Earth Girl (Earth Girl #1)

Apr 26, 2012 Paperpanda (Miguel Cruz) marked it as to-buy · review of another edition

Shelves: want-so-badly

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May 06, 2013 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Christina (A Reader of Fictions) by: Kayla Beck

Shelves: needs-more-hype, favorites-sci-fi, top-ships, sadie-hawkins

Honestly, I'd sort of dismissed this book, because I saw the pretty cover and then never heard another thing about it. Only when my friend Kayla tweeted me about how good this book was and how much she thought I would like it did I look into it again. That was when I realized why I'd heard so little buzz about it: the cover I was familiar with was for the UK edition, and it's only just now publishing in the US. So, basically, Kayla knows me well and this book is stellar (see what I did there?);...more Honestly, I'd sort of dismissed this book, because I saw the pretty cover and then never heard another thing about it. Only when my friend Kayla tweeted me about how good this book was and how much she thought I would like it did I look into it again. That was when I realized why I'd heard so little buzz about it: the cover I was familiar with was for the UK edition, and it's only just now publishing in the US. So, basically, Kayla knows me well and this book is stellar (see what I did there?); pay attention to Earth Girl.

The world building in Earth Girl is astounding. Seriously, there's so much going on in here, and with so much of it well-explained. Though the Earth and surrounding solar system are nothing like they are now, I always felt completely grounded in Edwards' world. At no point did I feel like there was clunky infodumping or that I was at a loss, confused about why something was happening. There are some infodumps, but they're done in the guise of a classroom lesson, so they work perfectly. I'm not going to try to explain all of it to you, because there's too much and I would make it really complicated; if you're curious, trust in Janet Edwards.

The biggest theme tackled in Earth Girl is that of racial tensions. Well, I'm not sure if racial is precisely the right world, but the strain between people from different planets and cultures. Although all originally from Earth, the humans who still live there are seen as neans (a shortening of neanderthals) or apes. No one would live on Earth at all anymore, since other planets have been located with far better conditions, but some people are unable to survive anywhere else because of a rare condition. Even among those not dwelling on Earth, there are stereotypes pertaining to every planet, like the idea that all Betans are promiscuous.

Jarra is one of my new favorite heroines. She does not let people mess with her one bit, sarcastic and no-nonsense. Who doesn't love a heroine who throws a guy who tries to get fresh across the room? Well, probably lots of people, but I, for one, think that's awesome. Handicapped, the term used to describe those unable to survive off of Earth, Jarra resents the way her kind are viewed, and decides to do something drastic to prove a point. She enrolls in a history degree for a college on another planet, since the first year is taught on Earth. If no one notices that she's an "ape," then obviously the stereotypes are wrong. At the end, she plans to revenge herself on these narrow-minded exos (a slur for those who don't live on Earth) by revealing the truth. Over time, though, it becomes clear that there is more to every person than stereotypes, a lesson that's always important to remember.

Though it's not the main focus of the story, Earth Girl does have one heck of an adorable romance. Jarra, in spite of herself, is highly attracted to Fian, a guy who just happens to rather resemble her favorite vid star. They develop a really natural bond by working to gether and playing together. I really love the way they swap episodes of their favorite shows, secretly pointing out their crushes on one another. These two have some great banter and I am a big fan.

Though Earth Girl is nigh perfect for me, I do think it might be tricky for those with a bit less patience for science fiction. There are a lot of pages of description about the methods by which historians research pre-historic Earth (in this case, New York City). These might bore some readers, though I found them incredibly exciting. The closest comparison I can make would be to the various lessons in Ender's Game, as they play the battle simulation game. There were also a couple of spots that lagged a bit, but far more that made me laugh out loud or want to fistbump Jarra for being so damn cool.

Science fiction fans, you're going to want to get yourself a copy of Earth Girl ASAP. I'm pretty sure I'm going to need to order the UK version of book two, just so I can have a shorter wait.(less)

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Aug 30, 2012 Marie-Claire rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sie kommt von der Erde. Ihr Schicksal steht in den Sternen. Jarra ist ein «Earth Girl». Während sich der Rest der Menschheit aufmacht, fremde Galaxien zu entdecken, ist Jarra zu einem Leben auf dem alten Heimatplaneten verdammt: Aufgrund eines Gendefekts kann sie nicht teleportieren. Sie gehört zu den Ausgestoßenen, den Wertlosen. Aber Jarra hat einen Traum: Sie will normal sein, will wie alle anderen studieren. Ihre Leidenschaft ist die Frühgeschichte – der faszinierende Zeitraum vor Erfindung...more Sie kommt von der Erde. Ihr Schicksal steht in den Sternen. Jarra ist ein «Earth Girl». Während sich der Rest der Menschheit aufmacht, fremde Galaxien zu entdecken, ist Jarra zu einem Leben auf dem alten Heimatplaneten verdammt: Aufgrund eines Gendefekts kann sie nicht teleportieren. Sie gehört zu den Ausgestoßenen, den Wertlosen. Aber Jarra hat einen Traum: Sie will normal sein, will wie alle anderen studieren. Ihre Leidenschaft ist die Frühgeschichte – der faszinierende Zeitraum vor Erfindung der Portaltechnik. Damals lebten die Menschen in riesigen Städten wie New York, die heute nur noch Ruinen sind. Um ihren Traum wahr werden zu lassen, muss Jarra ihre Identität verleugnen. Sie ist bereit, diesen Preis zu zahlen. Doch als ein schreckliches Unglück droht und nur Jarra es aufhalten kann, beginnt sie sich zu fragen, ob es wirklich so erstrebenswert ist, normal zu sein ...

"Die Prüfung" ist der Auftakt zur "Earth Girl"- Trilogie von Janet Edwards, die als eine Mischung aus Dystopie und Science-Fiction zu sehen ist.
Dieser Roman weiß auch ohne klassische Spannungselemente zu punkten, da er eine gewisse Sogwirkung auf den Leser ausübt, der man sich nur schwerlich entziehen kann. Die von Janet Edwards erdachte Welt ist so schlüssig und atmosphärisch dicht, dass man sich gerne in ihr verliert. Auch die Fakten, die sie immer mal wieder in die Handlung hat einfließen lassen, wirken weder langweilig noch unglaubwürdig; man kauft der Autorin ihre Story stets ab und kann dabei nichts anderes tun, als immer weiter zu lesen.
Etwas andere Spannung findet man hier trotzallem, denn die Autorin hat immer mal wieder prekäre Szenen einfließen lassen, die die Geschichte zusätzlich beleben.
Gekonnt wurden die Science-Fiction- Elemente mit den dystopischen kombiniert und haben so eine komplexe Zukunftsversion geschaffen, bei denen Raum keine Hürde zu sein scheint.
Klitzekleine romantische Szenen finden sich auch in diesem Buch, sie wirken aber in keinster Weise aufdringlich oder störend, sondern fügen sich passend in diese einzigartige Geschichte ein.
Das Ende hätte meiner Ansicht nach ein wenig langsamer und ausführlicher abgearbeitet werden können, da sich doch in den letzten Kapitel die Handlung ein wenig überschlägt.
Ansonsten freue ich mich schon sehr auf die beiden nächsten Bände dieser vielversprechenden Trilogie und bin gespannt, was die Autorin sonst noch für uns Leser bereithält.

