What do you think?
Rate this book
Guides - Die erste Stunde
Niemand weiß, was sich in dem gigantischen UFO befindet, das die Welt nach seinem Absturz in Atem hält. Und Alice ist Niemand außer ihr Vater, der für die NASA arbeitet, hätte seine siebzehnjährige Tochter jetzt auf ein Internat nach Minnesota gebracht - ausgerechnet mitten ins Zentrum der Katastrophe. Hier kommt Alice der Wahrheit hinter den Nachrichten gefährlich nahe. Doch mit der Wahrheit kommt auch die Angst vor den unbekannten Geschöpfen, die das Raumschiff verlassen …"Ein Buch, das bis ins Mark erschüttert. Eine kluge Prämisse, ein schnelles Erzähltempo und Charaktere, denen man sofort folgt - dies sind die Zutaten für eine rasante Wells-Lektüre." Publishers Weekly"Ein durchdacht ausgearbeitetes Action-Abenteuer, das die Leser auch nach der letzten Seite noch nachhaltig beeindrucken wird." Kirkus Reviews"Wells steht für überraschende Wendungen und das pure Grauen. Fantastisch!" Ally Condie, #1 NYT-Autorin
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 29, 2016
46 people are currently reading
2312 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 259 reviews
December 12, 2016
Loved the beginning, middle was a bit odd... and the ending was great.
Very humorous characters. Brilliant one liners...
Good standalone book!
Very humorous characters. Brilliant one liners...
Good standalone book!
February 20, 2016
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
This was a YA sci-fi story involving aliens, but I found it a bit unbelievable.
I didn’t like the main character in this book, as she annoyed me a bit. I don’t know what it was, but she was just irritating to me.
The storyline in this was about alien’s crash landing, and NASA trying to discover who they were and what they wanted etc. I found it pretty unbelievable that within a matter of days the aliens would have joined the school as students though, and that NASA would use high-school students to photograph the inside of the alien’s spaceship! Unfortunately this just wasn’t my cup-of-tea, and I didn’t really enjoy it.
The ending to this was likewise a little unbelievable, but I was just pleased to have finished.
6 out of 10
“So you’re inviting me and my friends to go inside the ship?”
This was a YA sci-fi story involving aliens, but I found it a bit unbelievable.
I didn’t like the main character in this book, as she annoyed me a bit. I don’t know what it was, but she was just irritating to me.
The storyline in this was about alien’s crash landing, and NASA trying to discover who they were and what they wanted etc. I found it pretty unbelievable that within a matter of days the aliens would have joined the school as students though, and that NASA would use high-school students to photograph the inside of the alien’s spaceship! Unfortunately this just wasn’t my cup-of-tea, and I didn’t really enjoy it.
The ending to this was likewise a little unbelievable, but I was just pleased to have finished.
6 out of 10
July 7, 2016
I love this book so much that I'm ANGRY.
YES, ANGRY.
Because where was this book twenty years ago, when it was EXACTLY the kind of sci fi story that my teenage self was looking for?
Where was this book five years ago, when I read that much buzzed about, critically praised book about aliens landing during the Black Death and it turned out to be a craphole of wasted opportunity?
WHERE WAS IT, ROB?
Well, never mind! And you, you lucky readers, you! THE BOOK IS HERE NOW.
And I'm not even going to talk about why this is the exact story I was looking for, because it would be too full of spoilers, and I cannot ruin that for you. I'm just that nice. Suffice it to say, this book had three major twists (for me) that EXACTLY hit the sweet spots of what I have always wanted in an aliens-land-0n-Earth story. I'm not kidding, it's like Rob got into my brain, and extracted the exact story I had cooked up twenty-five years ago on a vacation to Lake Powell. It's THAT SPECIFIC.
What I will tell you is that the characters are great. As always, Rob does an awesome job writing from a female POV. Alice is a hoot, and I want to be her new roommate. All the characters were wonderful. The dialogue: perfect. The action: perfect. The only thing about this book that wasn't perfect for me is that it was so short! I could have read more, MORE!
Also, this book is about a half-Navajo girl, and deals with her family as well as Navajo and Hopi traditions and legends. Rob has lived on a Navajo reservation, and there is an excellent author's note at the back where he acknowledges that he's not an authority. He gave this book to a number of native readers and did his best to use their feedback to make sure the book was positive for them.
So, to sum up: read this book. Thank me later. (Oh, and Rob. You can thank Rob, too. He'll like that.)
YES, ANGRY.
Because where was this book twenty years ago, when it was EXACTLY the kind of sci fi story that my teenage self was looking for?
Where was this book five years ago, when I read that much buzzed about, critically praised book about aliens landing during the Black Death and it turned out to be a craphole of wasted opportunity?
WHERE WAS IT, ROB?
Well, never mind! And you, you lucky readers, you! THE BOOK IS HERE NOW.
And I'm not even going to talk about why this is the exact story I was looking for, because it would be too full of spoilers, and I cannot ruin that for you. I'm just that nice. Suffice it to say, this book had three major twists (for me) that EXACTLY hit the sweet spots of what I have always wanted in an aliens-land-0n-Earth story. I'm not kidding, it's like Rob got into my brain, and extracted the exact story I had cooked up twenty-five years ago on a vacation to Lake Powell. It's THAT SPECIFIC.
