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A review by celia_thebookishhufflepuff
Etherworld by Claudia Gabel, Cheryl Klam
5.0
Science fiction by women, with women at the core, is going to be the death of me. It's amazing to think I used to absolutely abhor science fiction in general. After my first experiences with [b:A Wrinkle in Time|18131|A Wrinkle in Time (A Wrinkle in Time Quintet, #1)|Madeleine L'Engle|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1329061522s/18131.jpg|948387], [b:The City of Ember|307791|The City of Ember (Book of Ember, #1)|Jeanne DuPrau|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1397931596s/307791.jpg|2285229], [b:The Giver|3636|The Giver (The Giver, #1)|Lois Lowry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1342493368s/3636.jpg|2543234], and [b:Among the Hidden|227651|Among the Hidden (Shadow Children, #1)|Margaret Peterson Haddix|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388382796s/227651.jpg|1210896], I thought all science fiction was dystopian and not that well written (don't bash me, just my opinion, if you like them then that's up to you.)
I read [b:Fahrenheit 451|4381|Fahrenheit 451|Ray Bradbury|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1351643740s/4381.jpg|1272463] in seventh grade for class, and that changed my idea of science fiction quite a bit. [a:Ray Bradbury|1630|Ray Bradbury|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1445955959p2/1630.jpg] was actually a really good writer, and changed the way I saw the genre.
Last year, I read [b:1984|5470|1984|George Orwell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348990566s/5470.jpg|153313] for class, and since then, I've been looking more into the genre. From [b:The Selection|10507293|The Selection (The Selection, #1)|Kiera Cass|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1322103400s/10507293.jpg|15413183] series to the [b:Zodiac|20821306|Zodiac (Zodiac, #1)|Romina Russell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1404743153s/20821306.jpg|40167162] series and now the [b:Elusion|12369550|Elusion (Elusion, #1)|Claudia Gabel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1371737898s/12369550.jpg|17349845] duology, I've finally found what I've been searching for. I hadn't realized it would make such a difference for me to have female characters at the center of science fiction novels, but now that I'm reading them, I'm in too deep.
In [b:Etherworld|22539894|Etherworld (Elusion, #2)|Claudia Gabel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403125184s/22539894.jpg|41991306], Regan is actually a perfect protagonist. She's not as book-smart as her counterparts, and she's super self-conscious about it, despite all the reassurances that she's helping. I also love the guilt that all the characters experience, and how much each other character tries to talk them out of it.
In [b:Etherworld|22539894|Etherworld (Elusion, #2)|Claudia Gabel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403125184s/22539894.jpg|41991306] , the relationships between characters are more vital than in any other book I've read, including [b:Elusion|12369550|Elusion (Elusion, #1)|Claudia Gabel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1371737898s/12369550.jpg|17349845]. As hate becomes love and trust becomes lies, the characters really come into their own and side characters become more important than anyone would think from their roles in the first book. I would love a spinoff series on at least half of them: a prequel on Josh, a prequel on Patrick, a backstory on some of the other teens trapped in Etherworld, and so many others.
I wish the series hadn't ended, but the way it did wrapped up really well.
I read [b:Fahrenheit 451|4381|Fahrenheit 451|Ray Bradbury|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1351643740s/4381.jpg|1272463] in seventh grade for class, and that changed my idea of science fiction quite a bit. [a:Ray Bradbury|1630|Ray Bradbury|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1445955959p2/1630.jpg] was actually a really good writer, and changed the way I saw the genre.
Last year, I read [b:1984|5470|1984|George Orwell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348990566s/5470.jpg|153313] for class, and since then, I've been looking more into the genre. From [b:The Selection|10507293|The Selection (The Selection, #1)|Kiera Cass|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1322103400s/10507293.jpg|15413183] series to the [b:Zodiac|20821306|Zodiac (Zodiac, #1)|Romina Russell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1404743153s/20821306.jpg|40167162] series and now the [b:Elusion|12369550|Elusion (Elusion, #1)|Claudia Gabel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1371737898s/12369550.jpg|17349845] duology, I've finally found what I've been searching for. I hadn't realized it would make such a difference for me to have female characters at the center of science fiction novels, but now that I'm reading them, I'm in too deep.
In [b:Etherworld|22539894|Etherworld (Elusion, #2)|Claudia Gabel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403125184s/22539894.jpg|41991306], Regan is actually a perfect protagonist. She's not as book-smart as her counterparts, and she's super self-conscious about it, despite all the reassurances that she's helping. I also love the guilt that all the characters experience, and how much each other character tries to talk them out of it.
In [b:Etherworld|22539894|Etherworld (Elusion, #2)|Claudia Gabel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403125184s/22539894.jpg|41991306] , the relationships between characters are more vital than in any other book I've read, including [b:Elusion|12369550|Elusion (Elusion, #1)|Claudia Gabel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1371737898s/12369550.jpg|17349845]. As hate becomes love and trust becomes lies, the characters really come into their own and side characters become more important than anyone would think from their roles in the first book. I would love a spinoff series on at least half of them: a prequel on Josh, a prequel on Patrick, a backstory on some of the other teens trapped in Etherworld, and so many others.
I wish the series hadn't ended, but the way it did wrapped up really well.