Review: Remarkably good young adult sci-fi story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 22, 2011
This is a young adult science fiction and I was surprised that it is as good as it is.  I am not usually a fan of sci-fi, but this was different enough without being weird.  I actually was interested in what the world would be like 70 years after an alien invasion - when electricity has been eliminated, but buildings and other things are still in place.  It was fun to picture the things they were finding and identify them in our time.This is basically a quest - 16 year old Amaryllis accompanies her father and two guards as they head into the west in search of a man who may be able to bring back electricity.  It is mainly the story of her growing and changing.  I thought this was quite well done.  The changes were believable and it was good to see her become strong and independent.  The other characters are interesting and all of them are developed enough to make the story move well.  The love story between Amaryllis and Marlowe, the young guard, is well done.  I think that young girls, especially, would identify with the beginnings of the feelings of young love.  I appreciated the fact that marriage was important to them and that they made a decision to wait until they were married for sex.The ending was good/bad - I thought that the development of Amaryllis was left at a point that felt good.  She was strong and capable and in charge of her own life and decisions.  She knows who she is and what she wants.  However, most of the rest of the story is left hanging.  Of course, it is the first book in a trilogy, so that is probably to be expected.  I do prefer when a book that is part of a series ends in such a way that it could stand alone.  This one does not.I would recommend this book, especially to young readers.  It would certainly make them think about how little would function without electricity!  Let's hope we never really have to face that.I received a free copy of the book in exchange for writing a review.