Echoes of War by Cheryl Campbell.
SparkPress (BookSparks), 2019. $17.
Language: R (251 swears, 73 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
The Wardens are the army of alien invaders who started the war hundreds of years ago. While some humans are fighting to defend from the Wardens’ attacks, a large group of humans and aliens are simply trying to survive the chaos of the war raging around them. Dani is one of these survivors. She’s always looked out for herself and her dog, but, when the opportunity comes to reclaim her home from the Wardens, Dani can’t help herself from fighting against the odds.
I was intrigued by the premise but skeptical as the story started. However, as the story unfolded, I found myself lost in Dani’s struggles and vision for the future. Her seemingly reckless and determined nature made sure that there was never a boring moment, and I fell in love with her friends made along the way. This story necessitates several large time gaps where the author jumps over weeks, months, and even years at a time. Usually I am not a big fan of big time jumps, but Campbell expertly crafted the transitions is a way that the flow was smooth and the story continued to be engaging through each time jump. Campbell’s success in making me interested despite a pet peeve I usually have with books only made me more enthusiastic about reading what she had written. The have only rated this book as “optional” instead of “advisable” for purchase because of the language rating. The mature content rating is for sex, prostitution, and attempted rape; the violence rating is for war violence, death, and suicide contemplation.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

This is a new premise for me. The idea of being an Echo is certainly intriguing. I enjoyed Dani's "lives" and the trials.and challenges in them. The world building was.excellent and the flow was steady. A very enjoyable read.

This was so well done. I was a little confused at first but went along with for the ride. The aliens in the story were astounding. The complicated gifts of this alien race had my mouth dropping wide open. It reminded me of “V” the TV mini series. Dani was a real character. Miles and even Oliver made the story even better. Good old Jace, his sacrifices were so selfless. I got really emotional at some key times. The bad guy Rowan, he was so bad. He was a true psychopath. We never did find out why her memories didn’t return like the other Ekkohs. I recommend this story highly. I love the Ekkohs will their be more stories about them?

A great read! The main character - Dani is a driven individual and it's hard not to love her. I look forward to reading more books from this author.

This was really interesting, so well written, amazing world building and the banter between characters I just loved so much. I loved the fact the main character wasn’t flawless and she was so genuine and real. This is a great start and I can’t wait to read more from this series.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This is solid sci-fi read! Well-written characters in an interesting plot with a good amount of action made this work for me. The main character is a bit immature at times, but good dialog made up a few deficiencies.

I really appreciate the advanced copy for review!!

As a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction, with the added dimension of long-term alien colonization, I was very much looking forward to reading this novel after reading the synopsis. It did not disappoint. Dani is a strong central character, without being forced. She has genuine and identifiable relationships which make her a character very easy to empathize with. I loved that it was set in the 'real world' in that the geographic references made the story believable in that 'what-if?' fashion.

There is a true cost to the cause Dani fights for and the clear progression of her development provides plenty of material, not only for this novel but also help to speculate what the future (and future novels!) might hold. The relationships between the character seem very genuine and the banter is enjoyable and help to build the characters. Dani's journey and fight are really enjoyable - hopefully, the next installment will follow soon!

Three of my favourite genres, survival, post apocalyptic and science fiction, all in one book? Add into the mix a complex, and flawed female protagonist, and plenty of action to keep me interested, it's easy to see why I couldn't look past Echoes of War when I saw it offered up on Netgalley for an honest review. And despite my high expectations, Echoes of War did not disappoint.

The first in a trilogy by Cheryl Campbell, Echoes of War is an edgy, post-apocalyptic sci-fi set in New England. Dani is a scavenger, living on the fringes of society as a Brigand, not trying to be a hero, and just trying to live another day with her brother, Jace. She avoids the Wardens, an alien race that has come to Earth and spent the last few decades trying to eradicate humans. But that all changes when she risks her life to save a human boy, and when he calls her out on her inaction, she decides to step up and out of the shadows, and try to fight back against the Wardens.

I loved the fact that Dani was far from perfect. She makes mistakes, sometimes even big ones, and in doing so, felt much more believable and complex. I enjoyed her gradual growth as a character from the first chapter, right up to the very end, the changes brought about by not only the events that unfold, but the friendships she builds over the years.

I found the first few chapters a bit confusing and it was difficult to really tell what was going on, and who was who. But once I got my head around that, I found Echoes of War difficult to put down. The romances, like the characters, were complex, and not the focus of the novel, though I did find Gavin's love for Dani a bit sudden and out of the blue, with few scenes at that point to establish it. However, as we do start to see them interact, it does start to make more sense.

Overall, I really enjoyed Echoes of War, and can't wait to see what Cheryl Campbell comes up with next in the sequel.

* This eBook ARC was provided by Sparkpress & Smith Publicity through NetGalley for an honest review.

Cheryl Campbell crafts a strong science fiction story with a rounded female protagonist. The book is wonderful because of Campbell's descriptions and dialogue, which add perfectly to an imaginative plot. Recommended for readers of this genre and newcomers who want to try out a strong contemporary title.

I've been trying to get into more sci-fi/fantasy books. It's usually not the first genre I pick up. Surprisingly, I quite enjoyed this book. I often find that sci-fi/fantasy can be hard for me to follow but that was not the case with this book. It was an easy to read/follow book and I also liked the main character.

*An early copy received from NetGalley and SparkPress in exchange for an honest review*

A post-apocalyptic, alien invasion world that follows Dani, a strong and likeable female character and her family/friends and their struggle to survive. The novel has many elements that kept me reading:
1) Interesting description of a future earth (although not too much description that it distracts from the plot/characters)
2) A conflict between good and evil where you assume good will prevail, but at what cost?
3) Solid character development. The witty banter between characters is particularly strong.
4) Love interests that are woven into the plot in a natural rather than an *eye-roll* way. It adds rather than distracts from the overall plot.

The ending leaves an opening for the story to continue and I look forward to reading more.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a pretty good sci do novel full of intrigue and action. Dani is a courageous young woman who fights back in a time of war between humans and aliens called Echoes. She discovers the truth about who she really is but doesn't allow it to deter her from her goal to unite factions and bring peace back to earth. it is a very well written novel, easy to follow and engaging. Definitely worth reading.