Die Charaktere wurden in ihren verschieden Denkweisen entsprechend vielfältig skizziert. Mitzuerleben, wie sich ihre von Klischees durchzogenen Weltanschauungen nach und nach in Luft auflösten, war einerseits sehr interessant und andererseits von der Autorin sehr unterhaltsam gelöst. Dabei beweisen alle Protagonisten, auch wenn sie nur einen untergeordneten Part einnehmen, einen ungeheuren Facettenreichtum, der unterhaltsam und spannend mitzuverfolgen ist. Da die Autorin sich für jeden Sektor unterschiedliche Verhaltensweisen und Moralvorstellungen ausgedacht hat, waren die einzelnen Ecken und Kanten dieser Protagonisten komplex und tiefgründig.

Auch der Schreibstil der Autorin hat mir gefallen. Es gibt technologisierte Fachbegriffe, die aber nie überhand nehmen, sowie einige spezielle Bezeichnungen, die sehr gut zur Geschichte passen und sich daher gut einfügen. Ansonsten liest sich "Die Prüfung" flüssig. Trotz der teilweise aufzufindenden Umgangssprache wirkt alles passend, denn diese ist trotzallem für diese Story ideal und gut zu lesen.

Das Cover gefällt mir sehr gut. Die Farbgebung passt perfekt zum Thema und auch beim Darüberstreichen entdeckt man das eine oder andere Detail. Alles in Allem ein wirklich treffendes Cover für eine tolle Geschichte.
(less)

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Apr 16, 2013 Amanda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had really high hopes for this book but was simply not impressed. The idea for the book is creative enough but I felt the writing was unbalanced: things that I wish had been pages and pages were only a paragraph, and things that were pages and pages could've been a single sentence. Instead of expanding upon the situations that really could've let the main character's personality shine she truncated them to almost nothing and then spent multiple pages on different types of land-roving vehicles....more

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Mar 12, 2013 Georgina Taylor rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Georgina by: Skyla

Shelves: lit-ex-2013, science-fiction

So I've rated this wonderful book 4 stars, but for some reason I can't see any stars on my review page to give it. Ground control to GR we have a problem...

Anyway, I'll come back and add the stars and the rest of the review when GR is back to normal, as it's an uphill slog doing anything here right now.

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May 18, 2013 Sydney Owen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 3-stars

Few things before I start this review: the summary lied, at least a bit. One, Jarra never hid at the back of the class--quite the opposite--and even if she did, most of her classmates would still try to interact with and befriend her. Two, the crew is not on a collision course with her shelter.

Now that's settled, let's head on to our main character, Jarra. I'm not sure how I feel about her. She's sort of a Mary Sue because her almost perfect knowledge, skills, and ability to make everyone like h...more Few things before I start this review: the summary lied, at least a bit. One, Jarra never hid at the back of the class--quite the opposite--and even if she did, most of her classmates would still try to interact with and befriend her. Two, the crew is not on a collision course with her shelter.

Now that's settled, let's head on to our main character, Jarra. I'm not sure how I feel about her. She's sort of a Mary Sue because her almost perfect knowledge, skills, and ability to make everyone like her. That last one made her initial extreme hatred towards people who can portal off-world, while understandable, extremely hard not to give into the temptation to hate her myself. She can be quite harsh so if any of you do plan to read Earth Girl, brace yourselves and don't give up on her just yet! Although part of the story is on how she gets over her prejudices, her relationship with other members of her class, such as Dalmora or Playdon, could have been vastly improved on. I didn't really feel their was much build-up for the deep friendship she and her classmates had by the end of the book. More characterization for side characters could have also been a plus.

Love how the romance between Jarra and her love interest was executed. Very nice, very realistic, and very different from most YA romances, in my opinion. Now that one had a good, strong built-up. I wasn't able to care much for the relationship though, which is strange, since should have been one that I liked. The constant comparisons to a fictional celebrity did not help its case.

The writing style felt too juvenile at first and around the halfway mark, it tried too hard to add a deep meaning to things. There was plenty of info-dumping and repetitive thoughts. The story seemed to have lost most of its focus once (view spoiler), but the style had vastly improved in its place. (view spoiler)

I'm wondering, how do they know that the Handicapped can't survive on all worlds other than Earth? Did they test every planet on them? And why? What do those planets have that Earth doesn't? And if there are people who can only live exclusively on Earth, are there people who can only live exclusively on one of the other planets?

On the cover, is Jarra really standing on top of a building? Without a suit? Isn't that supposed to be extremely dangerous?(less)

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May 06, 2013 Miriam Williams rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

Review also available from on my blog.

For the handicapped, the universe is restrictive. They’re tied to one planet rather than being able to portal to others. (I imagine this feels like being confined to your hometown for your entire life.) To make things worse, most were given up by their birth families, and all are constantly mocked by offworld “norms”. Enter Jarra, the main character of Earth Girl. She’s handicapped, and understandably bitter about that fact. However, a love of history and a...more Review also available from on my blog.

For the handicapped, the universe is restrictive. They’re tied to one planet rather than being able to portal to others. (I imagine this feels like being confined to your hometown for your entire life.) To make things worse, most were given up by their birth families, and all are constantly mocked by offworld “norms”. Enter Jarra, the main character of Earth Girl. She’s handicapped, and understandably bitter about that fact. However, a love of history and a desire to escape lead her to enroll in an off-world history course – one she can attend for the first year only, as it takes place on Earth.

I thought Jarra was an excellent character. Her bitterness at being handicapped felt very real to me, but it never overshadowed her drive to succeed or her love of history, other core aspects of her personality. Other reviews have called her a Mary Sue, but I disagree. It’s true she initially outshines the others on her course, but this is understandable: thanks to her disability, she’s had amateur experience at Earth dig-sites, and is a history-nerd to boot. My only complaint was the reason why Jarra kept her identify secret for so long. I won’t spoil the book, but I feel like the ending glossed over the ramifications of this choice. Hopefully it’ll be better addressed in the sequel.

Jarra’s classmates were an entertaining bunch. They’re a diverse group hailing from every sector in the galaxy, providing steady subplots of gossip, friendship and romance. I thought the sexual Betans were particularly well-drawn. Karth, a foil for Jarra rather than a person in himself, was the only character I found frustrating. He was described as suspicious of the military (thanks to his left-wing conspiracy theorist of a father). Ok, fair enough. But he was also most bigoted norm of the course (again courtesy of his “left-wing” father). How does that make sense? I think it would have been better to split the character into two, and give each more complexity.

