I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
What would you do if you found yourself on a new world filled with intelligent alien life, but you were now the alien? In a world of half truths and no answers, Liz must discover who she can trust and who she is when faced with the life or death circumstances that come with space travel in author Annie Douglass Lima’s YA novel, Heartsong. Here is the synopsis:
Synopsis
Two alien worlds.
One teen emissary.
No reality she can trust.
Thirteen-year-old Liz Smith has been ripped away from one foster family after another for years, so the idea of a permanent home is tantalizing. Who cares if that home is a colony sixty-five thousand light-years from Earth? The friends in her trusty e-reader will keep her company just fine on her interstellar relocation.
But when the adventure of a lifetime turns into the disaster of the cosmos, Liz can only retreat so far into the books that have always sheltered her from loneliness and loss. Trapped in half-truths and secrets that leave her questioning reality, can one orphaned bookworm find a way to stop two races from destroying each other … and somehow write a happy ending to her own story?
If you like books about space travel, aliens, or cross-cultural transitions, you’ll love this poignant science fiction adventure. Get your copy of Heartsong now to start the journey today!
This novel was really unique, as it explored what would happen if the human was the alien from another world, and the “aliens” had to decide whether or not the human was hostile or a friend. The author did an amazing job exploring a universal truth, which is the distrust and fear that comes from the unknown, and how sometimes opening ourselves up to new possibilities and finding common ground is the only way to avoid unnecessary violence and come together as one people. The unique differences highlighted between Liz and the alien people she comes into contact with made this an engaging, thought provoking YA adventure like no other.
The exploration of these new worlds highlights the different environments that would allow life to thrive and grow on other worlds, and puts our own history on Earth of conquering and taking what’s not ours, as well as the distrust we have for anyone or anything different than us, into a whole new light. The imagery used was breathtaking to imagine, and the emotional struggle of Liz and the people she meets is something a lot of people will be able to relate to.
Overall this was a fantastic story. Filled with heart, emotion and amazing sci-fi goodness that was kind of reminiscent of Lost in Space, this was a one of a kind novel that deserves to be read. If you haven’t yet be sure to pick up your copy of Annie Douglass Lima’s novel Heartsong today!
Rating: 10/10
Author Bio:
I was born in the United States of America but raised mostly in Kenya, which was my home for 14 years. Upon returning to the US, I attended Biola University in Southern California, where I majored in elementary education with an emphasis on Intercultural Studies. Shortly after graduating, I accepted a position as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in Papua, Indonesia (a country where I had long dreamed of living). The job lasted for a year, and not long after my return, I married my wonderful husband Floyd, who I’d met at college. The two of us lived and worked in California for nearly five years, but when we felt the time was right, it was a joy to move overseas and start a new life in Taiwan. We return to America every summer, but otherwise, we’ve lived in Taiwan for six wonderful years (and counting). I love my job teaching fifth grade at Morrison Academy in the city of Taichung.
A few of my blog posts about interesting aspects of life in Taiwan:
Linguistic Misadventures at the Prawn Palace Restaurant
What About my Writing?
I’ve always loved writing. Reading and writing were my favorite subjects in school, and I was seven years old when I decided I was going to be an author. My first novel (an untitled piece of Christian science fiction) was as ridiculous as you’d expect from a seven-year-old, and it’s probably a good thing I never finished it. But it got me excited about the idea of writing a book, and I can’t remember a time after that when I wasn’t working on some novel or other.
I was a college student when I woke up one morning after having an interesting dream and thought, That would make a great story. I should write it down! I did, and it turned into the first draft of what is now Prince of Alasia. I set the manuscript aside and forgot about it for a few years, but later I brought it out again, revised it, added details, and turned the short story into a novel. It was a dream come true when it was finally (after eleven and a half years and a lot of hard work) published as an eBook and later a paperback.
The more I worked on improving the story, the more I pictured other adventures the characters could have and other events that could happen in that setting. In the Enemy’s Service grew out of those ideas and was published nine months after I started it. Next came Prince of Malorn, which tells about the same events (and others) from the perspective of the neighboring kingdom. I have lots more ideas, and am currently working on two more books in the same series. Stay tuned for excited announcements as soon as they’re done!
Besides writing, my favorite hobby is traveling. Click here to see pictures and a brief description of my adventures in the nineteen countries I’ve had the joy of visiting so far.
Click here to read 25 random facts that most people don’t know about me.
Facebook page (remember to “like” it to get updates about my writing, new publications, and when my books are on sale or occasionally available for free).
