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The Queens of Lower Earth #1
Selfsame
MEN ARE DOOMED. THE WOMEN MUST SURVIVE. BUT AT WHAT COST?
Four hundred years after the Final War, Earth has been reduced to a few pieces of habitable continent.
Men are dying off.
Women are genetically altered to survive.
The genetic deviants are cast away in the ghetto.
On Lower Earth, the largest remaining known landmass, disparate peoples fight against each other, the land, and the illnesses the war left behind.
Queen Maeva rules with the blood of the masses on her hands, but her ancestry and advanced human abilities mean only she can save them from destruction and colonization by the old men of Upper Earth.
18-year-old Aria was designed from the genetic sequence of the settler queens. Her whole life had been dedicated to taking over the throne and leading Lower Earth back to prosperity.
Just as she was poised to claim her birthright, it happened.
Betrayal.
Now Aria must face enemies from far away shores and much closer to home as she fights the very totalitarian regime she had been set to lead.
Will Aria be able to stop the reigning Queen now that she’s discarded?
Four hundred years after the Final War, Earth has been reduced to a few pieces of habitable continent.
Men are dying off.
Women are genetically altered to survive.
The genetic deviants are cast away in the ghetto.
On Lower Earth, the largest remaining known landmass, disparate peoples fight against each other, the land, and the illnesses the war left behind.
Queen Maeva rules with the blood of the masses on her hands, but her ancestry and advanced human abilities mean only she can save them from destruction and colonization by the old men of Upper Earth.
18-year-old Aria was designed from the genetic sequence of the settler queens. Her whole life had been dedicated to taking over the throne and leading Lower Earth back to prosperity.
Just as she was poised to claim her birthright, it happened.
Betrayal.
Now Aria must face enemies from far away shores and much closer to home as she fights the very totalitarian regime she had been set to lead.
Will Aria be able to stop the reigning Queen now that she’s discarded?
- GenresFantasy
382 pages, ebook
First published September 3, 2020
55 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
February 25, 2021
Aria was designed to aid other queens. Her life had been dedicated for her and to make the Lower Earth back well again.“Aria dropped her spear on the grass and stepped into the water’s edge. The pond water lapped at the base of her leather boots. She let the muscles down her back relax and her shoulders lower. Even though the leather cloak sat heavily on her, she never dared to leave it behind. She watched a water spider skid across the pond surface. The combat pitch behind her was still empty.” Since the male dna are in trouble. The women need to help the others. Aria has to come overcome many obstacles in this fantasy book.
January 4, 2021
I found Selfsame very intriguing and that Eden Wolfe had created an amazing world and interesting characters.
ALERT SPOILER!!!
I liked the character of Aria (Ariane) because she’s determined, knows what she want, careful and do not hesitate to help others. She thinks she’s ready to become the Queen of the Lower Earth because she « loves her » people, thinks before acting and hope to succeed to her mother, the Queen Maeva.
I didn’t like the character on Batrasa, which mainly appears at the beginning of the story, because she always demeans Aria by saying she’s not ready, not strong enough, not prepared enough to become the Queen of the Lower Earth and therefore to govern the Underworld.
I also found that Eden Wolfe used a lot of imagery to describe places. She also used this literary device to describe dreams and the physical as well as mental state of characters.
I found the words used and the language a bit difficult, but I understood the sense of sentences thanks to the context.
In this book, I found the character of the Queen Maeva mysterious and that her reactions were a bit strange and excessive.
ALERT SPOILER!!!
I liked the character of Aria (Ariane) because she’s determined, knows what she want, careful and do not hesitate to help others. She thinks she’s ready to become the Queen of the Lower Earth because she « loves her » people, thinks before acting and hope to succeed to her mother, the Queen Maeva.
I didn’t like the character on Batrasa, which mainly appears at the beginning of the story, because she always demeans Aria by saying she’s not ready, not strong enough, not prepared enough to become the Queen of the Lower Earth and therefore to govern the Underworld.
I also found that Eden Wolfe used a lot of imagery to describe places. She also used this literary device to describe dreams and the physical as well as mental state of characters.
I found the words used and the language a bit difficult, but I understood the sense of sentences thanks to the context.
In this book, I found the character of the Queen Maeva mysterious and that her reactions were a bit strange and excessive.
January 4, 2021
My review about the book “selfsame”:
In the book, the main character is Aria (Ariana). I kind of like her, she seems nice to me. Aria is the daughter of the queen and suppose to be the next queen, but she did something wrong: She killed her own baby when it wasn’t born yet. Then you have the queen, she is the mother of Aria. I don’t really like her; she became queen when she was 18 and doesn’t really like Aria.
The main genre of the book is science fiction.
I personally think that the language that they use in the book is quite hard. I didn’t understand most of the words/the book because of the language.
SPOILER ALERT: The book is about a girl named Aria/Ariana, she is 18 y/o and lives in the underworld. Not many people like her because she killed her own baby when it wasn’t born yet. Besides, she is supposed to become a queen, but the current queen (Aria’s mom) doesn’t really want that because of what happened with her baby.
I’ll give the book 2/5 stars. To be honest, I wouldn’t read the next book when it comes out. It’s because I don’t really like science fiction.
In the book, the main character is Aria (Ariana). I kind of like her, she seems nice to me. Aria is the daughter of the queen and suppose to be the next queen, but she did something wrong: She killed her own baby when it wasn’t born yet. Then you have the queen, she is the mother of Aria. I don’t really like her; she became queen when she was 18 and doesn’t really like Aria.
The main genre of the book is science fiction.
I personally think that the language that they use in the book is quite hard. I didn’t understand most of the words/the book because of the language.
SPOILER ALERT: The book is about a girl named Aria/Ariana, she is 18 y/o and lives in the underworld. Not many people like her because she killed her own baby when it wasn’t born yet. Besides, she is supposed to become a queen, but the current queen (Aria’s mom) doesn’t really want that because of what happened with her baby.
I’ll give the book 2/5 stars. To be honest, I wouldn’t read the next book when it comes out. It’s because I don’t really like science fiction.
April 12, 2021
ARC copy provided in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my rating or review.
3 fascinating stars.
This book was strange. Really strange. But I actually really enjoyed reading it, and I found that once I worked out who was who, and got into the rhythm of the writing, the story was quite captivating and unique.
Selfsame is the story of a world where biological men are dying out, and women are soon to be the only human inhabitants of Lower Earth. The novel switches across multiple different POVs, almost too many to keep track of, with some people only appearing once, and others repeatedly returning throughout the book. Mainly focusing around Aria and Maeve – the queen – Selfsame manages to display the difficult choices that one must make in life, whilst also accentuating the importance of love.
I quite enjoyed reading from the POV of Aria and someone else – who shall remained unnamed – as I found their relationship with the world and with each other quite interesting and unique. I couldn’t help but love the vague feminism woven throughout the book, for what woman doesn’t dream of a world without men sometimes?
"For Lower Earth.
For all women who rose from the ashes of the dying men at their feet.
For the land which is our only comfort."
(Aria’s inner monologue)
I also enjoyed the unique dystopian/sci-fi aspects involving genetic tweaking and the creation of children without men, who knew that Year 11 Biology would actually have some use! (Though you can definitely get by without any biology knowledge, don’t worry.) The tweaking of genetics in children is growing in popularity and possibility in this century, so it was really interesting to see this possible outcome, grim though it may be.
All in all, this was quite interesting, and an overall enjoyable read! The beginning was a little slow, and the changing POVs made the story a little difficult to get into, but once I’d worked everything out, I quite enjoyed the novel. Thank you to the author and Booktasters for the free copy :).
