A review by makropp
Meru by S.B. Divya

3.0

Jayanthi is the adopted child of alloy parents. Alloys are genetically derived descendants of humans and are the governing species on a ruined Earth. Alloys believe humans are inherently destructive and should be kept confined to Earth, where they can live and create, but not have the freedom to roam the universe (as the sentient, biological spaceships do) in order to prevent them from ruining other planets as they have both Earth and Mars. Jaya has a form of sickle cell anemia that makes her life on Earth difficult but she is well-suited to the newly discovered Earth-like planet, Meru. She is given the opportunity to travel to Meru with one of the biological spaceships to prove that humans can live on another planet without destroying it. But what Jaya doesn't know is that behind the project as she knows it are those who would like to see her fail, and have set up the experiment to fail. With the help of her Construct ship, Jaya must find a way to survive and succeed to give humanity a new chance at life among the stars.

This was an interesting book. The idea of the somewhat humanoid Alloys and very different Constructs (some have wings and/or tails) is a different spin on the future of mankind. The world-building, both on Earth and Meru, is decent, and with the Earth side, definitely gives the impression that the humans are considered less than by their Alloy governors. The author does give both sides of that issue- there are many humans who are perfectly content to live as they are, making music, art, and other creative things without needing to do or be more. Characters are drawn adequately, even if some, particularly Jaya's Alloy parents, seem a bit flat. Jaya is intelligent, a bit impulsive, and determined, all of which make her need to be more than the Alloys deem right for humans a driving force in the story. The plot is fine, with political intrigue, friendships betrayed, and a budding romance woven through. The story does slow down once we arrive on Meru, mostly because there really isn't a lot there. Jaya and her habitat, plus the Construct she traveled on are on an isolated part of the planet. They don't really have contact with anything else, so action isn't a bit part of this story. It's more an internal plot, delving into ethics, politics, genetic manipulation, and relationships. There are some plot twists to keep things moving along.

Overall, this was a decent read. Fans of alternate world sci-fi with a bit of a dive into the points mentioned above will likely enjoy it.