Despite that, I really enjoyed this book. It’s a clever YA novel that pairs a bitter and capable teenage protagonist with excellent worldbuilding, and absolutely deserves all the hype it’s been getting. (less)

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Apr 22, 2013 Heather Sowalla rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book! As someone who has a disability I can see where our main character gets discouraged! However, her disability is really just a genetic flaw that does not allow her to leave Earth through the portal systems. Her brashness to apply to a school outside of Earth's boundaries is commendable! I applaud her for her brilliance, though I was worried during parts of the book. The fact that the first year is undertaken on Earth makes the situation slightly less difficult on her as she wil...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Jessica Strider rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Pros: fascinating premise; intelligent characters; great mix of humour and sadness; linguistic shifts, history and scientific cohesion give a sense of realism, minor romance

Cons: everything goes a little too perfectly for Jarra

Jarra is an ape, a throw back, a nean(derthal), handicapped: a human born with an immune system that won't allow her to portal to other worlds the way the Norms can. Dumped on Earth to be raised by Earth Hospital as a ward just after birth. She's fascinated with history,...more Pros: fascinating premise; intelligent characters; great mix of humour and sadness; linguistic shifts, history and scientific cohesion give a sense of realism, minor romance

Cons: everything goes a little too perfectly for Jarra

Jarra is an ape, a throw back, a nean(derthal), handicapped: a human born with an immune system that won't allow her to portal to other worlds the way the Norms can. Dumped on Earth to be raised by Earth Hospital as a ward just after birth. She's fascinated with history, having worked on archealogical digs from the time she was 11. She wants to prove that she's as good as any Norm, so she enrolls in a pre-history course run by an outside university for the purpose of meeting, fooling, and then telling off some Norms. But as she gets deeper and deeper into her cover story, lying about most aspects of her life, she also realizes that maybe she didn't think her plan through very well. And maybe these people don't deserve her hatred any more than she deserves their derision.

Set 600 years in the future, the book touches on a lot of science (solar arrays, Planet First, colonization, and most importantly, transportation portals), but the main focus of the book is on Jarra's decisions. This is a character driven book that reads at a quick pace (I finished it in a day).

The author does an amazing job of making Jarra feel real. One minute you're laughing out loud and a few pages later you're crying. Jarra is almost a Mary Sue in that everything seems to go well for her, but she's definitely got some negative character traits. And around the half-way mark something goes very wrong that affects her deeply.

I loved the linguistic shifts that allowed the characters to swear without swearing, and showed how culture and morality had shifted (both due to time and on various planets). For example, Beta is more sexually liberated than the other systems, allowing for nudity and having triad marriages. Meanwhile Gamma, who runs the university course Jarra is on, is much more conservative.

While most of the characters were 18, there were a few instances when they acted younger (mostly when baiting each other at the beginning of fights) but they generally acted their age, learning more about the freedoms of adulthood without going overboard.

There's an understated romance that pops up about half way through the book. I really appreciated the mature way it was handled. Unlike most teen books where angst rules, here the characters thought carefully about the future and what their current decisions would mean for their future. I also liked that when Jarra was strong her beau went along with things, but when she needed help he stepped up, showing that they were both strong characters, but in different ways.

While in no way preachy, the book examines prejudice - and how it can hurt people on both sides. Facing your own beliefs - both positive and negative - is a part of growing up, and it was nice to see Jarra questioning her hatred once she's interacting with Norms, rather than watching them in vids. The Norms too, get some lessons on how important - and knowledgable - the Earth dig teams are, making them question their beliefs.

The book has a few flaws but I highly recommend it. The humour alone is worth the read.(less)

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Mar 30, 2013 Alisa Hedden rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an excellent debut novel by Janet Edwards, an author that shows that for some authors, a story idea takes time to ripen into excellence. This is one of those.
The main character is a believably written 18 year old girl that is dealing with the usual late teen issues as well as some pretty serious abandonment and anger issues. But, if you grew up, knowing that you were one of the unlucky percentage that could never leave Earth, knowing you had been left in infancy and that the rest of t...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Kristin (MyBookishWays Reviews) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You may also read my review at http://www.mybookishways.com/2013/03/...

It’s 2788 and Jarra has just turned 18. This means she’ll get to decide which course of study to pursue. There’s never been a question in Jarra’s mind as to what she wants to do with her life, however. She loves history, especially pre-history, which refers to the time before humans began making an exodus from Earth to other planets (around 2409, when the Earth data net failed.) Portal technology has been developed for interp...more You may also read my review at http://www.mybookishways.com/2013/03/...

It’s 2788 and Jarra has just turned 18. This means she’ll get to decide which course of study to pursue. There’s never been a question in Jarra’s mind as to what she wants to do with her life, however. She loves history, especially pre-history, which refers to the time before humans began making an exodus from Earth to other planets (around 2409, when the Earth data net failed.) Portal technology has been developed for interplanetary travel, but unfortunately, some people are born with the inability to survive on other planets. Technically, they’re Handicapped, but are also referred to as apes, or neans. Jarra is one such person. If she were to attempt to portal to another planet, she’d immediately go into anaphylactic shock and a quick death will follow without prompt treatment. Handicapped babies that are born on other planets are immediately portaled to Earth. Some norm parents give up their children and they are raised on Earth by ProMums and ProDads, who handle groups of children and guide them until they turn 18. Handicapped kids are given the choice, at age 14, to find out about their real parents, but Jarra has chosen not to do this so far. Jarra is close to her ProMum, Candace, and loves her best friend Issette, but she’s eager to move on to bigger things. When she tells Candace of her plans to apply to University Asgard, an offworld history course. Luckily, the first year of the course is spent on Earth, excavating the ruins of New York City. Jarra will be the first ape girl to apply to an offworld university, and she knows that challenges lay ahead, but she’s got a plan. The course professor will know something is up, since her application originates from Earth, but discrimination is very frowned upon, and if she plays her cards right, no one needs to know that she’s not a norm. Jarra is very bitter about her status, and she plans to use her brains and experience with amateur excavation groups to impress, then use her big reveal to throw everything in the (hopefully shocked) faces of her norm classmates. She soon finds out that discrimination isn’t quite as cut and dry as she thought, and will soon have to re-evaluate herself and her whole outlook.

When Jarra begins her class, it’s obvious that Lecturer Playdon suspects something, and is determined to catch her in a mistake. He’ll have a hard time of it though, since Jarra has created an entire construct. While at university, she’s Jarra Military Kid, or JMK as she nicknames herself. She’s created a completely new Military identity for herself and has researched it to the hilt, including obtaining some impressive combat skills. She plans to teach these exos a lesson, and what could possibly go wrong? She’s not prepared for her varied classmates, and she’s certainly not prepared to like them, especially the handsome and sweet Fian, who takes a liking to Jarra from the very start. She soon proves to be a capable and intelligent student, and draws quite a bit of attention during their time excavating the ruins of New York City. Her 18th year will not only be a time of self-discovery, and revelation, but tragedy also strikes, sending Jarra into a tailspin. She’ll need all of her inner strength to keep from losing herself, and all that she holds dear.

Earth Girl, Janet Edwards’s debut novel, is told in 18 year old Jarra’s voice, and what a voice! In many ways, she’s a typical teen, but for us, her world is anything but typical. Over 750 years in the future, Earth is very different, and many other planets have been colonized, or are in the process of colonization. Jarra’s classmates represent a cross section of cultures and planets, and their excavation trips in the ruins of New York are fascinating and exciting.

