Blurb:
Humanity’s wake-up call. Answer it or face extinction.
When Bleu’s little sister shows symptoms of the deadly Sickness, a strange vision directs him to leave humanity’s subterranean haven and seek the cure on Earth’s glacial surface. Joining the expedition team, Bleu expects extreme temperatures, not a surface ruled by ingenious predators.
Rana and her fellow star beings have co-existed with Earth’s top carnivores since the humans disappeared. But when her peers transform into Crowned Ones, the final stage of star being development, she fears remaining Uncrowned like her parents. To prove her worth, she undertakes a dangerous mission—contacting the hostile and nearly extinct humans.
But Rana’s plan backfires, and Bleu’s team retaliates. As war with the more advanced star being civilization looms, both Rana and Bleu separately seek a way to save their people.
Review:
The Calling is not your typical YA science fiction story. I don’t read very much YA sci-fi/fantasy any more, for the simple fact that so many titles have a very predictable plot line. The Calling wasn’t that way. It kept me guessing throughout, and I loved that about it.
The main characters were relatable and engaging, and each had a distinct personality. And not all of the characters with points of view sections were teenagers, despite its characterization as a YA book (which might be why I enjoyed this one so much.)
Bleu and his good friend Bamf joined the expedition to the surface not only to find a cure for Bleu’s sister, but for the adventure (initially.) But there were others, like their commander, Kern Savas, who is there for his own political agenda, however misguided it may be. Savas was one of the adult viewpoints, and as the story progressed, he definitely became an antagonist – and a very good one.
The Star Beings had a very peaceful society and they genuinely wanted to help the humans, but due to miscommunications and misconceptions between the two species, there was bound to be conflict. While the main Star Being characters were teenagers, many of the adults they interacted with were incredibly interesting. I would have loved to learn more about some of them.
There was a lot to this world beyond the ice age and the sickness, but the characters and the conflict between them were what really drew me in.
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