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Ceapeaya's Awakening #1
The Distance Between
Your past cannot be unwritten, but your ending is not set in stone.
Orphaned at the age of thirteen, Ester DuTain dreams of the day she can leave her small town and join the ranks of the prestigious planetary force, the Rean Coalition of Rangers. Ever since bandits slaughtered her family, she has wanted to become a ranger so she can stop atrocities like what happened to her family from happening again.
However, before she can become a ranger, she has to outrank the hundreds of other ranger hopefuls. To make matters worse, she can no longer stay at the orphanage once she turns eighteen, meaning she has to get in soon, while she still has a roof over top her head. She has the will and determination, but she can't afford to get distracted, even if it means putting her old dreams aside.
As Ester runs full speed towards her goals, strong forces work in the background. Forces that may prove to be stronger than anything she has ever faced. Will Ester’s actions save her world or be the catalyst that destroys it?
- GenresScience FictionFiction
315 pages, ebook
Published June 8, 2019
64 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
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May 31, 2023Video review: WHAT THE FRICK DID I JUST READ?
https://youtu.be/y7wzvDRlvN0
Disclosure: I was commissioned by the author for an honest review. Commissioning does not affect my rating.
I’m gonna do this review in pros and cons.
Pro: subjective pro, i like settings like this. I like seeing what one planet in a galaxy far far away has going on. It’s pretty light on any space elements, so don’t think of this as traversing the galaxy star wars type setting. Its similar to cold the night fast the wolves in that its super light scifi set on a different planet, and you basically just stay on that planet. But, you hear about outside the galaxy because aliens live on the planet we’re set in which is called Rean.I dont wanna call that slice of life, not the right term, you could maybe call it slice of galaxy.
The details about Rean i appreciated were that this is a queer friendly society, everyone has electricity powers which is just a cool detail, and i felt like we did a fair job here of seeing how this society deals with class struggle.
Con: the writing needed work, it needed a pass through with another pair of eyes on it to polish it up. The prose left a bit to be desired to make the storytelling richer. I think there’s promise here and i havent read the next installment but if the author continues to work at it i think she could bring her worlds alive much more. As is, we’ve got some issues like head hopping from one character to another without any page breaks to shift us from one POV to the next so thats a bit off putting. The POVs we would get would sometimes be a bit random, like theres a mean girl in the beginning of the book that we all of the sudden get POV from and i wasn’t sure why. There’s also some continuity issues, for instance in the narration in chapter two it says that Rean only has two seasons: winter and summer. Then in chapter 3 it mentions that fall has taken root.
Pro: this has a story element i love, which is a group of people forced to work together in close proximity to complete puzzles or tasks in the name of a larger game. So I loved this particularly in the hunger games sequel, catching fire, where the group is all working together trying to stay alive in the elements and being attacked by these genetically modified animals and such. But I also love it in the brazilian TV show the 3%, where a group of young adults are all being tested in these extremely competitive games so that they can be a part of the 3% who gets to go live on this ideal island, where as the rest of society lives in poverty. Its very intense and high stakes, and I love watching groups do competitive puzzle tasks together. Thats present in this book, particularly when the main character ester is trying to become a ranger. I will say it felt a little bit like low stakes compared to The 3% or hungers games, where i felt those stories did this element while better accounting for the tension in the environment and the stress felt by each individual person. But thats really difficult to nail in book format. If thats a story element you like, you might like this book.
Con: the plot arc of this book is not a cohesive plot that i feel like works very well to bring out the high stakes nature of what the author was going for. The entire first part felt like a waste of time, honestly. We are hanging out with the main character as she goes and tests for ranger school, she goes home to the orphanage, she has to graduate school but her final project is a plant that gets smashed up by a mean girl. All of this feels really disconnected from the other two parts of the book, which are ranger school, which she gets kicked out of, and then her spending time in the city and building a life for herself and getting involved in some conflict. I didn’t feel like we did a ton to bridge all of this together into a cohesive plot arc, everything felt pretty disjointed.
