Echo

by Alicia Wright Brewster

The countdown clock reads ten days until the end of the world. The citizens are organized. Everyone's been notified and assigned a duty. The problem is . . . no one knows for sure how it will end.

Energy-hungry Mages are the most likely culprit. They travel toward a single location from every corner of the continent. Fueled by the two suns, each Mage holds the power of an element: air, earth, fire, metal, water, or ether. They harness their powers to draw energy from the most readily available resource: humans.

Ashara has been assigned to the Ethereal task force, made up of human ether manipulators and directed by Loken, a young man with whom she has a complicated past. Loken and Ashara bond over a common goal: to stop the Mages from occupying their home and gaining more energy than they can contain. But soon, they begin to suspect that the future of the world may depend on Ashara's death.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Paranormal, Romance, Time Travel

291 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Alicia Wright Brewster is a former pen name of Alicia Ellis.

Reviews

[Alicia]

You probably shouldn't trust my opinion on this one, so I'll just abstain from rating it.

ARCs are now available from Edelweiss.

[Cyna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so looking forward to this. I really enjoyed the author’s previous novella, Don’t Call Me Angel, so when the opportunity arose, I grabbed Echo and eagerly dug in.

Yeah, this one did not work for me nearly as well. Not by miles. Kind of hated it.

I mean okay, there are a few things I liked about it, and we should probably start with those. The premise is really cool: it’s the week before the apocalypse and there’s a clock in the sky counting down the moments til the end. Except, it isn’t actually the week before the apocalypse, because every time it gets too close and the End hasn’t been averted, world leaders are able to rewind time, reset the week, and start again, and they will do this as many times as it takes to save the planet. The citizens know this, and so the ones who aren’t needed to save the world stay in their homes and spend time with their families, waiting for their government to give them the all-clear. When first we meet, our heroine is just an ordinary girl in a wonderfully-conceived, terrifying setting, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

It’s an excellent place to start. It’s unique and scary and there are so many interesting places you could go. A+.

Second thing I liked was the general sense of community that the book established. The emphasis here, from the setting and the characters, and especially our heroine, is family. There are great scenes where the characters come together and cook and eat and soak in one another’s company while they can, and it’s the realest thing in the book. It’s my favorite thing, to see a heroine whose life and choices are informed by something other than romantic love or destiny.

Our protagonist, Ashara, is family-motivated from the ground up. Her inability to protect them is her greatest source of guilt and angst, and her desire to prevent her family from suffering another loss is what motivates her to fight and stay alive. I love that. Not only does she have a sense of self-worth and self-preservation, but it’s not because of a boy.



There is also a merciful absence of alpha bitches, Ashara has strong bonds and relationships with female characters in the story, and holy crap, a future in which the entirety of the population is not white! We have a black female protagonist! and her Asian best friend! and a multi-racial cast of side characters! HOLY SHIT WHAT IS THIS SORCERY???

So yeah, all good points, all things I liked about it. All things that make me really really wish I’d liked the rest. Unfortunately, ’twas not to be.

First and probably biggest roadblock for me was the world-building. I did not buy any of it. It’s weird and contradictory and it didn’t really hold together, regardless of which way I tried to look at it. It felt like a mish-mash of a bunch of things that seemed cool independently, but just didn’t integrate together well enough.

So, we’ve got a sci-fi setting, this book taking place in what is presumably our future, but on a different earth, colonized initially by anti-tech folk who wanted to get back to basics and found a space-Amish community. They were, however, followed shortly by pro-to-neutral-tech folks, and that caused a rift because they couldn’t have their nice, tech-free planet all to themselves. All of that is fine and well and I can almost get down with that except that the anti-tech folk, known as Believers, decided immediately upon arrival that their new world’s twin suns were actually gods and should be worshiped as such.



I don’t…believe that? I don’t understand why that would ever happen. Like, on earth, ancient people created gods to explain natural phenomenon and I understand why that would take hold and endure, but these “Believers” came to this planet on a rocket ship made of science, they presumably understood that suns are stars and stars are just big balls of hydrogen and helium, and just because this star is one you haven’t seen before doesn’t make it a mysterious and unknowable thing. They are still fucking stars.

I mean, the colonists name them Ra and Solaris and I’m still not clear on whether or not they actually believe the sun is Ra, or if it was just the most popular sun god name when they took the Name Our New God poll. But then, why Solaris? Those two names don’t even go together. Why an Egyptian god and then generic Greek sun name? Plus, you’d think that if these people believed they were actual gods, they would invent new names for them or try to discern the names the gods gave themselves, not just slap a handy earth name on to an existing thing. That seems incredibly disrespectful to any pre-existing sentient being much less a deity.

This wouldn’t make any more sense but I guess you could just write it off as willful human nonsense, except that eventually all this is actually implied to be true. Furthermore, it turns the issue from one of tech vs anti-tech into one of science vs faith, which opens a whole other can of worms, but I’m getting ahead of myself. The other big thing you need to know is that a significant portion of the people on this planet are benders.



Yeah almost exactly like that. You have your standard water, fire, air, earth, and metal benders, although they are legally distinctly called Flooders, Burners, Breathers, Movers, and yeah actually literally Benders, respectively. Then there are Ethereals, who manipulate ether, which is basically just generic energy bending, and once again this world mythology is getting muddled.

So look, I can handle fantasy aspects in space, I can deal with actual literal deities in space, I can even deal with science and magic existing side by side, but to deal with any of this, I need some consistency.

We’re told initially that bending is a Totally Normal and Scientific Thing that the characters can do thanks to some aspect of this new planet’s twin suns. The most important thing is that it is Totally Science Y’all and is completely unrelated to how those people believe the suns are gods, and we are totally comfortable looking down on their superstitious beliefs because Science. Ok. Fine. Bending is not actually something that sits well with me as a science-based power, even future-science, but fuck it, ok book, disbelief suspended.

Book: Cool, glad you’re okay with that. So Ether-benders, ether is totally a science thing, right? Also, there are Seers who see the future and actually believe their powers come from the gods, but still work with the Totally Scientific Council, Y’All. Also also, the method that we use to rewind the timeline looks, walks, and talks like a spell, but we’re not going to call it that. Look, this is all basically legit fucking magic, but we’re not going to address it. Instead, we’re totally gonna portray this as scientifically unremarkable, and remain committed to pretending none of this is even within the same realm of possibility as deities.



Book: Also in like a hundred pages, with little to no explanation, we’re going to tell the heroine that to completely unlock her incredible Ether-bending powers, she has to believe in the gods. Because bending is actually a gift from the gods, you see, and unless you believe in them, you cannot develop this skill that you totally had pre-faith any further. It’s impossible.



None of this makes any sense. For one, you cannot establish that bending is a scientifically understood phenomenon then ALSO say that it is mysterious and unknowable because faith. It can’t be both. One absolutely precludes the other. Secondly, the bending, precognition, and spell-casting? The book never sells that stuff to me as actually being hard science, and it really needs to if it also wants to sell me on this groundbreaking science vs faith conflict that drives an entire subplot. There are totally ways to do that, but rather than developing the Council in that light, the book just used magical cult shorthand, told me it was science, and then expected me not to find that difficult to swallow.

Even positing that the Council is flat-out wrong and the Believers are the ones who actually have a handle on things, this world still makes no sense theologically – if bending were going to be a sacred, god-given gift, why would they allow non-Believers to do it at all? What does walling off an ambiguous level of bending prowess achieve? And how does this system even work? Are the gods monitoring every bender on the planet and only unlocking their next power set when they reach the appropriate level of piety?

