amysoup's review
4.0
I'm really enjoying this box set. Besides the excellent storytelling, I liked the short synopsis provided for each book at the beginning. It makes navigating the box set very easy. I'll be adding reviews from the set as I go.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/945470867
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/751924674
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/945470867
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/751924674
heyitsniky's review
Although I'm still reading this set, I'm going to start reviewing each books individually and continue to update this review as I go on. I'm really happy I had the opportunity to read this set because Dystopian is one of my favorite genres and when I was told that this box had 10 times as much Dystopian novels? I couldn't resist! I'm very excited to go along and be introduced to various novels.
Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn
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The Moon Dwellers by David Ester
go to review
Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn
go to review
The Moon Dwellers by David Ester
go to review
mlboyd20's review
4.0
I would like to thank author David Estes for providing me with a complimentary copy of this boxed set in exchange for a review. Doing so does not sway my judgment in any way. Being a boxed set, I will add to my review as I read the different books in them.
[b:The Moon Dwellers|13931214|The Moon Dwellers (The Dwellers, #1)|David Estes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1339737488s/13931214.jpg|19566155] by [a:David Estes|3167424|David Estes|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1359857929p2/3167424.jpg]:
This story centers around a future earth, where the population now lives underground in the realms. There are 3 realms, star(lowest), moon(middle) and sun(highest). The government has gone from the elected officers to basically a monarchy, but with a whole lot of selfishness thrown in. The main characters are Adele, a moon dweller, and Tristan, a sun dweller and son of the president. They originally don't really meet, but catch each others attention from afar. This story is about the oppression of the dwellers, the love and disdain of family, friendships, attraction, hope and faith.
The author, David Estes, has forged his name into writers to be watched and read. An indie author with several books to his name and several more to come, he is right in line with those you find on the best sellers list. Hailing from Pittsburgh, PA, having lived in Australia, travelled around the world and currently living on the islands of Hawaii, his experiences in the different cultures in life come through in his writing.
Why only 4 stars? Even though I loved this story, and can't wait for the second in the series, I found the ending a bit rushed, just a little too cleaned up too quickly. Yes, there are a lot of unanswered questions, which there should be since it's part of a series, but I felt that the ending could have been drawn out another chapter or two.
Why should you read this? The answer is because it's a darn good book, action packed, quirky good in many places, and not only makes you root for the characters but puts you into the story. You will find yourself laughing with them, feeling sad with them, etc.
This book is the first in a series, what's interesting about this is that there is another series, the Country Saga, that the author has written. Book Four, which is the same book for both of these series, brings the characters of the two together.
[b:The Moon Dwellers|13931214|The Moon Dwellers (The Dwellers, #1)|David Estes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1339737488s/13931214.jpg|19566155] by [a:David Estes|3167424|David Estes|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1359857929p2/3167424.jpg]:
This story centers around a future earth, where the population now lives underground in the realms. There are 3 realms, star(lowest), moon(middle) and sun(highest). The government has gone from the elected officers to basically a monarchy, but with a whole lot of selfishness thrown in. The main characters are Adele, a moon dweller, and Tristan, a sun dweller and son of the president. They originally don't really meet, but catch each others attention from afar. This story is about the oppression of the dwellers, the love and disdain of family, friendships, attraction, hope and faith.
The author, David Estes, has forged his name into writers to be watched and read. An indie author with several books to his name and several more to come, he is right in line with those you find on the best sellers list. Hailing from Pittsburgh, PA, having lived in Australia, travelled around the world and currently living on the islands of Hawaii, his experiences in the different cultures in life come through in his writing.
Why only 4 stars? Even though I loved this story, and can't wait for the second in the series, I found the ending a bit rushed, just a little too cleaned up too quickly. Yes, there are a lot of unanswered questions, which there should be since it's part of a series, but I felt that the ending could have been drawn out another chapter or two.
Why should you read this? The answer is because it's a darn good book, action packed, quirky good in many places, and not only makes you root for the characters but puts you into the story. You will find yourself laughing with them, feeling sad with them, etc.