3 fascinating stars.
This book was strange. Really strange. But I actually really enjoyed reading it, and I found that once I worked out who was who, and got into the rhythm of the writing, the story was quite captivating and unique.
Selfsame is the story of a world where biological men are dying out, and women are soon to be the only human inhabitants of Lower Earth. The novel switches across multiple different POVs, almost too many to keep track of, with some people only appearing once, and others repeatedly returning throughout the book. Mainly focusing around Aria and Maeve – the queen – Selfsame manages to display the difficult choices that one must make in life, whilst also accentuating the importance of love.
I quite enjoyed reading from the POV of Aria and someone else – who shall remained unnamed – as I found their relationship with the world and with each other quite interesting and unique. I couldn’t help but love the vague feminism woven throughout the book, for what woman doesn’t dream of a world without men sometimes?
"For Lower Earth.
For all women who rose from the ashes of the dying men at their feet.
For the land which is our only comfort."
(Aria’s inner monologue)
I also enjoyed the unique dystopian/sci-fi aspects involving genetic tweaking and the creation of children without men, who knew that Year 11 Biology would actually have some use! (Though you can definitely get by without any biology knowledge, don’t worry.) The tweaking of genetics in children is growing in popularity and possibility in this century, so it was really interesting to see this possible outcome, grim though it may be.
All in all, this was quite interesting, and an overall enjoyable read! The beginning was a little slow, and the changing POVs made the story a little difficult to get into, but once I’d worked everything out, I quite enjoyed the novel. Thank you to the author and Booktasters for the free copy :).
Read
January 4, 2021Review
Selfsame : Lower earth rising, book 1
Earth has been reduced in areas called Upper earth and Lower earth due to the final war. Upper earth is where old men live and Lower earth is where Queen Meava is ruling and fighting to keep Upper earth men from destroying Lower earth. Men are dying on Lower earth , and because of that genetic engineering is used to improve female babies born to the willing women. The Queen and her female relatives can hear voices of the ones that came before them, they can run as fast as the wind and they are genetically superior. The Queen is replaced by her daughter. But there can only be one Queen. When will the daughter of the Queen become Queen ? What happens to the people from lower earth due to genetic engineering?
This book is a science fiction book and I don't usually read science fiction books, this is a good book, but it was a bit hard to understand, because there are so many perspectives of many characters . Science fiction is definitely not my favorite type of genre, but I enjoyed the writing style and the story.
I personally wouldn't buy the second book, but besides that it is a good book.
I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars.
Selfsame : Lower earth rising, book 1
Earth has been reduced in areas called Upper earth and Lower earth due to the final war. Upper earth is where old men live and Lower earth is where Queen Meava is ruling and fighting to keep Upper earth men from destroying Lower earth. Men are dying on Lower earth , and because of that genetic engineering is used to improve female babies born to the willing women. The Queen and her female relatives can hear voices of the ones that came before them, they can run as fast as the wind and they are genetically superior. The Queen is replaced by her daughter. But there can only be one Queen. When will the daughter of the Queen become Queen ? What happens to the people from lower earth due to genetic engineering?
This book is a science fiction book and I don't usually read science fiction books, this is a good book, but it was a bit hard to understand, because there are so many perspectives of many characters . Science fiction is definitely not my favorite type of genre, but I enjoyed the writing style and the story.
I personally wouldn't buy the second book, but besides that it is a good book.
I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars.
January 9, 2023
I really enjoyed the book because i usually prefer science fiction literature. I had quite a hard time understanding who was speaking as it was a different person talking each chapter.
However, I would still recommend it to anyone who likes action and suspense.
However, I would still recommend it to anyone who likes action and suspense.
January 4, 2021
I enjoyed this book very much. It is captivating and interesting. There are some moments in the book that you didn’t expect to come that makes this book even better. I think language is easy even for the people from other country like me. Sometimes I saw French words in the book.
In this book there are two main subjects and because of that there are many different characters. The queen rules the lower earth but she is old and she has to give her throne to one of her 3 daughters. But they don’t know that they have sisters (copies). And to avoid the civil war the queen tries to make her two daughters kill each other.
And the second subject talks about the male problems. And the scientists broke the low and try to defeat this problem.
In this book there are two main subjects and because of that there are many different characters. The queen rules the lower earth but she is old and she has to give her throne to one of her 3 daughters. But they don’t know that they have sisters (copies). And to avoid the civil war the queen tries to make her two daughters kill each other.
And the second subject talks about the male problems. And the scientists broke the low and try to defeat this problem.
May 31, 2021
This was a rather interesting read. It's not a concept that I've read before. Aria was a great heroine. She was also full of herself at the beginning of the book. I do have to say, the girl never gave up. That's what makes this a good read.
A world where only women live, men are dying out. Women have made some changes to their DNA and they are doing well under the circumstances. The thread of the Men invading is real and the manner in which they were portrayed was a bit boggling.
A good read. Thanks to Booktasters!
A world where only women live, men are dying out. Women have made some changes to their DNA and they are doing well under the circumstances. The thread of the Men invading is real and the manner in which they were portrayed was a bit boggling.
A good read. Thanks to Booktasters!
Read
January 4, 2021It's everything it's advertised to be. Dystopian check. Thriller check. Post-apocalyptic double check. I love Harry Potter, so if you do too I definitely recommend this book. Loved reading this, the story didn't disappoint!
January 28, 2021
Selfsame by Eden Wolfe was pure pleasure to read! A dystopian science fiction page turner! There was an air of mystery throughout the whole book and I enjoyed guessing at what was going to happen next. The characters are well developed and I especially felt as though I understood Maeve and her internal struggles. The ending caught me by surprise and I cannot wait to start the next book! I will need to decide if I read the prequel Deviants or Culling next!
February 1, 2021
Through BookTasters, I received this book from the author as an ARC and voluntarily reviewed.
Pros:
We begin the story with a fight scene
Complex story line
The story is well thought out
Each character had his or her own unique voice (although the many "arianes" made it a tad confusing at first.)
I liked the complexity given to each character especially The Queen
Cons:
Although it had a lot of settings, there wasn't a very clear and developed world building
I would have enjoyed more of a backstory of how everything ended in the old world, perhaps then I could understand each region a little more.
Because of each character having such a strong voice in the story, it was difficult for me to pinpoint who the main character was, really all oft hem had good potential to be main characters .
Trigger warnings for the book:
self-harm, mental illness, suicide, abortion.
So much betrayl in the boook made the story interesting and it wasnt until I got to Uma's story that I felt the book really picked up.
The topic of abortion was a major theme throughout the story; it could have been a sub theme but I felt the author carried it out longer than it needed to be.
I felt the Queen to be such of a coward for sending out Archer to do her dirty (for lack of a better word) work, the culling. It gave me "The Evil Queen and The Huntsman" vibes from Snow White.
I felt the book to be really morbid and full of death, just going into Maeva's mind made me feel like I was wandering into a graveyard.
I dont think I liked how the story viewed man and woman. I felt the story made man to be really useless and weak and the way developd the woman was really terrible. There was no femininity in any of the woman characters at all.
I dont know if this was the intention of the author or not but it made woman out to look like either emotionless robots or really brutal and inhumane. The way the story was written made me come to the conclusion that perhaps it viewed man, on our world this way so the story, was created as a way to flip the script and see what it would be like if man suffered the way a woman would and how a woman would have acted with the acquisition of so much power like men tend to have on our world..I dont know if that came out how I thought it up in my head but I just didnt know how else to word it.
