"Resistance" started off slowly for me and the world-building wasn't all it could've been. Gaea was essentially Earth without technology, which is a great plan, but the fact that Lia and Tyler could still use cellphones, diving watches, etc. in Gaea killed the fantasy world the author was building. On the other hand, the plot is solid, if a bit similar to other fantasy novels, and the characters were likeable. The story picked up about halfway through, and the cliffhanger at the end hooked me into wanting to read the next book in the series.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for arranging this arc! I hadn't come across the author previously, but after finishing Resistance, I would certainly read any of their other titles. I love the cover art especially.

Overall I felt it was an enjoyable read. It was easy to follow, and wasn't at all tiresome. It moves at a fast pace throughout, although the ending borders on rushed. That didn't tarnish the experience for me however. Loved our main character Lia but felt her twin Tyler needed more airtime. Hope to see more of them both in the sequel.

I'd recommend to others. 3.5 stars.

Lia and Tyler, twins recently resettled in Australia after the death of their parents, meet a calm stranger, Coen, with fantastical abilities, who changes their entire lives. Descended from a royal line in a parallel world, Lia has the power to help Coen’s people against a force of darkness.

I enjoyed the similarities and differences between Earth and Gaea. The sibling relationship was supportive and sweet. This was a well-paced, easy read that kept me engaged and turning pages.

The pace slowed just a bit around the midpoint when they are training for their quest—and almost every new skill they attempt, they master easily. I would have enjoyed a few more roadblocks along the way for them to struggle through, but other than that, this was a fun read.

It also had a good twist at the end that made me intrigued for book two.

Thanks to NetGalley for the complimentary electronic copy in exchange for a review.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book.
This book was a great start to a new series! The book was engaging and fast paced. The concept grabbed my attention from the start and held me through the whole book. I cannot wait to see what comes next.

Twins Lia and Tyler lost their parents and relocated from New York to Sydney to live with their grandmother. Enter Coen, who believes Lia is the granddaughter of the late Queen of Gaea. They venture into Gaea and enter multiple tests and trials.

This book was a quick read for me. The beginning of the book was quite rough, but I pushed through and finished it. The characters were relatable, and I adore the sibling dynamic. I did get confused with how some of the characters were presented which made it awkward. I can say for sure that the story line definitely has potential and with a little more work, it’d be a great YA series. Other than that, I actually enjoyed this book and would recommend it to friends.

4.5 stars!

I really loved this book. I mean, it earned its place on my favorites shelf. However, I have to be completely honest. No book, not even one of my favorite, is ever perfect. And this book is far from perfect. But, I just can't bring myself to care. I just don't care.

I enjoyed reading it, and I really enjoyed seeing what would happen! And that's all that really matters, right?

I liked the idea of it taking place in Sydney, Australia in the "real" Earth and in a parallel universe in a land called Gaea. I really liked how Sydney was described, whether or not it was entirely inaccurate. I also thought it was really cool that Resistance was set in such a unique location. Still, I really feel like the setting could have been anywhere else, and it wouldn't have changed things. The world just wasn't built up enough.

A similar thing happened with Gaea. It was such a cool idea, but I wish there were more to the description of the world. I get that it was basically Earth minus the continental drift, but still, couldn't I have a bit more of the setting?? History–wise, I loved reading about the culture and history of Gaea. It was in no way an info dump, and it fit seamlessly into the actual plot, which is a major plus!

I loved the characters. There wasn't really a huge cast, so it was very easy to get invested in the characters. Allow me to take a second to rant and rave about Tyler, Cassedia, and Sebastian. I absolutely loved these three supporting characters, Tyler and Cassedia more than Sebastian. Sebastian was an amazing mentor and teacher. Not as good as Iroh, but who is? Now, Tyler and Cassedia — they were amazing, and I wish we saw more of them. Still, I loved how supportive they were of Lia.