This book is the first in a series, what's interesting about this is that there is another series, the Country Saga, that the author has written. Book Four, which is the same book for both of these series, brings the characters of the two together.
momwithareadingproblem's review
5.0
[b:What Tomorrow May Bring|21946861|What Tomorrow May Bring|Tony Bertauski|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397818641s/21946861.jpg|41251734] is a boxed set made by someone who must love me! If anyone knows me, they know my preferred read is a good dystopian book, and this set tops the cake! With ten unique books at a bargain price what more could I ask for!!! Below you will find my reviews for each book (updated as I read them):
[b:Open Minds|12727768|Open Minds (Mindjack Trilogy, #1)|Susan Kaye Quinn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389593158s/12727768.jpg|17864554] by [a:Susan Kaye Quinn|4094557|Susan Kaye Quinn|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1277246178p2/4094557.jpg]
[b:The Moon Dwellers|13931214|The Moon Dwellers (The Dwellers, #1)|David Estes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1339737488s/13931214.jpg|19566155] by [a:David Estes|3167424|David Estes|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1359857929p2/3167424.jpg]
...is book one of a seven book saga about the human race and their fight for survival. Adele Rose and Tristan Nailin come from two very different realities. Adele lives in the Moon Realm, has always known what it is to be poor, and when her parents are convicted of treason is sent to the Pen (a juvenile detention center). Adele's only goal is to escape and find her family. Tristan lives in the Sun Realm, the son of the president he knows only a life a luxury. Fed up with the rules of his father, Tristan with his best friend Roc leave to see if they can make a change.
So I seriously loved this book! The author alternates first person POV between Tristan and Adele giving you a full picture of the world they live in. I'll admit that it was hard to follow for the first few chapters until I got use to the characters but then the story flowed well.
Adele is a wonderful female lead character. She's strong-willed, independent, a fighter, and not afraid to go after what she wants, which in this case is her family. And Tristan....I love Tristan! When I was reading about Tristan, my mind immediately went to Prince William...you know born to rule, everyone knows his face, charismatic persona, yet no one really knows him. Tristan doesn't want his father's life though, and he has this natural self-depreciating humor, he just doesn't take his role in the Tri-Realms seriously. But the two main characters are not the only ones to make up this story. Adele's two friends Cole and Tawni and Tristan's best friend and servant Roc make our main characters' flaws and strengths known. Not to mention the constant banter between Roc and Tristan had me laughing out loud!
This story is well-developed with strong dystopian themes, lots of suspense, a little mystery and an undercurrent of romance. The world-building is subtle yet believable and is explained/revealed as the story unfolds, rather than given to you all at once. I loved this! It was much easier to stay invested in the main plot, which was two-fold. First Adele along with her new friends Tawni and Cole escape the Pen to find her family. And second Tristan who after a chance glimpse of a mysterious Moon Dweller had a strange painful experience decides it's time to leave his father and find this Moon Dweller to discover the reason for the pain.
Overall I highly recommend this book! It was a fast, easy read with an intricate dystopian tale, lots of suspense and action to drive the plot and just a hint of romance. I read this book in just under a day, and I can't wait to start the next one. If you like young adult dystopians, you don't want to miss out on this one!
[b:Prison Nation|13141794|Prison Nation (Prison Nation, #1)|Jenni Merritt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348997135s/13141794.jpg|18318945] by [a:Jenni Merritt|5032809|Jenni Merritt|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1323116690p2/5032809.jpg]
[b:daynight|18625293|Daynight (Daynight, #1)|Megan Thomason|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380862499s/18625293.jpg|21982405] by [a:Megan Thomason|6578897|Megan Thomason|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1353133187p2/6578897.jpg]
...is book one of the daynight series and lays the foundation for an excellent series! The story revolves around Kira Donovan and Blake Sundry, the latest SCI (Second Chance Institute) Recruits. Kira joins to escape the past that haunts her and Blake joined to bring the SCI down, but he will need Kira's help to do so. The problem lies in if he can trust her and if she should trust him.