The voices that Maeva hears is part of what makes her so interesting and complex.
Lucius. Ew. I love it when authors create characters that their readers love to hate. Lucius is one of them. Maeva too. They were made for each other.
The book has a very strong feminist representation to it that I just could not be a fan of, I thought of Ursula Le Guin's books so maybe the author was inspired by her? However, given the current direction in which our own world is heading, I'm sure that a lot of other people would dive into it and relish in it a lot more.
Pros:
We begin the story with a fight scene
Complex story line
The story is well thought out
Each character had his or her own unique voice (although the many "arianes" made it a tad confusing at first.)
I liked the complexity given to each character especially The Queen
Cons:
Although it had a lot of settings, there wasn't a very clear and developed world building
I would have enjoyed more of a backstory of how everything ended in the old world, perhaps then I could understand each region a little more.
Because of each character having such a strong voice in the story, it was difficult for me to pinpoint who the main character was, really all oft hem had good potential to be main characters .
Trigger warnings for the book:
self-harm, mental illness, suicide, abortion.
So much betrayl in the boook made the story interesting and it wasnt until I got to Uma's story that I felt the book really picked up.
The topic of abortion was a major theme throughout the story; it could have been a sub theme but I felt the author carried it out longer than it needed to be.
I felt the Queen to be such of a coward for sending out Archer to do her dirty (for lack of a better word) work, the culling. It gave me "The Evil Queen and The Huntsman" vibes from Snow White.
I felt the book to be really morbid and full of death, just going into Maeva's mind made me feel like I was wandering into a graveyard.
I dont think I liked how the story viewed man and woman. I felt the story made man to be really useless and weak and the way developd the woman was really terrible. There was no femininity in any of the woman characters at all.
I dont know if this was the intention of the author or not but it made woman out to look like either emotionless robots or really brutal and inhumane. The way the story was written made me come to the conclusion that perhaps it viewed man, on our world this way so the story, was created as a way to flip the script and see what it would be like if man suffered the way a woman would and how a woman would have acted with the acquisition of so much power like men tend to have on our world..I dont know if that came out how I thought it up in my head but I just didnt know how else to word it.
The voices that Maeva hears is part of what makes her so interesting and complex.
Lucius. Ew. I love it when authors create characters that their readers love to hate. Lucius is one of them. Maeva too. They were made for each other.
The book has a very strong feminist representation to it that I just could not be a fan of, I thought of Ursula Le Guin's books so maybe the author was inspired by her? However, given the current direction in which our own world is heading, I'm sure that a lot of other people would dive into it and relish in it a lot more.
May 4, 2021
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via Booktasters.
This novel was very different from what I was expecting. It was based on a fascinating premise and set in a unique world where Lower Earth is preparing for war and the rise of a new Queen.
Unfortunately, this book read as one that was laying the groundwork for future novels. The foundations were laid, but nothing was expanded upon in-depth. Warning: Spoilers ahead.
I understand that there are scouts who are infiltrating Lower Earth. These recent scouts are noteworthy because they are female, and it's implied that this is a significant form of infiltration. Yet, by the end of the book, I still have no idea what the political conflict is. I know that Queen Maeva is supposed to be preparing to protect her people from this political rival. I know that something terrible, known as The Mist, occurred. But none of these ideas are expanded upon by the end of the book. I'm not sure what a scout does, what the Mist is, or why there is an impending conflict. The most I could gather is that men, or maybe specifically a line of men descended from a King were responsible for the Mist and in turn, men's downfall in general.
I felt much the same way about many of the characters. The author took several creative steps to tell her story, which I can appreciate. However, the result requires quite a bit of attention to detail. More than one character is named Ariane, as there can only be one true Ariane to rule. We get the POV of multiple Ariane's, and we must become adept as readers at telling them apart. This is a challenge on its own, but this book also has POVs from both major and minor additional characters. The reader has to remember several different names and their accompanying plotlines whilst also being able to utilize contextual clues to tell certain characters apart. I feel that this was a risk because it places a lot of effort on the readers.
Unfortunately, many of the characters did not feel well-developed, and I wonder if this is because there were so many of them. Characters are mainly defined by their motivation and little else. Their POVs provide insight into their goals - and some of them are undeniably fascinating, especially when they involve subterfuge-but I could not identify unique personality traits that are individual to the characters. There weren't characters with identifiable senses of humor, weaknesses, flaws, etc.
Part of this, I feel, may have been intentional. This is a dystopian society where relationships between individuals have been greatly reduced. Sexual desire/libido has been mostly done away with. Loving or pairing romantically with another person is frowned upon. Women sign up to become mothers (Willing women) but do not raise their children for very long. This deprivation of human connection can undoubtedly lead to detached people, who lack individuality, and are driven solely by goals and aspirations. Though I do not think this explanation can fully excuse the lack of character development in the book. Queen Maeva and Archer are exceptions to this rule, as we learn about their pain and fears and see a more vulnerable side to them. This presents a real problem when it seems that we get more vulnerability from the novel's antagonists than from the protagonists.
There were parts of the novel that were able to shine. When the author chose to include emotional moments and scenes, they often did resonate. Learning about Queen Maeva's past and the chilling pull of Rainfields was poignant. What information I received did pique my interest about the setting and world-building of the novel.
I do think that more answers should have been given. There were minor character POVs that could have been excluded without changing anything fundamental to the plot. Those pages could have been better utilized, helping the reader become as invested in the impending war as Maeva is.
I also perceived that the author shies away from fight scenes, as anytime that there is a moment that seems to be leading up to a fight or confrontation, it is often resolved without any combat.
I give the book three stars for the unique and creative world-building as well as for the prose which was overall well-done. There were just a few pages where a certain word was either missed by accident or the wrong word was used in its stead. A hypothetical example would be saying something like "for instant" instead of "for instance." I understood what the sentence was trying to convey but could not help but notice novice errors that should have been caught during editing. But the prose was still good and the flow of the novel worked nicely.
The book captured my interest enough that I am curious to see what happens next. And I'd love to see more set in this world. but I do hope that future novels improve upon some of these points.
This novel was very different from what I was expecting. It was based on a fascinating premise and set in a unique world where Lower Earth is preparing for war and the rise of a new Queen.
Unfortunately, this book read as one that was laying the groundwork for future novels. The foundations were laid, but nothing was expanded upon in-depth. Warning: Spoilers ahead.
I understand that there are scouts who are infiltrating Lower Earth. These recent scouts are noteworthy because they are female, and it's implied that this is a significant form of infiltration. Yet, by the end of the book, I still have no idea what the political conflict is. I know that Queen Maeva is supposed to be preparing to protect her people from this political rival. I know that something terrible, known as The Mist, occurred. But none of these ideas are expanded upon by the end of the book. I'm not sure what a scout does, what the Mist is, or why there is an impending conflict. The most I could gather is that men, or maybe specifically a line of men descended from a King were responsible for the Mist and in turn, men's downfall in general.
I felt much the same way about many of the characters. The author took several creative steps to tell her story, which I can appreciate. However, the result requires quite a bit of attention to detail. More than one character is named Ariane, as there can only be one true Ariane to rule. We get the POV of multiple Ariane's, and we must become adept as readers at telling them apart. This is a challenge on its own, but this book also has POVs from both major and minor additional characters. The reader has to remember several different names and their accompanying plotlines whilst also being able to utilize contextual clues to tell certain characters apart. I feel that this was a risk because it places a lot of effort on the readers.
