I would have given this book a full five stars just because of how much I enjoyed the story, but I couldn't bring myself to do that since the quality of the writing itself isn't the highest (we rolled our eyes every time some character "pulled a face"). But man, through most of this tale I just sat there grinning. It's a special book that is able to give me that simple joy. I'm also impressed by the crafting of the Earth Girl/Earth Star world. It is so believable. The characters are real and the action doesn't require too much suspension of disbelief (although we are dealing with an alien invasion, so...). In an era where futuristic YA novels are generally very dystopian, this series feels particularly fresh. Yes things have changed pretty dramatically hundreds of years in the future, but humanity/society hasn't been lost. I very much look forward to the continued tales of Jarra. She's about as solid a protagonist as you'll get in science fiction these days. I really loved the world of Earth Girl and so was hoping we'd see the inner workings of said world in a more developed way and some different ways than the previous book. Expectations met!There are twists and turns and every element you read about is worth something in the story, though it might not be in the way you expect. There is kind of an odd mix of the military and the history sides of Jarra's life but if you just go with it all those elements really work. It's terribly challenging to mix these kinds of elements and have them not feel contrived. The author also makes it really believable that an 18 year old girl would be put in charge of these tasks and that a quick, creative mind is what is needed. (This is one of the biggest challenges in YA fiction - would that agent of person really be put in charge of that?!) On top of all that this is a tight story, no detail is wasted. So really great writing...except on one point.I did not believe the suit fear nor did I believe the way Jarra overcame her fear. It possibly just wasn't written in a way that presented the situation as believable. It also could be a lack of experience with massive fears. And it could also possibly be a lack of understand for the mental health profession. Whatever the reason it wasn't believable and felt insulting even if I understood it wasn't meant to give that impression. There are attempts to smooth over the initial mistakes made on this whole fear later that make it easier to finish. Meaning the handling of the fear doesn't ruin the book, you can just read past it and the story is still excellent and actually the fear becomes incidental later.For all those who say Jarra's relationship with Fian is boring...I say fie on you! For those sick of love triangles this is a great true to life relationship especially for modern men and women. There are compromises that each decide are worth it on the part of both the man and the woman and there are things that can't be compromised on. I fell like Jarra and Fian's relationship shows this very well. I especially appreciated learning more about Fian and his family.Loved the way the secondary characters from Earth Girl were utilized as well as the couple new characters that are introduced like her cousin and his wife. They make the book really fun as we don't just have cardboard cutouts holding a place but real characters who are interacting with Jarra and helping her. The author balanced Jarra meeting with all these people the same way we balance the people in our real lives and so none of them feel contrived for the story, they simply exist and are there to help.I didn't mind the cliffhanger sort of ending here as it's been a slice of life sort of story from page one. And the overall story is presented in such a way that Jarra accomplishes what the story set up as the difficulty while somone outlay presenting the next element of the story. I really liked how at the end of book one it seemed like a stand alone story but how here in book two it ends with us anticipating the next book. BOTTOM LINE: Middle book excellence building on the foundations of great world building in book one.
What do You think about Die Begegnung (2013)?
This book is worthy of the highest praise I can give it: Edwards made her world seem real.
—IonaMM
wow. GR has lost my review on this twice. wtf. get with it amazon.
—Racho
Ermagerd I want book 3!!! Review to come
—Finding_Truth
