I am a huge Nick Lake fan and so I couldn’t wait to read Satellite - I wasn’t disappointed. I don’t generally enjoy sci-fi novels and so I was worried that this wouldn’t be for me, but the style here is so unique and the characters so beguiling that I couldn’t help but enjoy every page. Nick Lake is one of the most unique YA writers of our time, and he’s done it again with this book. Perfection!

With thanks to Netgalley and Hachette children's group

Leo is human but has never set foot on earth, but that is about the change when he has to make the trip home to earth. Can you call earth home if you've been on earth?

Satellite is a all round good read that is perfect for the YA readers, think of the Martian but set on a space station.

Okay I absolutely loved how this read like a quietly soft contemporary but in space. It's the perfect collision of sci-fi vs contemporary with a little dystopian dashed in as well. I mean YEAH you probably have to suspend disbelief, but also as someone who knows a pot of squash about space ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I had 50% a good time and 50% had no idea what the astronauts were saying.

Also it has unique formatting! It has no capital letters and it uses text-speech, so it's basically: "i c u spinning around in 0 g in space." That style? At first I was like grit-teeth-get-through-this...but then I just really liked it! It flowed and it just felt like LEO. (My only remaining thing is, I felt the text-speech for some reason made him feel really young? To me he felt like 13 lmao.)

So Leo? I LOVED LEO. He is a soft space boy, kind of a genius, and like the kid has grown up in a space shuttle. He's never never felt gravity. He likes science and he's very intense but doesn't talk much. His only companions ever have been a few adult astronauts and Libra and Orion who were also born in space. They are TIGHT it's very cute (but I don't feel like we really ever knew the twins?) And Leo is like super adorably fond of his grandpa (who he's not met yet) and his mum is like a GLACIER UGH. But he was sweet! And clever! And wanted so so much and I felt that want on all the pages. Also look at this soft cinnamon son who is unapologetically gay. I love this!! I wish I could pick up more books and the characters would be queer just as often as they'd be offhandedly straight. (Tho I'd consider it to not have romance tbh. But Leo was a LITTLE distracted, by, like, not dying.)

Although um I do have to confess.... The astronaut and science parts were TOTALLY lost on me (I am just not tech savvy?) and it was very very slow.

But overall?! I'd wanted to read this forever and I'm really glad I finally got to! I loved Leo and how soft and contemplative he was. And like SPACE. And kids born in space! And conspiracy theories! And lies! And secrets! I was a little stressed but like thIS IS GOOD

I've been on a sci-fi kick lately. Or rather, I've been on a anything-to-do-with-space kick. I started reading a non-fiction astronomy book the other day and after reading 50 pages, I felt like reading ALL THE SPACE BOOKS. I had 3 sci-fi books out from the library and I decided to pick up Satellite as the premise sounded incredibly intriguing (and that cover is super pretty too).

I picked it up...and nearly put it back down. Why? Because it's got quite a peculiar writing style that is reminiscent of this:
i look out of the window & i c the oceans underneath me.
Not a direct quote from the book, but that's how the text reads. All lowercase (except for the characters' names) and written in text speak. I found it incredibly jarring and quite hard to get into. In fact, like I said, it made me almost put the book down. But man, I'm so glad I persevered. This book was beautiful and gripping and emotional and utterly heartbreaking. Push through, trust me, it's so worth it.

Satellite is told from the point of view of Leo, a boy who was born in space and has lived on a space station his entire life. Him and the twins, Orion and Libra, have been taken care of by astronauts their whole lives and prepared for the day when they'll travel back home: Earth, where they've never been before. To Leo and the twins, Earth is beautiful but deadly and it will take everything they have to defy the death and danger that threatens to destroy them.

Guys. I really loved this book. I got a copy out from the library, but I'll definitely be needing my own copy. I can't wait to reread it and fill it with tabs that highlight all my favourite passages that evoked a vast amount of emotion within me. Going into this book, I wasn't expecting it to be so emotional and heartbreaking. However, I teared up 5 times in the first 183 pages. I'm preeetttyyy sure that's a new record. The raw honesty of the main character, the devastation of their situation and the simple writing that was packed with emotion combined to form a powerful, compelling read.