Unfortunately, many of the characters did not feel well-developed, and I wonder if this is because there were so many of them. Characters are mainly defined by their motivation and little else. Their POVs provide insight into their goals - and some of them are undeniably fascinating, especially when they involve subterfuge-but I could not identify unique personality traits that are individual to the characters. There weren't characters with identifiable senses of humor, weaknesses, flaws, etc.
Part of this, I feel, may have been intentional. This is a dystopian society where relationships between individuals have been greatly reduced. Sexual desire/libido has been mostly done away with. Loving or pairing romantically with another person is frowned upon. Women sign up to become mothers (Willing women) but do not raise their children for very long. This deprivation of human connection can undoubtedly lead to detached people, who lack individuality, and are driven solely by goals and aspirations. Though I do not think this explanation can fully excuse the lack of character development in the book. Queen Maeva and Archer are exceptions to this rule, as we learn about their pain and fears and see a more vulnerable side to them. This presents a real problem when it seems that we get more vulnerability from the novel's antagonists than from the protagonists.
There were parts of the novel that were able to shine. When the author chose to include emotional moments and scenes, they often did resonate. Learning about Queen Maeva's past and the chilling pull of Rainfields was poignant. What information I received did pique my interest about the setting and world-building of the novel.
I do think that more answers should have been given. There were minor character POVs that could have been excluded without changing anything fundamental to the plot. Those pages could have been better utilized, helping the reader become as invested in the impending war as Maeva is.
I also perceived that the author shies away from fight scenes, as anytime that there is a moment that seems to be leading up to a fight or confrontation, it is often resolved without any combat.
I give the book three stars for the unique and creative world-building as well as for the prose which was overall well-done. There were just a few pages where a certain word was either missed by accident or the wrong word was used in its stead. A hypothetical example would be saying something like "for instant" instead of "for instance." I understood what the sentence was trying to convey but could not help but notice novice errors that should have been caught during editing. But the prose was still good and the flow of the novel worked nicely.
The book captured my interest enough that I am curious to see what happens next. And I'd love to see more set in this world. but I do hope that future novels improve upon some of these points.
April 6, 2021
SelfsamE: The Chronicles of Lower Earth Review
Disclaimer: This book was given to me for free by Booktasters in exchange for an honest review. It contains mild spoilers.
18-year-old Ariane “Aria” is the young daughter of Queen Maeva and she is next in line to claim her birthright to the throne. Four hundred years after the Final War, she is trained by priestesses, while being kept in isolation as training, to be the next Queen of Lower Earth. During that war, the earth was sectioned off into two distinct areas known as Upper Earth, where older men reside, and Lower Earth, where women can be found. On Lower Earth, Women are genetically altered to survive, where men are dying off from the effects of the war. Due to there virtually being no men, genetic engineering has been formulated to enhance female babies.
Aria’s blood is specifically altered to be more advanced, as she was designed from the “genetic sequence of the settler Queens,” and she has spent her life thus far, preparing to take over this role. Unfortunately, many of the citizens surrounding her don’t trust her or even like her due to a choice she made regarding her own child—she killed her baby. Further on, we learn of a betrayal, bringing forth an interesting plot twist that changes the course of the story and has Aria doubling back on what she thought she knew and who is really an enemy.
This book started out slightly confusing. I felt as though I was trying to put the puzzle pieces together to just get the beginning. A prequel to the events of Lower Earth might have been helpful for readers to get immersed in the story before they follow up with present events. The changing of the perspectives also left me confused at first, but I was able to catch on quickly as the character’s names are usually seen within the first couple of sentences of each chapter. As I got more into the story, I started to enjoy it more as I was able to get a better understanding of where the story was going.
The concept of the Willing Women was interesting yet haunting. It reminded me of a mix of “1984” as well as “Brave New World.” The idea of the volunteering women disappearing after unsuccessfully (in the eyes of scientist, Uma, and the Queen) producing a male baby, screams dystopian and is done rather uniquely in this story, especially when you find out who is really involved in this.
The theme of abortion came up many times throughout the story, almost too much to my personal liking, so it created an unsettling feeling while reading the story, and it continuously drove home the pain of going through something as difficult and painful as this. If that was Wolfe’s intention, however, she was able to elicit that in the reader and it worked well for the story. The other dark themes of suicide and depression were shown through many characters, including Maeva, her mind proving to be a truly dark place to live.
Overall, the story was told quite well, with a lot of notable literary devices. The reader had to really digest the book to understand the themes and hidden meanings throughout the story. Ethics, morals from a position of high power, and societal norms were often displayed and done in a way to have the reader constantly questioning the character’s actions. In the end, you want to root for Aria and see her grow and come to terms with the betrayal. I give this a 4/5 rating.
Disclaimer: This book was given to me for free by Booktasters in exchange for an honest review. It contains mild spoilers.
18-year-old Ariane “Aria” is the young daughter of Queen Maeva and she is next in line to claim her birthright to the throne. Four hundred years after the Final War, she is trained by priestesses, while being kept in isolation as training, to be the next Queen of Lower Earth. During that war, the earth was sectioned off into two distinct areas known as Upper Earth, where older men reside, and Lower Earth, where women can be found. On Lower Earth, Women are genetically altered to survive, where men are dying off from the effects of the war. Due to there virtually being no men, genetic engineering has been formulated to enhance female babies.
Aria’s blood is specifically altered to be more advanced, as she was designed from the “genetic sequence of the settler Queens,” and she has spent her life thus far, preparing to take over this role. Unfortunately, many of the citizens surrounding her don’t trust her or even like her due to a choice she made regarding her own child—she killed her baby. Further on, we learn of a betrayal, bringing forth an interesting plot twist that changes the course of the story and has Aria doubling back on what she thought she knew and who is really an enemy.
This book started out slightly confusing. I felt as though I was trying to put the puzzle pieces together to just get the beginning. A prequel to the events of Lower Earth might have been helpful for readers to get immersed in the story before they follow up with present events. The changing of the perspectives also left me confused at first, but I was able to catch on quickly as the character’s names are usually seen within the first couple of sentences of each chapter. As I got more into the story, I started to enjoy it more as I was able to get a better understanding of where the story was going.
The concept of the Willing Women was interesting yet haunting. It reminded me of a mix of “1984” as well as “Brave New World.” The idea of the volunteering women disappearing after unsuccessfully (in the eyes of scientist, Uma, and the Queen) producing a male baby, screams dystopian and is done rather uniquely in this story, especially when you find out who is really involved in this.
The theme of abortion came up many times throughout the story, almost too much to my personal liking, so it created an unsettling feeling while reading the story, and it continuously drove home the pain of going through something as difficult and painful as this. If that was Wolfe’s intention, however, she was able to elicit that in the reader and it worked well for the story. The other dark themes of suicide and depression were shown through many characters, including Maeva, her mind proving to be a truly dark place to live.
Overall, the story was told quite well, with a lot of notable literary devices. The reader had to really digest the book to understand the themes and hidden meanings throughout the story. Ethics, morals from a position of high power, and societal norms were often displayed and done in a way to have the reader constantly questioning the character’s actions. In the end, you want to root for Aria and see her grow and come to terms with the betrayal. I give this a 4/5 rating.
January 23, 2021
Book Review
Basic Details:
Book Title: Selfsame
Subtitle: (Lower Earth Rising #1)
Author: Eden Wolfe
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-Fi/postapocalyptic
Part of a series? Yes
Order in series: 1
Best read after earlier books in series?
Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
Overall score:
I scored this book 5/5
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Short Summary of the book:
Welcome to the world after the Mist. Only women are in power in this world. The men are not to be trusted after they brought the world close to full destruction. Aria is kept away from her mother to be trained as the next queen. At only 18-years-old, she feels ready to take on this responsibility. But what will happen when her mother needs to decide who her successor will be. Be ready for a twist towards the end of the book.
What I liked about the book:
The book is action-packed and full of twists and turns.
What I didn’t like about the book:
There was nothing to dislike. The only thing to dislike would be if this was the actual world we lived in. A world where love is not allowed.
My favourite bits in the book:
The entire book.
My least favourite bits in the book:
I enjoyed the entire book.
Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?
I believe this is the first in a series.
What books could this be compared to and why?
This book breaches an entirely different kind of future. I believe the book to be rather unique.
Recommendation:
In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:
Children No
Young Adult Yes
Adult Yes
If you like spy novels and intrigue, this book may be the book for you.
I look forward to reading more books by this author.
Book Description by Author:
MEN ARE DOOMED. THE WOMEN MUST SURVIVE. BUT AT WHAT COST?
Four hundred years after the Final War, Earth has been reduced to a few pieces of habitable continent.
Men are dying off.
Women are genetically altered to survive.
The genetic deviants are cast away in the ghetto.
On Lower Earth, the largest remaining known landmass, disparate peoples fight against each other, the land, and the illnesses the war left behind.
Queen Maeva rules with the blood of the masses on her hands, but her ancestry and advanced human abilities mean only she can save them from destruction and colonization by the old men of Upper Earth.
18-year-old Aria was designed from the genetic sequence of the settler queens. Her whole life had been dedicated to taking over the throne and leading Lower Earth back to prosperity.
Just as she was poised to claim her birthright, it happened.
Betrayal.
Now Aria must face enemies from far away shores and much closer to home as she fights the very totalitarian regime she had been set to lead.
Will Aria be able to stop the reigning Queen now that she’s discarded?
About the Author:
Basic Details:
Book Title: Selfsame
Subtitle: (Lower Earth Rising #1)
Author: Eden Wolfe
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-Fi/postapocalyptic
Part of a series? Yes
Order in series: 1
Best read after earlier books in series?
Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
Overall score:
I scored this book 5/5
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Short Summary of the book:
Welcome to the world after the Mist. Only women are in power in this world. The men are not to be trusted after they brought the world close to full destruction. Aria is kept away from her mother to be trained as the next queen. At only 18-years-old, she feels ready to take on this responsibility. But what will happen when her mother needs to decide who her successor will be. Be ready for a twist towards the end of the book.
What I liked about the book:
The book is action-packed and full of twists and turns.
What I didn’t like about the book:
There was nothing to dislike. The only thing to dislike would be if this was the actual world we lived in. A world where love is not allowed.
My favourite bits in the book:
The entire book.
My least favourite bits in the book:
I enjoyed the entire book.
Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?
I believe this is the first in a series.
What books could this be compared to and why?
This book breaches an entirely different kind of future. I believe the book to be rather unique.
Recommendation:
In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:
Children No
Young Adult Yes
Adult Yes
If you like spy novels and intrigue, this book may be the book for you.
I look forward to reading more books by this author.
Book Description by Author:
MEN ARE DOOMED. THE WOMEN MUST SURVIVE. BUT AT WHAT COST?
Four hundred years after the Final War, Earth has been reduced to a few pieces of habitable continent.
Men are dying off.
Women are genetically altered to survive.
The genetic deviants are cast away in the ghetto.
On Lower Earth, the largest remaining known landmass, disparate peoples fight against each other, the land, and the illnesses the war left behind.
Queen Maeva rules with the blood of the masses on her hands, but her ancestry and advanced human abilities mean only she can save them from destruction and colonization by the old men of Upper Earth.
18-year-old Aria was designed from the genetic sequence of the settler queens. Her whole life had been dedicated to taking over the throne and leading Lower Earth back to prosperity.
Just as she was poised to claim her birthright, it happened.
Betrayal.
Now Aria must face enemies from far away shores and much closer to home as she fights the very totalitarian regime she had been set to lead.
Will Aria be able to stop the reigning Queen now that she’s discarded?
About the Author:
July 24, 2021
So SO good!! My new favourite 😍
I loved every single thing about this world. Eden Wolfe is an amazing author, totally underrated. It’s hard to talk about this book without revealing too much. But I will try my best.
The world of Selfsame is incredible. I could picture every scene so easily. My favourite part of Lower Earth was Rainfields. Every time a character went near Rainfields, I felt goosebumps - the ominous ambience was relayed so perfectly.
The pacing was excellent. I’m tired of clunky, long 700 page books that drag on with side characters and plots I am not interested in. This book was just the right length, the chapters were short bursts of energy that kept me gripped the whole way.
In terms of the characters, I loved every single one. The protagonists, antagonists and the side characters. I really don’t want to spoil too much in terms of character development but each one is developed so well. Nobody is simply black and white, everybody has strengths and flaws.
The female characters are so strong! So refreshing to read. They are not just described as “beautiful, busty, porcelain skin” like so many other sci-fi/fantasy books out there. Eden Wolfe has created real women, with multiple skin tones and other forms of representation. One of the main characters is actually not traditionally “beautiful” and I loved this part so much!!
Finally, I found the plot so interesting and original. I wish I could include more detail here but I must be deliberate vague so I don’t ruin it for you.
The ending blew me away - I did not see it coming at all.
Two of the books in this series are on Kindle Unlimited and the prequel is available for free! There is absolutely no reason not to jump into this world.
After reading the first book, I have purchased book 1 and 2 from Waterstones as it’s important to support good authors!
And speaking of authors, Eden Wolfe is so lovely. She has a book club where she sends you regular emails. She always invites you to engage with the emails AND she replies.
I recommend this book to anybody and everybody who loves sci-fi, fantasy, dystopian worlds and amazing women!
5/5
I loved every single thing about this world. Eden Wolfe is an amazing author, totally underrated. It’s hard to talk about this book without revealing too much. But I will try my best.
The world of Selfsame is incredible. I could picture every scene so easily. My favourite part of Lower Earth was Rainfields. Every time a character went near Rainfields, I felt goosebumps - the ominous ambience was relayed so perfectly.
The pacing was excellent. I’m tired of clunky, long 700 page books that drag on with side characters and plots I am not interested in. This book was just the right length, the chapters were short bursts of energy that kept me gripped the whole way.
In terms of the characters, I loved every single one. The protagonists, antagonists and the side characters. I really don’t want to spoil too much in terms of character development but each one is developed so well. Nobody is simply black and white, everybody has strengths and flaws.
The female characters are so strong! So refreshing to read. They are not just described as “beautiful, busty, porcelain skin” like so many other sci-fi/fantasy books out there. Eden Wolfe has created real women, with multiple skin tones and other forms of representation. One of the main characters is actually not traditionally “beautiful” and I loved this part so much!!
Finally, I found the plot so interesting and original. I wish I could include more detail here but I must be deliberate vague so I don’t ruin it for you.
The ending blew me away - I did not see it coming at all.
Two of the books in this series are on Kindle Unlimited and the prequel is available for free! There is absolutely no reason not to jump into this world.
After reading the first book, I have purchased book 1 and 2 from Waterstones as it’s important to support good authors!
And speaking of authors, Eden Wolfe is so lovely. She has a book club where she sends you regular emails. She always invites you to engage with the emails AND she replies.
