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Title Edige of Truth Author Natasha Hanova Genre YA Fantasy, Dystopia Publisher Sapphire Star Publishing Publishing Date June 6, 2013 How I Got This Book Xpresso Book Tours Paperback 302 pages Stand alone or Series Stand alone My Average 43 pg/day Reading Difficulty 2.5 (on a scale of 1-5 5 = dictionary vernacular)  |
| The Forbidden Lands | |
Citizens who report to work on time, obey the Overlord’s laws, and stay off the Synbot’s radar, live long lives. Long, dull, monotonous lives.
It’s not a bad plan for someone with a hidden, emotion-based ability to trigger earthquakes. In a world pitted against her, sixteen-year-old Rena Moon strives for a life beyond working herself to death at the factory. Seeing an alternative, she risks selling relics from the forbidden lands at Market. It becomes the worst decision she ever made. Someone kidnaps her best friend in exchange for the one thing that would end her oppression.
Driven by loyalty, Rena and seventeen-year-old Nevan Jelani, soulful composer, green thumb extraordinaire, and the secret love of her life, plot to rescue her friend and reclaim her salvage. Still, the thought lingers whether Nevan is a true hero or another thief waiting for his chance at her loot. Events spin wildly, deepening Rena’s suspicions and pushing her limit of control. With more than her chance for freedom at stake, she must decide if she’s willing to kill to protect what’s precious to her. For once, the Overlord isn’t holding all the power, but can Rena live with being reduced to what she’s trying so hard to escape?
This novel is like the 16th Oreo. The outside edges almost perfect... the inside just a little too sweet.
Woohoo!:
I loved the interaction between Rena and Blaze in the beginning of this novel, and the end of this novel.
I can't say the pace was perfect, because it slowed in the middle. There was a time when I was considering putting the book down because it was becoming too much, but I remembered the beginning and knew it would end on a great note. I wasn't let down.
The contradictory idea of a super strict hippy society intrigued me. I loved that there were more codes to protect the environment than it's people. Also, the fact that there was a point during the day when the weather gets so hot that it could burn you alive says a lot about what people of the past did to make the lives of the future so miserable. (The destruction of the Ozone)
Meeh:
As I said earlier, the middle was too sweet. There was too much returned flirting. Rena flirted with Neven who flirted with Rena... Sometimes, stories are more interesting if one character flirts with the other, and the flirtation is not returned. Makes the reader think.
The since of urgency was absent in the middle. Blaze turns up missing, and when Rena and Neven play detective, there are times when Blaze is completely forgotten. Pages when the two seem totally engrossed with themselves, nothing else matters.
(This didn't really affect my scoring) - Nevan's personality really rubbed me the wrong way. I'm not sure what it was exactly, but it annoyed me when he said "Lil' Momma," and he just seemed all-around too perfect. He really needed some flaws. A snaggle tooth, funny smell... anything for crying out-loud. No one is perfect, and people don't like reading about perfection. There's no drama in it.
Lastly, Rena's abilities should have been less powerfull in the begining of the novel. I knew as soon as the characters were in the forbidden land outside the boundary wall that Rena would use her abilities to save the day (in one specific way). It was obvious. What I wished was that at first, she could only feel the vibrations. Maybe she wasn't even able to create a tremor until their journey as prisoners. Something could have triggered in her brain, then you knew what would happen, but you were almost to the end of the book by then. That would have made the middle of this novel a little more exciting.
Rating: C+
Excerpt
A transport vehicle plastered with an image of Overlord Andrick’s almost smiling face sped to the scene. A Syn exited, picked the boy up with one hand, and tossed him in the back. Rena felt the engine rumble through the ground as it drove away. She wanted to stomp her feet and squash the lingering sensation, but resisted.“Rena!” Blaze whispered. “Move it.”
She struggled to keep a normal, non-conspicuous pace, and even more not to hide her ring. Only guilty people tried to hide. “Did they see us?”
“Don’t think so,” Blaze whispered as she pulled off her new ring and stashed it in her pocket. “Know anyone around here?”
Warmth burned her cheeks. She stared at a blue house with a gray roof. He was inside. “Uhh... Nevan lives in that house.”
“Let’s go.” This time, Blaze did the dragging as Rena planted her feet.
“Are you crazy?” she whispered as she checked the position of the Syns, still three blocks away. “We can’t go to Nevan’s house. I’ll die.”
“Well, we can’t exactly stay outside. Do you want to get caught, too?”
The androids weren’t that close, yet. Okay, maybe they were, but knocking on Nevan’s door?
“Let’s talk about this rationally,” Rena suggested.
“We don’t have time for this.”
“This house here is closer.” She rocked side to side while raking her hands over frizzy braids. “Let’s just go there.”
“And what if the tenants alert the Syns?” Blaze peered over Rena’s shoulders. “We don’t have time for your version of rational.”
“Blaze... What if he turns us away?” The corners of her eyes glistened. Fear of detection battled for dominance over fear of rejection. “I don’t think I can handle that.” She wasn’t ready to find out the truth.
“Fine. Let’s try this house.”
Blaze lightly tapped at the door. After a few seconds, she knocked harder and took a step back. “I don’t think anyone’s home.”
“I could’ve sworn I saw someone peeking out.” Rena had actually felt foot vibrations from inside the house, but she was so used to protecting her secret, the lie came out first.
“Rena! Why didn’t you say so? We don’t have time to waste on people who obviously aren’t going to help.” She brushed past her to the blue house.
The Syns neared. One stopped to identify a pedestrian on the opposite sidewalk. The other angled toward the girls.
Blaze stood on the front porch, jabbed her finger down at the ground and mouthed the words, “Get. Over. Here. Now!”
She shuffled across the lawn to postpone the inevitable. When she stepped onto the porch, Blaze shoved her forward, then reached around her to knock.
“But, what if his parents—” she started to say, but stopped. Someone walked toward them. By the lyrical footsteps, she knew exactly who it was.
The door creaked open.
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Author
Natasha Hanova
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Thank you for taking the time to read my book and write a review.
ReplyDeleteGreat review Kelly! Glad you enjoyed it despite the flirting thing. Thanks for being on the tour! :)
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