This review is really hard for me to write. There are so many twists and turns and surprises that come throughout the book I'm afraid to reveal too much and spoil the book for you! Let me break it down this way:
The Characters
There are really three main characters and the POVs alternate between the three giving you a much clearer picture of this new world and what the characters' think and believe. Kira Donovan is a type A personality and highly loyal to her friends and family. After an explosion kills her friends and most of her high school class she joins the SCI hoping that being away from her home will distract her from the memories that haunt her. Blake Sundry went to high school with Kira, and he has the bad boy kind of loser reputation. But he is anything except a loser. Blake knows what the SCI really does and he is there to bring them down, but with Kira as a partner he will need her help. Ethan Darcton is the son of the senior Ten (head of SCI) and briefly meets Kira before the explosion that killed her friends. Kira believes him dead, but Ethan has strict instructions to stay away from her. However he believes he loves her and wants her to be his.
Thera
Okay here's where things get confusing, or at least for me it was slightly confusing. Thera is the sister-planet to Earth. Basically it's like a reverse copy of Earth. Where there's land on Earth, there's water on Thera and vise versa. Thera is much hotter than Earth, to the point that Therans sleep during the day and work at night when temperatures are still 100-120 degrees. The SCI rules Thera and they are kind of like dictators with strict political rules. If the rules are broken, you are Exiled or killed. To be Exiled means you live off the land outside of the cities of Thera, which is basically a death sentence.
Plot
This story revolves around Kira finding out about the SCI, they're convoluted government, rules, and Thera. The more that is revealed the more Kira realizes how bad this government is and their reach on Earth. Kira must decide what to do. Does she side with Blake and his revolution or Ethan and keep the peace on Thera?
That's really a dumb-downed version of the plot. Like I said there are so many surprises throughout the book I can't reveal much without spoiling it and I don't want to do that! There's a ton of action, surprises that I couldn't guess, and a little romance. Kira is actually quite confused by her feelings throughout the book, which means that yes there is the dreaded love triangle. And it really is dreaded in this book! You have Blake, who is her confidant and friend, her partner on this new planet. And then you have perfect Ethan, who is unavailable and seems to be lying to her. This triangle should not exist!!! It detracted from the main plot and made the characters kinda whiny. Hence the reason for three stars and not four or five.
Overall there is a ton of action in this book, lots of surprises and like I said some romance which with that aside lays the groundwork for an amazing series. As soon as I finished book one, which let me tell you culminates in one finally big surprise and then abruptly ends!!!!, I rushed and bought book two and the bridge novella. Having already read them, I can tell you it is a very good series and I'm dying for book three! If you enjoy young adult dystopians with a little romance and a whole lot of action, I highly recommend this book!
[b:Stitch|15779886|Stitch (Stitch Trilogy, #1)|Samantha Durante|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343769353s/15779886.jpg|21494430] by [a:Samantha Durante|6453465|Samantha Durante|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1364153903p2/6453465.jpg]
[b:The Annihilation of Foreverland|13368166|The Annihilation of Foreverland (Foreverland, #1)|Tony Bertauski|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1339717282s/13368166.jpg|18597276] by [a:Tony Bertauski|449366|Tony Bertauski|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1293454552p2/449366.jpg]
[b:The Girls From Alcyone|13120464|The Girls From Alcyone (The Girls from Alcyone #1)|Cary Caffrey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327155584s/13120464.jpg|18295574] by [a:Cary Caffrey|5354569|Cary Caffrey|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1383654198p2/5354569.jpg]
[b:The Narrowing Path|18460869|The Narrowing Path|David J. Normoyle|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1378462846s/18460869.jpg|24887822] by [a:David J. Normoyle|4684814|David J. Normoyle|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1378752233p2/4684814.jpg]
[b:The Rain|20694827|The Rain (A Post-Apocalyptic Story)|Joseph A. Turkot|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391332287s/20694827.jpg|33728264] by [a:Joseph A. Turkot|5312609|Joseph A. Turkot|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1352159128p2/5312609.jpg]
[b:Virulent The Release|17285841|The Release (Virulent, #1)|Shelbi Wescott|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1359184475s/17285841.jpg|23905440] by [a:Shelbi Wescott|6906145|Shelbi Wescott|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1362505295p2/6906145.jpg]
[b:External Forces|18165962|External Forces (The Laws of Motion #1)|Deborah Rix|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1374184322s/18165962.jpg|25531228] by [a:Deborah Rix|7162675|Deborah Rix|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1380000789p2/7162675.jpg]
I received a copy of this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.