I recommend this book to anybody and everybody who loves sci-fi, fantasy, dystopian worlds and amazing women!
5/5
June 24, 2021
This is a dystopian novel focusing on what the world could be like if the majority of men were wiped out, and what might happen if women took over. The world very much features a parallel of the haves (the Queen) and the have nots (Rose), those who have been poorly genetically engineered, a failed experiment if you will, live a far poorer life than that of the Queen or her daughter Aria. In saying that, Aria and Ariane are deprived of different values, in an attempt to see which form of raising best influences the future Queen.
In order to keep human population going, young women who have not excelled in other areas may volunteer to be "Willing Women", that is, they are impregnated and experiemented with in order to improve the length of gestation through to the kind of baby produced.
There was also the Mist, which apparently wiped out many men, but this isn't really explored, despite regular comments on it.
I found this an interesting read, though I do agree with other reviewers that the regular change in POV can be confusing. I especially had trouble as I had gaps of time where I didn't read it, and it was difficult to get back into the storyline and remember what had happened. I liked some aspects of the story, and would've liked to have seen more delving into key characters, rather than the almost overview of lots of characters. I enjoyed the initial fight scene of Aria training, I was really interested in the plot involving Willing Woman Lucy, but presume this plotline is explored further in other books as it appeared to stop suddenly in this book, with no explanation as to what they were doing.
This review was completed in exchange for a free copy from the author, at the request of Book Tasters. My opinions are my own.
In order to keep human population going, young women who have not excelled in other areas may volunteer to be "Willing Women", that is, they are impregnated and experiemented with in order to improve the length of gestation through to the kind of baby produced.
There was also the Mist, which apparently wiped out many men, but this isn't really explored, despite regular comments on it.
I found this an interesting read, though I do agree with other reviewers that the regular change in POV can be confusing. I especially had trouble as I had gaps of time where I didn't read it, and it was difficult to get back into the storyline and remember what had happened. I liked some aspects of the story, and would've liked to have seen more delving into key characters, rather than the almost overview of lots of characters. I enjoyed the initial fight scene of Aria training, I was really interested in the plot involving Willing Woman Lucy, but presume this plotline is explored further in other books as it appeared to stop suddenly in this book, with no explanation as to what they were doing.
This review was completed in exchange for a free copy from the author, at the request of Book Tasters. My opinions are my own.
April 1, 2021
The shining star of Selfsame is its extensive world-building. It is quite clear from the very first page the writer took tremendous care in creating this story world meticulously. Every detail feels specific to this story world, which in turn helps showcase the many characters and the relationships between them. Selfsame helps create a very unique picture that does pull you in as a reader, but can also become extremely overwhelming at times. The world-building and by extension the plot is so extensive I felt myself tripping over all of the information in my haste to keep up. It wasn’t an information dump in the traditional sense. It was more like a constant flow of new information that never quite allows you to digest one wave of information before another wave is crashing down on you. Metaphorically, it felt like drowning, which was made worse by the constant internal monologue analysis the protagonist, Aria, does often. It is very unique and gives Aria a voice that is all her own. The analysis of her surroundings is something I initially loved. However, having to process various types of information at once had me putting more of my focus on one element over the other instead of on the whole thing. I have no doubt though that if Selfsame was made into a film those moments would easily be made into a beautiful montage of close-up shots that help show the main character's senses. Overall, Selfsame was a great read. The compelling characters helped drive the story through the intense onslaught of information to the point where I would love to this series on the big screen one day.
April 24, 2021
Selfsame is the first dystopian novel that I picked up in early 2020. The main character - Ariane (Aria) is quite similar to Arya Stark from Game of Thrones Series (my POV). Aria is a teenage princess, daughter of Queen Maeva, who is being prepared to become the next queen of Lower Earth. Maybe she believed that she is next inline to be the Queen. She has been kept in isolation and trained by the priestesses (Batrasa). Aria has the ability to sense things from far away and gauge the heartbeats and thoughts of people. However, she could never figure out, why her mother has been hesitating about Aria being the next Queen.
Selfsame is the story of a world where biological men are dying out, and women are soon to be the only human inhabitants of Lower Earth. The plot switches across multiple POVs, almost too many to keep track of, with some people only appearing once, and others repeatedly returning throughout the book. Mainly focusing around Aria and Queen Maeve.
Aria thought about every possible way to reach to the throne. Yet, her mother was not convinced enough to let her crowned. The Queen kept a close watch on movements of Aria, who she met or even she tried to protect her from Upper Earth. The Queen had some secrets to keep.
When you start reading the book, you would wish really hard for Aria to be the next Queen. While the plot progresses, Queen Maeve and her fears for Aria would make you wish for the opposite.
The dystopian novel is quite interesting, and if you are a reader looking for a dystopian series, you can excitedly pick this one.
Selfsame is the story of a world where biological men are dying out, and women are soon to be the only human inhabitants of Lower Earth. The plot switches across multiple POVs, almost too many to keep track of, with some people only appearing once, and others repeatedly returning throughout the book. Mainly focusing around Aria and Queen Maeve.
Aria thought about every possible way to reach to the throne. Yet, her mother was not convinced enough to let her crowned. The Queen kept a close watch on movements of Aria, who she met or even she tried to protect her from Upper Earth. The Queen had some secrets to keep.
When you start reading the book, you would wish really hard for Aria to be the next Queen. While the plot progresses, Queen Maeve and her fears for Aria would make you wish for the opposite.
The dystopian novel is quite interesting, and if you are a reader looking for a dystopian series, you can excitedly pick this one.
May 29, 2021
Book received from Voracious readers only as a review copy with thanks
The story starts off with a female warrior called Ariane with her own interesting internal monologue who is keen to fulfil her destiny of becoming the Queen. In this dystopian world, something called the mist has occurred and men are dying out leaving the predominantly female society and the remaining men to try and reverse this. This society is led by a powerful and strong Queen with her own hidden mystery and I had to keep reading to find out what her plan was. The plot threads about the Willing Women clinic with their genetic experiments was fascinated and chilling especially given this was a female-dominated society. This is something that could so easily happen ( and has happened) – the pressure on women to continue producing the next generation regardless of the cost to themselves The action picks up towards the end with a surprising twist, I didn’t see coming. The Queen is a compelling character and I was torn between feeling sorry for and hating her.
There is a number of viewpoints from many characters, which I found confusing for the first part of the book but this is clarified towards the end. I would have skipped a few of these viewpoints in favour of more detailed and longer chapters from the main characters. This is the first book in a series, so I imagine a few of the concepts will be explained in more detail.. I found the multiple viewpoints confusing at the start but I will definitely be popping the next book on TBR pile.
The story starts off with a female warrior called Ariane with her own interesting internal monologue who is keen to fulfil her destiny of becoming the Queen. In this dystopian world, something called the mist has occurred and men are dying out leaving the predominantly female society and the remaining men to try and reverse this. This society is led by a powerful and strong Queen with her own hidden mystery and I had to keep reading to find out what her plan was. The plot threads about the Willing Women clinic with their genetic experiments was fascinated and chilling especially given this was a female-dominated society. This is something that could so easily happen ( and has happened) – the pressure on women to continue producing the next generation regardless of the cost to themselves The action picks up towards the end with a surprising twist, I didn’t see coming. The Queen is a compelling character and I was torn between feeling sorry for and hating her.
There is a number of viewpoints from many characters, which I found confusing for the first part of the book but this is clarified towards the end. I would have skipped a few of these viewpoints in favour of more detailed and longer chapters from the main characters. This is the first book in a series, so I imagine a few of the concepts will be explained in more detail.. I found the multiple viewpoints confusing at the start but I will definitely be popping the next book on TBR pile.
