Welcome to my tour stop! Read my review and enter the giveaway below...
Water's Break
By Sophia Hansen
YA Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Christian
Hardcover, Audiobook & eBook, 320 Pages
January 9, 2024 by Enclave Escape
Summary
What if fear itself is the deadliest undercurrent of all?
Nica would do anything to avoid the hassles of her sister’s bonding ceremony—the wrap fittings, hairstyles, and braided fire coral—but she never imagined that the waters covering her planet would be broken. As the heavens rained fire and stone, mountains erupted from the sea and dry ground was birthed on the Deep, dividing the water—and the Olomi people—for the first time in their history.
In the wake of her world’s violent re-formation, Nica’s family is shattered. When the rookie Guardian leaves the safety of the Deep to find her sister, she is abducted by strange landwalkers who possess strength and technology beyond her imagination. Nica realizes that the disaster from above was by their design—a calculated plan to terraform the water planet and conquer her people. All Nica wants to do is find her sister and swim home to safety, but with the landwalkers closing in, escape may not be possible. And if Nica can’t save herself, how can she hope to save her sister—or her people?
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My Review
WATER'S BREAK is one of those stories that is intriguing enough to keep readers turning the pages. The world is so unique and lush, the characters complex and distinct, with a compelling story. Recommended to sci-fi fans who like a touch of romance and good characters, but a plot-driven story.
What to express about this book? I went back and forth on what to rate it. Usually I go by a mix of how much I loved a book, including its characters, and how well it was written. On the love-it scale, there were a few things I didn't like or weren't my thing. However, I found the story fascinating and am still curious about several things after finishing it. The world is honestly intriguing and I liked how the plot is set up and worked through. So even when I didn't like some things, the fascination with the world, its people, the goal of the invaders and the way they made the indigenous people be subservient (which was terrible) drew me in from the first to the last page. The writing style worked for me as well and I overall liked the main character. This is categorized as Christian or at least is published by a Christian publisher, but I didn't feel there were strong religious overtones or anything that felt forced. It read to me more like mainstream sci-fi/fantasy which I appreciated.
I also had a few issues with the story. There was a theme of self-martyrdom. The heroine would break down and blame herself for others' death and pain and become this weeping mess and that happened multiple times. This whole idea of someone dying by someone else's hand being your fault never works for me in stories, or at least not when it's repeated and the character doesn't move on. I got it, but it also didn't feel consistent to someone who would need to be strong enough to do what she needed to. There were also a few places where the story dragged a bit because nothing much was happening. I also wasn't a huge fan of the romance that felt too instantaneous to me.
In the end, was it what I wished for? This was a unique read with a lush fantasy world and two very different races vying for the same planet. The creativity of the author as well as the distinct voices of the characters brought to life a story that was well fleshed out. I'm definitely curious to see what comes next.
Content: Medically impregnating young women against their wishes, separating babies and children from mothers, forced servitude, a teenager giving birth, and descriptive violence.
Source: I received a complimentary copy through Celebrate Lit, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
About the Author
Tour Schedule
Texas Book-aholic, January 30
Exploring the Written Word, January 31
Blogging With Carol, February 1
Artistic Nobody, February 2 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 3
Locks, Hooks and Books, February 4
Guild Master, February 5 (Author Interview)
Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, February 5
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, February 6
Beauty in the Binding, February 7 (Author Interview)
Tell Tale Book Reviews, February 8
Wishful Endings, February 9
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 10
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, February 11 (Author Interview)
The Lofty Pages, February 11
Simple Harvest Reads, February 12 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Tour-Wide Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Sophia is giving away the grand prize package of a signed hardcover with swag (bookmark, stickers, character cards)!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
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