[b:Open Minds|12727768|Open Minds (Mindjack Trilogy, #1)|Susan Kaye Quinn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389593158s/12727768.jpg|17864554] by [a:Susan Kaye Quinn|4094557|Susan Kaye Quinn|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1277246178p2/4094557.jpg]
[b:The Moon Dwellers|13931214|The Moon Dwellers (The Dwellers, #1)|David Estes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1339737488s/13931214.jpg|19566155] by [a:David Estes|3167424|David Estes|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1359857929p2/3167424.jpg]
...is book one of a seven book saga about the human race and their fight for survival. Adele Rose and Tristan Nailin come from two very different realities. Adele lives in the Moon Realm, has always known what it is to be poor, and when her parents are convicted of treason is sent to the Pen (a juvenile detention center). Adele's only goal is to escape and find her family. Tristan lives in the Sun Realm, the son of the president he knows only a life a luxury. Fed up with the rules of his father, Tristan with his best friend Roc leave to see if they can make a change.
So I seriously loved this book! The author alternates first person POV between Tristan and Adele giving you a full picture of the world they live in. I'll admit that it was hard to follow for the first few chapters until I got use to the characters but then the story flowed well.
Adele is a wonderful female lead character. She's strong-willed, independent, a fighter, and not afraid to go after what she wants, which in this case is her family. And Tristan....I love Tristan! When I was reading about Tristan, my mind immediately went to Prince William...you know born to rule, everyone knows his face, charismatic persona, yet no one really knows him. Tristan doesn't want his father's life though, and he has this natural self-depreciating humor, he just doesn't take his role in the Tri-Realms seriously. But the two main characters are not the only ones to make up this story. Adele's two friends Cole and Tawni and Tristan's best friend and servant Roc make our main characters' flaws and strengths known. Not to mention the constant banter between Roc and Tristan had me laughing out loud!
This story is well-developed with strong dystopian themes, lots of suspense, a little mystery and an undercurrent of romance. The world-building is subtle yet believable and is explained/revealed as the story unfolds, rather than given to you all at once. I loved this! It was much easier to stay invested in the main plot, which was two-fold. First Adele along with her new friends Tawni and Cole escape the Pen to find her family. And second Tristan who after a chance glimpse of a mysterious Moon Dweller had a strange painful experience decides it's time to leave his father and find this Moon Dweller to discover the reason for the pain.
Overall I highly recommend this book! It was a fast, easy read with an intricate dystopian tale, lots of suspense and action to drive the plot and just a hint of romance. I read this book in just under a day, and I can't wait to start the next one. If you like young adult dystopians, you don't want to miss out on this one!
[b:Prison Nation|13141794|Prison Nation (Prison Nation, #1)|Jenni Merritt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348997135s/13141794.jpg|18318945] by [a:Jenni Merritt|5032809|Jenni Merritt|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1323116690p2/5032809.jpg]
[b:daynight|18625293|Daynight (Daynight, #1)|Megan Thomason|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380862499s/18625293.jpg|21982405] by [a:Megan Thomason|6578897|Megan Thomason|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1353133187p2/6578897.jpg]
...is book one of the daynight series and lays the foundation for an excellent series! The story revolves around Kira Donovan and Blake Sundry, the latest SCI (Second Chance Institute) Recruits. Kira joins to escape the past that haunts her and Blake joined to bring the SCI down, but he will need Kira's help to do so. The problem lies in if he can trust her and if she should trust him.
