2.5 stars
The characters personalities were very similar to each other and they didn’t have a detailed backstory other than Adam. The writing is mainly more tell than show. The second half of the story is way more enjoyable than the first half.

Other than that I enjoyed this story that was about a group of kids on mars who have to fight against some bugs that are attacking and destroying them. The bugs were such a cool and scary thing that they had to fight against. The descriptions of what the bugs did to the humans was creepy. I love how hard they all fought against them.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy the adventure in this book, but I know that a middle/high schooler would love it even more! This is such a great read for a teen looking to go a little deeper into the sci-fi genre.

I am not the biggest reader of sci fi but I am trying to get more into the genre and I found myself really enjoying this. It was a quick, easy and fun read

I really enjoyed this read. Yes, there are a lot of things that don't make sense or don't work like that, but every time I got to them I would note it and then be like eh - this is just a light, fun read. Somehow the writing made me not really care as I was enjoying it so much.

I really liked reading Adam (who was born on Mars) and him dealing with the new colonists that showed up. Now that is the big this doesn't make any sense thing for me - the people who show up and how they acted I do not believe for a second would be the people who were chosen for this mission. Most of the kids were horrible, they somehow didn't think they would have to do any work to you know survive on Mars and they didn't seem to care messed up critical things for survive, and the adults were not much better. But eh. I still had fun reading it.

Now the bugs were interesting and this was just plain fun. I would definitely read more from this author!

I do enjoy a good sci-fi and have my favorites amongst the YA genre, but the teenage melodrama in ‘Colony’ was just a little heavy handed for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A gripping mix of YA drama and cosmic horror, this novel follows a group of teens who brave Mars’s red wastelands in humanity’s aim to survive. The author doesn’t shy away from the terrors of alien isolation: grotesque body horror, high-stakes betrayals, and the bone-cold fear of being the only heartbeat on an empty planet. Amid the dread lies raw coming-of-age tension—friendships strained to the breaking point and the crushing weight of becoming humanity’s hope. Perfect for young readers who want their sci-fi served with a generous dose of chills, it’s a dark, fast-paced ride that lingers long after lights-out.

A science fiction novel set on a Mars colony some years in the new future. Aimed at the young adult audience, a coming of age story, with elements of first love, survival in a harsh environment and claustrophobic horror.

Colony is a Young Adult /science fiction novel.
The world did the unthinkable, they put a human on Mars. But he is the only man there,lonely, alone. He discovers something old, evil under the surface.

This is the first publication under the pen name Ron Wolff (https://ronwolffbooks.com), though the author has published under other names. Colony was published late last April. It is the 42nd book I completed reading in 2025.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence and some mature language, I categorize this novel as R.

Adam Flynn is 17 and has lived his entire life on Mars. His mother had died shortly after his birth, leaving him to grow up with his father and the 6 other people living on Mars. As the story begins, they are preparing to receive the second ship dispatched from Earth with colonists. Sadly, the first had been destroyed years earlier as it attempted to enter the atmosphere.

Adam is looking forward to meeting all of the 79 new people. Especially the kids. His entire existence has been around adults. But things don’t go the way he had hoped. Neither the kids nor their parents are as friendly as he was expecting. Commander David Flynn had led the crew on Mars for years, making Adam feel a part of them. He could fix almost anything that broke, and he was often called upon to contribute this skill. While living on Mars was dangerous, the eight souls living there were part of a relaxed, cohesive community.

The new Hallas Station commander, Colonel Mike Griggs, had a different perspective. More spit-and-polish, and expected all to follow the clear chain of command. And he ignored Adam’s experience, treating him as just another of the kids. The only kid Adam had any connection with was Scar. He had been messaging Scar for months as the Starship Horizon approached. Only after they had arrived does Adam discover that Scar is 16-year-old Scarlett Evers. In the short time on Mars, Scarlett becomes Adam’s closest friend.

The colonists had not been on Mars long before strange things began to happen. Contact is lost with the nearby New Holland outpost. Antje and Koen Brill have occupied the igloo-shaped outpost and have been broadcasting a reality show back to Earth. They document life on Mars and perform their respective scientific duties. She is a biochemist, and Koen is a volcanologist.

When New Holland is investigated, Antje is found dead, and Koen is missing. It is not long before the first contact with the Martian ‘bugs’ takes place. Though Mars has long been thought to be devoid of life, life has only been dormant. Soon after the encounter, Hallas Station is under assault. Having warmed the Martian soil for farming in the GreenHab dome, the dormant bugs have been awoken. Now they want to feed.

The station becomes a war zone as the bugs infiltrate the facility. The colonists attempt to fight them off, but they are overwhelmed by the sheer number of bugs. A handful led by Adam survives, fleeing from Halla Station to New Holland. It is up to this small group to confront the bugs if they are to survive.

I enjoyed the 7.5 hours I spent reading this 378-page young adult science fiction novel. I enjoyed this novel even though it was clearly targeted at young adults with an interest in SciFi Horror. The cover art chosen for this novel was particularly fitting. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. I have posted the following review to Goodreads as of today, 06/15/2025 and will be posting to retailers.

DNF @ 40%

I think this book would be a good read for someone in high school, but the writing was a little too juvenile for me. I always have a really difficult time when teenage hormones are flying during really horrific events where cliquishness, petty child politics and crushes should realistically be taking a backseat.

I think in particular the scenes where the teenagers keep going in circles over and over again about farming their food were very unrealistic to me. These are second generation humans colonizing Mars, all of which have top scientists as their parents. The blasé attitude of, "I don't need to do this work, someone else will" might fly for a kid who doesn't feel like washing the dishes at home, but I can't imagine it actually happening on an uninhabited planet.

The book did start to pick up once the gore begins, but that lasts all of about two chapters before the petty squabbling starts up again. At that point I knew I wasn't going to enjoy the rest of the book and decided to move on.

Well wishes to this author and their books in the future!

Blending classic sci-fi elements with a psychological edge, this novel explores not just the dangers of an alien environment—but the darker instincts of humanity itself.

Colony really surprised me—in a good way. It’s a YA sci-fi set on Mars, and while that alone is usually enough to pique my interest, it’s the character dynamics and rising tension that truly hooked me.

The story follows Adam, the first human born on Mars, who’s lived his whole life on a tight-knit colony. But when a new wave of colonists arrives from Earth, things go downhill fast. The power struggle between the original Martian-born teens and the newly arrived Earth kids (who are a bit full of themselves, to be honest) sets the stage for some serious drama. And just when you think it’s all just cliques and leadership battles—bam—alien bugs.

Wolff balances the science-fiction elements with real coming-of-age vibes. Adam’s growth as a character feels natural, and the way he steps up when everything falls apart (thanks to an alien invasion and a power-hungry adult who loses it) makes him an easy protagonist to root for.

There were moments where the pacing dipped slightly, but overall the tension builds well, especially once the mystery of the missing colonists kicks in. The relationships between the kids are layered with typical teenage bravado, banter, and bonding under pressure—which made it feel grounded despite the whole “we’re being hunted by aliens on Mars” thing.

Fans of The 100 or Red Rising (the lighter YA side of it) will probably enjoy this. It’s got survival, suspense, and just enough sci-fi to feel fresh without getting bogged down in too much tech.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy in exchange for an honest review!