Although the author has created a rich future world, the real story is Jarra’s and it was rather refreshing that there wasn’t a world to be saved or a crisis in which Jarra was the universe’s one and only hope. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but the lack of this sort of storyline allows the reader to become completely immersed in Jarra’s journey of self-discovery. Yes, she has typical teen issues, such as first love, and discovering her place in the world, but she’s spent 18 years thinking of how to punish everyone else for what she perceives as her shortcomings. Yes, there is discrimination against the Handicapped, but it’s not quite what she thinks, and as she gets to know her classmates as individuals, it begins to shape her world view in unexpected ways. Earth Girl most definitely has a message, and it’s an important one, but it’s never preachy, and Jarra is absolutely delightful. She’s certainly flawed, but it’s her ability to change and adapt that speaks to her character in the end. A rich, detailed, far-future world, and a strong, determined young protagonist make this a standout debut for teens and adults!(less)

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Mar 20, 2013 Louise Allsopp rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopian, favorites

This book actually had me hooked from the blurb I read before it was released and I waited 6 months for its release, so I had extremely high hopes for this book. And I wasn't let down. Not at all. I was completely and totally sucked in, its not even funny, I even went around blurting out random facts about the future of humanity.. So yeah, the world building is pretty faultless. Quite a few times during the book I was amazed and really impressed at how thoroughly Janet Edwards had thought about...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Jen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It was a good idea and had a good premises, but I felt like a lot of things were left unexplained, such as the technology, and how the Portals worked. The world building was fantastic and I really liked how society had evolved and on different worlds too!

While at first, Jarra seemed to be witting and funny, as I read on, she seemed hypocritical about her views on "exos". Even when faced with proof about how they were no different to her, she maintained her prejudice. Towards the end, when Fian s...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Samantha Martin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“They were magicians,” I said. “Think of the glorious cities they built. New York, New Tokyo, London, Moscow, Paris Coeur, Berlin, Eden…Now it’s all in ruins, and we’re scavenging for scraps of their knowledge.” -Janet Edwards, Earth Girl

Imagine a world where you would be considered a “Handicapped” person because of your immune system. Jarra is one of the thousands of people in a post-apocalyptic world that is confined to Earth.

Jarra dreams of going off world, but she has been told all of her li...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Anika rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jarra ist ein Affenmädchen - ein Mädchen, das behindert ist. Durch einen Gendefekt kann sie die Portale nicht nutzen und auf anderen Planeten nicht überleben. So ist sie an das Leben auf der Erde gebunden. Der größte Teil der Menschheit lebt jedoch auf anderen und viel geeigneteren Planeten als der Erde. Als Jarra 18 Jahre alt wird, muss sie sich für ein Studium entscheiden. Und sie hat einen Plan, mit dem sie es allen beweisen will: Sie möchte Geschichte studieren, aber nicht an der speziellen...more Jarra ist ein Affenmädchen - ein Mädchen, das behindert ist. Durch einen Gendefekt kann sie die Portale nicht nutzen und auf anderen Planeten nicht überleben. So ist sie an das Leben auf der Erde gebunden. Der größte Teil der Menschheit lebt jedoch auf anderen und viel geeigneteren Planeten als der Erde. Als Jarra 18 Jahre alt wird, muss sie sich für ein Studium entscheiden. Und sie hat einen Plan, mit dem sie es allen beweisen will: Sie möchte Geschichte studieren, aber nicht an der speziellen Schule für "Affen", sondern an der Asgard-Universität und sich dort als ganz "Normale" ausweisen. Dazu hat sie sich die perfekte Lüge ausgedacht, doch mit der Zeit wird klar, dass sie mit ihrer Lüge gar nicht so weit von der Wahrheit entfernt liegt.

"Earth Girl - Die Prüfung" ist der Auftakt einer Trilogie, die weit in der Zukunft spielt. Die Städte unserer Zeit sind längst verlassen und zu Ruinenstätten geworden. Und diese sind von höchstem Interesse für Historiker. Daher gibt es auch in Zukunft Archäologen, die jedoch grundlegend anders arbeiten als heutzutage. Es gibt unterschiedliche Aufgaben und alles stützt sich auf Technologien. Ich muss zugeben, dass ich mich zunächst ein wenig schwer damit getan habe mir die Vorgehensweise dieser Archäologen wirklich bildlich vorstellen zu können. Auch war es nach einiger Zeit ein bisschen ermüdend über die immer recht gleichen Abläufe informiert zu werden. Das Team, in dem Jarra arbeitet, ist zunächst in New York stationiert. Sie lernen alle wichtigen Abläufe kennen (die Jarra aber schon alle in- und auswendig beherrscht) und bekommen schon wenig später die Gelegenheit sich bei ungewöhnlichen Einsätzen zu beweisen.

Zu Beginn wusste ich nicht, was ich von Jarra selbst halten sollte. Man hat gemerkt, dass sie sehr ehrgeizig ist und allen unbedingt beweisen will, dass sie, das Affenmädchen“, genauso gut ist wie alle anderen. Doch gerade zu Beginn, als für ihre Kommilitonen noch alles neu war und sie erst alles lernen mussten, ging mir Jarra doch ein bisschen auf die Nerven. Sie konnte alles, wusste alles und ihre Meinung den anderen gegenüber war nicht besonders positiv. Nach und nach muss auch sie lernen im Team zu arbeiten, denn alleine würde sie nicht weit kommen. Sie wurde während des Buches auch wesentlich sympathischer und ich konnte mich teilweise sehr gut in sie hineinversetzen.

Die anderen Charaktere kommen alle von unterschiedlichen Planeten. Es gibt einige, die sich besonders von den anderen durch bestimmte Charakterzüge absetzen, aber zum größten Teil sind sie alle recht ähnlich. Irgendwie hatte ich da mehr Unterschiede erwartet. Besonders interessant fand ich den Dozenten Playdon. Zunächst fordert er Jarra besonders und sie muss sich beweisen, doch sie hat sich schnell seinen Respekt erarbeitet. Er hat mir wirklich gut gefallen. Natürlich darf auch nicht der besonderen Jungen in ihrem Leben fehlen. Hierbei handelt es sich um Fian, einen Jungen, den ich von Anfang an sehr sympathisch fand. Jedoch hat es mir teilweise überhaupt nicht gefallen, wie Jarra mit ihm umgesprungen ist. Erst ignoriert sie ihn tagelang, um ihn dann plötzlich doch wieder ganz interessant zu finden. Das ändert sich dann doch jedoch grundlegend. Die restlichen Charaktere werde ich jetzt nicht mehr alle aufzählen, weil das doch den Rahmen sprengen würde, aber auch hier sind einige interessante Personen dabei, die jedoch auch mal eher ein bisschen flach bleiben. Da bin ich gespannt, ob wir sie in den nächsten Bänden auch antreffen werden und wie sie sich noch entwickeln werden.

Janet Edwards hat einen wirklich unglaublich tollen Schreibstil, der zu überzeugen weiß. So wechseln sich häufig spannende und humorvolle Momente ab. Trotzdem kann es durchaus passieren, dass durch die Beschreibungen der Vorgehensweise beim „Ausgraben“ bei dem ein oder anderen Leser ein wenig Langeweile auftritt. Auch wechseln sich sehr ausgearbeitete Passagen oft mit knappen ab, die gerne noch ein bisschen länger hätten sein dürfen, da es an einigen Stellen doch ein bisschen zu schnell geht und so die Geschichte ein wenig an Glaubwürdigkeit verliert.