This review is really hard for me to write. There are so many twists and turns and surprises that come throughout the book I'm afraid to reveal too much and spoil the book for you! Let me break it down this way:
The Characters
There are really three main characters and the POVs alternate between the three giving you a much clearer picture of this new world and what the characters' think and believe. Kira Donovan is a type A personality and highly loyal to her friends and family. After an explosion kills her friends and most of her high school class she joins the SCI hoping that being away from her home will distract her from the memories that haunt her. Blake Sundry went to high school with Kira, and he has the bad boy kind of loser reputation. But he is anything except a loser. Blake knows what the SCI really does and he is there to bring them down, but with Kira as a partner he will need her help. Ethan Darcton is the son of the senior Ten (head of SCI) and briefly meets Kira before the explosion that killed her friends. Kira believes him dead, but Ethan has strict instructions to stay away from her. However he believes he loves her and wants her to be his.
Thera
Okay here's where things get confusing, or at least for me it was slightly confusing. Thera is the sister-planet to Earth. Basically it's like a reverse copy of Earth. Where there's land on Earth, there's water on Thera and vise versa. Thera is much hotter than Earth, to the point that Therans sleep during the day and work at night when temperatures are still 100-120 degrees. The SCI rules Thera and they are kind of like dictators with strict political rules. If the rules are broken, you are Exiled or killed. To be Exiled means you live off the land outside of the cities of Thera, which is basically a death sentence.
Plot
This story revolves around Kira finding out about the SCI, they're convoluted government, rules, and Thera. The more that is revealed the more Kira realizes how bad this government is and their reach on Earth. Kira must decide what to do. Does she side with Blake and his revolution or Ethan and keep the peace on Thera?
That's really a dumb-downed version of the plot. Like I said there are so many surprises throughout the book I can't reveal much without spoiling it and I don't want to do that! There's a ton of action, surprises that I couldn't guess, and a little romance. Kira is actually quite confused by her feelings throughout the book, which means that yes there is the dreaded love triangle. And it really is dreaded in this book! You have Blake, who is her confidant and friend, her partner on this new planet. And then you have perfect Ethan, who is unavailable and seems to be lying to her. This triangle should not exist!!! It detracted from the main plot and made the characters kinda whiny. Hence the reason for three stars and not four or five.
Overall there is a ton of action in this book, lots of surprises and like I said some romance which with that aside lays the groundwork for an amazing series. As soon as I finished book one, which let me tell you culminates in one finally big surprise and then abruptly ends!!!!, I rushed and bought book two and the bridge novella. Having already read them, I can tell you it is a very good series and I'm dying for book three! If you enjoy young adult dystopians with a little romance and a whole lot of action, I highly recommend this book!
[b:Stitch|15779886|Stitch (Stitch Trilogy, #1)|Samantha Durante|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343769353s/15779886.jpg|21494430] by [a:Samantha Durante|6453465|Samantha Durante|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1364153903p2/6453465.jpg]
[b:The Annihilation of Foreverland|13368166|The Annihilation of Foreverland (Foreverland, #1)|Tony Bertauski|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1339717282s/13368166.jpg|18597276] by [a:Tony Bertauski|449366|Tony Bertauski|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1293454552p2/449366.jpg]
[b:The Girls From Alcyone|13120464|The Girls From Alcyone (The Girls from Alcyone #1)|Cary Caffrey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327155584s/13120464.jpg|18295574] by [a:Cary Caffrey|5354569|Cary Caffrey|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1383654198p2/5354569.jpg]
[b:The Narrowing Path|18460869|The Narrowing Path|David J. Normoyle|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1378462846s/18460869.jpg|24887822] by [a:David J. Normoyle|4684814|David J. Normoyle|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1378752233p2/4684814.jpg]
[b:The Rain|20694827|The Rain (A Post-Apocalyptic Story)|Joseph A. Turkot|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391332287s/20694827.jpg|33728264] by [a:Joseph A. Turkot|5312609|Joseph A. Turkot|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1352159128p2/5312609.jpg]
[b:Virulent The Release|17285841|The Release (Virulent, #1)|Shelbi Wescott|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1359184475s/17285841.jpg|23905440] by [a:Shelbi Wescott|6906145|Shelbi Wescott|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1362505295p2/6906145.jpg]
[b:External Forces|18165962|External Forces (The Laws of Motion #1)|Deborah Rix|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1374184322s/18165962.jpg|25531228] by [a:Deborah Rix|7162675|Deborah Rix|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1380000789p2/7162675.jpg]
I received a copy of this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.
krs10's review
4.0
This review is for The Moon Dwellers, which I purchased on my own. I was provided a copy of the boxed set in exchange for writing an honest review for a book in the set, so I chose the one I'd already purchased.