I loved the characters. Leo, Libra and Orion were wonderful. Leo is fascinated by maths, engineering and astrophysics. All he wants is for his mother to notice him and act how a mother should, instead of being cold and distant; as well as to go live with his ex-astronaut grandfather on his ranch as soon as he lands on Earth. Libra is fascinated by plants and aspires to be a botanist. Orion loves nothing more than to get lost in his music and poetry. I loved their personalities and how they were all different from one another. The bond they shared was so unique; I loved it. I loved how immersive this book was and that I got to be fully inside of Leo's head. His thoughts and emotions were written with spectacular authenticity. The one qualm I have though, is that I think Libra and Orion could've had more depth. I loved them, but I didn't really feel as if I knew them.

I loved Leo's grandfather as well. I adored watching their relationship evolve and the dynamics between them. In fact, I thought the evolution of relationships in Satellite were written with breathtaking honesty; it showed the complexities and the intricacies involved in relationships between parents, friends and love interests. The genuine nature of these relationships and the way in which they developed wrapped this book in emotion and feeling.

I loved the plot. A story about a boy being born in space and then flying to Earth and trying to adjust to life here? It's a fantastic idea and I thought it was executed brilliantly. Satellite also had some thriller elements that I wasn't expecting, as well as ominous scenes that added a layer of suspense and grit to the novel. There were many scenes that had my heart thumping and my palms sweating as they were shocking and unexpected. It infused the atmosphere of the book with danger which resulted in a page-turning, exhilarating reading experience.

Satellite is also a diverse book. It's implied that Leo and his family are people of colour and that Leo is gay. However, it's written in a way that doesn't make it a book that's trying to include diversity just for the sake of it. It's just who the characters are; it's just a part of the story. I think those who seek to read books rich in diversity will appreciate the sensitivity with which the author wrote those elements.

I loved the themes in Satellite too. The exploration of love, friendship and the meaning of what home is to each of us. It explored the sensation of not belonging and an ache for the home you used to know in a painfully honest manner. It traversed into the territory of mistrust, confusion and heartbreak...as well as into the territory of hope, longing and love.

I think that's what I loved most about Satellite - it captured the extraordinary, messy, breathtaking existence of life. The simple, unique style of writing somehow exactly captured the simple things in the most miraculous light. The sheer beauty that Leo viewed everyday things in made me tear up on several occasions. The amount of feeling, wonder, sorrow and love that the author encapsulated in this novel broke my heart and stitched it back together again. The writing was gorgeously poetic; it made me notice, truly notice the wonder in every day things that has faded over time. The sensation of gravity, the explosive deliciousness of ice cream tingling my taste buds, the indescribable splendour of hearing all of life's emotions unleashed by the stroke of piano keys and the song of a violin.

Satellite is a love song written to Earth, space, the universe and our extraordinary existence. It's about love and loss, hope and heartbreak. It's about belonging and learning. It's human emotion and human experience revealed in raw, breathtakingly honest prose. Unique and otherworldly, I am in love with this book.

Hmmm. In many ways the thrust of the story wasn’t original but the way it was handled is unique.

I liked the very thing that seemed to put others off: the language! I believe students would really enjoy the use of text speak. It is the world they live in and the language is reflecting their reality.

Unfortunately I could not get in to this book, and did not end up finishing it. I found the writing style to not be engaging.

It may appeal to other readers.

I'm a massive fan of space books and I'm starting to gather a small collection of them on my shelf. So, when I went to YALC last year and got a little packet of Satellite goodies, I couldn't WAIT to read the book. I was so happy to be accepted on NetGalley!

My first impression of the book was that it was... different. The writing style threw me off a little bit, because it's written without capital letters (except for nouns) and certain words are written in text speak (e.g. c, u). I put this down to the fact that the narrator hasn't had any experience of proper education like kids on Earth, and that he's writing as everything is spoken. I quickly got used to this though, and when my sister pointed out how weird it looked, I completely forgot it was different!

At first, the story reminded me a lot of The Space Between Us, a 2017 film starring Asa Butterfield. That's also about a boy who grows up in space and comes to Earth, so the similarities were obvious. However, that's pretty much where the similarities stopped. Where The Space Between Us mostly focused on the typical Hollywood romance with a girl he liked, Satellite definitely didn't. In fact, the main character, Leo, showed signs throughout that he's gay, and I loved that! It wasn't in-your-face or "oh look this character is GAY!!" - we just learned about his sexuality through his occasional thoughts about his friend, Orion.

