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sashapasha's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
Earth Girl is set in a future where humans have colonized numerous planets and travel between them instantaneously via portal. The protagonist is an 18 year old girl named Jarra, who is one of the people dubbed “Handicapped” because they are unable to travel to worlds other than Earth without going into anaphylactic shock. Handicapped people are looked down upon by society and considered subhuman by many.
In protest of discrimination, Jarra decides to enroll in a university course for off-worlders and pretend to be “normal” so she can prove herself and shove her superiority in the other kids’ faces. As time progresses, she realizes that maybe that’s not quite what she wants.
I couldn’t decide whether I actually liked the characters or not. Jarra is crazy, and I mean that in both the endearingly nutty and also clinically insane sort of way. She has a mental break partway through that drove me nuts while I was reading it, though I did find the way it was accepted as “tag leaders are mad” kind of funny.
The other big thing that bothered me was the moral stuffiness. I couldn’t tell how much of the prudishness was playing up the differences in this futuristic fantasy culture vs society of today and how much was the author pushing an agenda of sexual and moral Puritanism. Having read the first three books in the Telepath series, which have no religion or taboos about intimacy before marriage as far as I can tell, I’m inclined to give Edwards the benefit of the doubt. Still, it’s never pleasant to read about characters who insist on chastity and act scandalized when someone shows a little bit of skin or says the word “butt”. Very juvenile.
Overall I enjoyed it, but I’m not certain I’ll be continuing and would recommend the Telepath (Hive Mind) series over this one.
Earth Girl is set in a future where humans have colonized numerous planets and travel between them instantaneously via portal. The protagonist is an 18 year old girl named Jarra, who is one of the people dubbed “Handicapped” because they are unable to travel to worlds other than Earth without going into anaphylactic shock. Handicapped people are looked down upon by society and considered subhuman by many.
In protest of discrimination, Jarra decides to enroll in a university course for off-worlders and pretend to be “normal” so she can prove herself and shove her superiority in the other kids’ faces. As time progresses, she realizes that maybe that’s not quite what she wants.
I couldn’t decide whether I actually liked the characters or not. Jarra is crazy, and I mean that in both the endearingly nutty and also clinically insane sort of way. She has a mental break partway through that drove me nuts while I was reading it, though I did find the way it was accepted as “tag leaders are mad” kind of funny.
The other big thing that bothered me was the moral stuffiness. I couldn’t tell how much of the prudishness was playing up the differences in this futuristic fantasy culture vs society of today and how much was the author pushing an agenda of sexual and moral Puritanism. Having read the first three books in the Telepath series, which have no religion or taboos about intimacy before marriage as far as I can tell, I’m inclined to give Edwards the benefit of the doubt. Still, it’s never pleasant to read about characters who insist on chastity and act scandalized when someone shows a little bit of skin or says the word “butt”. Very juvenile.
Overall I enjoyed it, but I’m not certain I’ll be continuing and would recommend the Telepath (Hive Mind) series over this one.
jjmp1993's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
maatkare_j's review against another edition
3.0
Would have been 4 stars, but the pacing was uneven (it particularly dragged at the spaceship rescue, which should have been a high-stakes climax) and Jarra's problems resolved a smidgen too neatly.
katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
Solid 4 star, maybe 4.5.
I was ready to enjoy this from the moment I saw the protagonist was a history geek. It just hit me as being pretty unique.
Not dystopia but YA science fiction, Earth Girl is set on an Earth where portals have opened the stars to mankind. Humanity is spreading across the universe. Except for the one in a thousand born whose immune system cannot function on other planets and must limit themselves to Earth and the disgrace that being 'handicapped' entails.
Jarra is one such 'ape' as they are derogatorily termed. And she's determined to prove she's not second class or subhuman. Enrolling on a history course for students who want to sift for historical artefacts on digs across the Earth's more abandoned areas, her ability and determination instantly put her at the top of the class. She's a history buff, a dig expert, and hates 'exos' - people who are deemed normal and can teleport.
This first book in a series shows us a fully-functioning and vivid world that I instantly could picture, and wished myself into the portal world.
Jarra, I must admit, did actually feel a bit TOO geeky and know-all sometimes, forever bringing us our exposition and explanation by way of a long 'aren't I clever?' speech to fill us and her fellows students in. Yet she's also brave, tough, and later in the book shown to be incredibly vulnerable. She does tread a fine line between annoying and likeable though but I think skirts it on the right side.
Not many other characters are as well drawn, though her love interest is great, with some funny scenes as they compare favourite TV shows and banter.
The action scenes on the digs are good, can see them as good movie scenes, and Jarra's world as a whole a great creation.
Very enjoyable idea, original.
I was ready to enjoy this from the moment I saw the protagonist was a history geek. It just hit me as being pretty unique.
Not dystopia but YA science fiction, Earth Girl is set on an Earth where portals have opened the stars to mankind. Humanity is spreading across the universe. Except for the one in a thousand born whose immune system cannot function on other planets and must limit themselves to Earth and the disgrace that being 'handicapped' entails.
Jarra is one such 'ape' as they are derogatorily termed. And she's determined to prove she's not second class or subhuman. Enrolling on a history course for students who want to sift for historical artefacts on digs across the Earth's more abandoned areas, her ability and determination instantly put her at the top of the class. She's a history buff, a dig expert, and hates 'exos' - people who are deemed normal and can teleport.
This first book in a series shows us a fully-functioning and vivid world that I instantly could picture, and wished myself into the portal world.
Jarra, I must admit, did actually feel a bit TOO geeky and know-all sometimes, forever bringing us our exposition and explanation by way of a long 'aren't I clever?' speech to fill us and her fellows students in. Yet she's also brave, tough, and later in the book shown to be incredibly vulnerable. She does tread a fine line between annoying and likeable though but I think skirts it on the right side.