True rating: 3.5 Stars
Note: Spoilers may be present in this review, though I tried to mark them as best I could.
The Moon Dwellers is set over five centuries into the future, after a meteor has wiped out the surface of the Unite States. A select group of people has moved underground and developed a tri-level society (The poorest Star Realm, the almost as bad Moon Realm, and the rich Sun Realm). Adele, the female protagonist, hails from The Moon Realm. She's a strong young woman who must use her fighting skills to break out of jail, evade (and battle) the evil Enforcers, and rescue her family. The male protagonist, Tristan, comes from the Sun Realm. He's a swoon-worthy "black sheep of the family because he's a good guy" prince who spends much of his time chasing after Adele with his friend/servant, Roc, and trying to figure out his place in society.
Mr. Estes' writing is truly gorgeous and it's clear he has an incredible gift. What he chooses to describe and how he does so (excluding one of my bullets below) is unique and refreshing. He paints beautiful pictures that convey strong emotion and a realistic world. His premise is relatively unique for the genre and I enjoyed the characters, particularly the relationship between Tristan and Roc. Based on these things, this novel would have earned 5 stars from me; however, I had difficulties getting into it until I was nearly half-way through, mostly because I kept getting jarred out of my read by the following things:
1. Plausability - Fantasy is a genre where a reader is expected to suspend some aspects of reality to believe in the new world that's created. I actually love that, but for me to truly suspend reality, the fictional world has to be wholly believable. The majority of the time, The Moon Dwellers does a good job meeting this requirement; however, I had a hard time with the way the book sometimes handled dialogue and descriptions. Cliches and common, modern expressions were used throughout the book (some examples: "No problemo!", "Bring it!" "Bingo! Give the guy a prize" and "make mincemeat out of your face"). Although I'm not a fan of any author adopting the regular use of cliches, when a book is told from a YA perspective, this can be forgivable, and even expected within dialogue. In the case of The Moon Dwellers, though, the story is told from a YA perspective 500+ years into the future. Our language changes every year and often evolves drastically within a few decades (old phrases are replaced with new ones; cliches are forgotten and recreated), so using modern speak doesn't work for me. No matter how hard I tried to ignore this aspect of the book, I couldn't and wound up disbelieving the progress of the society for this reason. The real shame for me in this is that I loved (and I do mean truly LOVED) Mr. Estes writing style. When he chose not to use those tools, the end result was so much better than when he did use them (for example, "The pain on his face is utterly complete, cracking his cheeks with jagged lines"), so I think this situation could have been avoided. There were also a few other logic issues throughout the novel (such as a scene where it's pitch black, yet Tristan somehow knew they were in a hub) that bothered me, but not as much as the one I've detailed above.
2. Love at first sight premise - While I'm typically okay with love at first sight novels, I had trouble believing that
3. Editing - Every author has editing points that are missed; it's the nature of writing, but when those issues are prevalent, I start highlighting them. In this case, there were a few things that got to me. Incorrect semi-colon/colon use and missed commas were standard grammar issues, and some sentences could have benefited from tightening (for example, "...I think about when my next scheduled visit to the Moon Realm is.").
4. Character Development - While I did genuinely like most of the characters (particularly Cole and Roc), I didn't feel they grew much throughout the novel. The main focus of the plot is non-stop action, which will appeal to many people, but for me it came at the expense of getting to know the characters and their internal struggles.
5. POV - The Moon Dwellers is told from first person point-of-view, alternating between Tristan and Adele. While this is handled well throughout much of the novel, some scenes were repeated from the other person's perspective without adding value to the plot. This slowed down the pace at times. In one big fight scene, when the POV is switched in short succession repetitively, it also dampened the emotion for a pivotal moment.
Despite these personal quibbles, I enjoyed The Moon Dwellers overall and think David Estes is worth reading and following. I suspect we'll be seeing great things from him in the near future.
True rating: 3.5 Stars
Note: Spoilers may be present in this review, though I tried to mark them as best I could.