The whole Believe vs Unbeliever conflict makes even less sense from their perspective – the idea is that Believers totally believe that the end is nigh, but they also believe it’s the god’s will, so the Council shouldn’t do anything about it. Then we get scenes like this:

“You and I are allies. You see, you may or may not have the power to end things. Most likely, the Vision is a fluke, and there’s no end in sight. But either way, this is not something people were meant to interfere in. See—”

I cut her off. “I don’t understand. Don’t you guys care that everything we know may come to an end?”

“Should we care?” she asked, with one eyebrow quirked upward. “All things must end. Such is the cycle of nature. If the gods have decided that our time is over, then we should move on to the afterlives they have set for us. The end is not something to fear. It’s something to be welcomed.”

[...]

“So if we fight and survive,” I asked, “does that mean there are no gods? No one up there preparing to end the world?”

“If your people fight and survive, they were always meant to survive, and the Vision is a fluke.”

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So if the world ends, it was meant to end, and it should end, and you shouldn’t try to stop it, but if you DO stop it and it doesn’t end, it wasn’t meant to end, so I guess you should have tried to stop it, except that I’m literally willing to kill to keep you from stopping it.



UGHhhhhhhh everyone in this book is stupidddddddddddddddd.

It really seems like the book needed for there to be this Believer vs Unbeliever conflict for the plot to work, but it also needed bending to be an everyone thing, but it also needed a way to gate off the heroine’s power until just the last minute, so we get this inconsistent mish-mash of movements and people doing and believing things that don’t make logical sense purely because the plot says that this is how it is.

“Plot convenience”: it’s going to be a recurring element in this review.

Continue reading at You're Killing.Us

[Dear Faye · Rating 2 out of 5]

I desperately tried to like this book. When I first saw it and read the synopsis, I just knew I had to have it. It totally has The Avatar vibes right there! I mean, I don't usually adore a PR novel right off the bat, but I did with this, and it therefore came with great disappointment when I realized it was full of bumps and obstacles, making it, yes, a struggling read. There were so many things that I really disliked about this book, and I shall disclose why. I'll try not to swear too much while I'm at it.

PROBLEM #1: ARE WE PLAYING HOUSE, PEOPLE?

Okay, the world is supposed to end in ten days. In this book, there are people that have power over various elements, such as air, water, fire, etc. etc. So what do they do in the ten days before the oh-great apocalypse? THEY PLAY HOUSE! No, just kidding. But it could be described like that. They gather all the elemental practitioners in the area, and train them. Nothing wrong with that, just in case you were wondering. But the problem lies in the fact that there's no sense of urgency at all, as in, they could very well be having tea and cookies while they spar. The situation then honestly felt so artificial. I guess that's what happens when the people can just go back ten days whenever they run out of time and fail to reverse the inevitable. But still, come on.

PROBLEM #2: ANNOYING HEROINE. ANNOYING HEROINE. ANNOYING HEROINE.

God, the heroine here is the epitome of stupidity, selfishness and naïvety. Trust me, it took a lot of effort to keep reading and finish the book with such an infuriating heroine like this one. How is she annoying, you ask? Let me tell you my reasons why in a numbered list:

1.) The girl, Ashara, is very self-centered and whiny. She goes into a fit and throws a tantrum every time her wants are not followed. In a nutshell, it's like this: "Oh, woe is me! Look at me! I don't like this! I don't care what other people think! I do what I do and whenever I want! Fuck it if it affects other people!" I fucking kid you not. Hate heroines like this charming one? Yeah, do yourself a favor and move on. But wait! There's more... and it gets worse.

2.) Remember Ashara always wanting to be the star? Yeah, it's because of her stupid impulses that she also wants to be the first to save the world. She's a newbie in her craft, knows zilch about fighting the mean, bad guys, but whatever, right? So there she goes, off to the front lines, zero experience in her belt, and when she faces the monsters, KABOOM POW! SHE FREEZES DUE TO FEAR, WHILE GOING "I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" I am so sorry you didn't, dear, because you were as useful as a blue shirt on St. Patrick's Day (Happy St. Patrick's Day, folks!) okay that joke was lame huhu sorry. In short, you were useless as fuck. That's what you get for being stupid.

PROBLEM #3: AWKWARD. ROMANCE.

The awkwardness is strong in this one, I'm afraid. The love interest is her mentor (who's about her age, don't worry), who's also (surprise!) her ex-boyfriend, who she still has lingering feelings with. At first, he's super cold to her, giving her glares, the cold shoulder, the sharp and icy tone - you name it. And then, halfway there, they argue about something, and he interrupts her by, yes, kissing her!

Please excuse me while I puke over this overused and awkward cliché.

Trust me, I wouldn't have minded it, but if you read the book, it was seriously out of place. As in, you'll ask yourself, why the fuck was it there in the first place? After that, of course, his cold demeanour and attitude towards her fade, and it's all lovey dovey. And the romance still felt unnatural.

PROBLEM #4: INTERNAL NARRATION NEEDS SOME WORK

All show, no telling. More internal narration would have been appreciated. Maybe this is why Ashara felt so annoying to me, because I didn't feel that attached to her, making her look so superficial. It does somehow read like a cinematic film. If you're into that, you may appreciate it better than I did.

But despite all of these complaints, I enjoyed it to a certain extent. The premise is still incredibly interesting, and if execution was better, I would've given it a higher rating. Wasn't a compelling debut, but the author, for sure, will get better, and I'll definitely check out her future works.

Check out my other reviews at The Social Potato!

[Kenya Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this is different then what I usually read. for on thing, its sci-fi and there are no one screaming out things like "panties moistoning" and "c**k!"

yet, I still enjoyed it! lol!

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review and a giveaway is also posted on my blog.

The end of the world is in ten days, and Ashara, or Asha, is expecting to spend her last few days peacefully with her family. But on the first day of the countdown, she finds out that she has to report to the Council for training - as an Ethereal. Elemental powers run through family and as far as Asha knows, she doesn't have any. But this is soon replaced by other news. Mages are the ones responsible for the end of the world, all converging to one single area, and it's the job of every person with an elemental ability to hunt them down. For Asha, the problem lies in the fact that she seems to be the root of all the trouble.

Echo was a simple enough read, with a straightforward plotline and a world easy to understand. There's something appealing about the concept of a world where people can control the elements; in this case, there are six: earth, air, water, fire, metal and ether. I quite liked the idea of a countdown that started right from the book's beginning, one that everyone in this world was aware of. It made a change from those books where only a handful of people are able to prevent total destruction; this time, it's everyone possible coming together to work against the cause. The idea of Mages, too, was a little different. While there are books out there with Mages, I haven't read too many, and I liked how they were portrayed here. This isn't a particularly heavy read and there aren't too many layers, which meant I was able to get through this fairly quickly.

Asha was, for the most part, easy to relate to. Her confusion about what is happening comes across really clearly, and her personal relationships make her all the more likeable. Hers is not a family of rivalry or indifference. Her mother, stepfather, sister, all of them are close to each other and to her and vice versa. It's obvious, too, how much she misses her brother, who died when she was younger. I also absolutely loved the relationship between her and Rey. With all the talk of love triangles lately, I'm just going to put you out of your misery straight away and tell you there is not a love triangle here. These two are just really close friends (and distant family relations), and I really appreciated that. The romance was between Asha and Loken, who used to go out together, back before the time of impending doom. I could appreciate the difficulties between them, but I did find their relationship somewhat hot/cold. Having said that, I still ended up liking Loken and rooting for their relationship. Asha herself I took some issue with, occasionally questioning her attitude and her choices. In the end, though, she remained a generally likeable character.