November 10, 2020
Selfsame: Lower Earth Rising: Book 1 is science fiction.The Earth has been reduced to areas called Lower Earth and Upper Earth due to the Final War. Upper Earth is where the old men live. Queen Maeva rules Lower Earth fighting to keep Upper Earth from invading and destroying. Men are dying on Lower Earth. Genetic Engineering is used to improve the female babies born to the Willing Women. The Queen and her female relatives are able to hear the voices of the ones that came before them. They can run like the wind. They are genetically superior. The Queen will be replaced by her daughter as she had replaced her mother, and so on. There can only be one Queen. When will Ariane become the new Queen? What happens to the people of Lower Earth as genetic engineering progresses?
I am not typically a science fiction reader. I got this book from the author through Voracious Readers. Once I got going on this book, it grabbed my interest. I found myself thinking about the author’s mind and wondering how a person can come up with the ideas that I was reading in this book. Maybe what I read is common in science fiction, but I was impressed with the unique characters and storyline. It kept me on my toes and I didn’t guess what was going to happen ahead of time. I believe there are three books in this series. I am glad I took a chance on a science fiction book as I plan on finishing this series.
I am not typically a science fiction reader. I got this book from the author through Voracious Readers. Once I got going on this book, it grabbed my interest. I found myself thinking about the author’s mind and wondering how a person can come up with the ideas that I was reading in this book. Maybe what I read is common in science fiction, but I was impressed with the unique characters and storyline. It kept me on my toes and I didn’t guess what was going to happen ahead of time. I believe there are three books in this series. I am glad I took a chance on a science fiction book as I plan on finishing this series.
September 6, 2020
A fresh new approach to the consequences of social control
The “Lower Earth Rising” series is a fresh new approach to dystopian tropes. Set in a post-apocalyptic world in which the ratio female/mate is heavily shifted and due to the use of extreme Eugenics the population struggles to deal with the so-called Deviants (persons which genetic code differ from the norm), which are badly treated and factual slaves. The almost purely female society does not only subdue the scarce male population, but it also considers males as a threat to the statement.
Lower Earth’s fight against the genetic disease that decimates the population continues, while men originating in Upper Earth threaten to conquer Lower Earth and end the society. The Queen, whose blood has the embedded ability to hear and fulfill the needs of her subjects, is the only hope against the attack. The Old Queen is about to step down, a new Queen will take her place, but the intended Queen is not the only contestant to the throne, and the future of Lower Earth is in the balance.
Eden Wolfe writing style is both crisp and very elaborate, which could appear as a contradiction at first, works surprisingly well in the end. This is an intelligent story that requires some concentration to follow the intensity of the story but fully pays out in the end, which by the way, it’s still not yet 😉
The “Lower Earth Rising” series is a fresh new approach to dystopian tropes. Set in a post-apocalyptic world in which the ratio female/mate is heavily shifted and due to the use of extreme Eugenics the population struggles to deal with the so-called Deviants (persons which genetic code differ from the norm), which are badly treated and factual slaves. The almost purely female society does not only subdue the scarce male population, but it also considers males as a threat to the statement.
Lower Earth’s fight against the genetic disease that decimates the population continues, while men originating in Upper Earth threaten to conquer Lower Earth and end the society. The Queen, whose blood has the embedded ability to hear and fulfill the needs of her subjects, is the only hope against the attack. The Old Queen is about to step down, a new Queen will take her place, but the intended Queen is not the only contestant to the throne, and the future of Lower Earth is in the balance.
Eden Wolfe writing style is both crisp and very elaborate, which could appear as a contradiction at first, works surprisingly well in the end. This is an intelligent story that requires some concentration to follow the intensity of the story but fully pays out in the end, which by the way, it’s still not yet 😉
December 1, 2020
The “Lower Earth Rising” series is a fresh new approach to dystopian tropes. Set in a post-apocalyptic world in which the ratio female/mate is heavily shifted and due to the use of extreme Eugenics the population struggles to deal with the so-called Deviants (persons which genetic code differ from the norm), which are badly treated and factual slaves. The almost purely female society does not only subdue the scarce male population, but it also considers males as a threat to the statement.
Lower Earth’s fight against the genetic disease that decimates the population continues, while men originating in Upper Earth threaten to conquer Lower Earth and end the society. The Queen, whose blood has the embedded ability to hear and fulfill the needs of her subjects, is the only hope against the attack. The Old Queen is about to step down, a new Queen will take her place, but the intended Queen is not the only contestant to the throne, and the future of Lower Earth is in the balance.
Eden Wolfe writing style is both crisp and very elaborate, which could appear as a contradiction at first, works surprisingly well in the end. This is an intelligent story that requires some concentration to follow the intensity of the story but fully pays out in the end, which by the way, it’s still not yet 😉
Lower Earth’s fight against the genetic disease that decimates the population continues, while men originating in Upper Earth threaten to conquer Lower Earth and end the society. The Queen, whose blood has the embedded ability to hear and fulfill the needs of her subjects, is the only hope against the attack. The Old Queen is about to step down, a new Queen will take her place, but the intended Queen is not the only contestant to the throne, and the future of Lower Earth is in the balance.
Eden Wolfe writing style is both crisp and very elaborate, which could appear as a contradiction at first, works surprisingly well in the end. This is an intelligent story that requires some concentration to follow the intensity of the story but fully pays out in the end, which by the way, it’s still not yet 😉
September 9, 2020
Well worth the read, and I recommend getting in on the ground floor of book 1 :).
Okay this is turning into a fascinating read as a follow on to the first introductory novelette Deviants. Without giving to much away it appears as though a catastrophe, called the Mist, occurred some 400 years ago, on Upper Earth which has apparently weakened and/or disabled the male population.
The survivors of the Mist fled to Lower Earth. As a result the country is ruled by a Queen, Maeva, and many of the female population are hard at work trying to re-create a viable DNA sequence for males, agriculture, pesticides etc. Although there are still males around in one form or another, they have been severely weakened, thus the vast majority of the population is female. Many of them opt for, or are chosen for, Willing Women whose purpose is to reproduce more women and in some instances male DNA test subjects. There is also a perceived threat from Upper Earth.
Maeva however is relatively old and needs to consider appointing a new Queen, and this where the story really gets interesting. I'll say no more, but I believe this will become a very interesting story as the series progresses. I can't wait for the next book in the series!
Okay this is turning into a fascinating read as a follow on to the first introductory novelette Deviants. Without giving to much away it appears as though a catastrophe, called the Mist, occurred some 400 years ago, on Upper Earth which has apparently weakened and/or disabled the male population.
The survivors of the Mist fled to Lower Earth. As a result the country is ruled by a Queen, Maeva, and many of the female population are hard at work trying to re-create a viable DNA sequence for males, agriculture, pesticides etc. Although there are still males around in one form or another, they have been severely weakened, thus the vast majority of the population is female. Many of them opt for, or are chosen for, Willing Women whose purpose is to reproduce more women and in some instances male DNA test subjects. There is also a perceived threat from Upper Earth.
Maeva however is relatively old and needs to consider appointing a new Queen, and this where the story really gets interesting. I'll say no more, but I believe this will become a very interesting story as the series progresses. I can't wait for the next book in the series!