Insgesamt ist „Earth Girl – Die Prüfung“ ein sehr gelungener Auftakt einer neuen Reihe, die in der Zukunft spielt. Mir hat das Thema an sich sehr gut gefallen, auch habe ich selbst schon häufiger darüber nachgedacht, wie wohl die Arbeit als Archäologe in Zukunft aussehen könnte. Es ist sicherlich mal ein ganz anderer und interessanter Blick in die Zukunft, der jedoch phasenweise seine Längen hat. Trotzdem weiß das Buch zu überzeugen und bekommt daher gute 4 Herzen von mir.(less)

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Feb 06, 2013 Wendy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book seems to lie between the Dysopian and Science Fiction genres.
The Earth, torn apart by war is left abandoned by those seeking a better life on planets in space. Only babies born Handicapped-those unable to physically survive beyond earth's boundaries- live in an environment battered by storms. Torn from her parents because she can't survive on another world, Jarra is raised as a baby in an earth hospital then a school. She hates all those considered normal and wants them to suffer for t...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Penny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jarra is handicapped. In future-speak this means that there is some sort of anomaly with her immune system that prevents her from portalling to other planets. Her parents have thus sent her to Earth with the all the other handicapped babies or 'apes' as they're controversially called, to live away from all the normal people that reside in the other planets. That is, until she decides to enrol in an outer planet university without informing anyone of her true identity.

Something that irked me from...more

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Nov 22, 2012 Ilyda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

All right, firstly, this was a decent book. It had an interesting premise - the world was solid, and the idea was a unique spin on a way-overused setting.

My problem was the way it was written and how the events were played out. The premise might have been good, but the 'problem' of the story - Jarra's Handicap, or whatever, was resolved with boring acceptance that was barely even elaborated on. Janet Edwards simply skimmed past the resolvement of the issue, gushing on about how Jarra has done su...more All right, firstly, this was a decent book. It had an interesting premise - the world was solid, and the idea was a unique spin on a way-overused setting.

My problem was the way it was written and how the events were played out. The premise might have been good, but the 'problem' of the story - Jarra's Handicap, or whatever, was resolved with boring acceptance that was barely even elaborated on. Janet Edwards simply skimmed past the resolvement of the issue, gushing on about how Jarra has done such a shitawesome job in everything, and Jarra escapes all the shit she's done simply by being unconscious - even better, she receives naught consequence, and instead a shiny award.

Okay, so her boyfriend gets upset with her for a total of approximately five seconds, which is just pathetic. She got off way too lightly, and got rewarded way too much for way too little. Which brings me to my next point - Princess Jarra is nothing short of a straight-up Mary Sue.

She's good at everything, everyone loves her, she's brave and strong and perfect and amazing and knows everything in the past five thousand years. Sure, she's a strong main character, but tbh I got rather sick of her playing the Miss Know-It-All Well-Rounded Leader with Eighty Million Talents about five chapters in. Also, she never gets into any trouble, and is never discriminated against for her Handicap, save one little slip by her boyfriend, who calls her an ape in the heat of the moment. Hello, did everyone forget that these Handicaps are supposed to be seen as actually inferior? Not that I want her to be bullied, but I'd have preferred a little actual conflict between the characters, so that she seems more than an overly flawless Mary Sue.

Next problem - her boyfriend, Fian. I find his endless desires to be thrown across a room slightly disturbing - call me a prude, but I'm no fan of the implied sadomasochism in this book at all. In addition, he's rather a flat character, with little to no individual character traits at all. He's a good little pet boyfriend, accepting Jarra for who she is, watching stupid TV shows with her and worrying far too much about her personal safety. Yeah. Not cool, at all.

Despite my ragging on the book, however, I think that the premise manages to salvage the book - the world is very well described, and I could picture the ancient dig sites and whatnot quite well in my mind. In general, it's a not-so-well-written book with a good premise, terrible characters and a less than satisfactory plot. Yeah. Okay, the end.

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Oct 08, 2012 Bookcrazy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-german-2012

Interessantes Zukunftsszenario in dem Menschen durch Tore zu anderen Orten gelangen. (Stargatemäßig) Leider können nicht alle Menschen durch diese Tore zu anderen Planeten gelangen, vermutlich aufgrund eines Gen-Defekts. Diese Menschen werden als behindert bezeichnet, oder auch als "Affen"(Schimpfwort).
Jarra, die Hauptprotagonisten ist eine dieser beeinträchtigten Menschen, und muss deshalb auf der Erde bleiben. Als Jarra achtzehn wird muss sie sich entscheiden, was sie mit ihrem Leben anfangen...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Andy Angel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First things first, this review is from an uncorrected proof copy - the book will be available to buy in the shops on August 16th.
The year is 2788 and thanks to the use of portals mankind has now moved out to the stars.
Unfortunately, due to a problem with the immune system, a small percentage of humans are only able to survive on Earth. Portalling off planet would mean death unless they can be sent straight back to Earth and hospitalised. These people, know as "handicapped or apes" (amongst...more First things first, this review is from an uncorrected proof copy - the book will be available to buy in the shops on August 16th.
The year is 2788 and thanks to the use of portals mankind has now moved out to the stars.
Unfortunately, due to a problem with the immune system, a small percentage of humans are only able to survive on Earth. Portalling off planet would mean death unless they can be sent straight back to Earth and hospitalised. These people, know as "handicapped or apes" (amongst other things) are seen as an underclass.
Our heroine in this book, Jarra, is one of these "apes" but she is determined to prove she is eqqual to, if not better than, the off-worlders (or "exo"s). To this end, she enrolls on a Pre-History Foundation Course with University Asgard which is based at dig sites around Planet Earth. By not having to leave Earth for the course Jarra believes she can hide her handicap and pass off as normal to her classmates.
Jarra invents a backstory for herself as Jarra Military Kid (JMK) but is often nearly caught out, until she gets some shock news and actually starts to believe her JMK persona and life is real.
This is a really well thought out story, with believable science that doesn't require you to have a phd in astrophysics. The idea of the old cities of Earth being abandoned as people headed for the stars makes sense. We only get to see the New York site but that is so well described and atmospheric that, especially when the team move from the fringe site to New York Main, the city/ ruins almost becomes a character itself.
Each off system has its' own character traits which makes for an interesting student group and maybe Jarra is not the only one with a secret!
This book will appeal to people who like things like the Hunger Games series but also to a wider audience and, in my opinion, it has massive potential for being made into a movie (I really want to see New York Main and the solar storm on the big screen).
Another, final, plus for me - the book ties up neatly at the end. There may be more from Jarra, Earth Girl, but if there isn't, there are no real loose threads left dangling.
A 5* book from a promising new author

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Mar 09, 2013 Faye (The Social Potato) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1st-in-series, 2012, action, archaelogy, young-adult, series, romance, science-fiction, no-instalove, military, good-heroine, finding-oneself, fantasy, drama

First and foremost, I'd like to thank my good friend since my scanlation days, Kureha, for recommending this book to me, because otherwise, I wouldn't have touched this. Not the book's fault, really. Ever since I read (and vehemently disliked) British author Teri Terry's Slated, I've become wary of English/British YA novels. But thank goodness for angels like my friend, because this novel turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. I loved it! So how do you know if this book is for you? Well, let...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Shauna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is SO GOOD. Like really, really good. Jarra could easily be up there with Katniss and Tris. She’s physically capable and extremely intelligent with a lot to prove the world around her. However, she isn’t a warrior woman like many sci-fi YA novels have written women in the last five years. She’s a beginner archeologists in the late 2700s. Her only foe is societal prejudice against people like her - people who are Handicapped and unable to survive on any planet but Earth.