Pro: I think Ester is a great main character. I think shes smart and kind but shes really tenacious in an almost bull headed way. I appreciate her take charge attitude. I appreciate her connections with other people, particularly Angel who is a guy at ranger school she made friends with, and i deeply appreciate her platonic friendship with him. But also theres a younger kid whos lost his mom and lives with his aunt who ester takes under her wing. These arent dynamics we see enough in books, at least in my opinion, and i really appreciate what the author did here cultivating those dynamics and creating such an ambitious and hard headed yet kind and compassionate main character. Shes a leader, she is also pretty stubborn, and she really cares about people. I appreciate that. It also makes sense considering her upbringing as one of the oldest in a household of orphans.
Over all, I say this is worth a try if you want something different and are a scifi reader who wants something not so hard scifi.
https://youtu.be/y7wzvDRlvN0
Disclosure: I was commissioned by the author for an honest review. Commissioning does not affect my rating.
I’m gonna do this review in pros and cons.
Pro: subjective pro, i like settings like this. I like seeing what one planet in a galaxy far far away has going on. It’s pretty light on any space elements, so don’t think of this as traversing the galaxy star wars type setting. Its similar to cold the night fast the wolves in that its super light scifi set on a different planet, and you basically just stay on that planet. But, you hear about outside the galaxy because aliens live on the planet we’re set in which is called Rean.I dont wanna call that slice of life, not the right term, you could maybe call it slice of galaxy.
The details about Rean i appreciated were that this is a queer friendly society, everyone has electricity powers which is just a cool detail, and i felt like we did a fair job here of seeing how this society deals with class struggle.
Con: the writing needed work, it needed a pass through with another pair of eyes on it to polish it up. The prose left a bit to be desired to make the storytelling richer. I think there’s promise here and i havent read the next installment but if the author continues to work at it i think she could bring her worlds alive much more. As is, we’ve got some issues like head hopping from one character to another without any page breaks to shift us from one POV to the next so thats a bit off putting. The POVs we would get would sometimes be a bit random, like theres a mean girl in the beginning of the book that we all of the sudden get POV from and i wasn’t sure why. There’s also some continuity issues, for instance in the narration in chapter two it says that Rean only has two seasons: winter and summer. Then in chapter 3 it mentions that fall has taken root.
Pro: this has a story element i love, which is a group of people forced to work together in close proximity to complete puzzles or tasks in the name of a larger game. So I loved this particularly in the hunger games sequel, catching fire, where the group is all working together trying to stay alive in the elements and being attacked by these genetically modified animals and such. But I also love it in the brazilian TV show the 3%, where a group of young adults are all being tested in these extremely competitive games so that they can be a part of the 3% who gets to go live on this ideal island, where as the rest of society lives in poverty. Its very intense and high stakes, and I love watching groups do competitive puzzle tasks together. Thats present in this book, particularly when the main character ester is trying to become a ranger. I will say it felt a little bit like low stakes compared to The 3% or hungers games, where i felt those stories did this element while better accounting for the tension in the environment and the stress felt by each individual person. But thats really difficult to nail in book format. If thats a story element you like, you might like this book.
Con: the plot arc of this book is not a cohesive plot that i feel like works very well to bring out the high stakes nature of what the author was going for. The entire first part felt like a waste of time, honestly. We are hanging out with the main character as she goes and tests for ranger school, she goes home to the orphanage, she has to graduate school but her final project is a plant that gets smashed up by a mean girl. All of this feels really disconnected from the other two parts of the book, which are ranger school, which she gets kicked out of, and then her spending time in the city and building a life for herself and getting involved in some conflict. I didn’t feel like we did a ton to bridge all of this together into a cohesive plot arc, everything felt pretty disjointed.
Pro: I think Ester is a great main character. I think shes smart and kind but shes really tenacious in an almost bull headed way. I appreciate her take charge attitude. I appreciate her connections with other people, particularly Angel who is a guy at ranger school she made friends with, and i deeply appreciate her platonic friendship with him. But also theres a younger kid whos lost his mom and lives with his aunt who ester takes under her wing. These arent dynamics we see enough in books, at least in my opinion, and i really appreciate what the author did here cultivating those dynamics and creating such an ambitious and hard headed yet kind and compassionate main character. Shes a leader, she is also pretty stubborn, and she really cares about people. I appreciate that. It also makes sense considering her upbringing as one of the oldest in a household of orphans.
Over all, I say this is worth a try if you want something different and are a scifi reader who wants something not so hard scifi.
June 1, 2019
*I was a part of the ARC team in return for giving an honest review*
Spoiler free!