February 22, 2021
Ariane(Aria), the teenage princess, daughter of Queen Maeva, is being prepared to become the next queen of Lower Earth, or she thinks that she is being prepared to be the next queen. Kept in isolation and trained by the priestesses, she has the ability to sense things from far away and gauge the heartbeats and thoughts of people. Lower Earth is a female dominated world, with threats from Upper World, a male dominated world. There are experiments going on wherein at proper age, females, called Willing Women are made available to give birth to male children. Experiments and results of the experiments are kept in a lab that is under the care of a scientist, Uma, whose prime job is to prepare the Willing Women. Those who fail are made to disappear. Disappearings are controlled by the queen's male aide, Archer. There is a twist in the tale, wherein there is another Ariane, who has christened herself, Rose, Aria's twin, who has some deformities and wants to lay claim to the throne too. There is a conspiracy going on that Aria is not aware of. Will she be able to unearth the conspiracy, and who the conspirer is, is to be read and found out. A fast paced book, with lots of unprecedented events, that keep you hooked. A different type of story, and a must read.
May 4, 2021
It's like "Brave New World" but post-apoc; men are dying out and women are genetically modified each generation to survive (for 14 generations/400 years in the future).
"The Mist" was an event that changed human DNA, combined with the Final War, most of society is on Lower Earth and struggling to survive under a monarchy.
For me, the first mistake was starting with the teenager's perspective. Once the adults started talking it started to make more sense, but it still took past the first 10% of the book for me to really get hooked. I wasn't able to have an immersive reading experience because the telling changes character perspectives more than a toddler changes clothes.
This is one of those either you love it or you hate it books. I gave it 3 stars because there's potential for the series as a whole to be solid. The ideas are compelling enough for me to be interested. However, for a first book in a series it introduced way too many questions and not enough answers.
TW: Suicide & Murder
I was provided a copy of the book by Booktasters and the author for an honest review.
"The Mist" was an event that changed human DNA, combined with the Final War, most of society is on Lower Earth and struggling to survive under a monarchy.
For me, the first mistake was starting with the teenager's perspective. Once the adults started talking it started to make more sense, but it still took past the first 10% of the book for me to really get hooked. I wasn't able to have an immersive reading experience because the telling changes character perspectives more than a toddler changes clothes.
This is one of those either you love it or you hate it books. I gave it 3 stars because there's potential for the series as a whole to be solid. The ideas are compelling enough for me to be interested. However, for a first book in a series it introduced way too many questions and not enough answers.
TW: Suicide & Murder
I was provided a copy of the book by Booktasters and the author for an honest review.
July 15, 2021
I really enjoyed this fantasy/ dystopian novel. The world and character building throughout are excellent. The story is told through multiple points of view that drive the narrative and keep it fast paced and compelling.
Selfsame, takes us to an earth that has been devastated by a great war and by something referred to as “the mist”. The men of this earth are dying off, women have been genetically altered and designed to survive and thrive in this new world. The women have created a matriarchal society ruled by Queen Maeve. We follow her story, and the story of Aria her successor, who has been training for her eventual reign as queen of Lower Earth.
There is a rumbling of possible war in the air between Lower and Upper Earth. Scouts and spies are appearing in Lower Earth, threatening the societies peace. Will Aria be able to stem the tide of war and assume her place as the next queen?
Selfsame, is the first in a new series and has definitely made me want to continue the adventure with these characters. Thankfully other books in the series are already available. I am personally looking forward to reading more and finding out how things turn out.
Selfsame, takes us to an earth that has been devastated by a great war and by something referred to as “the mist”. The men of this earth are dying off, women have been genetically altered and designed to survive and thrive in this new world. The women have created a matriarchal society ruled by Queen Maeve. We follow her story, and the story of Aria her successor, who has been training for her eventual reign as queen of Lower Earth.
There is a rumbling of possible war in the air between Lower and Upper Earth. Scouts and spies are appearing in Lower Earth, threatening the societies peace. Will Aria be able to stem the tide of war and assume her place as the next queen?
Selfsame, is the first in a new series and has definitely made me want to continue the adventure with these characters. Thankfully other books in the series are already available. I am personally looking forward to reading more and finding out how things turn out.
February 25, 2021
As a lover of dystopian science fiction, this story is very captivating to me. I like that it is told from multiple perspectives and settings, but the only thing I’d have to say is that I wish there was a bit more back story on how we transitioned from the old world to these new Upper and Lower Earths after the war or even what caused the war. There may be more on this in the other books in the series, which I would absolutely be interested in reading. This story focuses a lot on men being weaker and struggling to continue their population and women being genetically more adept at survival. Abortion is another big topic of the plot and leads to most of the conflict with Aria becoming the next queen, though she has spent most, if not all, of her life preparing and connecting with previous queens and training to protect her people. Needless to say, it seems that this story is a bit focused on the reversal of societal roles and services. I think the author did a fine job at putting this story together and choosing language to portray the message they were trying to get across.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2021
This story is about earth being destroyed leaving only small areas for people to live. Men are dying and it is hard to survive for women. On lower Earth, the population is fighting against each other because it is the last largest piece of land.
I quite like this book because it describes all the action scenes really well, there is a lot of imagery and literary devices. However, in my opinion, the novel was a bit hard to understand at the beginning but after reading a few chapters, I could understand the whole.
At the start of the book the author introduces the characters in a couple of chapters.
Moreover, I like the type of world this book is set in. Although an apocalypse is taking place, with all the descriptions the author used, it must be a beautiful imaginary area. Personally, Ariane is my favourite character because she is brave, she knows how to defend herself and is also the future queen.
I quite like this book because it describes all the action scenes really well, there is a lot of imagery and literary devices. However, in my opinion, the novel was a bit hard to understand at the beginning but after reading a few chapters, I could understand the whole.
At the start of the book the author introduces the characters in a couple of chapters.
Moreover, I like the type of world this book is set in. Although an apocalypse is taking place, with all the descriptions the author used, it must be a beautiful imaginary area. Personally, Ariane is my favourite character because she is brave, she knows how to defend herself and is also the future queen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2021
Aria is the youngest daughter of queen Maeva and she will soon be able to have the crown. During the final war,she been isolated to become queen of Lower Earth part of the world. The earth being separated in two Superior and Lower part. Superior was reserved to men and Lower was reserved to women. On the Lower part, women was genetically altered for survival purposes. Baby girls are superior to baby boys. Aria's blood is the most advanced one because it's from the very first group of women of this world. But power come with a certain price. She's not loved by everyone and not trust by everyone either. She's do an abortion.
She will regret her decision.
At the end,you wish to see Aria grow with her decision,become more mature and accepting the treason.
This dystopian fantasy is awesome. Aria is my favorite character because she's fierce. Read this. You won’t be disappointed. A ride you will never forget. Can't wait for book 2
She will regret her decision.
At the end,you wish to see Aria grow with her decision,become more mature and accepting the treason.
This dystopian fantasy is awesome. Aria is my favorite character because she's fierce. Read this. You won’t be disappointed. A ride you will never forget. Can't wait for book 2
February 21, 2023
I try to read at least 20% of a book before I decide whether I like it or not. This book was a very difficult struggle to get to the 20%. It jumped around from person to person so much I started getting lost. It would just start getting interesting with one person and then it would jump to somebody else. Fortunately, when it would jump to somebody else, it wouldn’t do it in the middle of a chapter it would do it at a next chapter. I didn’t quite understand all the genetic issues that were going on in this book because it didn’t stay on one thing long enough to explain anything. Even the issues with the queen and the potential queen we’re having didn’t really make any sense because it kept jumping from one to another before you even got a good story going on with one person. I definitely will not be reading any more books in this series.
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