This sets the bo...more This book is SO GOOD. Like really, really good. Jarra could easily be up there with Katniss and Tris. She’s physically capable and extremely intelligent with a lot to prove the world around her. However, she isn’t a warrior woman like many sci-fi YA novels have written women in the last five years. She’s a beginner archeologists in the late 2700s. Her only foe is societal prejudice against people like her - people who are Handicapped and unable to survive on any planet but Earth.

This sets the book up as a really nice reflection of modern prejudices. In Jarra’s story, we can see how microaggressions against Handicapped affect those who are Handicapped. Casual use of the slur “ape,” jokes about how “apes” are unevolved, and the treatment of Handicapped by norms all create a lot of internal self-hatred in Jarra and some serious prejudices of her own. She’s full of a lot of rage at the beginning of the book, and the plot is instigated by her desire to prove that she’s just as smart and capable as her norm classmates by pretending to be norm and applying to an off-Earth university.

The book’s strength is the detail of the world that Edwards has created. We get a lot of history and culture and technology to discover, while seeing what this society lacks. There was a major loss of technology several hundred years before the book is set and the use of portal technology (think Portal meets Stargate) has made a lot of modern technology obsolete. At one point in the book, Jarra’s class finds an old 20th century news paper and they’re shocked to read the speeds of a Formula 1 race car. Non-portal transportation doesn’t go above a few MPH.

This is also the first mainstream Young Adult book I’ve read where polyamory is accepted and polygamy is legal on many planets. Homosexuality is also mentioned as normal, though none of the current characters seem to be queer (which is probably just the author not realising her own bias).

The book also provides a really good equaling of gender roles within the society. Fian, Jarra’s love interest, is a very mild-mannered and submissive boy to Jarra’s dominant personality and expresses his desire for Jarra to throw him across a room, pin him down, and basically ravish him. His submissiveness is shown as normal and not emasculating, and Fian isn’t a woobie little delicate flower since he proves that he can be just as dominating as Jarra — just that he doesn’t prefer it.

The book also brings new ideas about how relationships should be handled. Casual dating and fooling around is treated the same as it is now, but becoming more serious (as in exclusive dating) requires a legally binding contract that is registered with the government. To get married, the couple must have a contract of at least a year. This doesn’t prevent divorce, of course (though it seems as though divorce only happens in the case of a Handicapped baby). But it does force couples or triads to work their shit out.

The issue of race isn’t really brought up. The only character whose race is specifically mentioned is one of the other dig teams, and only because he has a scar which is strange for a society that can replace whole limbs if needed. But Janet Edwards has cited Halle Berry mixed with Emma Watson as a facecast for Jarra and who I assume is Jarra’s brother as being a mix of Jay Hernandez and Ian Somerhalder. This could suggest that Jarra’s a woman of color, though specific ancestry was probably lost over the centuries.

The book isn’t without it’s faults, however. And since those faults are specific and spoilery in nature, they’re behind a cut.
(view spoiler)[
The first is that Jarra is too capable and experienced out on a dig site. She’s automatically made tag leader, the best and most dangerous position, and is part of rescue efforts twice in the book itself while everyone else her age sits around and watches. Everyone congratulates her on her first rescue without any hard feelings or punishments for her behavior. She learns hand-to-hand combat in a month off-screen. She has a piloting license, which is rare for anyone let alone someone aged 18. Her only weakness seems to be that she gets distracted in lectures and hates math, but there’s not enough of those scenes to balance her out. I would have liked to have seen her make many more mistakes or being unknowledgable or just not good about new things she learns.

The second is that the whole ordeal with her parents in chapters 18-20 felt rushed and the ensuing retreat into fantasy was weird, hard to understand, and probably not necessary if the author had taken the time to think of a better way to get the same results. It felt incongruous to the rest of the story.

As an atheist and a skeptic, I was seriously put off with a one-sentence throwaway factoid that physicists had found the existence of an intelligent creator. That was just completely unnecessary, tbh, not to mention unlikely to be so widely accepted or even found by physicists. If evidence existed, I think a biologist would have found it. Not only that, but scientists don’t easily accept findings as fact. There’d still be plenty of atheists and skeptics questioning. We’d have to shake hands with god before we believed him to exist, and even then we’d have our doubts that he wasn’t a fraud. But the book doesn’t get religious, which cooled me a bit.

The society seems to be rather conservative, which made me itch a bit, but there’s enough glimpses of liberalism that make me think that all the conservatism is an exaggeration of current standards than the author’s own feelings on the matter.

Also, the number of planets in each “sector” seems wrong, I think? I can’t tell if every “sector” is a planetary system or not, but I assume it is and the fact that there are more than two or three planets for every sector is scientifically unlikely. Earth is within a very, very small habitable zone where water can exist on the planet’s surface.

And Fian, my sweet little Fian, does something so stupid that it takes away all of the agency that Jarra had and that the author was building up to. And he meant well! But the author, probably pressed for time or word count, let Fian tell their classmates that Jarra was Handicapped while Jarra was recovering in hospital rather than letting her do it herself. It’s another case of the author running out of time and pages to tell a full story and having to do the last 5000 words half-assed. The fact that most of it could have easily been written into the plot of the second book (coming August 2013) probably didn’t even occur to anyone. (hide spoiler)]

But these mistakes aren’t new to the Young Adult world. When you’re given a limited amount of pages in which to write a book, corners are cut at the expense of a good ending. And knowing this, and seeing how good the good parts are, I’m still giving it 5 stars.(less)

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Dec 14, 2012 Ann added it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 13, 2012 Annabelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Earth Girl is one of those rare gems which you come across by luck, then when you read it, it completely blows you mind. It is a stunning debut novel which keeps the reader wanting more. Even when I'd finished this book it was still at the front of my mind. This doesn't happen to me often but when it does it really shows how good a book is. The story and plot were still reeling in my mind, I was analysing the events like I was there, it was brilliant. I can easily say that I loved this book. I w...more Earth Girl is one of those rare gems which you come across by luck, then when you read it, it completely blows you mind. It is a stunning debut novel which keeps the reader wanting more. Even when I'd finished this book it was still at the front of my mind. This doesn't happen to me often but when it does it really shows how good a book is. The story and plot were still reeling in my mind, I was analysing the events like I was there, it was brilliant. I can easily say that I loved this book. I would even go to the point to say that it is the best book I have read this year. It is that incredible.

Earth Girl follows Jarra who was born with an immune system that doesn't allow her to portal to other planets. She is one in a thousand, she is criticised for being an ape but she wont let this stop her. She will do anything to prove that she is just like everyone else. Once she turns 18 she decides to enroll in a university from another planet, instead of sticking to a normal Earth university. The history course she picks, takes place on Earth where all the old dig sites are. Jarra's the only one from Earth so she has to make a fake background for herself and hide her handicap. After meeting her new classmates she realises that Exos (People who live on other planets) aren't that bad. On one of her missions she's put in the spotlight making everyone aware of her skills, she can no longer hide. I won't say anymore because I don't want to spoil this amazing book.

