YA Review: Quarton: The Bridge (Quarton #1)

Title: Quarton: The Bridge (Quarton #1)
Author: Ian Hornett
Edition:
Kindle
Rating:
4/5

A clever sci-fi novel with an intriguing premise, the first book in the Quarton series sets the scene for an enduring interplanetary and intergenerational conflict.

On a dying planet, a group of scientists races to build a bridge across space. The plan is to escape from environmental disaster by sending colonists to other worlds using Quarton blocks to harness Dark Energy. But not everyone wants to see the bridge succeed, and an attack at the completion ceremony sees the destruction of the project, and the arrival of four aliens on Earth 5,000 years ago.

But they didn’t come alone, and the surviving Quarton blocks are scattered across the planet. As each block is discovered, the alien refugees are reborn to continue the search. Two of them are scientists from the team that created the bridge, and two of them are the terrorists behind the attack. Each of the four characters lives multiple lives, always remaining true to their original convictions. The mastermind and the engineer, fighting to rebuild the bridge and return home, and the rebels, seeking to destroy the Quartons before they can be used.

The story begins in 2067 in a war-ravaged London. Fen is a scavenger, searching for anything useful in the ruins. Her group pools their resources and trades them for food and other essentials. It’s a hard life, not helped by the cruel leader of her scavenging gang. But Fen has a secret – a block of stone that glows, and gives her dreams of other lives and other places.

Fen doesn’t remember who she is, or that the stone is calling the others to London – and she has no idea how her life is about to change.

It’s a great premise – alien technology, reincarnated characters, and a central relationship that plays out in every generation. Sometimes the blocks are saved, and sometimes the rebels destroy them, but all four players are trapped by the Quartons and compelled to risk everything to find them. Keeping track of which character is which can be a challenge as we glimpse previous lives and previous conflicts. The author warns us up front that this is the case, but he also reassures us that everything will be clear in the end. It is a testament to his strong characterisation and storytelling that this is, indeed, the case. It might be confusing at times, but everything falls into place in the final action-packed pages.

This is an original and ambitious story, and the author skilfully steers us through the important events across time, space, and multiple reincarnations. Bring on Book Two!

Have you read Quarton: The Bridge? What did you think of the story? Click through to the full blog to access the comments section, and share your thoughts! No spoilers, though – you can post those on GoodReads!

Review cross-posted to GoodReads.


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YA Review: On The Edge (Dwelling Hunter #1)

Title: On The Edge (Dwelling Hunter #1)
Author: MJ Glenn
Edition:
Kindle
Rating:
4/5

Ebony Wick is a highwaywoman. She grew up in a cruel orphanage in the Dwellings, escaping to join the city’s street gangs at the age of ten. Now she lives alone in the forest, raiding carts and coaches for goods she can sell to survive. With the help of a friend who drives the carts, and the fairies who visit her campsite, she makes a living and evades capture by the Snatchers, whose job it is to send her back to the orphanage until she comes of age.

There’s a legend about the Shadow, a demon who lives in the woods, and Ebony uses the story to frighten the victims of her raids. She enjoys her reputation as the Shadow, and the effect it has on the people she robs. She is determined to survive alone, and avoid the orphanage, but when a stranger arrives at her hidden campsite, the life she has built is threatened.

On The Edge is an exciting YA fantasy with a strong, independent female lead. Ebony is an intriguing protagonist. She knows nothing about her past beyond the orphanage and the sadistic man in charge. She is clever, resourceful, and strong, and it is easy to sympathise when her carefully guarded life is challenged by an intruder.

From the first nail-biting page to the last, Ebony’s story twists and turns through friendship, loss, acceptance and betrayal. As she learns more about her past, she must decide who she can trust to protect her from the Snatchers, and whether she is willing to give up her independence in exchange for the protection of another gang. Working in a group might offer safety, but she will need to learn to work as part of a team. If she stays alone, she might lose the opportunity for revenge on the man who runs the orphanage. It’s an agonising decision – is Ebony ready to choose?

Book two in the series is coming soon, and I can’t wait to read it!

Have you read On The Edge? What did you think of Ebony’s story? Click through to the full blog to access the comments section, and share your thoughts! No spoilers, though – you can post those on GoodReads!

Review cross-posted to GoodReads.


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