Katherine Harbour's Blog - Posts Tagged "science-fiction"

A cyborg Cinderella in a futuristic Beijing and a stepmother and stepsisters who are portrayed as a family, not cardboard villains. A sexy prince who acts like a true ruler and a fairy godfather who's a scientist. And an evil queen from a race of terrifying, predatory people called Lunars. These are the clever elements of CINDER. The heroine of the title is a tough, practical young woman in a bad situation, which brings the story into fairy tale territory, even with the science fiction setting. In a world plagued by a virus which takes its toll, Prince Kai is dealing with his own escalating dangers, and this creates a bond between him and Cinder. It's Cinder's tenuous position in her world--and the Lunars--that drew me into the story. And, yes, you really root for her to go to that ball.

The Ark

A meteor has been heading for earth and monolithic ships have been built to move a select number of human beings off-planet. The rest of the world is left behind.

Char is a young woman sentenced to a facility for juvenile delinquents. She knows she's one of the doomed ones. Her mother and father, as citizens of good standing, have been selected to leave. On a last family visit, her mother slips Char a ticket for one of the ships.

With the help of a boy a year older than she is--Isaiah, who is also blind and has a dark secret--Char escapes into the world, where betrayals and unexpected allies await. Char is a resourceful, intelligent heroine, and Isaiah soon became my favorite character. Eren, the son of the ship's captain is a noble ally, and, when his life is placed in danger by someone she trusts, Char must make a sacrifice.

The Ark is a suspenseful sci-fi novel with intriguing characters. For anyone who enjoyed Divergent or The 100.