On to Lia. Lia is our MC and only POV. Personality–wise, I really liked her. Actually, generally, I liked her overall. I thought her character development and the development of her powers were especially interesting. However, I had 2 minor problems with her. Sometimes she didn't seem 15. Also, her powers seemed to come a bit too easily for her. Look, I get that she is the heir, but I wish she had to struggle more. Other than that, I thought she was an amazing MC, and I can't wait to see more of her in the next book!

Coen is my spirit animal. He is absolutely amazing. I love how kind and considerate he is. He's just an amazing person, and I want even more of him. He technically did not change, not like Lia (or even Tyler), but he remained a steady constant (shut up, I know that's redundant). I liked how he always remained this aware and self–confident man without being arrogant. I also liked how he always was optimistic and encouraging especially when it came to Lia.

Plot–wise, I think the whole plot was quite captivating! I enjoyed reading about Lia's training and preparation for her big "quest." However, I was slightly surprised to hit about 50% for them to still be training. I really thought something big was going to happen. Once it did though, the plot picked up even more! And then, it stopped at a nasty cliffhanger. Not the type of cliffhanger where a character is about to lose a fight to the death, but more like the type of cliffhanger where a character is about to drop a huge bomb on their history.

There weren't a whole lot of friendships and relationships, but the main ones were amazing. First, Lia and Tyler. I loved how close these twins were. I loved how much they understood and loved each other. I also loved how much they respected each other and how in tune to the other's feelings they were.