One of the strongest points of this book for me is the characters. All the main characters seem to have so much depth, even if we don't know very much about them. We have Libra and Orion, who are twins and Leo's best (and only) friends in space. There's Leo's mother, who seems cold-hearted but we learn a lot about her. (I saw a lot of myself in her, actually.) Then there's Leo's lovely grandfather, who Leo goes to live with down on Earth. He runs a ranch that sounds beautiful from the descriptions, and he's so supportive and loving. All he wants to do throughout the book is help Leo to become the strong astronaut he wants to be, and I loved him.

The book was a little bit slow for some of the beginning, although I enjoyed it all. I never felt bored. But then, about 65% through, it suddenly got INTENSE. I couldn't stop reading - I read the last 40% in one chunk! There are so many revelations that have been waiting to happen throughout the whole story, and it was great to finally know the truth. There were bits that made me want to cry, and then the race towards the end of the book was so tense that I was rooting for everything to go well. (I won't give any spoilers but it's one hell of an emotional rollercoaster.)

If you love geeky books about space and enjoy the sci-fi elements of books like The Martian and Artemis by Andy Weir, you'll love this. If you love well-developed characters and effortless (but not in-your-face) LGBT representation, read this right now.

I can't wait to buy the physical copy to go on my shelf!

Satellite is the first Nick Lake I’ve read and I was mainly drawn in by the simple premise – children born in space preparing for their first trip ‘home,’ to Earth.

The book is split into clearly-defined parts – starting in space days before Leo and his best friends Orion and Libra are due to go to Earth from the International Space Station, and the second act as they experience life on this planet. The third part deals with the consequences of the reality of their new life on Earth.

Satellite is beautifully written, describing the wonder of Earth as seen from space initially, and yet incorporating a lot of scientific language. The concept of the book really makes you think about your own existence here and the things we take for granted, like gravity and movement on this planet.

Nick Lake introduces us to the characters right at a crucial juncture, hours before Leo’s mother is due to return to the ISS from Earth and days before his leaving to go to Earth. Leo is a fascinating central character, a gentle soul with a simple dream to see his Grandpa and live on the farm in America. He is curious for knowledge and trying to live a full life, struggling with a mother who is cold, businesslike and distant. Leo’s relationship with Libra and Orion is heartwarming, having grown up on the space station together and knowing nothing else but the limited space of the station. They each have their own distinct personalities and interests, but share a common love and awe for the planet and its promise of so many dreams not yet realised for the trio.

There are several high-stakes action setpieces early on which left me with my heart in my mouth, one in space and one upon re-entry to Earth. The narrative slows down as Leo and his companions acclimatise to life on Earth. The writing takes on a lyrical tone as Leo is constantly in awe of simple concepts like rain falling, dogs running around, ball-throwing and most memorably, bacon-tasting.

The plot picks up again as Leo struggles to adapt in a near-future world, where water is ever more scarce and overpopulation has become problematic. There’s an overarching plot with hints of conspiracy theories, involving the corporatisation of space, but the plot stays tightly focused on Leo’s story.

Satellite is really a joy to read, from its descriptions of everyday life for us to its perilous setpieces in which human life seems so fragile. There’s also more than an allusion to the concept of these kids as ‘other,’ something to be feared and misunderstood. They’re painted as aliens, making us question our own welcome to ‘others’ in society.

This book is a wonderful and emotional novel, with a magical quality that emerges from the simplicity of describing the freedom of movement in space, the restrictions and beauty of Earth, and everything in between.

Leo, along with Orion and Libra, were not born on Earth. They were born in space, on the Moon 2 Space Station. They’ve never had to walk with gravity and they aren’t deemed strong enough to go back to Earth until they are 16 years old. However, when they make it to Earth, there are unexpected consequences to their arrival.

Satellite is a book that I think will be either a hit or miss to a lot of people depending on how they take to the writing style. It is written in text speak, narrated by Leo. There is no capital letters, little punctuation, and abbreviated words. I’m not sure on why this type of writing style was chosen, perhaps to highlight Leo’s youth and perhaps his distance and unfamiliarity to Earth?

I do have to say though, I am slightly disappointed in this read. I was expecting a science fiction read full of thrilling survivalist scenes in space. I was expecting something like The Martian for teens, a ‘ highly original space thriller’. Satellite had a promising opening full of science and intense scenes. However, after about the 20% mark, they made their way to Earth, and then the action stopped and the pacing lagged. Little happened and the mystery and ‘conspiracy’ was hardly there and I guessed it from the get-go.

