up early. Hello, Across the Universe. She lives by herself for awhile, à la the Jennifer Lawrence movie, The Passengers. Then, once everyone is awake and they reach their destination, it turns into The 100 television show complete with relationship drama. *eye roll x Infinity*
The Scifi new planet part and the whole 'plants' thing were my favorite and the most interesting. I recently finished Goddess in the Machine, which I highly recommend, and saw some parallels to it. The asthma plot was also interesting yet confusing.
The stuff I didn't like so much; The plot dragged, in case I haven't made that clear yet. We got way too much telling and not showing. You can't just say *this conversation and character development happened vaguely over here and now it's canon and you understand what's going on* because, wtf, no we don't. *more eye rolls* (Spoiler alert: I did this a lot) And after all the relationship triangle drama that takes up at least 80 percent of the book because of course you're on a new planet just trying trying to survive but OMG this dude's eyes jaksksks K-I-S-S-I-N-G 🥰🥺😍😘, the ending is rushed and thrown at you almost out of nowhere. Use caution: whiplash may occur.
I don't know. The book wasn't bad. It wasn't great. But I finished it so that's saying something, I guess. I haven't read any of Colleen's other work so I don't have anything to compare it to.
Ok, not really. But, it felt like it. Usually, when a book drags as much as this one did, I DNF. I have no problem DNFing. I will legit DNF on page one. Weirdly, quite like the plot of Terraformer, I kept being drawn to this book. I saw it multiple times on Netgalley but I never requested it because I already had/have 3718119 other books to review. I kept thinking about it some more. I saw some bookish friends talking about it. When it officially released in May, I couldn't and still can't find a physical copy. I ended up buying the Kindle copy. Cue, me reading it. Veeerry slowly. The story is interesting enough. The characters are... ok. But, I had no desire to pick it back up after I put it down.
Terraformer is a book that should have been perfect for me. A group, in the future, is traveling across the universe in cyro, to a distant planet to help save the human race. Or something. I honestly don't remember. Anyway, Astra wakes up early. Hello, Across the Universe. She lives by herself for awhile, à la the Jennifer Lawrence movie, The Passengers. Then, once everyone is awake and they reach their destination, it turns into The 100 television show complete with relationship drama. *eye roll x Infinity*
The Scifi new planet part and the whole 'plants' thing were my favorite and the most interesting. I recently finished Goddess in the Machine, which I highly recommend, and saw some parallels to it. The asthma plot was also interesting yet confusing.
The stuff I didn't like so much; The plot dragged, in case I haven't made that clear yet. We got way too much telling and not showing. You can't just say *this conversation and character development happened vaguely over here and now it's canon and you understand what's going on* because, wtf, no we don't. *more eye rolls* (Spoiler alert: I did this a lot) And after all the relationship triangle drama that takes up at least 80 percent of the book because of course you're on a new planet just trying trying to survive but OMG this dude's eyes jaksksks K-I-S-S-I-N-G 🥰🥺😍😘, the ending is rushed and thrown at you almost out of nowhere. Use caution: whiplash may occur.
I don't know. The book wasn't bad. It wasn't great. But I finished it so that's saying something, I guess. I haven't read any of Colleen's other work so I don't have anything to compare it to.
May 26, 2024
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Terraformer in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Gist
The story centres around a young protagonist named Astra Meador, who is part of a pioneering team tasked with transforming a barren planet into a habitable world. As Astra and her teamwork against the clock to complete their mission, they encounter unexpected challenges and mysteries that threaten not only their mission but also their lives. The plot is fast-paced and filled with twists, as the team uncovers secrets about the planet and faces dangers from both within and beyond their ranks.
The Details
Houck creates dynamic and relatable characters. Astra is a strong, determined, and intelligent heroine who drives the story forward. Her personal growth and resilience in the face of adversity are compelling and inspirational. The supporting characters, including fellow team members and mysterious antagonists, are well-developed and add depth to the narrative. The interactions between characters are rich with emotion, tension, and camaraderie, enhancing the overall story.
Houck's writing is vivid and immersive, bringing the alien landscapes and futuristic technology to life. Her descriptive prowess makes the reader feel as if they are part of Astra's team, experiencing the wonders and dangers of the new world firsthand. The dialogue is natural and engaging, reflecting the personalities and backgrounds of the diverse cast of characters. Houck maintains a balance between action, exposition, and character development, ensuring that the story remains engaging throughout.
