★★★★★ 5
Loved it!
Format: Kindle
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I started reading this book, but it definitely wasn't what I got. And, what I got was so much better! The idea of large groups of people just being taken from Earth on a schedule and yet the general population still having a rather blase attitude about avoiding large crowds is something that, 2 years ago, I would have said was unrealistic. After living through 2020, I now think it's incredibly realistic. As is the reaction had by a lot of the ones taken with Emma - well, before the coughing started, anyway.
As for the trials. Holy crap! I can't imagine having to go through those, but I loved Emma's absolute determination to make it through them so she can (somehow) make it back to Earth and see her family again.
Also, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the first trials section went, as it can be very difficult for authors to maintain a flow when there's one person. Having Suri there for conversations helped, but Wells did a masterful job there.
Then we get to Hub Two and the difficulties there, and man! While I do hope that Emma doesn't have to keep taking so many crazy risks, her sheer determination to make it through works so well. Even though she clearly has plot armor that prevents her from dying, all the close calls - and the ways she gets out of them - are done really well. None of them seem outlandish or unrealistic, at least to me, which I greatly appreciated.
I am definitely looking forward to reading book 2.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2021