Echo is a quick, simple read, with some genre twists you might perhaps not expect upon reading the synsopis. There was a nice blend of ideas here, coupled with characters not hard to relate to, and overall, it was quite enjoyable.

[Ravencrantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free digital copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.




THE END IS NIGH.

Okay, so this isn't about killer sloths taking over the world, but it is about the end of the world and trying to stop it.

With the added twist that a lot of these people are Practitioners; people who can manipulate elements. We learn that the Elders of this new Earth, dubbed Earth-Two, have known about the end of the world vision for a while and have been doing everything they can to stop it from happening. Including going back in time to right some wrongs and try to get their plan perfect. In those past timelines, they learn that our protagonist, Ashara, is an Etheral. Someone who can manipulate and control the ether energy in the world. This book follows the last ten days until the end of the world from Ashara's point of view.

I don't know how to feel about Ashara. On one hand, I can't stand her because she keeps running away from her problems, but on the other hand, who can blame her when her problems include Elemental Mages who are trying to kill everyone? One moment she hates her ex, Loken, the next, they're making out and I'm pretty sure they had sex at one point in the story. I like how she's thrown into this battle knowing nothing and how she has to struggle to gain a grip on her power, but did it click a little to quickly with her? I mean there are then days until the end of the world, and she spends a good part of them in jail or running away from authorities. Not much time to practice and learn how to use the Ether. Then there was the whole thing with her dad and time travel and wibbly wobbly timey wimey...stuff.


Doctor Who made more sense than what was going on with her dad.
And what, exactly, did the Elders think they would accomplish by arresting Ashara? I mean, if the mages are drawn toward her anyway, why keep her in the VERY CENTER OF THEIR CITY WHERE ALL OF THEIR WARRIORS ARE STATIONED. They said they wanted to keep an eye on her, but really? How is that going to be any better than letting her, oh I don't know, HELP WITH THE FIGHT. Sure, she's not trained, but at the rate she's learning, she should be of some help, right?

I do enjoy Loken. I mean, there's this prison, right? A glass prison. Made of shatter proof, bomb proof glass. He ends up trapped in there and what does he do? HE PUNCHES HIS WAY OUT. This guy is so bad ass, that he doesn't care that three mages couldn't break out of this thing. He punches that glass until he's out.

Really, though, how is this a good idea?

[Ezi Chinny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A YA Dystopian tale about a girl named Ashara Vinn, who conscripted into trying to save Earth-Two, after a vision foretold that their world would end in 10 days.
Asha lived with her mom, step-father and little sister, and they were still healing from the death of brother Pace at hands of --an essence sucking mages.

Asha was brought into the front lines of the battle to save Earth two because she displayed a certain kind of "Etheral" power, which the elders felt could be their salvation. Each time, the council failed to save earth, they did a Rewind ritual and tried again. This was Rewind #5, and each time you did a rewind, it weakened the human's essence, so each failure returned them as echoes of their former self. Time was of the essence because the Mages were closing in, and so the Elder's Council had to try a Hail Mary pass to save Earth Two.

I like how the story started. Action right from the beginning and it pretty much continued that way. A very unique plot, and really good story-telling, but I found myself getting annoyed with Ashara's lack of confidence/inner fortitude. She showed glimpses of being a strong kick-butt heroine, but then she would just falter--run, hide, be indecisive, or just not grab the reins--She just didn't exude enough Strength for me. I just wanted her to "feel the force" within herself, and have a light bulb moment much much early than she did. That is really what kept this story from being a 4-star for me.

I also expected more of a big reveal regarding the council--like they were creating the mages or something much more sinister than I got. since Earth was under attack, I needed more evil intentions other than just sucking the human energy--more evil drama but I supposed getting your soul sucked out and die is bad (LOL).

Overall, this book was definitely an interesting Sci-Fi Dystopian novel. A great read for people who like a unique plot with really good writing.

**copy from Edelweiss**

[Clare dooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an arc copy of this book for an unbiased review.
I really enjoyed this book. It had a dash of pnr, adventure, sci-fi, a somewhat dystopian style book.
I liked that the female lead who's pov the story is told through. Another bonus is that the author completed the book & it was a good read as is. In some cases I think it's a cop-out to end a story with a possibility for future stores set in the same "world " that has been introduced to us in this book.
It has become almost a theme for books in this genre to become a series or at least a trilogy, leaving the reader on a nightmare of a cliff-hanger that for a person like me frustrates me beyond belief. Especially when the next book isn't due out for over a year. It leaves me w/ 16 different "series" that I'm currently following that end in a shocking manor & leaves an OCD compelled reader such as myself to await the next installment (even if I wasn't "wowed" by the initial read.
So this book had a complete ending , but it did leave a little wiggle room for more stories, possibly featuring other minor character 's in this tale. I personally hope that there is a chance to have a story that centralized about "Rey" :) (a girl can hope right?)
There was no typical love triangle , the male & female character's were both kick -ass. The "Alpha" males in this story were evident but not ridiculous . I found it refreshing to have those common character arcs to be non - existent in this book.
If you follow my blogs "Mouseheadandtales@ wordpress .com & "Rabidfeary.com" my reviewing system is 1 out of 5 $ signs. This book earned a $$$$, 4 $ signs was deserved for this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys world-building , action, & enough romance to be enjoyable & realistic. I hope that you check out other reviews on my blogs & imagery on tumblr "lil9th@tumblr.com".
Keep turning those pages (e-reader or physical copies) - thanks for reading this review Clare Dooley of "Mouseheadandtales.com

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! It was a quick and easy read that doesn't bore you. Snatch this one up people-Fans of Divergent (Roth) and Legend (Lu)will DEVOUR it :-)

[Bailee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really caught me off guard. I didn't really know what to think about this book based on the summary and I kept shifting from really excited to unsure. Well, the book changed my opinion from page one which meant that I was in love with the characters and the plot just as quickly. The action scenes made me shift in my seat, the surprises made my breath catch, and the passionate moments made my heart race. I really felt like I was in the story, experiencing the end of the world with the characters as they raced to change fate. I am planning on rereading this book because I liked it so much.

Echo by Alicia Wright Brewster tells the story of Ashara, a young woman who is just waiting for the world to end as the countdown lights the sky. It is a time for gathering as a family, seeking forgiveness, and making memories. But there is a catch. The Council in charge of this new Earth have been rewinding time, hoping to find a way to change the fate of the world. On the final rewind, Ashara learns that the Council has been gathering every practitioner of element magic -- air, earth, fire, metal, water, and ether -- into tasks forces and she has been assigned to the Ethereal task force. The catch is she doesn't believe she has any elemental magic like the Council claims. She has no choice but to go to the task force meeting and when she arrives, she is faced with a dark spot in her past: her ex-boyfriend, Loken. Now, she must overlook her lingering feelings for him and find out if she really has the powers that they claim she does. Will she be able to find the magic inside her to fight the creatures threatening her world? What does the future hold for her and Loken? Is there any chance for a future past the countdown?

Ashara or as I've become fond of calling her, Asha is the main character of this story. Her blunt way of going about everything is kind of funny because typically the central character is sneaky but not Asha. She goes through everything head first and doesn't hesitate to plan. Either she is completely in or completely out, there is no middle ground with her. I find her curiosity about her birth father admirable and her thirst to prove that she is worth the effort being put towards her training. She wants to be accepted by those of her element, she wants to be loved by the boy who abandoned her to save the world, and she wants know who she even is. I found myself connecting with her emotions without even making any effort because she is so well written and so accessible to the reader. Sometimes the pitfall of a novel is the inability of the reader to connect with the main character but with Ashara, I did not have any issues at all. She made the choices that I would've made if I were in her place, I couldn't find fault with her reasoning because it was so similar to my own. She is a beautiful character.

Locken is... so very attractive. I'm sorry, I just turn to mush when I think about him. Anyway, I need to compose myself. When he is first introduced, he is very formal and almost distant especially when he is around Asha. I think there was a lot of underlying conflict in their breakup so when she refused to speak to him when he tried to contact her younger brother died, he knew where their relationship stood. At least he thought he did. Now that he is faced with dealing with the girl who seems to turn his world upside down just by looking at him, he has to keep himself distant. He made his choice and she made hers. I admire the fact that he doesn't force himself on her when she pushes him away. He challenges her in the best kinds of ways, always urging her to find out how strong she really is. His faith in her is unfaltering. I would say that their relationship is a constant course of up and downs but really, I think it's all foreplay for the passion in their relationship. He is an amazing character and he compliments while challenging Asha's character without a doubt. I love him and I won't deny it.

Rey and Krin are the best friends in this story. Rey is actually Asha's cousin, who is her only true best friend throughout the beginning of the story. He manages to make her laugh when she is feeling lost or nervous. He offers her comfort without a second thought and he helps her do all of her crazy plans, even when he knows they are crazy. It's amazing to watch them interact more like siblings than cousins and more like best friends than siblings. There is nothing between them except friendship and for that I am grateful. For once, I am not faced with the emotional roller coaster that is always there when a love triangle is involved. It sucks plain and simple, which is why I am so happy that this was not the case for this story. He is also Locken's best friend and Locken trusts him with Asha's life. She introduces her fellow ether practitioner, Krin, to Rey with the hopes that they will hit it off. Krin is her only friend in the group and she seems to look beyond the fact that Asha is so new to using this magic. She doesn't see her as anything different than herself. I think Rey and Krin made a cute couple without a doubt.

The Council members weren't the bad guys of the story, honestly. I think they had the best intentions at heart and they forgot the people they were in charge of in the process. In a place of power, that is honestly easy to do. I admire some of the Council members for their strength and knowledge towards the world surrounding them. Just like with every government, some of their choices definitely made me mad and I was happy to see that it irritated the characters as well. This book is very true to life, in the way the characters act that I found myself connecting in the smallest ways. I grew attached to everyone which is hard by the way.

[Jennifer Madero (Boricuan Bookworms) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author provided an eBook copy through We ♥ YA Books! in exchange of an honest review.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Ashara has been assigned to the Ethereal task force before the world ends, in the fifth time since it originally "destroyed". The council and elders are trying to find a way to stop that from occurring by training various people that can manipulate elements. Ashara doesn't have anything special like that, or so she thought. In this new timeline, she discovers her powers, among the danger she is to everyone around her. Also, that her mentor is her ex and that they have to kill those things before the ending of everything as they know it comes, in ten days.


What really got me hooked up with this book was the sci-fi aspects it has with time-travel, supernatural powers, and that they aren't on the Earth we know as home but another planet called Earth-2.

We see how the author here uses the common natural elements as water, air, earth and fire. Though, what I really liked was that she didn't plain call them water bender, blah blah bender here and bender there. She used a different names and I think that demonstrates how the author is in control of what she writes, not simply web searching and thinking "oh this is called like that so lets leave it with the same name." Here they are called Breathers (for air), Flooders (for water), Bender (for metal, which is cool too), Burner (fire), Mover (earth) and Ethereal (ether), plus there are Seers. They are names that you can easily relate to their ability without making it hard for the reader with weird names that you can't even try to pronounce in your head.

Anyhow, the characters were fantastic! I have read a few other reviews where they don't like the way Ashara - or Asha for short - is. But let's face it. She's so young, never having faced something as what she does in the book. She saw her brother die, she's dangerous for everyone and has to kill some horrible beings called Mages, that killed her brother, and to top it off, the world is ending in ten days, and her mentor is her ex that put work first before her. Hey no pressure. Obviously she's going to behave like a kid some times. And I liked it because anyone in their right piece of mind would react the same way. She some times gave some thought to her future actions, but in others she went head on and lets see what happens. There's so many things going on, without time, that for me that's understandable. I also could connect to the character for most of the book, understand her and know her motives more than what the author let when I was currently reading. Thumbs up for a great character! :D

The sci-fi of the elements and the world ending was like something I had never read before. It was amazing the creativity of the author with this, how everything connected and wow! It had me wondering how it would be like to live in those moments of the story.

Its an easy and satisfying read, with it including supernatural, science, romance, humor and action!

My heart was thumping faster when I was nearing the end with all the count down for the last day before they all died as they had foreseen. The anxiousness of the characters poured from the pages and made me anxious to know if they died or not and all the pieces to fall together.

The end, oh God, it has me really thinking about the possibility of a sequel. Or maybe not. Overall, it was an awesome thing to read.

[Karla Mae (Reads and Thoughts) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ten days, four hours, twenty-one minutes.
Until the end of the world - as the vision says.
She has never known any talent and was so confused as to why the council was summoning her.
They wanted another chance at taking good care of their planet and their people. Maybe - just maybe Ashara is the hope for it all.

---

Interested would describe how I felt upon reading the blurb of this book but as I go along with it and finished the first 10 pages - that's where the feeling of lost and confusion starts to pave its way into me. BUT I'll get to my woes later and I'll kick this review off with the things that makes Echo make its mark on me.

First, I'm really fascinated with the way people with abilities are grouped here (they’re called practitioners)! The people are grouped are as follows: Breather (air manipulator), Ethereal (ether manipulator), Mover (earth manipulator), Bender (metal Manipulator), Burner (fire manipulator) and Flooder (water manipulator) - the idea was so creative for me at the same time interesting it makes the reading more Dystopian-ish.

The characters are so real. From Ashara to Loken to lovable Rey even the other goody-shoe practitioners who are with them - they’re all easy to go along with. Strong-willed would best describe this group of people; they’re all focused individual focused on doing their jobs; saving the world and people they love.

There are no dramas! (Thank Goodness for that!) It's full of action and bang after bang. Just when I think the end would pave its way into the story - no it would turn into another corner and the story would go on. I like the creative idea of having a rewind like button which the elders on the story do to solve the end of the world problems they encounter.
Have any of you guys seen the movie In Time? Well, for certain reasons that movie reminds me of the world here in Echo.

I appreciate that the story development left of the typical way most story come off where we get to know first the world and everything about it and the people living in it, but here in Echo the author immediately jumped into it from the get go. Yes, the world would end in 10 days so no point in dilly-dallying around right? BUT the con to this side is that it tends to confuse me as I go along into my reading. Facts and stuffs are mentioned since the story kicked off but I totally can't understand any of it - they just didn’t make sense at all so I spend the whole way through it wondering what those are all about.

Confusion became the main problem for me here; Confusion over the vision, rewind stuff, the elders and Ashara’s father's involvement and her potent power and mage-magnet body. I’m so confused over a lot of things that the only thing I'm certain about is that Ashara is different and more powerful than any of them and that the timeline things makes it different for her.

Anyhow, it is a journey to a new world of powers, revenge, hope, redemption and second chance. Echo is another creative story that would surely hook your Dystopian hearts. ;)

*Advanced copy kindly provided for review*
*Blog Tour deets posted at Reads and Thoughts.

[Bodea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh snap, an ARC. Can't wait to devour this. I'm really in the mood for a great sci-fi novel. Fingers crossed!

1/3/13
I enjoyed reading Echo and I’m looking forward to reading more of this author’s work. My main reason for reading this was the sci-fi aspect, and it did not disappoint there. I really enjoyed the world building. My only complaints are that I wish the story were a little longer and the writing a bit more exciting and urgent in parts. Aside from that, this was a really easy, fun read. I was intrigued from the first page and the plot flowed smoothly.


I liked Ash because she was easy to relate to on many levels. I understood her guilt, curiousty, and how conflicted she was about her family in terms of her identity. She was believably tough and vulnerable. There were times where I was annoyed with her because she kept saying she wanted to kick butt, but when it came down to it, she kept freezing. I understood it at first because the idea of combat was so new to her, but it became trying after a while. Still, in the end, I found myself rooting for her because she grew and learned a lot over the course of the story.

I enjoyed her relationship with her cousin as well. It was sweet and felt very genuine. I also liked Lokan. The description early on of him was great (I'd love to see it illustrated). He was kind of an enigma though and that bothered me at times because I wanted to get more of a feel for him. The other secondary characters, were nice as well. I felt like their development fit the story and circumstances perfectly.

The writing for Echo was good and the plot kept me on my toes (even though I had some things figured out). I felt like the story played like a well paced action/mystery movie, keeping me engaged and invested. However, there were times where I wished the writing was a bit more exciting and the tone a bit more defined - maybe even a bit darker. Overall, Echo was a fun ride. It was something different than the usual paranormal romance I’ve been reading lately. I hope to read more sci-fi novels this year and Echo was definitely a step in the right direction. I recommend this for readers looking for more sci-fi and a well written read.


12/26
Though the MC annoyed me at times, Echo was an enjoyable read. I particularly loved the world building. It was very interesting. I would have liked a little more action and excitement though. With that said, I enjoyed the writing and Mrs. Brewster has gained another fan. Full review to come!

[Jillian (NetGalley Addict) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was part of a blog tour I received a copy for my honest review

Sci fi is one of those genres that I normally don't read but I read the synopsis of this book, thought it looked interesting and it does not disappoint. The author does an amazing job building an interesting world, I really liked how she manged to do this without it taking up most of the book. The characters were interesting, Ashara was the main lady and the story is told from her pov, she is strong with insecurities that made her real. Lokan was an alpha male, he does everything he can to keep Ash safe, I did want to know more about him and what he was thinking. Certain things about the book were a bit irritating, the Council wanting to watch Ash all the time. I would think that if the Mages wanted her the Council would want Ash as far away from everyone as possible. Overall Echo was a good action packed wonderful read, one of the best parts of this book no cliffhanger. It's a full complete story, this author has made me a huge fan because of that alone.

[Lauren Stewart]

I really enjoyed this story. Particularly the metal practitioners (you'll understand what I mean when you meet Loken and his sword). The premise is strong, world building was great, and I liked every character. Not enough sex though. Lol. Just kidding! Not graphic enough sex though. Lol

I read an early copy, so it hadn't been to the editors to get all prettied up yet. I think that once a few bugs get worked out, the final version will be a really great read. Because the bones and talent are already there.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

* review to come *

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great! Review closer to release!

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting idea but too little character development and not enough world building.

[Spiegel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has an awesome opening sequence and then goes downhill fast.

[Victoria Hooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Echo has a really interesting concept; it mixes the idea of people who can control elements - earth, air, water, metal, fire and ether - with time-related stuff. The Elders have seen a vision that the world will end, and so they have moved everyone and everything back in time to try to prevent the disaster. Each time they fail, and each time they move the world backwards again. But they can only travel back ten days, and each time they do they get a little weaker, as they are only echoes of their former selves. Soon, they won’t have the power to alter time at all. Their chances are running out.

What a fantastic idea! Unfortunately, however, I didn’t feel that the plot and the characters quite lived up to this amazing concept. The story focuses on Asha, a teenage girl who discovers her powers for the first time and is suddenly flung into the council’s desperate attempts to save the world. We see training, a lot of talking, running around and fighting mages (people who have lost both their control of their powers and their humanity), and running from various groups of people who don’t like Asha very much. Naturally, Asha turns out to be very special, and centrally important to the end-of-the-world scenario. It’s a shame that Asha’s story, and in fact, Asha herself, were just a little dull. There were also points in which characters’ actions made no sense. I can’t really elaborate without giving away spoilers, but really... the council is formed of some very stupid people.

Having said that, the book is far from boring; it gives us quite familiar save-the-world superhero type fights, and typical young adult self-discovery and relationship issues. These aren’t the most original, but they are written well, and there’s plenty to keep the reader entertained. I did enjoy the story. I just felt that it could have been so much more. The revelation about why Asha is so powerful and important is very clever, and it ties into the time travel stuff. The fact that the end of the world may not have been inevitable at all, but could itself have been an echo travelling back from future timelines in the form of a vision of the future, is a brilliant idea. Did the council cause its own dilemma? It seems that way. I do love timey wimey paradoxes. I also loved the religious elements and the slight science fiction aspects of what was mainly a fantasy feel. Very intriguing stuff!

I felt that these aspects could have been explored more, and that the ultimate cause of the end of the world could have been something deeper or more interesting. I was actually expecting some kind of twist involving that, as it seemed to me unlikely that a group of mages, no matter how numerous, could destroy the whole world. It didn’t seem to fit, somehow, and the people’s extreme hatred of them was odd. Shouldn’t the mages elicit at least a bit of sympathy, as people who have been lost to their own powers? And how does this happen? And are they really the simple bad guys that they seem to be? I felt that this aspect of the book was too simplistic and under-explored. It made me a little uncomfortable to keep hearing how much various characters, particularly Asha, wanted to kill mages. At least Asha has an excuse for her feelings, but I still thought that she might have to learn that life is not necessarily that clear cut.

This is an interesting book that for the most part I enjoyed, but was also disappointed by. It has some very unique aspects and clever ideas, but unfortunately doesn’t explore them as much as it could, instead following a slightly dry and familiar plot. The characters often act frustratingly, but there is plenty of action and intriguing worldbuilding to keep the story going.

Thank you to Dragonfairy Press for providing a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review also appears on my blog.

[K.G. C.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

K.G from Book Nerd and Proud
http://booknerdandproud.blogspot.com

4/5 stars
Ashara is assigned to the Ethereal task force (a small group of Ethereal practitioners) after showing her ability for it in one of the previous timelines, but she doesn't remember it. Why? A Seer foresaw the end of the world, except they don't know the cause. They Elders rewind time, more than once, but only a select few remember the previous timelines, so when Ashara's powers manifest during one of the timelines she doesn't remember it. Powers almost always manifest at a young age, because Ashara's did not she is the only one on the task force that doesn't know how to use her powers. She frequently runs away from scary situations at first, but eventually she grows, learning that she can be strong and independent.
In the Ethereal task force there is four other people, Krin, Mauryn, Elis, and Jin. Right away the other girl in the group, Krin, and Ashara become friends. It's easy to tell why, she's such a sweet character, but is definitely independent from the start. Elis and Jin aren't really seen much, but I found Jin's home to be something I didn't expect. Mauryn played a bigger part than Elis and Jin, but was also different from all of them, he wore a piece of red cloth tied around his wrist, and I guess I have to explain before you understand what that means. While there are practitioners and non-practitioners, there are also Believers, and non-Believers. Simply, Believers believe in the two sun gods, Ra and Solaris, and usually wear something red or yellow. For the most part Believers and non-Believers don't get along, so it's pretty unusual for Mauryn to be there.
Usually Elder Ethereal leads the Ethereal task force, but this time she doesn't, Loken, Ashara's ex, does. This makes the story even more interesting, because usually the ex isn't a love interest, and to make it even better the best friend is her cousin, which means there can't be a love triangle between Loken, Ashara and her best friend! If you don't mind me spoiling it, there isn't a love triangle at all, and I found the romance, which there actually isn't much of, to be amazing. Loken (who is a Bender, which just means he's a metal practitioner) was a pretty cool character from the start, I loved how no matter what, he was always trying to protect Ashara.
The best friend I mentioned earlier, Rey (a Breather), also protects her, but that's not what I like best about him. It's how light his character his, he's either always laughing or joking around and makes everyone around him smile. He gets pretty close to another girl throughout the story, and I thought they were perfect for each other. I won't name names, but I will say it's pretty obvious who it is once you read the book.
I liked how in the beginning Ashara could identify which element someone practiced just from the items they carried. Benders usually had a weapons belt with a short sword and a dagger, the Breathers element was all around them, so they carried nothing, a Mover would carry several vials of dirt on their belt, while a Flooder would carry several vials of water, a Burner would carry a miniature flame thrower, Seers (who technically aren't practitioners) would wear a traditional black hood, and it was never explained for Ethereals, but because their element was everywhere too, they probably wouldn't carry anything either.
Overall I loved the book, and unlike most books I read, this one isn't in a series. I still hope the author changes her mind and writes a sequel.

"When I get a little money, I buy books. If any is left, I buy food and clothes.” — Erasmus

[Renae McKenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time travel, I find, is always a tricky topic. You really have to be careful about the things that characters are allowed to do, so that they don't cause a paradox and cause the world to implode. At first, before I had begun reading, that was what I thought might be the cause of the 'end of the world', but Biewster avoided such an annoying and common mistake by defining that each time the Elders wound back time, they entered a new timeline. An elegant solution that was emphasized by Biewster's use of the term 'echo,' to describe the populace in the timelines that is not the original - they had become an echo of themselves. I love the depth of thought that author has put into Echo, proving that time travel can be a beautiful thing when done right.

Biewster's world building in Echo is done well. She created a whole other Earth where we have two suns, instead of one, that, by some, are treated as Gods, and result in elemental manipulation abilities within the populace of the planet. I liked how this new planet still held onto some of the key features present on our own planet, like the division that religion causes on society, and the importance of family.

The character relationships in Echo where done well under the compressed time frame when considering the amount of new people Biewster had to introduce to the novel. I loved the dynamic of Asha and Loken. There relationship was unique in the way that it wasn't something where they had to developed the feelings throughout the course of the book, that just wasn't a realistic option when it only spans 10 days. You could really feel the connection that they have when reading a scene in which they conversed. And it was also refreshing to have a story where the girl wasn't pining over two guys - even though I thought there was the threat of that with Rey. Rey, Rey, Rey. Now he's a pretty damn cool guy and joy to read about. Such a bubbly and outgoing guy that threw caution to the wind and has a good sense of honour and loyalty - and a thing for crude jokes and the ladies ;) . Krin and him together is cute and I felt that they really balanced each other out.

I felt that the mages, being the source of evil in this novel, could have been a more monstrous thing. The only thing that seemed to be terrifying about them was there eyes. Maybe their appearance wasn't what was lacking, but perhaps it was that Biewster didn't demonize them enough? I just never felt sufficiently scared enough for the characters that set out to face them. Then, of course there is the Elders. What a bunch of popups arse-holes! I mean, I know they where only doing what they thought was right for the greater good, but dang, would it kill them to have a little heart? A little empathy? To me, the Elders felt more like the demon of the novel than the mages.

The only that really bothered me about this novel, was the ending. Now, I don't mean that it is a bad ending, I just think that it could have been done with more finesse. The last few chapters leading up to the final one of the novel, are action packed and keep you caught up in the tension and thrill of the story. However, the action, the antagonist, the underlying plot of the story, just suddenly come to a halt. It threw the story off balance, had me questioning the resultant of the novel, and, most of all, it didn't give me the satisfying closure to the story that I sorely needed.

Echo is a light sci-fi read that has love, loyalty and betrayal all wrapped up in one tempting and delightful package.

[Experiment BL626 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite an arresting premise, the book failed to dazzle me.

+ the heroine

I found Ashara lacking. I don’t expect YA heroines to be kickass straight out of the box, but I do expect them to exhibit a trait that would make me root for them. The book dressed up her as the Chosen One, but she acted more like a supporting character than anything else. Ashara was underwhelmingly ordinary. I understood her. I connected with her. I did not hold her issues, feelings, and limits against her. Nonetheless, I couldn’t bring myself to think her of as a heroine despite the fact that the story was told in 1st person POV from her side.

It took two-third of the story for her fierceness to finally gain teeth. Alas, it was her super magic that made Ashara fierce. Her super magic served as a crutch because without it Ashara was impotent. She did have moments of awesomeness, moments when she finally shined as a heroine, but those moments were very fleeting. Loken, Ashara’s love interest, was more interesting than her.

+ the romance

I greatly appreciated the paucity of angst. I think this the first time I read a YA where the couple were previously each other’s ex; it was rather refreshing. It took almost no effort for me to believe the two loved each other and would do anything to save the other. I thought the romance, second to the battle scenes, was one of the best things about the book. (The third best thing would be the time magic used to manipulate timelines.)

+ the issues

I didn’t care for the fact that the religious characters, barring a few exceptions, were portrayed as violent, hypocritical extremists. It reeks of lazy world building when an entire group of people is brushed as evil.

In the middle of the story, Ashara got imprisoned. Before her imprisonment, Ashara was a girl who always kept her family in her thoughts in spite of whatever was going on. However, after her imprisonment, she never once thought about her family, e.g. sending word to her family that she was (relatively) fine. Worse, Ashara started being reckless with her life in spite of her promise to her family and herself to be cautious and not make them go through the pain of suffering the loss of another loved one. Ashara was pretty reckless before, but she always kept that side in check and kept her promise. In short, Ashara was not consistently characterized throughout the story.

Third issue, I did not care for the high body count. So many characters died. On one hand, it was realistic because it was the Apocalypse. On the other hand, it started to get ridiculous. The first few deaths had an impact, but the ones afterward, I couldn’t bother to give a shit. The deaths were becoming meaningless.

Fourth issue, I didn’t receive clear cut answers for what caused the Apocalypse. The book focused so much on the evil Mages and Ashara that it forgot that they didn’t directly cause it. They contributed to the Apocalypse, but they didn’t directly cause it. The plot essentially left the answers in the dust as it ran furiously towards the climax.

In Conclusion

I rate Echo 3-stars for I liked it. Despite the myriad of issues, for what it was worth the story entertained me. I was never actively irked or bored. The issues never pushed me to the point of frustration, the plot engaged me, and the ending satisfied me. The book was good sci-fi fluff. Sometime a bag of roasted potato chips can be fulfilling.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted at The Cozy Armchair.

Echo had been one of my anticipated reads of the year because I was intrigued by the blend of sci-fi and paranormal elements, and pleased to see a YA book with a POC protagonist that was also featured on the cover. When it feels like 99% of all covers feature white girls, this is definitely something to take note of. So, I jumped at the opportunity to participate in a book tour for Echo, and I’m happy to report that it was definitely an enjoyable read.

Set on a new Earth where a council of Elders have foreseen the end of the world and have used time travel to try to prevent it, Echo begins at the start of the most recent 10-day rewind. These rewinds are only delaying what appears to be the inevitable because no solution has been found yet. Only the Elders remember the previous timelines, so Ashara has woken up like the rest of the population: ready to make the most of the remaining days with her family. However, this time around she’s been placed on the front lines because she was revealed to be an Ethereal in the past timeline.

No time was wasted in getting right to the heart of the story. Ashara is thrust into the middle of training for powers she doesn’t even know how to summon. While I struggled to connect with and like Ashara, I do understand her characterization. It’s not easy to deal with the expectations placed upon her, much less deal with all the issues of her past. While I did get annoyed when she would freeze or run away again and again, it is more realistic than having her be a badass right out the door with minimal training. She’s undeniably the center of the whole plot, so it was interesting to see her take responsibility for that.

The romance in Echo was also interesting. I can’t remember any other book where the love interest was the protagonist’s ex, so that was definitely original. I was initially put off by the tension between her and Loken, but I warmed up to them over the course of the book. I also think Ashara’s relationship with her cousin was super sweet, and I enjoyed her dynamic with her teammates. (Even if that was majorly screwed up by the end, but I can’t say much because spoilers!)

I was most interested in the descriptions of the powers people had, like manipulating metal, air, ether, etc. Elemental powers are a weakness of mine, so it was really cool to see the training Ashara and the others had to undergo. The Mages were pretty terrifying, especially because of their ruthlessness, but they’re also relatively 2D cardboard cutouts of villains. They’re the driving force of the plot, but not much is known about them beyond their senseless slaughter of people. I do wish the explanations for this and other aspects (the time travel/timelines) had been more clearly developed, and that there’d been more of a sense of urgency. For a book all about the world ending, there seemed to be an abundance of time!

Overall, Echo was an entertaining read! While I did have certain issues with it, I never found myself trudging along and was genuinely interested in the premise. I know I’ll be on the lookout for future works by the author.

[Yzabel Ginsberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Book provided by the author through ARR #88 in the We ♥ YA Books! group, in exchange for an honest review.)

What attracted me to Echo was the world it depicted—a world on the brink of destruction, more o nthe science-fiction than really dystopian side, with paranormal powers to boot. I liked this world the author wove through her story: close to ours in many aspects, yet with powers based on elements, each practitioner being able to perform feats based on his/her elements (people working with Air can move very fast, those with the power of Metal can bend, extend and control anything containing metal, and so on).

The concept of rewinding time, too, was a nice add-on: while it might seem at first sight that it made things too easy, it has its drawbacks, and it quickly becomes clear that it can't be used as a good method to prevent the end of the world, only to delay it.

I'm still unsure about what to think of Ashara. On the one hand, she often came as whiny, as boasting "I want to save the world" only to run away at the first sight of real danger; on the other hand, considering how she was brought to the Ethereal task force with only ten days to learn to master powers she never knew she had, I don't think I could blame her for being quite overwhelmed. Other characters, such as Rey or Krin, were more likeable, at least to me. And there was no love triangle. Things between Ashara and Loken were sometimes awkward, sure, but at least their respective relationships were otherwise clearly defined. (I'm no fan of love triangles for the sake of love triangles, if this makes sense; and too often, the YA genre revolves around such devices, as if they had become mandatory. So, kudos to the author, who wisely chose to avoid that.)

What I liked less in this book:
1) There are only 10 days left, but I didn't really feel a sense of urgency until the last chapters. Also, Ashara's progress seemed to go to fast past some point, especially if we consider the "quiet" circumstances she was in for most of the story (no spoiling here, but she wasn't so often on the field, nor in actual training).
2) A few points in the story would have deserved more of an explanation, notably the part about Ashara's father. I kind of got it, but... something was still lacking in my opinion.
3) The Elders' decision about Ashara. Somehow, I'd have expected them to be more clever about that whole situation.
4) The temporary shift in points of view near the end, when all the other chapters were from Ashara's. It would've worked better if the story had been told in the third person, and if the technique had been used from the start.

Because of those things that tended to annoy me, I'm giving "only" 3 stars to this book. Nevertheless, it remained an enjoyable read, written in a pleasant style, and I enjoyed the world built here by the author.

[Brandee (un)Conventional Bookworms · Rating 4 out of 5]

Echo is a stellar read. It's action packed and suspenseful. It's well written and makes a few political statements, in my opinion. I'm once again stepping out of my box a bit with a science fiction read...and it was well worth the step! :)

The end of the world is coming in just ten days. The Council has enough power to rewind time in order to figure out the cause of the end and then try to circumvent it. They will do everything in their power to stop the end.

Ashara is placed on the Ethereal task force. The bizarre thing about it is that she didn't know she had power to manipulate ether. She accepts her position in order to play her role in saving the world, of course. She wasn't planning on having her ex-boyfriend as her new leader, however.

Rey, Ashara's best friend, is a Breather. He has the ability to manipulate air. He also is on a task force assigned with preventing the end of the world. Rey gladly accepts the responsibility and believes in his noble cause.

Loken, Ashara's ex-boyfriend and new leader, believes strongly in the Council and their goals. So strongly, in fact, he gave up Ashara to pursue those goals. He has good intentions though. He's trying to protect the girl he loves. And when push comes to shove, love trumps all.

This was such a fascinating book. It takes place on Earth-Two, which is similar to Earth-One. It has similar social structures and communities. I admired the reason behind the initial migration to Earth-Two. A group of people disgusted with humans' destruction of Earth-One, the pollution, and their reliance on technology. There are similar social structures based on abilities and affluence. The Council is at the top, serving to govern the populace. The elemental practitioners follow - the Breathers, Benders, Movers, Burners, Flooders, Seers, and Ethereals. Outside of these levels, people were of not much importance. There are also the Believers and the non-Believers. The Believers are the original colonists of Earth-Two who worship the two suns as gods. I found this structure to parallel not only our society as a whole, but teen social structure as well.

Echo also has religious undertones - those who believed in the gods of Earth-Two and those who don't. Those with faith who also manifested elemental abilities believed their faith improved their abilities. I also found this to parallel self-confidence - more confidence equals better ability (at least perceived).

The race against time kept the pace of the story moving and there was always something happening. There were also a few mysteries to solve such as the mysterious manifestation of Ashara's abilities. The only issues I have with Echo are the reasoning behind those that are threatening the end of the world, and the reasoning behind the Council's belief of Ashara being a threat. I felt that it wasn't explained in depth enough to be really plausible.