The characters were a highlight of this book. Leo is a dreamer and a thinker. He wants nothing more than to follow in his mother’s footsteps to be an astronaut. Libra is an aspiring botanist, who longed for the day she could step onto Earth and tend to her own garden. Orion was a favourite; a music and poetry lover. I do really wish we saw more of their relationship and friendship though. Also, it was never stated on-page, but Leo is gay and showed romantic interest in Orion.

Overall, definitely not a bad book just not the book for me. I loved the science, and loved the premise, was fond of the characters but wasn’t overly fond of the pacing or the plot of the book. If it seems like your thing then go for it, I believe it will work for some people, and not for others.

Leo was born in Moon 2, a space station that orbits the Earth. He has never set foot on Earth. Not yet.
Once Leo is sixteen, he and his friends Orion and Libra, who are twins that were also born in Moon 2, will be allowed to travel to Earth.
The trio can't wait for the day they escape Moon 2, but will Earth be everything they expected?
Or will they wish they'd never left?

I love space and science so I was intrigued to read Satellite.
I liked Leo. The way he saw/thought of the Earth was unique and refreshing.
I appreciated that romance wasn't a huge part of this book. There was only a minuscule amount.
The plot was interesting and held my attention. I'm not sure how plausible it was, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
I'm not sure why the space station was called Moon 2. Was the ISS Moon 1? Maybe I missed something.
The text speak did annoy me at first but then I got used to it/ignored it.

Overall this was an enjoyable read.

Let me get the bad out of the way first.
I did not like the way this was written in text speak.
Now the good bits.
The characters were great and the story was a real surprise.
Alter the text speak and this would be brilliant.

Honestly this story is a beauty. There will be no spoilers, so the review won't be as in depth as I'd like it to be.

The formatting is rather strange at first, it's written in short hand/text speak and at times can seem a bit disjointed, but trust me. Persevere. I didn't notice it after a couple of pages and honestly I loved it! I received this as an eARC on Netgalley and I originally thought the copy had corrupted haha but realised it was intentional. I laughed, I cried (a lot actually) and was so invested in it. The detail about what it's like in space was so accurate (to what I've found out myself) that it made the whole thing more realistic. Everything was NOT perfect, in fact, sometimes it was a little bit much how many things went wrong...

There's even one bit towards the end which makes me think that Nick must have read Chris Hadfield's autobiography as some details were so accurate to it (not a bad thing, in fact a very good thing).

I've had such a book hangover from this I haven't been able to read in days, as it's had me thinking about it constantly. Definitely deserves the 5*.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a surprise since I often find Nick Lake books to be a little slow, but this one had such a good concept and was written well enough for to hold my attention. It went into things that I would never even consider. No sci fi book I've ever read has even touched upon the significant differences in the way a child's body would develop when they have spent their entire life without gravity.

It was still slow, but I found that the slowness just didn't matter. I enjoyed taking my time over it and discovering more about Leo and how he adapts to life on Earth. The fact that there were always mysteries surrounding their birth and why Leo couldn't get in touch with Orion and Libra helped a lot, but I do think that the main thing was just the fact that it was so interesting and well thought out.

The only thing I didn't like was the fact that it was written with u instead of you and c instead of see. It's something that just really annoys me. I'm not even sure teenagers write like that anymore. Without constraints on the number of characters, why would they need to?

In all though this was an amazing book, so different from anything else I've read.

The pitch is so accurate in saying The Martian for teens. The story is entertaining while mixing in realistic science. It's really quite brilliant. The plot is character-driven and a page-turner, through and through. If you enjoy YA science fiction, this one will give you a new bar to reach. It's plausible, but that's what makes this one a stand-out. Definitely The Martian for teens.

I loved the idea of this book more than the execution. Especially as I ended up having to give up on it. I just couldn't get used to the writing style, which is more my issue than the book's fault. I stand by liking the premise and the concept was solid. I even liked Leo but I could never fully get into the story because of the style and that was upsetting for me. There are just some things you can't get passed in a book and that was something I couldn't get passed. I have seen plenty of enthusiastic reviews for this book, though, so I know mine isn't the dominant thinking on it.

I was not going to bypass a story pitched as THE MARTIAN for teens, and SATELLITE fills its brief fabulously: you won’t be disappointed if you come looking for realistic space-exploration science. But this book delivered lots, lots more…so much that I’m planning to read it again.

SATELLITE follows 15-year-old Leo Freeman, one of the first babies to be born and raised on a space station, after his astronaut mom was discovered to be pregnant once in orbit. Leo’s got two older friend-“siblings” from a different mom, who got together with another fellow astronaut when they were on a long-term research program in orbit, part of preparation for human colonisation-journeys to other worlds.