There is a lot to unpack with this book. For most of my book reviews I focus on overarching 'story pillars.' Namely: world building, plot, character, and overall writing style.
I'll start with what I loved: the world building. I'll be honest and say I am a sucker for space-themed anything and fictional worlds, and this book has it! Rean is beautifully diverse and we get bits and spinets of other planets that make me crave more. I loved all of the aliens and I am DYING for more of them. Also, I love how the 'humans' have electrical powers!?? I wish we got more about them and how the society is different from Earth's because of that. It's also important to acknowledge Cousins incorporating money, class, and poverty into this book and giving ample time to show how it affects the characters, that's not something we see a lot in fantasy books and I really appreciate that. On the topic of diversity, a prominent and powerful character in this book is openly gay and same sex couples are totally the norm in this book and it is SUCH a breath of fresh air. Thank you Cousins.
What I am indecisive about: characters and plot. The characters in this book range from dynamic to flat. Ester herself, the main character, is well established as caring, passionate, and strong, but also impulsive and a bit of a hothead. She's flawed and it's beautiful. With that being said though, she doesn't transform or really grow. Now before you freak out, this is the first book in a series, so I wouldn't expect a big change in the MC until future books. Angel is the same way, he's wonderfully established (and YES for proudly feminine dudes!). There are various other characters who are also well established, but the only character to clearly grow over the course of this book to become dynamic is really Pisces. But I'll stop right there to avoid spoilers (I would die for her btw). Overall, taking a step back to look at the entire cast, I'm a little disappointed to see that more characters didn't shift and change over the course of the book. But I'll give it a pass since it's the first in a series.
Onto plot. This bit is a little tricky for me, as parts of the story progressed naturally and flowed easily, while others felt scripted and forced. It was sort of like a river, where some parts were smooth and others choppy. Several points in the story required more character development to feel natural, and some decisions felt completely unnatural altogether. In addition, the story stayed too long in some places and was too quick to leave in others. Notably the first chunk of the book in Ester's childhood town moved very slowly, which I felt ate up time from other important bits. There was one twist in the middle which I wasn't expecting and really respect looking back on it. The last scene is ominous and exciting, it does a solid job of hyping up the next book although I wish more hints would be given as to what the next book will actually be about. Taking a step back again to look at the overall plot, it's been done before but it's still structured in a way to be interesting.
Now to what was not my favorite: the writing/storytelling. As a writer myself I know how difficult it is to actually put a story into words on a page. I know the painstaking detail that must go in, and the exhaustion that comes from staying up until three in the morning to complete edits or research. Storytelling is a craft that takes years to improve on, and it's hard. But it's also the most important. The Distance Between's biggest issue comes down to the fact that the story is told, not shown. We're told what characters feel but we don't always see how it affects their bodies and the spaces around them. On a separate note, the POV will sometimes switch mid chapter with no warning. An example is 3rd person limited to Ester, then 3rd person limited to Angel for a few paragraphs, then back to Ester with no chapter or spacing breaks to warn the reader.
To summarize this book, it has so much potential. The concepts and ideas are amazing, the characters are begging to to be let loose and transform into who they're meant to be, but it needs to be shown and not told. The Distance Between is solid, and I'm sure the next books will stride towards excellence. Thank you for taking the time to read this review, I hope it was helpful.
Spoiler free!
There is a lot to unpack with this book. For most of my book reviews I focus on overarching 'story pillars.' Namely: world building, plot, character, and overall writing style.
I'll start with what I loved: the world building. I'll be honest and say I am a sucker for space-themed anything and fictional worlds, and this book has it! Rean is beautifully diverse and we get bits and spinets of other planets that make me crave more. I loved all of the aliens and I am DYING for more of them. Also, I love how the 'humans' have electrical powers!?? I wish we got more about them and how the society is different from Earth's because of that. It's also important to acknowledge Cousins incorporating money, class, and poverty into this book and giving ample time to show how it affects the characters, that's not something we see a lot in fantasy books and I really appreciate that. On the topic of diversity, a prominent and powerful character in this book is openly gay and same sex couples are totally the norm in this book and it is SUCH a breath of fresh air. Thank you Cousins.
