Other Systems by Elizabeth Guizzetti

Other Systemsby Elizabeth Guizzetti

48 Fourteen

1st April 2012

Ten large ships race toward Earth, broadcasting in every language: "Brothers and sisters, we come in peace and in need. We have found our way home." The fear of a coming invasion begins the worldwide riots of 3062.

Yet, not all Earthlings fear attack. The newcomers, long lost descendants of Earth, speak of a paradise ninety-four light years away. Kipos is a land of plenty where there has never been hunger, murder, or war. However, they need more healthy young immigrants for the colony to thrive.

Many accept their offer to be tested. After assessment, Abby Boyd Lei is among the chosen. She leaves the protection of her family with dreams of higher education, a good job, and a kind-hearted spouse.

Will Kipos be everything she imagined? Abby is about to discover the cost of utopia

I am not a sci-fi fan. I’m not familiar with space stations, wormholes, deep space, or the solar system and aliens and the like do not appeal to me in any way but throw in a teenage girl, a bunch of heartache and a space crew looking for a planet to call their own and I was hooked. This book was nothing like I imagined it would be. It was a hundred times better. Guizzetti’s writing is really stunning and despite not understanding a lot of the terminology, it was an easy and enjoyable read. The way in which Guizzetti covered issues such as rape, suicide, homosexuality and abuse was breath-taking and I believe that this book required an impressive amount of research to complete and I have nothing but praise for her. Guizzetti created a completely new and believable world and her descriptions are beautiful, I could see every detail in my mind’s eye. I almost believe that Kipos is out there somewhere just waiting to be found.

Abby Boyd Lee was a character that completely blew my mind because despite all the suffering she endured and all of the heartache, she still came out on top as a strong independent woman and I have nothing but respect for her. Guizzetti wrote her beautifully and she was a believable and lovable character. In the beginning I couldn't help but be annoyed with how naive she was and how unrealistic her dreams for the future were but I realised that without her naivety the plot would have fallen apart. She dreamt of a better future for herself and made the ultimate sacrifice by leaving her family behind to travel through the stars. Unfortunately for her, not everything was quite as it seemed. She suffered trauma, loss and heartache before she found the space crew that would ultimately become her family. It took a long time for her to truly see herself as others saw her and be at peace with everything she went through.

Harden was one of my favourite characters and I couldn't help but love him, despite the fact that he barely shows any emotion besides anger and annoyance. He has suffered in different ways to Abby but like her, he came out on top. I believe this is why he forms such a sweet relationship with her. She looks to him as a father figure, always seeking his approval and in the beginning it seems that he wants nothing to do with her and despises her for even being allowed to become a part of his crew but in the end he treats her like a daughter, he protects her and tries to get her to reach her full potential. I love how this book became very much about him and Abby as opposed to being solely focused on Abby. The ending is sweet and emotional and shows a completely different side to Harden that I didn’t expect.

I really loved that this book was NOT a love story, there is romance and Abby has quite a few crushes (some that are really strange) but it isn’t solely based on two people falling in love and living happily ever after. Abby finds that although it was her dream to find a husband that loved her, she found something she never realised she needed. A family. Every character in this book is relevant and although they weren’t always at the centre of everything and some were only mentioned briefly, they were the elements that really made this book really come to life. I loved each and every one of them.

I can’t wait to read more of Guizzetti’s work and I really hope there will be a sequel to this amazing book.

Check out Elizabeth Guizzetti’s website here.

Rating * * * * *

- Stephanie

A Human Element by Donna Galanti

A Human Element 
By Donna Galanti
10th March 2010
Echelon Press Publishing

One by one, Laura Armstrong’s friends and adoptive family members are being murdered, and despite her unique healing powers, she can do nothing to stop it. The savage killer haunts her dreams, tormenting her with the promise that she is next.

Determined to find the killer, she follows her visions to the site of a crashed meteorite–her hometown. There, she meets Ben Fieldstone, who seeks answers about his parents’ death the night the meteorite struck. In a race to stop a mad man, they unravel a frightening secret that binds them together. But the killer’s desire to destroy Laura face-to-face leads to a showdown that puts Laura and Ben’s emotional relationship and Laura’s pure spirit to the test. With the killer closing in, Laura discovers her destiny is linked to his and she has two choices–redeem him or kill him.

I really enjoyed this book and struggled to put it down, this book is truly one of a kind and Galanti’s writing is stunning. I was so impressed with how Galanti covered issues such as rape, depression and death in such a real and gritty way, the events in this book haven’t been sugar-coated and I respect her immensely for this. It was refreshing to really get inside all of the character’s heads so thoroughly. I also loved being able to watch Laura and Ben grow from young children to adulthood, it was great to see how they changed and grew through the years

I loved that Galanti switched between both of the main characters in the book so easily and I never felt lost or confused about where I was in the story. In the beginning I really believed it was a story about Laura but as it progressed I realised that although she is the main character, she isn’t the only one with a story to tell. I found her character very likeable and as a young girl she is very sweet and innocent and although this is always at the heart of her character, she does change a lot towards the end of the book. She becomes stronger and learns to accept herself for exactly who and what she is and I believe this was point Galanti was trying to make with her character. That you can’t change who you are, you just have to believe in yourself.

I loved Ben, I found him to be a very believable character and I could relate to him in many ways despite not having anything in common with him, he is a brilliant example of how someone can turn their life around and I loved that everything about him was far from perfect and Galanti wasn’t afraid to write about his many flaws in excruciating detail. He is a seriously troubled character and I really didn’t think he would ever find his happy ending until practically the last page but in the end I was pleasantly surprised. 

My favourite character was Mr B. and I have a major soft spot for him, he begins the book as a grumpy, lonely old man (or at least that’s what he wants us to believe) but his character grows into a lovely open and honest person by the end of the story, I loved his and Laura’s relationship and especially their little thesaurus competitions, it may seem strange to some that an old man befriends an eleven year old girl but their relationship was sweet and enjoyable throughout the whole book, it really lightened the tone with all the drama going on.

X-10/ Charlie was the character that I really wanted to hate from start to finish but somehow couldn’t quite bring myself to feel anything but sorry for him. He is such a self-destructive character and his actions are nothing short of evil but I couldn’t help but see the lost little boy inside of him. His character surprised me the most in the end and I have to say Galanti developed him beautifully. He really is one of a kind.

I can’t wait to read more of Galanti’s work and she has quickly become one of my favourite author’s.

Check out Donna Galanti's website here

Rating * * * * *

- Stephanie