The story begins just as a big change is coming for Leo and his friends Orion and Libra: after growing up in orbit, the three are being recalled to earth by the public-private “Company” who’ve funded the research.

And here’s the novel’s fantastic central concept: is earth home for humans who’ve never been on it? What unfolds is a story that explores this issue from every angle, and never disappoints.

RACE AND SPACE

I was excited to see that the main characters, the Freemans, are a black American family. It’s not just the children’s book industry who’s looking for more diverse books, my 12 year-old has frequently asked why the hero is stories is so rarely black, so I look forward to pressing SATELLITE into his hands.

Yet Lake’s story sidesteps the question of what it’s like to be black or even American — except perhaps in a single plot development that involves the Russians wanting to get their own back against NASA (The Russians have been left out of the modern space age after a megamerger of the US and Indian space programs with private enterprise.)

With neither race nor nationhood in play, the focus is all on family – or rather on the hothouse version of family that results when three generations of the Freemans give their lives to the Company, and to its mission to secure humanity’s survival beyond a dying Earth by settling new worlds.

A SPACE FOR LANGUAGE

As a writer, I was desperately in love with Lake’s masterful, pencil-sketch worldbuilding – this is a future with subtly different gender politics, as we see from cues like women who choose gene mods to give facial hair, male farmhands with chipped nail polish, and other men ‘no makeup at all.’

Prepare for your heart to break at the plausible descriptions of the environment (“I thought most wild animals had gone extinct,” Leo muses); and if you’re a language nut like me, you’ll love the subtle changes to English (the capital ‘I’ is now lower case, you is now ‘u,’ see is ‘c’.)

So, this is the world of SATELLITE – a near-future ecological dystopia with subtly different gender politics, where race is a non-issue (one of the only things I struggled to believe in the story), and where it’s somehow ok to raise toddlers in zero g, where they need to be strapped to treadmills to strengthen their muscles.

If you love space science, incidentally, you won’t be disappointed, because the physics is there (I think?): I’m no orbital mechanic, but the carry-on about gimbals and attitude control all sounds plausible and terrifying, and memorable phrases help the young reader (and me) grasp key precepts of space flight: “speed means height when you’re in orbit.”

The book feels true to its billing as THE MARTIAN for younger readers: there’s the same sense of inflexible, military-style protocols; repetition and preparation; and the all-important “boldface,” procedures that are written in bold text in process manuals and followed religiously, because they’ve saved someone’s life once.

But for a story that’s so redolent of science, SATELLITE also oozes poetry, on what feels like every page. I lost count of the paragraphs I wanted to highlight: Leo’s and philosophical reflections are all so quotable. I loved how Leo plays with language, and how he struggles to describe the alien beauty of nature with similes that never feel quite right to him; something in it reminded me of Jandy Nelsons’s THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE, and the way Lennon understands the world through music.

Here’s a scene where Leo’s recently been told by his Grandpa that, now Leo has come down to earth, the world is his oyster. Leo is stepping out into the fresh air from the Company test facility and getting his first good look at the blue sky and horizon:

“…the view is amazing: grass rolling away over gently undulating earth all the way to the sharp horizon, where the earth gives way to that shining blue-silk sky; & i feel the sharpness of the horizon too, it does something to me, it hinges open something inside me, like the blade of a knife, it shucks me, like an oyster. the world isn’t my oyster, i think.
the world is a knife.
i am the oyster.”

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

The book has my favourite trope ever: the outsider observes the strange new world he’s been thrust into. From the picture book DR. XARGLE’S BOOK OF EARTHLETS to Matt Haig’s THE HUMANS, other-stories have always been my preference, so I knew a treat was in store when it became clear that Leo and the others were on course to return to earth and experience everything for the first time. Birdsong. Fresh air. Ice cream.

And deception. There’s a lot of deception that begins to unravel, and Leo will need to decide what life he wants. There’s more than just Earth’s 1g gravity weighing him down, now that Leo is on the surface: there’s the changed relationship with his family, and with the Company that’s monitored his every heartbeat since his birth in orbit. Going against them is almost unthinkable, but with the trust broken, going along with them is impossible.

SATELLITE is a fantastic read, and yet another reminder that some of the best new literature in English can be found on the YA shelf.