What I am indecisive about: characters and plot. The characters in this book range from dynamic to flat. Ester herself, the main character, is well established as caring, passionate, and strong, but also impulsive and a bit of a hothead. She's flawed and it's beautiful. With that being said though, she doesn't transform or really grow. Now before you freak out, this is the first book in a series, so I wouldn't expect a big change in the MC until future books. Angel is the same way, he's wonderfully established (and YES for proudly feminine dudes!). There are various other characters who are also well established, but the only character to clearly grow over the course of this book to become dynamic is really Pisces. But I'll stop right there to avoid spoilers (I would die for her btw). Overall, taking a step back to look at the entire cast, I'm a little disappointed to see that more characters didn't shift and change over the course of the book. But I'll give it a pass since it's the first in a series.
Onto plot. This bit is a little tricky for me, as parts of the story progressed naturally and flowed easily, while others felt scripted and forced. It was sort of like a river, where some parts were smooth and others choppy. Several points in the story required more character development to feel natural, and some decisions felt completely unnatural altogether. In addition, the story stayed too long in some places and was too quick to leave in others. Notably the first chunk of the book in Ester's childhood town moved very slowly, which I felt ate up time from other important bits. There was one twist in the middle which I wasn't expecting and really respect looking back on it. The last scene is ominous and exciting, it does a solid job of hyping up the next book although I wish more hints would be given as to what the next book will actually be about. Taking a step back again to look at the overall plot, it's been done before but it's still structured in a way to be interesting.
Now to what was not my favorite: the writing/storytelling. As a writer myself I know how difficult it is to actually put a story into words on a page. I know the painstaking detail that must go in, and the exhaustion that comes from staying up until three in the morning to complete edits or research. Storytelling is a craft that takes years to improve on, and it's hard. But it's also the most important. The Distance Between's biggest issue comes down to the fact that the story is told, not shown. We're told what characters feel but we don't always see how it affects their bodies and the spaces around them. On a separate note, the POV will sometimes switch mid chapter with no warning. An example is 3rd person limited to Ester, then 3rd person limited to Angel for a few paragraphs, then back to Ester with no chapter or spacing breaks to warn the reader.
To summarize this book, it has so much potential. The concepts and ideas are amazing, the characters are begging to to be let loose and transform into who they're meant to be, but it needs to be shown and not told. The Distance Between is solid, and I'm sure the next books will stride towards excellence. Thank you for taking the time to read this review, I hope it was helpful.
February 17, 2025
This was an interesting read. I went into it blindly only knowing that it was sci-fi (which is one of my favorite genres).
Pros: I love the FMC and how in this world gender roles and identity is very fluid depending on where each person is from. I loved how she never let setbacks in life keep her down especially by those who targeted her. Her dynamic with her best friend, Angel and childhood best friend, Luck, made me emotional at times. The world building was phenomenal. I loved the visuals as well as the individual cultures that went with the different regions and planets.
Cons: There were a few pacing issues. At times the story kind of lulled but I also believed that may have been intentional as that part of her life may have lulled as well. The ending kind of felt a little rushed especially since this is the first book of the series, so we could pace ourselves for the next book.
Pros: I love the FMC and how in this world gender roles and identity is very fluid depending on where each person is from. I loved how she never let setbacks in life keep her down especially by those who targeted her. Her dynamic with her best friend, Angel and childhood best friend, Luck, made me emotional at times. The world building was phenomenal. I loved the visuals as well as the individual cultures that went with the different regions and planets.
Cons: There were a few pacing issues. At times the story kind of lulled but I also believed that may have been intentional as that part of her life may have lulled as well. The ending kind of felt a little rushed especially since this is the first book of the series, so we could pace ourselves for the next book.
December 28, 2023
I wasn’t quite sure what to think of this book. There were parts that were compelling and other parts that felt like a teenage soap opera. I enjoyed the struggle of the main character but so many of the other characters, particularly at the academy, were just a little too out of place for me. I enjoyed the last half of the book much more as it finally got to a bit of action but I felt that the author could have spent more time describing the political and military situation as opposed to perfumes and outfits. I liked parts of the story enough to maybe try the second book but hopefully there’s more of the suspense and action and less of the teenage fluff and drama.
June 3, 2022
Enjoyable Story
The story kept me going despite the misspellings, word echoes, and cliches. The first half of the book was especially fun, and reminded me of Ender's Game. The middle really sagged, but the ending picked back up again. My favorite character was not the protagonist, but her friend Angel. He never failed to make me smile. And the world building is pretty good. I can tell the author put considerable effort into it, which I always appreciate!
