tl;dr - |✭✭✭✭✩| Overall, I kind of loved this book. Not to say that it was perfect, or didnt have moments where I was frustrated with the characters. But I found myself wishing there was more when I finished the story.
Description (from Goodreads) Without an influx of human DNA, the utopian colony on Kipos has eleven generations before it reaches failure. Earth is over ninety light years away. Time is short. On the over-crowded Earth, many see opportunity in Kipos's need. After medical, intelligence, and physiological testing, Abby and her younger siblings, Jin and Orchid, are offered transportation. Along with 750,000 other strong immigrants, they leave the safety of their family with the expectation of good jobs and the opportunity for higher education. While the Earthlings travel to the new planet in stasis, the Kiposi, terrified the savages will taint their paradise, pass a series of indenture and adoption laws in order to assimilate them. When Abby wakes up on Kipos, Jin cannot be found. Orchid is ripped from her arms as Abby is sold to a dull-eyed man with a sterilized wife. Indentured to breed, she is drugged and systematically coerced. To survive, Abby learns the differences in culture and language using the only thing that is truly hers on this new world: her analytical mind. In order to escape her captors, she joins a planetary survey team where she will discover yet another way of life.
I picked this book up at my work because it was part of the local authors/ signed copies endcap. I had started reading it at the register one slow night, and was intrigued. I bought it, then months later finally got to reading it. Its hard to describe this book (not just because I finished it like 3 months ago), because it was so different than what I was expecting, and I don't want to ruin that for people. It was kind of enjoyable to see the story unfold the way it did, wondering where it was going to go next, and surprise me.
Our main character, Abby, was at times absolutely infuriating to follow. But her story felt real, its something that has definitely happened to people immigrating to a new society, and in this book's case, literally a new world. Perhaps thats why I got so frustrated to her. I didn't want the things to happen to her like they were, but as a reader we are powerless to stop it. So we have to go on the same journey she does, and it isn't exactly a pleasant journey.
This book is definitely more science fiction than fantasy. There is a lot of talk about the different technology used, the space ships and the physics involved in their space flight. Sometimes it went over my head, but overall it was interesting and felt as though it made the read a little more challenging. I definitely enjoyed this book and the story telling, as I mentioned in my little blurb at the beginning, I finished the book and was sad there wasn't more to read and explore. I would suggest this book to others who enjoy the scifi/space travel genre.
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