Terraformer explores themes of survival, innovation, and the human spirit's resilience. The novel delves into the ethical and moral dilemmas associated with terraforming and colonizing new worlds. It also addresses issues of trust, teamwork, and the importance of preserving humanity's core values in the face of existential challenges. Environmental themes are woven into the narrative, prompting readers to consider the impact of human activity on new and existing ecosystems.
The Verdict
Overall, Terraformer is a compelling and thought-provoking science fiction novel that combines the excitement of space exploration with the depth of human drama. Colleen Houck has crafted a story that is not only entertaining but also rich with thematic elements that resonate with contemporary issues. Fans of science fiction and adventure will find much to enjoy in this novel, from its gripping plot to its well-rounded characters.
June 1, 2020
I want to hug a tree after finishing this book! I enjoyed Terraformer. Colleen creates a compelling and interesting future where the human population has grown so much it's now colonizing other planets. Also, technology has advanced (and morals changed?) so that most humans also genetically modify their offspring to be "perfect." Except, Astra has health issues, and her very presence aboard the terraforming mission to Crillian IV could be criminal. A weird dream wakes her up from hypersleep (which shouldn't be possible), and she discovers that her mother didn't make it aboard, her father died suspiciously during the trip, and she might not be the only one awake, Things continue to go wrong for the mission with a series of murders, and everyone from her brother to her training partner and leader have their secrets, too. Astra's search for clues in her father's death and mother's detainment leads her to investigate the dark truth behind their colonization with Jax, a talented engineer.
First, what I enjoyed about this book is the mix of science fiction and fantasy. I've liked Colleen Houck's other work, but I was suspicious of a sci-fi novel. Terraformer has mythic and adventure elements that I love from her other books. I also liked Jax as the book progresses, the terraforming concept, and the murder mystery conflict (which isn't too intense). I kept guessing wrong about the culprit. Next, Uncle Harm was my favorite character, besides the trees, because he's eccentric and lovable. He's one of the only characters I could relate to, as he has less of the imperialist, technocentric, anthropocentric mindset that the terraforming crew has. Also, his book collection is fantastic!
I couldn't put Terraformer down once they reached the planet, though I struggled to get into the book. I noticed some mistakes (maybe it was just my ARC copy?) and felt some of the story was underdeveloped, like Nash, Astra's mourning for her dad, and the resolution. There was so much build-up to discovering what was going on, and a big final fight, but I felt let down by the Deus Ex Machina ending. Finally, I really didn't like Thane. He felt forced into the narrative to make a love triangle. He was just too unlikeable for me to believe that Astra could be interested in him.
However, I recommend Terraformer if you want an intro to sci-fi, like twists and adventure, and if you've enjoyed Colleen's other books. I think terraforming's such an interesting concept and love the universe building! All in all, I liked it a lot.
***I received an ARC e-book of Terraformer from Netgalley, courtesy of Trident Media Group, in exchange for an honest review. (Thank you!)***
First, what I enjoyed about this book is the mix of science fiction and fantasy. I've liked Colleen Houck's other work, but I was suspicious of a sci-fi novel. Terraformer has mythic and adventure elements that I love from her other books. I also liked Jax as the book progresses, the terraforming concept, and the murder mystery conflict (which isn't too intense). I kept guessing wrong about the culprit. Next, Uncle Harm was my favorite character, besides the trees, because he's eccentric and lovable. He's one of the only characters I could relate to, as he has less of the imperialist, technocentric, anthropocentric mindset that the terraforming crew has. Also, his book collection is fantastic!
I couldn't put Terraformer down once they reached the planet, though I struggled to get into the book. I noticed some mistakes (maybe it was just my ARC copy?) and felt some of the story was underdeveloped, like Nash, Astra's mourning for her dad, and the resolution. There was so much build-up to discovering what was going on, and a big final fight, but I felt let down by the Deus Ex Machina ending. Finally, I really didn't like Thane. He felt forced into the narrative to make a love triangle. He was just too unlikeable for me to believe that Astra could be interested in him.
However, I recommend Terraformer if you want an intro to sci-fi, like twists and adventure, and if you've enjoyed Colleen's other books. I think terraforming's such an interesting concept and love the universe building! All in all, I liked it a lot.
***I received an ARC e-book of Terraformer from Netgalley, courtesy of Trident Media Group, in exchange for an honest review. (Thank you!)***
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