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A review by gypjet
The Moon Dwellers by David Estes
4.0
I read this book purely because it was written by David Estes. He is one of my goodreads friends, and although he is super busy, he was one of my few friends that read my budding book and gave me honest feedback, which has seriously changed the way I was going. So I have deep respect for him and the fact he is honestly a nice guy. He did this even though I wasn't that nice (I'd like to think I was just savagely honest) in a review of his book Angel Evolution.
Luckily, this book is not that one. Just in reading this book I can see a huge evolution in David's writing. He has been honing his craft and it shows. The writing and the plot are much more cohesive and smooth. I'm not saying it was problem free, because it isn't, but this book was a mile above the other in its execution. I gave it four stars because I truly, "really liked" it.
Pros: First, the world building was fantastic. This is a young adult dystopian tale that takes place under the earth's surface. An asteroid hit the planet 500 or so years ago. Planning for it, the American government had prepared a huge cavern under the ground. A lottery was held, and the remnants of the human race were saved. Over the years as government devolved and the population grew, further caverns were built deeper into the earth. The top layer are the sun dwellers; the middle layer are the moon dwellers, and at the bottom are the star dwellers. They aren't just separated by position, but also by caste. The top layer are the rich and privileged, and the others decrease as you go deeper. I found the description of this to be discussed and discovered throughout the story in a very unobtrusive way. I thought the idea was deeply original and fascinating.
The characterization was also well done. The main characters come through quite well, you feel Adele's angst, and Tristan's anger. You feel their connections with their friends, and understand clearly their motivations.
Cons: The more minor characters tend to be flat. Their motivations are too simple and they aren't as believable.
The plot is a little to contrived, as everything seems to fall neatly into place. For example, every time the characters are in danger, a convenient bomb falls to let them get them out. Unless some explanation occurs in a later book, this doesn't work well (there is something like a hint towards the end that it may be purposeful, but I can't see a reason for it in this book). Also, Tristan and Roc seem to follow Adele's trail a little to easily, always running in to her just as she needs them. It works well one time, that seems like fate, but not more than once.
The last thing is that the instant attraction thing wasn't well explained. I have no trouble with instant attraction, because it happens. I've been drawn to people the first time I've met them; I haven't run into danger for them for no reason, but I can believe that part. What I don't understand, is the reasoning behind it. Are we going to find out why it occurred? Or is it going to be left to teenage hormones? I sure hope not.
Finally, the big test for me is will I make the effort to read the sequel and would I recommend it? Well, even though this wasn't a book I "couldn't put down" I found it interesting enough to want to read the sequels. I do want to know if the three realms can be united and the tyrant put down. It doesn't hurt that I have deep respect for the author.
Will I recommend it? Yes, I can honestly say this is a very decent YA dystopian novel and I can heartily recommend it to lovers of the genre. I would even recommend it to my high school students, who I think would really love it.
David if you read this, good luck! You deserve it!
Luckily, this book is not that one. Just in reading this book I can see a huge evolution in David's writing. He has been honing his craft and it shows. The writing and the plot are much more cohesive and smooth. I'm not saying it was problem free, because it isn't, but this book was a mile above the other in its execution. I gave it four stars because I truly, "really liked" it.
Pros: First, the world building was fantastic. This is a young adult dystopian tale that takes place under the earth's surface. An asteroid hit the planet 500 or so years ago. Planning for it, the American government had prepared a huge cavern under the ground. A lottery was held, and the remnants of the human race were saved. Over the years as government devolved and the population grew, further caverns were built deeper into the earth. The top layer are the sun dwellers; the middle layer are the moon dwellers, and at the bottom are the star dwellers. They aren't just separated by position, but also by caste. The top layer are the rich and privileged, and the others decrease as you go deeper. I found the description of this to be discussed and discovered throughout the story in a very unobtrusive way. I thought the idea was deeply original and fascinating.
The characterization was also well done. The main characters come through quite well, you feel Adele's angst, and Tristan's anger. You feel their connections with their friends, and understand clearly their motivations.
Cons: The more minor characters tend to be flat. Their motivations are too simple and they aren't as believable.
The plot is a little to contrived, as everything seems to fall neatly into place. For example, every time the characters are in danger, a convenient bomb falls to let them get them out. Unless some explanation occurs in a later book, this doesn't work well (there is something like a hint towards the end that it may be purposeful, but I can't see a reason for it in this book). Also, Tristan and Roc seem to follow Adele's trail a little to easily, always running in to her just as she needs them. It works well one time, that seems like fate, but not more than once.
The last thing is that the instant attraction thing wasn't well explained. I have no trouble with instant attraction, because it happens. I've been drawn to people the first time I've met them; I haven't run into danger for them for no reason, but I can believe that part. What I don't understand, is the reasoning behind it. Are we going to find out why it occurred? Or is it going to be left to teenage hormones? I sure hope not.
Finally, the big test for me is will I make the effort to read the sequel and would I recommend it? Well, even though this wasn't a book I "couldn't put down" I found it interesting enough to want to read the sequels. I do want to know if the three realms can be united and the tyrant put down. It doesn't hurt that I have deep respect for the author.
Will I recommend it? Yes, I can honestly say this is a very decent YA dystopian novel and I can heartily recommend it to lovers of the genre. I would even recommend it to my high school students, who I think would really love it.
David if you read this, good luck! You deserve it!