Jarra is an amazing heroine. She's smart, strong and very sarcastic. She's hilarious, and so down to earth. Shes the most realistic heroine I've probably ever read. I loved her, her character was strong and we watched her crumble and regrow. She grew into her own, finding her true self and realised that not everyone is the same as the stereotypes that are forced upon them. Fian, Jarra's love interest was also funny and smart. They had amazing chemistry and were perfect together. Fian's obsession with wanting Jarra to throw him across the room was hilarious. Playdon was a great tutor, he was serious but also allowed the class to have fun, he also accepted Jarra from the very beginning.

The book is set in 2788. Janet Edwards does a brilliant job of creating new technology and science, and a believable world. It was incredibly well done, there were no faults. It was brilliant, the portals and domes. The whole environment was amazing. The science wasn't too complicated, most people would be able to understand it. We got to see the two different sides of the world, Jarra's view from someone handicapped and her classmates view from exos. We easily saw the world in its true light and some conflicting elements that came from false information that is featured in each different sector. I would love to visit this world, just to explore it all. Edwards also did a good job describing the New York Dig Sites and all the ruins left behind from when people left earth. You could see some of the old world shining through.

The story was well woven together, and all loose threads were tied up in the end. The ending was very good and summed up all threads and gave us an idea of what would happen to Jarra and the gang next. Janet Edwards is a stunning debut author and she's definitely an author you need to look out for. I'm excited to see what she has to offer next. If your a fan of Dystopian novels then this is a must have. You should definitely buy this book.

Earth Girl is an incredibly well written novel with believeable characters and an intriguing plot. It's one of the best books I've read this year and one you all need to look out for when it releases in August.
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Mar 25, 2013 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Refreshingly, this is straightforward, character-driven SF with a lively voice and an optimistic outlook. Whether you like it or not will depend on what you think of Jarra, the narrator.

Warning - some spoilers ahead:

Close to 700 years from now, humans have populated the galaxy. There are loads of inhabitable planets, and only a few have incipient intelligent life. As a result, only those who cannot use transport portals are left on earth. Due to advances in medicine, this inability to "beam" or...more Refreshingly, this is straightforward, character-driven SF with a lively voice and an optimistic outlook. Whether you like it or not will depend on what you think of Jarra, the narrator.

Warning - some spoilers ahead:

Close to 700 years from now, humans have populated the galaxy. There are loads of inhabitable planets, and only a few have incipient intelligent life. As a result, only those who cannot use transport portals are left on earth. Due to advances in medicine, this inability to "beam" or teleport to other worlds is the only remaining handicap. Jarra is handicapped. Now that she's turning 18, she and her age-mates need to go on to further education. Jarra's particular love is history; she also has a chip on her shoulder about the "normal people" who are prejudiced against people like her. In order to prove a point, she wants to enroll in an off-world university that is holding a course on earth. She will (she imagines) do an excellent job and blend in with her classmates - and then she'll spring on them that she's one of the despised "apes". Her cover story is that she is from a military family.

At first, all goes according to plan. But then Jarra discovers a few things. (1) Some of the "exos" (the perjorative name earth people call the normal people able to teleport) are really nice. In fact, a couple are admirable people, and she's falling in love with one of them. How will Fian, Amalie, and Dalmora react when they find out she's been lying to them? (2) Still more shockingly, she really is from a military family, and her parents, who are eager to meet her, really are on off-world assignment. It seems as though everything may end happily, after all. But-

When her newly discovered parents die off-world, Jarra suffers a breakdown. It's at this point that she becomes unlikeable - her cocky military "persona" takes over completely, and she also leads a good friend to an act that may have devastating consequences for them both. But it's forgivable, because she's in a fugue state. She's had a breakdown. And she does end up having to deal with the consequences.

So - I liked the world building*. I liked that Jarra is an imperfect character who grows up a bit. The plot moved fast and was well- handled. I also liked that "Earth Girl" did not include these things:

It was not a dystopian.
There were no monsters*.
There was no love triangle.

In short, it avoided a lot of the things that seem to have become cliche in YA fiction.

I did not like it as much as Ann Mason's excellent books, especially "The Stolen Law". But it was a fun read with some worthwhile ideas, and I'd recommend it to SF fans.

*Unfortunately, packs of wolves roaming the ruins of New York city are treated as monsters. Given all that these beautiful animals are suffering today, it's a pity that a science fiction novel for kids treats them as enemies to be shot.
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Aug 16, 2012 Paul rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just imagine you live in an age where humanity has finally reached the stars and we are able to travel to distant planets in the blink of an eye. The whole universe is out there waiting to be explored, but by a simple twist of fate you have to stay behind. Not only that, but all those that are able to travel between worlds look down at you. To them, your kind are to be pitied like some sort of sub-human.

Jarra is an excellent student and is given the opportunity to join a prestigious university c...more Just imagine you live in an age where humanity has finally reached the stars and we are able to travel to distant planets in the blink of an eye. The whole universe is out there waiting to be explored, but by a simple twist of fate you have to stay behind. Not only that, but all those that are able to travel between worlds look down at you. To them, your kind are to be pitied like some sort of sub-human.

Jarra is an excellent student and is given the opportunity to join a prestigious university course that focuses on Earth’s pre-history (essentially all time before the invention of the portal technology). Young adults from all over the galaxy come back to Earth to study their ancestral home. So keen is she to escape her perceived handicap, Jarra invents a new history for herself. To her new classmates Jarra’s unconventional ways and her extensive knowledge of Earth is just the product of a military upbringing.

Through the course of her studies, Jarra connects with a fellow student called Fian. With her deception firmly in place Jarra gets to experience what life for Norms is like. Everything seems to be going perfectly until a traumatic event leaves Jarra starting to believe her own version of the truth.

Earth Girl is set nearly eight hundred years in the future and I’d like to tell you that things have improved, but the trials and tribulations of being a young adult remain the same as they are now. Jarra is a likeable protagonist and I found her journey both thought provoking and believable. She still faces the constant battle to fit in with the group and relentless peer pressure is with her every day. I can imagine it’ll be very easy for any young person to relate to her plight, anyone who has ever been made to feel different will understand.

Where I think Earth Girl really excels is Edwards’s unique vision of the future. The mass exodus from Earth has created multiple divergent cultures. Each new society still view Earth as their familial home but have splintered off into their own individual groups. It gives the author the opportunity to explore how differing morals and societal attitudes can effect the development of a civilization. These ideas form a strong backbone to the main story and elevate a simple plot into something more complex.

At the most basic level Jarra is just trying to find her place in the cosmos. As she struggles to discover her own identity the reader is treated to a superior young adult novel that is as insightful as it is entertaining. This is a great debut and I’m looking forward to Edwards next novel already.(less)

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May 24, 2013 Dylan Tomorrow rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who loves adventurous funny scifi tales with portals

Recommended to Dylan by: similar books feature on goodreads

Shelves: science-fiction, utopia, friendship, favorites, gender, lol, romance, fiercely-original, magic

Zan amaz! This was a wonderful adventure! I am still swept up in all the emotions and probably just gushing at this point, but so what!

