True Calling by Siobhan DavisReleased: 1st October 2014
Series: True Calling #1
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Source: Author
Pages: 410
My Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
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Planet Novo, nestled in space twelve hundred miles above the surface of the Earth, is the new home of 17 year old Cadet Ariana Skyee. Confused by the government-sanctioned memory erase and distressed at her impending forced marriage and motherhood, Ariana’s plans for the future are thrown into complete disarray.
As the traumatic events within her family life unfold, Ariana grows increasingly alarmed at the authorities apparent pre-occupation with her and feels progressively more isolated and alone. Her growing feelings for fellow Cadet Cal Remus intensify as the recently announced pageant, ‘The Calling’, gets underway. Struggling to comprehend the continuous, inexplicable dreams of the mysterious Zane, discovering the past helps shape her future, with devastating personal consequences.
As the traumatic events within her family life unfold, Ariana grows increasingly alarmed at the authorities apparent pre-occupation with her and feels progressively more isolated and alone. Her growing feelings for fellow Cadet Cal Remus intensify as the recently announced pageant, ‘The Calling’, gets underway. Struggling to comprehend the continuous, inexplicable dreams of the mysterious Zane, discovering the past helps shape her future, with devastating personal consequences.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review
Although it does have some features reminiscent of other YA science-fiction/dystopian novels out there, True Calling has a few unique elements of its own to add to the mix. With conspiracies and customs of the new world to challenge, for the most part I enjoyed this book. While I did have some minor qualms with it, on the whole I would recommend it as a new addition to this genre.
What I liked about True Calling was the worldbuilding, which the author made sure to make explicit in the early chapters of the novel. Every scene was described really well so that you could truly imagine what it would be like to live on Planet Novo. 'The Calling' aspect as it turns out, which was quite similar to the system in novels such as Matched turned out to be just one element of a story where there is much more to this new colonisation than what meets the eye. The new developments which came to light about what really was happening back on earth and how this was to impact Novo were interesting and where the mysterious Zane came in as well.
The characters themselves were quite well developed, though their language at times didn't suit the persona of a teenager. Ariana though at the start seeming quite headstrong and rebellious without any true direction did develop to an extent which was good to see. The hint at a love triangle did slightly take away from the impact of the action and conspiracies going on elsewhere, however it wasn't the central focus for the book as a whole.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you're looking for a vividly created world much similar to earth but with far more secrets beneath the surface, then you should find True Calling to be an enjoyable read. The plot has more depth than you may at first think, and it's good to see that there are some new additions to the 'dystopian formula' which makes this novel refreshing.
What I liked about True Calling was the worldbuilding, which the author made sure to make explicit in the early chapters of the novel. Every scene was described really well so that you could truly imagine what it would be like to live on Planet Novo. 'The Calling' aspect as it turns out, which was quite similar to the system in novels such as Matched turned out to be just one element of a story where there is much more to this new colonisation than what meets the eye. The new developments which came to light about what really was happening back on earth and how this was to impact Novo were interesting and where the mysterious Zane came in as well.
The characters themselves were quite well developed, though their language at times didn't suit the persona of a teenager. Ariana though at the start seeming quite headstrong and rebellious without any true direction did develop to an extent which was good to see. The hint at a love triangle did slightly take away from the impact of the action and conspiracies going on elsewhere, however it wasn't the central focus for the book as a whole.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you're looking for a vividly created world much similar to earth but with far more secrets beneath the surface, then you should find True Calling to be an enjoyable read. The plot has more depth than you may at first think, and it's good to see that there are some new additions to the 'dystopian formula' which makes this novel refreshing.
Ooh, this does sound spectacular. And I'm completely in love with the cover. #shallowbookworm BUT STILL IT'S GORGEOUS. I'm a sucker for space covers. That's awesome that it has some refreshing twists on the same-old-same-old dystopian formulas. bleh. I'm tired of rereading the same book. So refreshing? YES PLEASE.
ReplyDeleteExactly! It's great to read something new that stands out from the crowd :)
DeleteOoooh interesting. I'm with Cait on the awesome cover. And I love space books. Well, in theory. I've never read very many...
ReplyDeleteHaha glad to hear you like the cover - and in theory, I'm sure you'd enjoy this one ;)
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