Teens Liam and Phoebe are among the last people on Mars when a mass evacuation is underway due to the accelerated supernova of our sun. Earth was evacuated decades before and the Mars settlement was only meant to be temporary until a suitable planet could be identified. Liam and Phoebe’s parents are scientists whose last minute work is vital to successfully terraforming the new planet in a distant galaxy. Saboteurs trap and injure their parents just moments before their evacuation on the massive starliner. Liam and Phoebe rescue their unconscious parents but not in time to catch the starliner with a million souls on board, including Liam’s sister. Liam’s small craft is not designed for deep space duration flights but Liam devises a plan to catch up at the nearest refueling station. But can they outrun the saboteurs?
The story opens with a prologue featuring an alien who has the ability to leap galaxies and observe millennia of planetary evolution in a heartbeat. She discovers a plot to interfere with the natural life of a star causing destructive supernovas far before their time. It appears there are two sets of bad guys in the story. Chock full of action, unbelievable near misses and a frantic race against time, Last Day on Mars is the first in the planned, Chronicle of the Dark Star series. It’s a thrill of a read, packed with suspense, a plethora of unanswered questions, and cliffhangers. Highly recommend.
eGalley review Publication date 2.14.17
In this science fiction political thriller, Crown Princess Rhee’s family is murdered when their space ship is blown up. Rhee is raised an a planet away from the seat of the Empire and is to return when she is sixteen to claim the throne. The day has come and off she travels back to her home planet. Rhee is rather naive in not considering whoever was responsible for her family’s murder might try to have her killed as well. Fortunately, she has had years of combat training and doesn’t die during the assassination attempt en route. She did have unexpected help in the nick of time when Dahlen, a member of a religious order on another planet, comes to her aide and thwarts the attack. The two begin a hazardous journey across the Empire to find safety and regroup, but first she seeks revenge on the one she blames for her family’s death and her assassination attempt.
Zoe lives in an isolated cabin in Montana where the winters can be brutally cold. During a blizzard, she finds her little brother almost frozen and they take shelter in an abandoned cabin where an elderly couple was murdered. The murderer returns and it looking bad for them when a mysterious boy appears with the powers to drag the murderer to the Lowlands/Hell. True love interferes and the boy ends up at Zoe’s cabin where her mother is rather anxious. Zoe names him X, because he has no name. He is a bounty hunter from the Lowlands for all eternity. X violates rules so the masters of the Lowlands come for him and threaten those he now cares about.
Sally Jones is an ape. She was captured years before and lived through many trials before the story opens. She is highly intelligent and quite mechanically gifted. Sally does not communicate vocally but can write and this story is her memoir that opens after she was saved by Captain Koskela. Koskela and Sally sailed the seas, picking up cargo and delivering to ports around the world. It was a happy and contented life, until they accepted a suspicious job that led to the sinking of their beloved ship and the imprisonment of Koskela in Lisbon for murder. Alone in Lisbon, Sally is miserable and hides until she is befriended by Ana who has a beautiful and captivating singing voice. The people that Sally meets during her journeys are building blocks to clear Koskela of his wrong conviction.
Scarlett and Tella’s mother disappeared years ago, leaving them to be raised by an increasingly cruel father. If he perceives one has misbehaved, he hurts the other as punishment. Their father is the governor of an island and has forbidden his daughters from leaving. However, to improve the status of his name, he has arranged the marriage of Scarlett to a Duke on the mainland. Scarlett has never met the Duke but envisions he will protect her and her sister and end their life of torment from their father.
Britain’s most decorated private during World War I Henry Tandey. This is the fictionalized account of his life, his heroics, his bravery, and his morals. Morals so strong he could not bring himself to shoot an injured German. Years later, it is thought the life he spared was young Adolph Hitler. The story of Private Henry Tandey unfolds when Barney and his mother are traveling to safety after their home was destroyed during the bombing of Coventry. During the ride, an older gentleman retells the story of his friend’s exploits during World War I.