The story kept me going despite the misspellings, word echoes, and cliches. The first half of the book was especially fun, and reminded me of Ender's Game. The middle really sagged, but the ending picked back up again. My favorite character was not the protagonist, but her friend Angel. He never failed to make me smile. And the world building is pretty good. I can tell the author put considerable effort into it, which I always appreciate!
October 8, 2023
AN Orphan struggled to join a para-military group and gets washed in the far future alternate planet society, excellent world-building, and character development by the author. I Purchased this item on October 6, 2023, from Amazon for free.
January 13, 2024
Captivating but frustrating.
The story draws you in all the way to the end, despite poor grammar, incorrect word choice (use instead of use, for instance), and terrible punctuation. So, frustrating to read but also captures the imagination.
The story draws you in all the way to the end, despite poor grammar, incorrect word choice (use instead of use, for instance), and terrible punctuation. So, frustrating to read but also captures the imagination.
November 26, 2024
I enjoying going in blind!
I immediately wanted to read this book as soon as i saw the cover because it's stunning & I'm so glad I did. I like how interesting the story became & how quickly i got drawn in. The ending has me ready to read more by this author and this series!
I immediately wanted to read this book as soon as i saw the cover because it's stunning & I'm so glad I did. I like how interesting the story became & how quickly i got drawn in. The ending has me ready to read more by this author and this series!
May 27, 2020
The story is good
I enjoyed the story, but there are so many dropped letters, missing words, wrong words, that it kept taking me out of the story. You need better proof readers
I enjoyed the story, but there are so many dropped letters, missing words, wrong words, that it kept taking me out of the story. You need better proof readers
February 10, 2021
I love books that focus on journeys and this book was really enjoyable. I loved Ester and following her ups and downs.
September 23, 2019
Warning. Some spoilers.
Ester Dutain is the type of character you like to read about. She grew up an orphan since a teenager and at 18 gets into her dream job which she believes in her calling, Ranger Academy. Having had her family slaughtered at a younger age she is personally aware of what life can be like when larger forces are not constantly looking out for others. This is why she works to get into the Academy and learn to put her skills to use and help others around her and live in a world that differs from her own life in an orphanage. Even before pursuing her dream, she is an older sister figure at her orphanage to many of the younger children.
Everything is wonderful when Ester gets into Ranger Academy, she quickly becomes fast friends with Angel, a rich fashion savvy guy who understands how to look after his friends and have fun as well. Ester's horizons being opened meeting various different people beyond where had been living where everyone knew everyone else.
Then the unimaginable happens. Ester gets kicked out of Ranger Academy. What will she do in the meantime? Is her long-held dream, her mission to be a ranger over? Or is there something between what happened that can have her dream restored and if so how? Follow a character with courage, humor, and depth on her journey in The Distance Between.
Ester Dutain is the type of character you like to read about. She grew up an orphan since a teenager and at 18 gets into her dream job which she believes in her calling, Ranger Academy. Having had her family slaughtered at a younger age she is personally aware of what life can be like when larger forces are not constantly looking out for others. This is why she works to get into the Academy and learn to put her skills to use and help others around her and live in a world that differs from her own life in an orphanage. Even before pursuing her dream, she is an older sister figure at her orphanage to many of the younger children.
Everything is wonderful when Ester gets into Ranger Academy, she quickly becomes fast friends with Angel, a rich fashion savvy guy who understands how to look after his friends and have fun as well. Ester's horizons being opened meeting various different people beyond where had been living where everyone knew everyone else.
Then the unimaginable happens. Ester gets kicked out of Ranger Academy. What will she do in the meantime? Is her long-held dream, her mission to be a ranger over? Or is there something between what happened that can have her dream restored and if so how? Follow a character with courage, humor, and depth on her journey in The Distance Between.
December 13, 2019
A brilliant offering....
I love the extraordinary characters and amazing detail Ms Cousins brings to this tale of survival, struggle and triumph in a world not unlike ours in so many ways
I love the extraordinary characters and amazing detail Ms Cousins brings to this tale of survival, struggle and triumph in a world not unlike ours in so many ways
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews