Review: Lily and Zeph's altered DNA give them each amazing powers, Lily to heal and Zeph's to kill
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 12, 2013
Lily Charmichael lives outside the prosperous, advanced cities solar barriers that provide shielding from the deadly rays of the sun and radiation poisoning of future Earth. Instead she spends her life hiding in a cobbled-together survivalist compound her uncle Sam created to hide his orphan niece Lily and nephew Zeph from discovery. If the agents of the government find the siblings, the little freedom they have will disappear. Lily and Zeph's altered DNA give them each amazing powers, Lily to heal and Zeph's to kill.A stranger named Will wanders into one of Uncle Sam's bear traps one evening and Lily, against her better judgment, takes him in and helps him. Is he really a starving teen looking for his father, or does he have more sinister motives?When uncle Sam's cancer requires medication, Lily must brave discovery to travel with a caravan from the local village to the trading town of Albany. Will travels with her, planning to continue his search for his father once they arrive. Can Lily evade capture in the dangerous, government-controlled town? Can she trust Will? While she is gone, will Zeph give in to his deadly impulses and lose control?PJ Sharon has written a truly entertaining tale. I could really feel for Lily with her amazing power coupled with the stigma of unnatural life. Her struggle to restrain and protect the brother she loved made me hurt for her. She is a brave character with a strong sense of stealth despite her typical teenage insecurities and special worries about herself. Her differences give her drive and purpose rather than crippling her.The character of Will gives so much to Lily's mission, taking it from a quick dash to a complicated and exciting adventure. Her forgiveness and understanding shine through in her treatment of him. I love that she as a character can accept his struggle and sympathize with him even when he breaks her trust.I loved the mix of future and present in the makeshift tech, and the thought that obviously went into what a failing Earth ecosystem would look like and how people would cope.. The dying Earth issues the characters faced added a danger, complexity, and urgency to everything.Other than some mild passive writing and a few too many uses of "as" and "ly" adverbs, this book rocked the indie platform. Though it is the beginning of a series, I didn't feel cheated of a good ending or a loss of interest in the next tale of Lily's struggle. I approve this title for Awesome Indies. [...]I received this book from the author for the purposes of an unbiased review.