ARC provided by: NetGalley

Published: Hodder October 2017 UK
Goodreads and Amazon rating: 5 stars
Satellite by Nick Lake, Published in the UK 17 October Hodder

Satellite is a very unique, character driven novel set in the near future. Through out the story we follow Leo, a teen-aged boy who was born in space, and has lived his life on Moon 2 orbiting Earth. It’s a really interesting idea, and it is carried out really well. I like all the science that is mentioned, it makes the situations feel more realistic and helps to highlight the seriousness of all the potential complications of life in space.

The first thing that I need to talk about it the interesting writing style. It took me a little while to adjust to the writing style in Satellite. It’s written in a way that could be compared to a sort of text speak, u in place of you, c in place of see and so on, and only names are capitalised. It took a little adjusting to, especially where the beginning of a sentence wasn’t capitalised, although this could have been more of an issue for me as a dyslexic reader. Having said that I did adjust, eventually it felt like a key part of Leo’s voice, and was able to immerse myself in the story.

Leo was a really interesting main character, with a distinctive voice. I liked that he has such a strong interest in space, which made the story that bit more interesting for me. I also really liked seeing his relationships with the other characters. Obviously he has had an unusual life, he was raised by rotating teams of astronauts alongside Orion and Libra, twins who were also born in space a few months before Leo. Orion and Libra are like brother and sister to Leo, and each have very different interests. I liked seeing them list the things that they most wanted to do when they got to Earth. It really reminded me of all the things that they had never experienced, living their lives on a Space station.

I found the relationship between Leo and his mother to be particularly interesting. While he see’s his mother every so often, she is one of the astronauts who works on the space station intermittently, their relationship is strained. Leo’s mother isn’t traditionally maternal or affectionate. She doesn’t know how to act around him which Leo finds hurtful and confusing. Seeing their relationship slowly develop, aided by Leo’s Grandfather, was really touching.

The world building in this book is very subtle, and gradual. As a reader, we learn about society through Leo’s encounters. In this future for example it is seen as completely normal for men to wear make up, and it’s only mentioned in passing. There is quite a bit of diversity in this novel. The space program itself is very multicultural, and Leo himself is gay and a person of colour, and has crushes on a couple of boys throughout the book. There is no racism or homophobia that I can remember anywhere in this book, and as a whole, at least as far as Leo experiences, society is more accepting. The only downside to experiencing the world through Leo is that his view is limited. He is very sheltered from the wider world, for his own protection. I would have been interested to see more of what was going on in the wider world, especially the global warming and water shortages that are mentioned, and how they are effecting people.

Satellite really makes you think about what you might take for granted. Because Leo has spent all his life in space, he has never experienced gravity, weather, and a million other things that we don’t even really think about. This is such an interesting perspective to have, and it’s really clear how much thought has gone into writing this.

Overall, if you’re looking for none stop action, this might not be the book for you. There are some twists and surprises along the way, but the focus is on the people. If you enjoy character driven stories, then this is a great choice.

Probably a 3.5. I read this as a Netgalley ARC and then part way through we got the book in physical form in the library so I dipped into that too.
Positives: lovely poetic writing, atmospheric opening and final sections, exciting not-quite-final scenes adventure.
Negatives: I struggle with non-adherence to traditional grammatical rules and style, my brain isn’t attuned to the lack of capital letters and text speak single character words. Consequently I really felt I had to concentrate on reading rather than getting lost in the story.

Also, for me, the middle section was far too drawn out. I’m pleased I read this, and I have lots to say about it, but ultimately it’s not a highlight read, and I feel it could have been.

Mixed feelings about this one; I can't quite decide what makes me hesitant to give it a glowing review. I liked the premise, and I loved the characters, but I feel like the story sagged a bit in the middle after such a promising start. Some of the writing was beautiful and I loved the picture it created in my head.

It took me a while to get into this book, whether it was the story, not picking it up enough or the grammar, I'm not sure. Once I got in the flow of the book I started to enjoy it. I liked the idea of living in space but wanting to come down to Earth and experience Earth. The conspiracies and mystery-building was spot on. I don't know if I kept comparing it to another space book (172 hours) which was horror and kept expecting the worst whilst reading the book.

Hated the grammar and punctuation of the book. I think it actually brought it down a star for me. The word I was never capitalised and "c" "u". Really grated on me and there was no reason for it! I remember doing my GCSEs when mobile phones and text messaging was starting to happen and our teachers were worried we'd use "text speak" (tx spk) when writing our essays but that soon wore off, now we have predictive text and spell checkers to ensure we're not talking text speak so there's no reason to have it in a book! A book about the future as well!

3.5 stars.