Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Teens & YAPublished 9 March 2015
Number of pages: 267
My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ - I really liked it
"Ren Argent wanted to be an archeologist and spend her life exploring the lost cities of Earth. But when a new planet is discovered and her father is appointed King, she has to leave behind everything she knows to rule over a place she’s only heard of in legends.
Not long after her arrival she discovers there are insurgents hiding in the darkened forests and the planet is on the brink of civil war. It won’t be long until the Monarchy steps in to “neutralize” the threat.
Will she be able to stop the hostile takeover? Or will her actions ignite a rebellion across the universe?"
"The Argent Star" is the first YA sci-fi novel by Canadian YA fantasy / mystery author D.L. Miles, published under the pen-name of Emerson Fray, and part of the "Monarchy" series.
Warning: this book does end ambiguously and fairly abruptly, as it is of course part of a series, hence the cliff-hanger to make you want more! However, I feel that it is still enjoyable as a stand-alone read as long as you are happy to draw your own conclusions on how the proposed resolution would actually have unfolded - in the same way that many films do.
Also, if you like your science fiction ultra complicated, full of jargon, technical explanations that require a PHD and oodles of wacky names that you do not stand a chance remembering... sorry, this is just NOT the book for you.
The Argent Star is incredibly easy to read with simple or mysterious explanations and concepts that you would have already met many times before just by watching any sci-fi series. A fairly limited cast of characters and locations are presented in stages and with names which can be easily remembered. The main focus and strength of this novel is the development of its protagonists, the moral dilemmas they are faced with, the political intrigue that surrounds them and their location: a pillaged Earth and the unspoilt, backwards Novae, where things are not necessarily what they seem.
The story is narrated from the point of view of Ren Argent, in the third person, and it flows effortlessly, at a very good pace throughout. Hence I found this to be a lean, action packed, lightening quick read, with no extra no padding: repetitions, unnecessarily long or convoluted descriptions or extra text for the sake of it.
I would have liked to have known a bit more about certain characters and their interactions with others, but this may come in the next books in the series, which I cannot wait to read.
The Argent Star has set the scene beautifully - what will happen next?
The last 5% of the book is a sneak preview at an excerpt of an early draft of the next book: "The Howling Jade".
[ARC received from the Author]
About the Author
Emerson Fray (i.e. D.L Miles) currently resides in Hamilton, Ontario.While most of her stories happen on other planets, she remains on Earth 24/7 hunting down hawks and bugs to photograph, as well as chasing her mother’s dog to reclaim stolen shoes.
A self taught Pokemon trainer and coffee lover, she spends most of her valuable time pinning recipes she will never make on boards she will forget about.
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