I've heard a lot about this author in the past, and always meant to read them. But I never did get the chance. When the opportunity to read this one popped up, I jumped on the chance. The science fiction aspect was what really grabbed me. I can tell you that I was not disappointed at all! In fact, now I know I've got to read the other books, not to mention that since this is the first in a series, I need to have the next book now! While this doesn't end on a cliffhanger, there are definitely things that we are waiting to see how they can be solved, and also so much more to find out about the Terra Cotta Warriors and what must be aliens that created them. We also of course need to know more about the person behind the looters, and how they are able to do what they do.

All of the characters were great. I was totally off on some of the things I suspected certain people of maybe having ulterior motives, and in the end, I didn't catch on to suspect just who one of the bad guys was, at least not until right before we found out. Lyra was a great main character, and a great narrator for the whole story. The different traditions that her friends at the planet we meet her on had created were very interesting. But when she looked back at them at the end from how things had changed and her new friendships and relationships, that was such a neat way to look at it as well. Her parents were definitely realistic seeming for that type of a family, but I also liked the security and other scientists that they interacted with, and that made up the cast of characters in the story.

The other parts I really liked had to do with both the science theories of space exploration and travel and how that would affect the age of the people traveling as well as the people the left behind. Then there was the Terra Cotta soldier storyline which definitely kept me intrigued with all the different things they found out as they uncovered the armies on each of the new planets and the symbols and arrangement of them.

Highly recommend this one, and will be putting it on my list to buy for the library where I work!

Review first published on Lisa Loves Literature.