Nimue

I was so intrigued by the cover I had to get the book. I normally don’t read a lot science fiction but I gave it a shot. And man, did this book convince me to read more of it.

I read the first chapter and I was mesmerized. The POV is alternating between Kieran and Waverly, the two main characters, which gives you inside into what happens on both ships as the two are separated in the middle of the book (I can’t say more without giving away too much). I liked Waverly (weird name, I know). She is a strong character. She reminded me a bit of a scientist, very questioning and not accepting rules or facts easily. I really liked her attitude. She is in a very difficult, maybe life-threatening situation but won’t give up and uses all available resources. And then there is Kieran. He seems to be the good guy, a real leader who will fight for his people. He is the incarnation of charismatic and believes in the mission. And he loves Waverly and moves the sky (You can’t say heaven and earth when they are actually in space!) to get Waverly back. Waverly however is not convinced that Kieran is the guy to marry and have children with, at least not with 16. Though everyone is pressuring her because the mission is above everyone else. Which means giving birth to the next generation. She has still some feelings for Seth, who is also 16 and a bit rough. He is kind of the opposite of Kieran. More withdrawn and is very rude and undiplomatic in his interaction with other people.

I’m still not sure what to think of both guys. It the beginning it seemed clear that Kieran was a great boy and Seth though edgy was alright. Then they enter a very stressful situation and extreme character changes happen. I wasn’t happy with it but all right I arranged my point of view. But then new facts are coming up and once again the picture is completely different or maybe not? The author manages perfectly to keep us questioning what is right and what not. This is by far no complain. The before seemingly straight plot got more and more layers. Especially in the last third of the book the addition of moral and religion and how we use these added a new dimension to the whole story. Something I didn’t expect at all and I didn’t appreciate immediately, because I thought that suddenly this book would become a tale of faith (I don’t want to offend anyone, but I am an atheist.). But no, there was more to it and unfortunately I can’t say more.

The ending offered kind of closure but there are quite a few questions still open. And I want to know the answer which will make me pick up the next book, for sure. Overall a very fascinating science fiction book or dystopian tale in the deep space, with plenty of action, suspense, character development and layers and layers of truth.