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printingbetweenthepages's review against another edition
5.0
This story is one of survival but also one of empathy, acceptance, and strength against all odds.
Jahira, her family, and many others have resided on The Aquilo after Earth was destroyed. Now, after a tragic accident, they are fleeing The Aquilo to save their lives from imminent destruction. Sadly, not everyone is successful in their efforts to flee The Aquilo. Jahira and her crewmates find themselves fighting for survival while looking for a new, habitable planet to colonize. At the same time, a group of Aliens, the Leroni, is fighting for their own survival against the harsh conditions of The Season of Ice.
The mysterious planet of Leron is a difficult place to live; rather, you are human or alien. Dangers are rampant. Silver pools draw you to drink, only to cause erratic life-threatening behavior. Freezing white-outs seem to occur with little to no notice, bringing with them well-below freezing temperatures. While Jahira is working to help her human counterparts survive, Kranar hopes to fulfill the prophecy that will save his alien race.
There is an emotional element to the storyline that unfolds, unlike any other, I have read in this genre. Bates' writing style reveals these emotional elements in such an endearing and intriguing manner that, as a reader, you begin to feel the emotions of the characters and the events that take place. The emotional storyline was my favorite aspect of Empyrean.
I highly recommend this book to others and look forward to reading the remainder of the series.
Jahira, her family, and many others have resided on The Aquilo after Earth was destroyed. Now, after a tragic accident, they are fleeing The Aquilo to save their lives from imminent destruction. Sadly, not everyone is successful in their efforts to flee The Aquilo. Jahira and her crewmates find themselves fighting for survival while looking for a new, habitable planet to colonize. At the same time, a group of Aliens, the Leroni, is fighting for their own survival against the harsh conditions of The Season of Ice.
The mysterious planet of Leron is a difficult place to live; rather, you are human or alien. Dangers are rampant. Silver pools draw you to drink, only to cause erratic life-threatening behavior. Freezing white-outs seem to occur with little to no notice, bringing with them well-below freezing temperatures. While Jahira is working to help her human counterparts survive, Kranar hopes to fulfill the prophecy that will save his alien race.
There is an emotional element to the storyline that unfolds, unlike any other, I have read in this genre. Bates' writing style reveals these emotional elements in such an endearing and intriguing manner that, as a reader, you begin to feel the emotions of the characters and the events that take place. The emotional storyline was my favorite aspect of Empyrean.
I highly recommend this book to others and look forward to reading the remainder of the series.
kortnireads's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
I would like to first thank Nicole L. Bates for sending me a free copy of her book to review! I am very thankful for the opportunity to review and share this book with more readers!
I think this was an interesting take one what feels like a classic sci-fi set-up: emergency crash onto new planet with different species. This was a unique take on this in that the humans meet the new species but only through a "Chosen One" envoy, of sorts.
While I enjoyed the idea of this, it ended up not appealing to me as much as I thought it might. As always, I am learning more and more what I like from certain genres and as I read more science fiction, I see what appeals to me more. I don't think the writing was the reason for this, more so just the story that was told. I wasn't invested or connected to the characters which made it hard to be invested in the plot. Things moved along predictably, but quickly, sometimes too quickly? As in, a complication would arise, then resolved off-page, leading to a lack of struggle throughout. In addition, there wasn't a clear adversary, besides maybe battling nature. It read more to be a story of survival, community, and melding of cultures. I suppose I have learned that isn't the type of story for me, because I found myself searching for the challenge or the enemy to work against while reading when the focus lies elsewhere for this book.
There is a set up for a romance, but it wasn't the focus of the story, which I appreciated. So in short, this was for sure a case of this wasn't for me, but has its own audience out there! So if a story of survival on an alien planet and the tasks that come with humans intermingling with another species (with the potential for an interspecies romance) interests you, do give this one a go!
I think this was an interesting take one what feels like a classic sci-fi set-up: emergency crash onto new planet with different species. This was a unique take on this in that the humans meet the new species but only through a "Chosen One" envoy, of sorts.
While I enjoyed the idea of this, it ended up not appealing to me as much as I thought it might. As always, I am learning more and more what I like from certain genres and as I read more science fiction, I see what appeals to me more. I don't think the writing was the reason for this, more so just the story that was told. I wasn't invested or connected to the characters which made it hard to be invested in the plot. Things moved along predictably, but quickly, sometimes too quickly? As in, a complication would arise, then resolved off-page, leading to a lack of struggle throughout. In addition, there wasn't a clear adversary, besides maybe battling nature. It read more to be a story of survival, community, and melding of cultures. I suppose I have learned that isn't the type of story for me, because I found myself searching for the challenge or the enemy to work against while reading when the focus lies elsewhere for this book.
There is a set up for a romance, but it wasn't the focus of the story, which I appreciated. So in short, this was for sure a case of this wasn't for me, but has its own audience out there! So if a story of survival on an alien planet and the tasks that come with humans intermingling with another species (with the potential for an interspecies romance) interests you, do give this one a go!
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