Next, Lia and Coen. I'm about to surprise all of you. There was no romance. None, zilch, nada, nothing. I definitely think there's potential for one between them, but at this stage, Lia and Coen are really just friends. They have such an amazing friendship. Coen really helps Lia cultivate her powers, and he's always there for moral support, and it's amazing. I really like how much they evidently trust each other. If they ever do become a couple, they've definitely built a solid foundation!

~~~~~

Major thanks to #Netgalley for providing me a free e–copy in exchange for an honest review!

#Netgalley #Resistance

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Full review posted to Goodreads!

I really loved the idea of this story, focusing on human beauty on earth and in other worlds. I was intrigued throughout the whole book and I’m very happy that I read it. However, I don’t think the writing was too great. It was very matter of fact, telling and not showing, and it made it seem more like a middle grade book. Because of that, I think this would be an amazing middle grade book if it didn’t have the occasional romantic thoughts that this one does. Take those three or four thoughts out, and this would be maybe a 4 star middle grade book. But because of the slight romance it really counts as young adult, and compared to a normal young adult book I’d say it’s only 2 or 3 stars max. However, I am super excited to read the next book as I was very intrigued this whole time.

THE REST OF THIS REVIEW IS MY REACTIONS TO THE PLOT AND WRITING SO IT CONTAINS SPOILERS
Throughout the book, many thinks stuck out at me. I took notes every chapter on the main things I noticed and my reactions to them.

Chapter 1 and 2: I’m very interested in the plot, and I want to keep reading. However I think it’s written too much like “tell not show.” What I mean is that it says she felt some way after it happened, or she noticed something, but she never mentions feeling that way while it happened. There are also other things like her mentioning being scared of this strange guy, but still walking up to him with no traces of being scared. With that said, it kept me hooked and I wanted to keep reading. In chapter two I noticed how quickly they trusted Coen. They are both smart teens, so they should have known not to trust him, but at least they were careful around him for a bit. Similarly, they say they are worried about strangers but then they go ahead and trust him anyway.

Chapter 3: I’m glad they went along with Coen because this plot is really getting interesting. I do think they deserve a break and it’s great that the Grandma realized that. I’m not quite sure how they’re going to get away with this lie though if they’re in another world and can’t talk to their grandma.

Chapter 4 and 5: I liked they they were really thinking this through, and as twins they were talking together. But we know what their answer will be. Also a servant is mentioned here and she seems like an important character but she isn’t mentioned anywhere else in the book so that’s not great. In chapter 5 she says that the info dump we got in chapter four was mentally taxing, but during that she said she understand and was even excited. So does that contradict? I wish they could slow things down a bit here though and have some cute moments.

Chapter 6 and 7 and 8: Lia is a powerful human and has such great initiative, go Lia! Also Tyler is the best twin ever. I do wonder though how their grandma must feel. They said they’d keep in contact but they haven’t and can’t. In chapter 8 I was so intrigued that I didn’t notice anything even remotely bad.

Chapter 9 and 10 and 11: I love how we’re finally getting facts about the mystery girl with Samuel. And I love the mystery that comes with it. Also it’s good she’s remembering how it felt when her parents died, not because that happened, but because it’s normal to have to deal with something like that both mentally and physically.

12 and 13: Awww happy birthday. Though isn’t grandma going to try to message them and they aren’t going to answer? Great conversation with Lia and Cassedia.

Chapter 14: Woah that was a short battle. But it’s great how they “work smarter not harder”

15 and 16: WOAH Tyler has amazing powers and it might have to do with their father?! I’m so excited to read more.

Overall:
The whole book happened very matter of factly and a lot of things were either just said with no explanation or didn’t quite make sense. Everything happened very suddenly without slowing anything down, which helped me read it quickly but also didn’t work great for the story. I would have loved to see more smaller interactions.

I kind of feel like this could have been a middle grade book with the style of the writing and the simplicity of it, however I feel like for it to be classified as that the romantic feelings Lia has for Coen would have had to be taken out. But with them left in, I would have liked to see her do something about them. Lia is a strong girl who can take initiative as proved when recovering the ruby, so I wish she used that initiative in her personal manners.

I am super excited to read more however and I hope that there is another book.

A set of orphan twins discover that they come from a parallel world, in wich Chosen people have magical abilities. They are asked to come back to Gaea to retrive a ruby and help in the war against Samael, as Lia is the heir to Gaea’s throne. A real page turner, full of magic and action, with brave well written characters. I was shocked at the ending, definitely looking foward to book 2.

**I got this book for free on netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

This was a pretty quick read. The story starts with twins Lia and Tyler who lost their parents and were forced to relocate from New York to Sydney to live with their last remaining relative, their paternal grandmother.

There, Lia meets Coen. Coen has been following Lia as he believed she is the granddaughter of the late Queen of Gaea. Gaea, a parallel World where the Tectonic plates never shifted so it’s one large continent. Lia’s grandmother and mom fled Gaea through a portal when it encountered a great threat. Lia and Tyler decide to go with Coen to Gaea to figure out if Lia is in fact who Coen is looking for. They meet Sebastian who is a Seer. They go through a lot of tests and trials to confirm then decide to show her a photo of the Queen and Lia confirms it’s indeed her grandmother. They could have just done that in the first place and skipped a lot of the jumping through hoops. Sebastian and Coen need Lia to find and retrieve her grandmother’s Power Ruby…I’ll leave it there to not reveal too much.

Overall views
1. Lots of over explaining about the parallel worlds
