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The polar ice caps have melted, the seas have risen and claimed more land than anyone could ever have imagined. The once blue oceans have turned to a broiling red, as the rising temperatures boiled pretty much all the sea creatures alive. It’s turned slightly acidic, and now the only thing able to survive is the new species of monstrous sharks with thick, leathery skin.
Humans are still alive, of course, but they’re scattered and stranded; forced to colonise floating trash islands. One such colony is barely surviving on one such isle, which they’ve nicknamed Treasure Island. There, they scrape together scraps of wood, plastic and metal to make shelter, and cobble together meals made from rats and insects. The leader of Treasure Island is Elijah, a man who is the mouthpiece of the goddess Terra. He announces her will, and if anyone naysays Her, they are claimed; killed instantly in a gruesome, painful implosion of their brain. He rules with an iron fist – but at the same time, is believed to be fair. It’s not as though he’s smiting the dissenters.
Elijah’s daughter, Halo, is a dreamer. She wishes for a better life for her people, one where they don’t have to eat scraps to survive, or risk their skin being. corroded by the acidic sea. She has a dream that she can make Treasure Island beautiful with the scraps that are washed onto it’s artificial beach. She dreams of salvaging a motor that will propel the island towards a landmass, somewhere with real trees. Her father, though, scorns this ambition, and the reason is that Terra has told him a ship named The Oasis is coming, and it will take them to a place named Tomorrowland. He wants Halo on that ship, but to be there, she must compete with the islands other teenagers to be one of the 100 teenagers chosen by Terra to begin a new life.
As the trials begin, Halo will learn much about herself, her brother Ajax and her father. She’ll find a kindred spirit in an impossibly bright twelve year old girl named Sevin and fall for the young girl’s stoic older brother, Fyve. She’ll make new friends, and lose some too, as the trials prove to be so much more dangerous than anyone could have ever anticipated. Will Halo, Sevin and Fyve be closed by Terra, or will more heartbreak be awaiting them?
The Oasis Trials is the first book in the promised prequel series to the incredibly popular The Thaw Chronicles co-authored by Tamar Sloan and Heidi Catherine, and I squealed when I woke up to find an ARC of it in my inbox this morning. I’ve been looking forward to this for an impossibly long time, and well, it was worth the wait. Once again, the pair have created well rounded characters facing moral dilemmas and dangers unknown, as well as losing their hearts to each other. The chemistry between Halo and Fyve is apparent, and well written – making it believable, as well as Fyve’s impossible decision between trying to keep his family safe, and finding the future.
They’re certainly not shy in ensuring characters are killed off quickly in this short novel. There’s several deaths, and more than one of them had me gasping in shock – as though I’d already formed an attachment to the character. There’s wry humour, sadness and a dire warning about the future of our planet. I only hope that the young/new adults that this book is aimed at, can heed it in time.
S. A.
You can pre-order The Oasis Trials by clicking on the name, it is also available to read for free on Kindle Unlimited when it is released on May 27th.