The Moon Dwellers is set over five centuries into the future, after a meteor has wiped out the surface of the Unite States. A select group of people has moved underground and developed a tri-level society (The poorest Star Realm, the almost as bad Moon Realm, and the rich Sun Realm). Adele, the female protagonist, hails from The Moon Realm. She's a strong young woman who must use her fighting skills to break out of jail, evade (and battle) the evil Enforcers, and rescue her family. The male protagonist, Tristan, comes from the Sun Realm. He's a swoon-worthy "black sheep of the family because he's a good guy" prince who spends much of his time chasing after Adele with his friend/servant, Roc, and trying to figure out his place in society.
Mr. Estes' writing is truly gorgeous and it's clear he has an incredible gift. What he chooses to describe and how he does so (excluding one of my bullets below) is unique and refreshing. He paints beautiful pictures that convey strong emotion and a realistic world. His premise is relatively unique for the genre and I enjoyed the characters, particularly the relationship between Tristan and Roc. Based on these things, this novel would have earned 5 stars from me; however, I had difficulties getting into it until I was nearly half-way through, mostly because I kept getting jarred out of my read by the following things:
1. Plausability - Fantasy is a genre where a reader is expected to suspend some aspects of reality to believe in the new world that's created. I actually love that, but for me to truly suspend reality, the fictional world has to be wholly believable. The majority of the time, The Moon Dwellers does a good job meeting this requirement; however, I had a hard time with the way the book sometimes handled dialogue and descriptions. Cliches and common, modern expressions were used throughout the book (some examples: "No problemo!", "Bring it!" "Bingo! Give the guy a prize" and "make mincemeat out of your face"). Although I'm not a fan of any author adopting the regular use of cliches, when a book is told from a YA perspective, this can be forgivable, and even expected within dialogue. In the case of The Moon Dwellers, though, the story is told from a YA perspective 500+ years into the future. Our language changes every year and often evolves drastically within a few decades (old phrases are replaced with new ones; cliches are forgotten and recreated), so using modern speak doesn't work for me. No matter how hard I tried to ignore this aspect of the book, I couldn't and wound up disbelieving the progress of the society for this reason. The real shame for me in this is that I loved (and I do mean truly LOVED) Mr. Estes writing style. When he chose not to use those tools, the end result was so much better than when he did use them (for example, "The pain on his face is utterly complete, cracking his cheeks with jagged lines"), so I think this situation could have been avoided. There were also a few other logic issues throughout the novel (such as a scene where it's pitch black, yet Tristan somehow knew they were in a hub) that bothered me, but not as much as the one I've detailed above.
2. Love at first sight premise - While I'm typically okay with love at first sight novels, I had trouble believing that
Spoiler
Tristan and Adele would think about their first meeting twice, let alone consider it as a sign of anything important. When they first saw each other over a large distance, they each felt pain (although neither of them knew the other felt it). This seems like a coincidental thing, so I'm not sure I understand why Tristan would change the course of his future, risk his life, and chase after Adele for it.3. Editing - Every author has editing points that are missed; it's the nature of writing, but when those issues are prevalent, I start highlighting them. In this case, there were a few things that got to me. Incorrect semi-colon/colon use and missed commas were standard grammar issues, and some sentences could have benefited from tightening (for example, "...I think about when my next scheduled visit to the Moon Realm is.").
4. Character Development - While I did genuinely like most of the characters (particularly Cole and Roc), I didn't feel they grew much throughout the novel. The main focus of the plot is non-stop action, which will appeal to many people, but for me it came at the expense of getting to know the characters and their internal struggles.
5. POV - The Moon Dwellers is told from first person point-of-view, alternating between Tristan and Adele. While this is handled well throughout much of the novel, some scenes were repeated from the other person's perspective without adding value to the plot. This slowed down the pace at times. In one big fight scene, when the POV is switched in short succession repetitively, it also dampened the emotion for a pivotal moment.
Despite these personal quibbles, I enjoyed The Moon Dwellers overall and think David Estes is worth reading and following. I suspect we'll be seeing great things from him in the near future.
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