All in all, Echo was well paced and exciting to read. It also provides a positive message to readers about the power of conviction and self-confidence. I really enjoyed it.

[Lelia Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The phrase “hit the ground running” takes on new meaning in Echo and this is absolutely not a bad thing. Most of the time, we have to wade through a lot of worldbuilding and character development before the story actually gets going good but not this time. Ms. Brewster has wisely let the central premise take root immediately and, after all, why not? Would you want to putz around forever if your world was going to end in just 10 days or would you want to buckle down and get to whatever has to be done to stop the apocalypse?

I love the idea of a second Earth that was supposedly colonized by the very people who want a second chance at taking good care of their home planet and yet… their good intentions may all have been for naught. Or have they? If the Elders can rewind time repeatedly, might they find a solution to the problem in one of those timelines? If not, is it a given that they will rewind those ten days on an endless loop? Can you imagine the havoc that could cause in everyday life? The author takes the reader on a journey of despair and hope and redemption and, inevitably, heartbreak.

Ms. Brewster is such a good writer with an engaging cast of characters, whether they be good, evil or somewhere inbetween, and her storyline is one of the most creative I’ve seen in young adult fiction in quite a while. Ashara is very likeable, largely because she’s a strong person, not just a strong woman, but she also has some vulnerability, particularly when it comes to Loken. Ah, Loken, what a fella! Don’t get me wrong, though—Ash can be downright whiny at times and definitely difficult to cope with but that’s OK, it’s normal. And let me count the ways I love Rey.

One last thing I must mention is the cover. I could be dead wrong on this but I *think* the model is a woman of color. I can’t help questioning myself because I can’t find a mention of it in any other review I’ve located so, if I’m seeing it wrong, I apologize. The large traditional publishers have done a woeful job of promoting protagonists who come from non-white cultures, to the point where they have been known to deliberately have a white model portray a person of color as though no one would notice. They seem to think sales will be hurt if the cover art shows a black or Asian or whatever model and they apparently don’t recognize the value in (1) having a non-white girl or guy on the cover and (2) actually having a model who reflects the character. Anyway, if I’m not dreaming this up (which is always possible), Ash has “light-brown skin” and several other characters have varying degrees of brownness so I applaud Dragonfairy Press for doing what’s right.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, April 2013.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out more of my reviews @ Moosubi Reviews!

ECHO is a book that's hard for me to "rate" - there were certainly parts that I loved, as well as parts that I rather despised. Overall, however, ECHO was a quick, action-filled, and relatively enjoyable read!

The first half or so of the book was great - it was full of action, fight scenes, magic, and just kick-butt-ness! I especially liked the idea of different timelines and the different types of Ethereals. Not only are there "Flooders" (water), "Breathers" (air), "Movers" (earth), and "Burners" (fire), but there's also Benders who control metal, Ethereals who control ether, and Seers, who, well, see the future. I also liked seeing them train and eventually fight off mages in different villages! At this time, I also liked Ashara as a heroine - she was strong, brave, selfless, and extremely loving towards her family.

It was around 70% or so into the book that I felt a little iffy, though. The pacing was still as quick, but Ashara, though brave, seemed to become really reckless. It seemed like she couldn't stand not fighting so much that she'd do almost anything to get out, even if it meant someone else would get hurt. And when someone else would get hurt, she would feel really bad and guilty. And then she would do something reckless. Without thinking. Again. She's also supposed to be this super bad-ass ether controller, but whenever she's actually in battle, she doesn't fight much either.

The ending also was... again, iffy. It put a nice end to the book and tied up many issues, but I felt like the author rushed through it. I guess I was expecting more drama, considering the world was ending in a matter of days, but there's a fight scene and some ether magic of sorts from Ashara. The same is probably true about the romance. You could probably predict that Ashara ends up with Loken, but their reunion also felt rushed and awkward.

However, I have to say that the twist in the end regarding Ashara was great! I admit that I didn't expect it at all, and it was one that made me think about the magic and fantastical concepts of the world. It just felt like one of those "wow" moments.

All in all, I'd still say ECHO was a book that I still enjoyed, as I'm the type of reader who mainly focuses on twists, pacing, and worlds in a novel. If you're a fan of Brewsters' other works, or are looking for a quick sci-fi read, you might enjoy this book! (:

* Thank you to the author for providing me a review copy of the book for the tour.

[Stephanie Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

'Echo' is a fast paced young adult science fiction novel that follows Ashara Vinn as she attempts to deal with the end of her world. Since the Council announced the Vision that the world would end, families have been staying together and waiting for the countdown to end. They know that the world is going to end, but they don't know how or why. Ashara wakes one morning to find she has been summoned to the Council for training in the Ethereal task force - which is strange since she has never shown signs of being a manipulator. Once at the Council for training, Ashara is told that the world will likely end due to Mages, the same race of people that murdered her younger brother months ago. On top of that, she must be trained by her ex-boyfriend, Loken, and things aren't exactly going as planned. Will Ashara and Loken, along with the rest of the Council and manipulators, be able to stop the end of the world? Or will their fate depend on something much darker - and more dangerous - like Ashara's death?

This was an exciting science fiction novel full of suspense and action that had me hooked from the beginning. Ashara is a great female lead character. She's smart, kind, and devoted to those she loves - but she also has the death of her younger brother on her heart and mind as well as her jumbled emotions for Loken. We see her character develop throughout the story, as she gains maturity and acceptance of her destiny and abilities. Her relationship with Loken is strained and very frustrating at first, but it's not the main plot of the book, so it doesn't consume too much of the story. I liked reading about the history of the planet and the different manipulators and their varying abilities. The author creates a believable new world in the book and I enjoyed learning as much about it as I could. The plot itself was intricately woven and had definite suspense and thrills throughout. The narrative was fast paced but not confusing for the reader, and the writing itself was very well done with vivid descriptions that had me easily imagining I was there alongside the characters as everything was happening. Overall, this was a finely crafted novel that fans of YA science fiction will definitely want to experience.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Echo was the first book I've read by Alicia Wright Brewster and after reading it I can't wait to read another one by her. In Echo we're introduced to a semi-time travel theme with an apocalypse looming, romance, action and some paranormal elements.

I thought Echo was a really unique read set in a unique world. I've really got to hand it to the author she did a really solid job in the world building department. I thought they way she went about setting up everything was handled very well and added greatly to the overall effect of the book because I was really able to visualize things that were happening in the story.

The plot was also really unique and I liked the idea of a group of people going back in time to stop the destruction of the planet. I haven't read many books with that theme but the ones that I have read were good but I thought the paranormal element to this one made it stand out.

The characters were solid although I do wish Ashara had been a little stronger as as character. I mean she was strong but sometimes I wish she stood up for herself and her wants a little more especially when it came to Loken whom I really enjoyed as the other main character. I liked seeing their relationship change and grow and to see them get through past hurts that have been causing them both pain.

While the story is about saving the world I also liked the more personal aspects of the story. I liked how it was also a journey of forgiveness as well as sacrifice and thought the author did a bang up job writing a compelling plot line that had more than it's fair share of action to keep the adrenaline junkies amongst us readers intrigued as well as being along for the journey and getting attached to the characters and wanting them to succeed.

Overall, this was a quick, enjoyable read with a likable cast of characters that were well developed and a good story line set in an interesting time and place. I can see this one appealing to dystopian and paranormal fans for different reasons as well as being that perfect read to get you out of a reading slump like it did me because it offers something new and different.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.