Heartsong by Annie Douglass Lima

Heartsong

by Annie Douglass Lima

About the Book:

Title: Heartsong | Author: Annie Douglass Lima | Pages: 296 | Genre: Science Fiction | Recommended Ages: Young Adult and Up

Book Description:

Two alien worlds.
One teen emissary.
No reality she can trust.

Thirteen-year-old Liz Smith has been ripped away from one foster family after another for years, so the idea of a permanent home is tantalizing. Who cares if that home is a colony sixty-five thousand light-years from Earth? The friends in her trusty e-reader will keep her company just fine on her interstellar relocation.

But when the adventure of a lifetime turns into the disaster of the cosmos, Liz can only retreat so far into the books that have always sheltered her from loneliness and loss. Trapped in half-truths and secrets that leave her questioning reality, can one orphaned bookworm find a way to stop two races from destroying each other … and somehow write a happy ending to her own story?

If you like books about space travel, aliens, or cross-cultural transitions, you’ll love this poignant science fiction adventure. Get your copy of Heartsong now to start the journey today!

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My Review:

Heartsong is a coming-of-age science fiction story about a girl named Liz trying to find her place in the universe. Having experienced a traumatic car crash in her childhood and living through foster care has made her learn coping skills that aren't always ideal. When she's accepted into a program to help colonize a new planet, she seizes the opportunity. However, things don't go as planned and Liz lives through another harrowing crash.

As she adapts and learns new skills in the alien world, she begins to finally feel at home. The problem is that while her new alien friends have been taking good care of her, there's something they haven't been telling her.

A lot of responsibility is placed on this teenager's shoulders. She'll have to make tough decisions if she wants to help the humans and aliens. Who can she trust and, when she has to make the choice, where will she call home? 

There are several themes wrapped up in this descriptive science-fiction adventure. Some of the themes include dealing with the loss of loved ones, the need for friendship, the value of different races, the importance of working together, and adapting to other cultures.

There is a mystery surrounding the crash of the spacecraft. Liz will have to sift through different versions of what really happened. There's also tension between the humans and aliens where she gets caught in the middle of it. Liz is a resilient teenager and this is her story.

I recommend this book for young adults and up. It would be great as required reading in schools, for military kids who move all the time, and for expat families too.

Related Reviews:
The Nameless Soldier
In the Enemy's Service
Prince of Malorn
The Collar and the Cavvarach
The Gladiator and the Guard

The Krillonian Chronicles

About the Author:

Annie Douglass Lima

Annie Douglass Lima spent most of her childhood in Kenya and later graduated from Biola University in Southern California. She and her husband Floyd currently live in Taiwan, where she teaches fifth grade at Morrison Academy. She has been writing poetry, short stories, and novels since her childhood, and to date has published seventeen books (four YA action and adventure novels, five fantasies, a puppet script, six anthologies of her students’ poetry, and a Bible verse coloring and activity book). Besides writing, her hobbies include reading (especially fantasy and science fiction), scrapbooking, and international travel.

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