Review: Exciting, entertaining read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 25, 2012
On one level, Monica Millard's Children of the Gods tells the story about making the best of a situation when decisions are made beyond an individual's control. But it goes beyond that."For as long as seventeen-year-old Reka Cushing can remember, she has watched her friends and her neighbors be stolen, their bodies used as hosts for the Halorans; an alien race that has come to earth posing as gods. For just as long, Reka has lived in fear of drawing the eye of a Haloran, keeping her head down, hoping not to be caught in their sights."The only time she has ever been bold, tried to get what she wanted, a god, one more powerful, more dangerous than all others is watching."Though not wholly new to science fiction -- I've watched films and TV shows in this genre for years -- I am still a novice when it comes to reading it. At about 130 pages, the story is not dense and bogged down with too much science. Instead, it focused more on character development, which I enjoyed.I was most intrigued by the motives between the warring races, and the main character's inner turmoil. The conflict worked. Like Reka, part of me liked her captors while the other remained skeptical wondering what they had in store for her at any time. Millard also effectively uses characters from Reka's past to keep the story moving.For the most part, the pacing worked. The beginning and ending especially were fast-paced and action-filled. Some moments in the middle did drag for me a little - but never enough to make me lose my interest. I'm mixed on my thoughts about the romantic elements of the story. Part of me thinks Reka falls in love (I'm not saying with who) too quickly. But then again, I just said it was a fast-paced book. Plot has to happen fast. And even if it was a little rushed for my taste, it did not take away from the rest of the story.From page one until the last page, I never knew quite what to expect, which kept me guessing. This was an interesting, fast read for a basic newbie like me. I was hooked from page one. Overall, reading it was an eye-opener for me. It makes me want to branch out and try more genres and styles of writing.Rating: 4 of 5(originally published at [...])