Britta’s mother was murdered when she was an infant leaving her to be raised by her father in a remote cabin in the woods. He was a bounty hunter for the king and taught Britta and apprentice Cohen to hunt and track. Britta and Cohen grew close but following a terrible animal attack, Cohen abruptly left. Soon after, her father was murdered. Utterly alone and starving, Britta was caught poaching and was offered a deal to save her life. She was told that Cohen murdered her father and was on the run. Britta was to accompany the captain of the guard and track down Cohen. How can the man she loved, who also loved her father have killed him?
There is an ant searching for a better life and statues that walk and talk. There are witches, trolls, magic, adventure . . . even the wild, wild, west (West Wales, that is). Fourteen little stories full of everything you could want.
Lorna’s father is a scientist and was working in the Arctic when he discovered a boat drifting. They board and discover babies. No crew. Just babies. Many died, but those that survived were placed with families that had a child near the same age as the Arctic babies called Icelings. Lorna’s family adopted Callie. Now, 17, Lorna has developed a closer relationship to Callie than their parents. Callie does not speak and is prone to fits along with strange behavior. Lorna is the one who takes her to the hospital after the worst episodes. There, she meets Stan who is older brother and caretaker to Ted, another Iceling who also does not speak and is strangely aggressive.
Generations ago, a series of radiation storms began to destroy civilization. The government erected a shield made of a unique element, cirium, to protect the capital city. Some of the population were labeled as subpars and they and their offspring were doomed to slave in caves mining cirium. A carrot was dangled in front of the miners. If they mined a certain amount they would earn entrance to the city and become free.
Oressa has learned her lessons well. Has learned to be meek and obedient around her father, has learned about all the hidden doors and passages in the palace, has learned to listen secretly to all the meetings her father has with his ministers. Mostly the talks are boring, but today there is fear of an imminent invasion, and the possibility that she might be offered as a wife to the invading prince!
When Finn first arrived, five-year-old Cat knew he was different. She suspected that he was a ghost and was afraid of him. But he was kind and gentle, never got angry with her, so she decided he was the sort of ghost it might be handy to have around. He was here to help her father with his science stuff in the basement, but soon her parents decided that Finn would be an excellent tutor for Cat. That was just fine with Cat, because he told wonderful stories.
In this ponderous dystopian thriller, the Cloud is now the Thunderhead. Medical technology allows for long life with citizens resetting their DNA to their 20s or 30s. This resetting can be done for hundreds of years allowing for a very long life for many. However, we cannot sustain a growing population that does not die. Life and death must be balanced so an artificial “circle of life” is instigated to glean lives. Scythes are selected and trained to kill or glean a certain percentage of the population. The Scythe may come for any citizen, young or old, with no notice. Each Scythe should have the highest morals and ethics in selecting those to die. But with great power comes temptation and corruption.
AJ never knew his father or knew of his father. He was raised by a single mother in a small apartment in London, who seemed to always resent having him. After failing most of his graduation exams, his mother decides to kick him out but gives him a letter from a law firm for an interview. That is very odd. AJ shows up for the interview for an office boy or errand boy and those in the firm seem to know of him and knew his father. During an assignment to go through the firm’s library files, AJ discovers a large key with his name on it and learns it opens a door to the past – to 1830 London. Off he goes to the London of Charles Dickens where he is told of his father’s murder. He is soon drawn into more mysterious poisonings.
A murderous empire that rules the galaxy uses gruesome atrocities to keep all colonies in line. The wealthiest families secure Diabolics, genetically engineered killers, to serve as ruthless bodyguards. Nemesis is the Diabolic that one galactic senator purchases to protect his daughter, Sidonia. The ruthless Emperor learns of the senator’s support of a rebellion and summons Sidonia to his court. Knowing that Sidonia would be used as a hostage and likely killed, Nemesis is disguised to appear at court as Sidonia. The Diabolic is supposed to be devoid of all emotion except for total love and devotion to the one they are sworn to protect. But Nemesis begins to feel emotions, raising questions about what it means to be human.
YA Lit Ramblings 
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