Thank you so much, Janet Edwards, for writing this! I feel honored to have gotten to know Jarra and Fian and Playdon and her ProMum and her friends and all the other characters, even Krath! :D They revealed themselves beautifully over the course of the story as breathing, swearing, loving, real people.

The cultures you created felt so real and lived-in and I was f...more Zan amaz! This was a wonderful adventure! I am still swept up in all the emotions and probably just gushing at this point, but so what!

Thank you so much, Janet Edwards, for writing this! I feel honored to have gotten to know Jarra and Fian and Playdon and her ProMum and her friends and all the other characters, even Krath! :D They revealed themselves beautifully over the course of the story as breathing, swearing, loving, real people.

The cultures you created felt so real and lived-in and I was fascinated again and again by the believable repercussions of portal technology for humanity that show up in every fibre of their society. True scifi at its best, showing us the repercussion of a piece of tech and immersing us in an utterly believable world that was shaped by it through and through. Also, finally a Utopian setting. Way to few of those around and way to many lazy Dystopian settings!

I adore the romance that slowly and believably builds in this book while never derailing it with romantic plot tumor syndrome. Heartfelt, romantic, real, full of delightful bickering, funny, inspiring, strengthening both of them. I got lots of warm fuzzy feels from it. :-)

I did not find this to be boring as some other reviewers wrote. Maybe a paragraph here or there slowed down a bit, but other than that there was always enough interesting interactions or plot developments happening to keep me glued to the book and not really let me go until I had finished it in a mere two days. For me, that is what makes my true favorites: They tag me and don’t let me go! ;-D

I wish I was more eloquent at this, but guys, read this! It’s rather fantastic character-driven scifi with gorgeous world-building and a gripping, if maybe a bit convenient and contrived plot. But so is real life sometimes, too (being stranger than fiction and all ...).

It made me laugh countless times, cry almost as much, sweat, swear, smile and swoon. It made me want to live in this future, be it as a norm or a handicapped.

I am so glad I found this book thanks to goodreads and so glad I finally got a scifi page.turner that really clicked with me. For years I’ve found scifi books harder to get into and consume at this magical have-to-finish-it-within-days speed than scifi TV shows and movies and even questioned my scifi fan card, but this reassured me that I am indeed a true scifi fan, just one yet to discover most of his favourite scifi books.

Oh, and I loved the author’s future language. Beam, lookup and newszie where particularly believable words for light, smartphone and tablet/ereader respectively. I am still not quite sure what nardle and grazzed mean exactly, though :D.(less)

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Mar 25, 2013 Nymeria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bought-bec-of-pretty-cover, epic, i-need-the-sequel-asap, interest-piqued, meaty-book, more-more-more, romance-fail, ya-done-right

EDITED: rating brought down to 3 stars & review modified

This is the heroine for the first part of the book-->

photo tumblr_md4kgxRKOz1r4sak0o1_500_zps8f10a8ad.gif

The fact that she is right is both a good thing and a bad thing.

A good thing because she's not a Miss Goody Two Shoes. She's a fully three-dimensional flawed character.

A bad thing because she's so "super awesome" everyone (except maybe the teacher) seems bland and stupid in comparison. I think the author carried the "over-qualified outcast ape" and "bunch of clueless exos" thing w...more

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Mar 23, 2013 TheBookSmugglers rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: apocalypse-dystopia-keepers, notable-reads-of-2013, scifi, science-fiction-awesomeness, young-adult

Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers

Nearly 800 years in the future, Earth and the rest of the universe is a very different place. Thanks to scientist Thaddeus Wallam-Crane, humanity is no longer limited by accelerated particle engines, or the restrictive harness of speed-of-light travel - Wallam-Crane's invention of "portals" mean that humanity can conquer the most distant stars, unrestrained by space and time.

Well, that's true for 99.9% of humanity. That remaining fraction, that niggling...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Laura Lam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, science-fiction, young-adult

Rating: 4.5 stars

A few weeks ago, I managed to nab a proof copy of Janet Edwards’ debut from Janet’s editor. I’ve been Twitter friends with Janet for a few months and really liked the sound of her book. But there’s always a bit of trepidation when you finally read a book by someone you know, because you worry it’ll not be your cup of tea. But, luckily, that was not the case with Earth Girl.

I’ll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but the basic set-up is that, 700-odd years from now, humans ha...more Rating: 4.5 stars

A few weeks ago, I managed to nab a proof copy of Janet Edwards’ debut from Janet’s editor. I’ve been Twitter friends with Janet for a few months and really liked the sound of her book. But there’s always a bit of trepidation when you finally read a book by someone you know, because you worry it’ll not be your cup of tea. But, luckily, that was not the case with Earth Girl.

I’ll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but the basic set-up is that, 700-odd years from now, humans have managed inter-planet portals and are scattered across the universe on various planets. However, a very small percentage of the population cannot portal offworld, and they are known as the Handicapped, sometimes called the more unsavoury names of a throwback, a nean (neanderthal), or an ape. These Handicapped have to live on Earth.

Earth Girl is interesting in that it’s sort-of a dystopia, but not really. Life as a Handicapped is not bad, but it is limited. Many children have been abandoned by their parents are are raised by ProMums or ProDads, psychologists carefully making sure their wards are mentally stable. They have limited career choices.

Jarra, an Earth Girl, is bitter at her lot and decides to join a non-Earth school, the University of Asgard, for the foundation history course, which is set on Earth. This has not been done before. She tells no one at the new school that she’s actually been on Earth all along, inventing a fake backstory as a child of Military parents. She anticipates showing them she’s just as good as the “exos” and then yelling at them and going back to her own life, smug at pulling the wool over their eyes. But then she realises that things are not going according to plan.

Jarra throws herself into this new life, rising to the rank of tag leader on the dig sites of the ruins of long-abandoned New York. She discovers more about her parents and grandparents and tries to ignore her attraction to a boy, Fian, whom she thinks would never accept her as just an ape girl.

Jarra is a strong heroine, though she is almost unbelievably good at everything–there are no challenges for her on the coursework and at times it’s like she’s teaching it, versus her teacher Playdon. Her main challenge is keeping her lies straight. She’s smart and capable and doesn’t take anything from anyone, but when she receives some shocking news, she’s thrown through a loop to an extent that she doesn’t quite realise.

The prose has a genuine teenage voice–it sounds like a long diary from an 18-year-old girl, peppered with slang terms and the blithe self-centeredness of youth. Sometimes, Jarra seems to skip over emotional points in the story where I would have liked to have seen more depth, such as her first kiss with a certain someone. It could just be that Jarra is uncomfortable discussing these things and this is why she remains vague.

Overall Earth Girl is a fun, quick science fiction read, with a well-realised world, lots of action, and some fun characters. It stands on its own quite nicely, and I do wonder if we’ll hear more from Jarra or perhaps another character in this universe down the line. Earth Girl will be published in August, 2012.(less)

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Addicted to Novel...: Earth Girl by Janet Edwards	2	9	Mar 03, 2013 11:07am
Goodreads Librari...: Earth Girl Edition confusion	3	35	Sep 23, 2012 06:49am

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Earth Girl (Earth Girl #1)

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