Happy release day to Alternity! In celebration, here's my review of it!
My Pre-Reading
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I really wish that there were more books in the YA science fiction genre that took an interesting concept and use it to turn everything upside down. Alternity does just that. While Skye thinks she's just a normal teenage girl living in New York City and working for a video game company, she comes to learn that the world is so much bigger than what she thought. People, places, and things are never what they seem, and your whole life could be a total lie.
Without giving too much away, I thought Mancusi did an excellent job creating a post-apocalyptic world with believable attributes and inhabitants. Terra exists completely below the surface, and has different levels for the different classes of people. And of course those in the lower class want to rebel against the upper class. But I thought it was really interesting that they didn't really want to overthrow the government at first - they just want to be able to "Gaze." And then, after several twists and turns, the Eclipsers learn that there is so much more to their fight than they originally thought.
At first, I was not a huge fan of Skye. I mean, I'm sure it's incredibly difficult to be caught between two worlds, and to find out that you're supposedly the long lost leader of an underground rebellion. That would be a shock for anyone. But I don't really think she handles it well. Seriously, if you remember someone you trust telling you to avoid a certain person, you should probably steer clear. Also, when people freak out when you take your "asthma" medication, don't you think you'd like to find out more about it before you take it again? I definitely didn't agree with some of her decisions, but I guess they made sense all things considered.
I did think that the pacing was a little slow near the beginning. It took me a while to get into the story, but after about the halfway point I started to tear through it. I couldn't wait to find out who Skye really is, or to find out what is really happening on Terra - is it really just a dream, or is it an alternate reality? Or even a completely different world? Why are there so many similarities between Earth and Terra? And Mancusi certainly delivered answers, which was very nice.
I think anyone who enjoys YA science fiction novels would enjoy this book. Especially if you're into things like The Matrix or online video games like World of Warcraft or any other online multiplayer video games like that. Although there were things that I thought could have been done better in this book, I really enjoyed it and found it to be a fun, albeit sometimes stressful, read. I would give it a 3/5.
--Ashley