2. A LOT of world building. Could have balanced the action with the world building a bit more.
3. Coen and Sebastian don’t want to “pressure” Lia but they do pressure her a lot to make a decision with very little time to make it
4. Very slow moving then the end felt a bit rushed
5. Tyler was very much a background character and for being Lia’s twin that is very close to her, it didn’t feel very authentic. I am curious about his role in book 2

I give this 2.5 stars. The series has potential. I think the author focused book one as the setup to the rest of the series vs hooking you in with book one. I will read book 2 when it comes out because I’m curious to see what happens next. I think this is a good starting point for someone who wants to get into fantasy. It doesn’t introduce a ton of characters that you have to try to remember and it has a lot of world building.

This was a very easy fun read! I really loves Lia’s and Tyler’s connection to each other and they are like the cutest siblings. I love how we also get a sense of Gaea and it goes very into detail about that world and earth. Overall it’s a descriptive of the scenery book and what the reader is able to imagine the world that was built.

The characters are very well written. I felt very sympathetic for Lia and her situation. She has gone through so so much and is still strong.

I absolutely LOVED this book. It has all the elements that I enjoy in an excellent Fantasy YA novel:

1) Superb writing style;
2) Awesome heros; and
3) An actual good plot!

This book stood out to me because of the fearless and brave heroine and her supportive brother. The plot itself is unique in that the characters are of mixed race (super cool) not just magically inclined. It was nice to read a fantasy novel exploring different races and cultures. I look forward to the second book because it is hoped that the Chinese father of our main character and his heritage is explored more.

For two teenagers sucked into a magical world they knew nothing about...the heroine and her hero brother are pretty darn brave! facing danger after danger in stride. The ending took me by storm....definitely was not expecting that and super impressed with it.

I will definitely continue on with this series! Cannot wait for more books.

Ps: Fellow readers fear not the cliffhanger was not terrible in nature, it left me wanting to read more but very satisfied with the book over all!

I really enjoyed this book, I ended up bingeing it in 24 hours. The story is from Lia's perspective, a 15 year old girl who has a twin brother named Tyler. Lia and Tyler are living in Australia with their paternal grandmother, after their parents died in the United States, and are asked by a stranger to go to another world called Gaea with him. Adventure ensues

Things I Liked-
-Magic system was well explained
-Main character was well developed, likeable, and relatable
-The side characters were all fun and loveable
-I was invested in the story right from the beginning

Things I Didn't Like-
-For being so close to her twin he wasn't featured very much in the book
-The "battle"/ending was rushed

The story was great, the ending was a bit of a let down, and Tyler needs more page time. This story is appropriate for younger to older teens, but as an adult I still really enjoyed it. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for the sequel. I rate this 3.5/5

This book was such a great read! I really enjoyed it and flew through it in one afternoon. The characters were unique and relatable which is something I really enjoy in a book. The author did an amazing job and I can't wait to read more.

Really surprised me!

Still grieving the loss of their parents and their idyllic family life in Ardsley, New York, Lia wouldn’t have thought life could surprise her any more than it already has. But, with Coen’s unexpected arrival comes more questions than ever before for Lia and Tyler about their family’s mysterious past, but also—finally—the chance to maybe find some answers too. That possibility has them readily following Coen to Gaea: a parallel world which perfectly mirrored Earth millennia ago, though the two worlds have evolved to be markedly different realms today.

This was a fairly quick read for me. The beginning of the book was a bit rough, and hard to get into. However I did enjoy the plot and world building. I would recommend this book.

The sibling dynamic in this book was just perfect and I couldn’t have asked for something better! I think familial relationships can be very hit or miss sometimes but this eventually dug deep into them. I can’t give this anything below 5/5!

#Resistance #NetGalley.

Gaea is in danger. The North has already fallen, and the people
of the South live in fear, constantly battling the dark and powerful evil that haunts their world. The only hope for the future lies in a ruby that only the heir to the throne can find and harness.

Recently orphaned twins Lia and Tyler Ford are trying to settle into their new life in Sydney when a mysterious stranger shows up and turns their world upside down.

Still grieving the loss of their parents Lia and Tyler never imagined life could surprise them any more than it already had. But Coen’s arrival brings questions about their family’s mysterious past, news of parallel worlds they had never imagined and powers they didn’t know existed. Together the twins venture into a parallel world in the hopes of getting answers and saving Gaea.

I really struggled to write this review about ‘Resistance’ by C. E. Ord because whilst I think this book has great potential to be a popular fantasy book for many teenagers I also think that it needs a little bit of work for it to reach that level.

At the start of the book, I found the author's narrative style to be a bit rocky but as you get further into the story she seems to find her rhythm dragging you into the magical world that she is creating.

The plotline for the story is enjoyable and has great potential I just felt that the climax of the story was rushed. I felt like I was cheated out of something that had been promised to me throughout the rest of the book.

I really liked the side characters, they were a calming presence throughout the story. The many characters however were a little confusing. The words on the paper were telling me that they were 18, the way that they acted was as if they were moody, confused kids but the decisions, pressure, and way they spoke was as if they were young adults. It made the book feel slightly awkward and prevented me from reaching that stage where it's impossible to put the book down.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one was a really good fantasy read. I really like the whole setting, plot and mechanisation that’s been put to work to build the fantasy world in this book. I was hooked, loved it