Not many other characters are as well drawn, though her love interest is great, with some funny scenes as they compare favourite TV shows and banter.
The action scenes on the digs are good, can see them as good movie scenes, and Jarra's world as a whole a great creation.
Very enjoyable idea, original.
dylan_tomorrow's review against another edition
5.0
Zan amaz! This was a wonderful adventure! I am still swept up in all the emotions and probably just gushing at this point, but so what!
Thank you so much, Janet Edwards, for writing this! I feel honored to have gotten to know Jarra and Fian and Playdon and her ProMum and her friends and all the other characters, even Krath! :D They revealed themselves beautifully over the course of the story as breathing, swearing, loving, real people.
The cultures you created felt so real and lived-in and I was fascinated again and again by the believable repercussions of portal technology for humanity that show up in every fibre of their society. True scifi at its best, showing us the repercussion of a piece of tech and immersing us in an utterly believable world that was shaped by it through and through. Also, finally a Utopian setting. Way to few of those around and way to many lazy Dystopian settings!
I adore the romance that slowly and believably builds in this book while never derailing it with romantic plot tumor syndrome. Heartfelt, romantic, real, full of delightful bickering, funny, inspiring, strengthening both of them. I got lots of warm fuzzy feels from it. :-)
I did not find this to be boring as some other reviewers wrote. Maybe a paragraph here or there slowed down a bit, but other than that there was always enough interesting interactions or plot developments happening to keep me glued to the book and not really let me go until I had finished it in a mere two days. For me, that is what makes my true favorites: They tag me and don’t let me go! ;-D
I wish I was more eloquent at this, but guys, read this! It’s rather fantastic character-driven scifi with gorgeous world-building and a gripping, if maybe a bit convenient and contrived plot. But so is real life sometimes, too (being stranger than fiction and all ...).
It made me laugh countless times, cry almost as much, sweat, swear, smile and swoon. It made me want to live in this future, be it as a norm or a handicapped.
I am so glad I found this book thanks to goodreads and so glad I finally got a scifi page.turner that really clicked with me. For years I’ve found scifi books harder to get into and consume at this magical have-to-finish-it-within-days speed than scifi TV shows and movies and even questioned my scifi fan card, but this reassured me that I am indeed a true scifi fan, just one yet to discover most of his favourite scifi books.
Oh, and I loved the author’s future language. Beam, lookup and newszie where particularly believable words for light, smartphone and tablet/ereader respectively. I am still not quite sure what nardle and grazzed mean exactly, though :D.
Thank you so much, Janet Edwards, for writing this! I feel honored to have gotten to know Jarra and Fian and Playdon and her ProMum and her friends and all the other characters, even Krath! :D They revealed themselves beautifully over the course of the story as breathing, swearing, loving, real people.
The cultures you created felt so real and lived-in and I was fascinated again and again by the believable repercussions of portal technology for humanity that show up in every fibre of their society. True scifi at its best, showing us the repercussion of a piece of tech and immersing us in an utterly believable world that was shaped by it through and through. Also, finally a Utopian setting. Way to few of those around and way to many lazy Dystopian settings!
I adore the romance that slowly and believably builds in this book while never derailing it with romantic plot tumor syndrome. Heartfelt, romantic, real, full of delightful bickering, funny, inspiring, strengthening both of them. I got lots of warm fuzzy feels from it. :-)
I did not find this to be boring as some other reviewers wrote. Maybe a paragraph here or there slowed down a bit, but other than that there was always enough interesting interactions or plot developments happening to keep me glued to the book and not really let me go until I had finished it in a mere two days. For me, that is what makes my true favorites: They tag me and don’t let me go! ;-D
I wish I was more eloquent at this, but guys, read this! It’s rather fantastic character-driven scifi with gorgeous world-building and a gripping, if maybe a bit convenient and contrived plot. But so is real life sometimes, too (being stranger than fiction and all ...).
It made me laugh countless times, cry almost as much, sweat, swear, smile and swoon. It made me want to live in this future, be it as a norm or a handicapped.
I am so glad I found this book thanks to goodreads and so glad I finally got a scifi page.turner that really clicked with me. For years I’ve found scifi books harder to get into and consume at this magical have-to-finish-it-within-days speed than scifi TV shows and movies and even questioned my scifi fan card, but this reassured me that I am indeed a true scifi fan, just one yet to discover most of his favourite scifi books.
Oh, and I loved the author’s future language. Beam, lookup and newszie where particularly believable words for light, smartphone and tablet/ereader respectively. I am still not quite sure what nardle and grazzed mean exactly, though :D.
karlation's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sarahlreadseverything's review against another edition
4.0
Amazing world building, brought down slightly by a too-good heroine and too boring love interest.
drsldn's review against another edition
5.0
I read a lot of genre YA, and enjoy it, but mostly I find myself getting a little irritated with the plot, characterization and writing. Not this time. I was completely absorbed, because Janet edwards world-making was very believable, it carefully balanced what one might realistically expect the future to be, with familiar references and usages. Jarra was written with depth and nuance, as were the other characters. Instead of screaming neon signs making the points about diversity, acceptance and developing maturity, it felt as if one were learning alongside the characters. Similarly, he plot twists were subtle, clever and sometimes surprising. Until I checked Goodreads, I was also very pleased that this was a stand-alone novel and I hadn't been dragged into yet another trilogy. It is one of a series, but there is no cliffhanger - one can stop and feel satisfied here if one likes. But I'm looking forward to the others now that I know there are more.
lsparrow's review against another edition
4.0
i really enjoyed the future world created by this book... although it felt like there were some holes in the theories/science I did enjoy the focus on changes in culture and society. I look forward to reading the next in the series