What I will tell you is that the characters are great. As always, Rob does an awesome job writing from a female POV. Alice is a hoot, and I want to be her new roommate. All the characters were wonderful. The dialogue: perfect. The action: perfect. The only thing about this book that wasn't perfect for me is that it was so short! I could have read more, MORE!
Also, this book is about a half-Navajo girl, and deals with her family as well as Navajo and Hopi traditions and legends. Rob has lived on a Navajo reservation, and there is an excellent author's note at the back where he acknowledges that he's not an authority. He gave this book to a number of native readers and did his best to use their feedback to make sure the book was positive for them.
So, to sum up: read this book. Thank me later. (Oh, and Rob. You can thank Rob, too. He'll like that.)
February 21, 2017
There might be a review coming, I dunno, I'm lazy so maybe not.
July 26, 2021
Not long ago, I played a video game called Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War (a mouthful, I know) and it was very good. One of the standouts in the game was the storyline. You’d expect it to just be an excuse for explosions and gunfights, but no, it’s more complex and has some good twists mixed in there. The main problem I had with it was that it was too short, it didn’t have the time to properly explore all the ideas that it brought forward, some of which were quite interesting, which I found disappointing.
You probably see where I’m going with this, Dark Energy is a really solid book with a lot of good ideas, but the story was too short and it wasn’t told in the best way. I don’t mean that like the cliché “good ideas, bad execution,” I mean the execution was decent, for the most part, it’s just the vehicles the author used to tell the story weren’t very good.
Let me explain. This is about an alien ship crashing on Earth and it follows a girl named Alice who transfers to a new school near the crash site so her father can help study it. Obviously, this is so that the audience has a character to follow while we learn about what’s going on, but… why is it a teenaged girl and why is she at a new school? All this means is that we have to spend time with her getting to know new people and a new setting. Not that much time, it never got annoying, but why bother with it? Why not just have her already be attending the school?
For that matter, why are we following a teenaged girl instead of the scientists who are doing all the interesting stuff? Kind of like the movie Arrival. If you wanted to keep a teen protagonist, since this is young adult, there are better ways to have her come into close contact with the ship and the aliens.
Off the top of my head: She’s near the ship when it crashes and has to be quarantined. She sneaks into it after the government puts up a barricade. Some aliens flee the crash and wind up at her house for a while. She recently joined the National Guard and is called out to the crash site. All of these would have been better ways to introduce and follow the same story.
Frankly, this might have been better had it not been teen/YA at all.
That aside, this was a very good book. I wish they went into more detail about the aliens, their history, culture, biology were all neat and I wanted to see more of that. I wish there was more time investigating the mysteries of what’s going on before the answers are given to us. I wish Alice had more effect on the story before the last third. I wish the villains had more screen time. Really, I wish this book was twice as long.
It wouldn’t shock me if most of the people who read this book hate it. It also wouldn’t shock me if most of them love it with all their heart. Truth be told, I hardly know how I feel about this thing. Yet I can’t pretend I wasn’t enjoying myself immensely while reading, so fuck it, 4 stars.
You probably see where I’m going with this, Dark Energy is a really solid book with a lot of good ideas, but the story was too short and it wasn’t told in the best way. I don’t mean that like the cliché “good ideas, bad execution,” I mean the execution was decent, for the most part, it’s just the vehicles the author used to tell the story weren’t very good.
Let me explain. This is about an alien ship crashing on Earth and it follows a girl named Alice who transfers to a new school near the crash site so her father can help study it. Obviously, this is so that the audience has a character to follow while we learn about what’s going on, but… why is it a teenaged girl and why is she at a new school? All this means is that we have to spend time with her getting to know new people and a new setting. Not that much time, it never got annoying, but why bother with it? Why not just have her already be attending the school?
For that matter, why are we following a teenaged girl instead of the scientists who are doing all the interesting stuff? Kind of like the movie Arrival. If you wanted to keep a teen protagonist, since this is young adult, there are better ways to have her come into close contact with the ship and the aliens.
Off the top of my head: She’s near the ship when it crashes and has to be quarantined. She sneaks into it after the government puts up a barricade. Some aliens flee the crash and wind up at her house for a while. She recently joined the National Guard and is called out to the crash site. All of these would have been better ways to introduce and follow the same story.
Frankly, this might have been better had it not been teen/YA at all.
That aside, this was a very good book. I wish they went into more detail about the aliens, their history, culture, biology were all neat and I wanted to see more of that. I wish there was more time investigating the mysteries of what’s going on before the answers are given to us. I wish Alice had more effect on the story before the last third. I wish the villains had more screen time. Really, I wish this book was twice as long.
It wouldn’t shock me if most of the people who read this book hate it. It also wouldn’t shock me if most of them love it with all their heart. Truth be told, I hardly know how I feel about this thing. Yet I can’t pretend I wasn’t enjoying myself immensely while reading, so fuck it, 4 stars.
January 10, 2016
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: An intriguing, suspenseful twist on an alien story that I enjoyed immensely.
Opening Sentence: Want to hear something freaky?
The Review:
Five days ago, a massive UFO skidded across two countries in the American Midwest, killing more than 15,000 people. Alice’s life is uprooted when her father, director of special projects, moves them closer to the base of the site. Alice moves into a boarding school for talented, rich children. And then, the aliens emerge. One thing is soon clear – nothing will be the same again.
I am not a huge reader of alien books. I loved Alienated, and the Lux series, but I can’t think of any other novels I’ve read with aliens as the center focus. However, I’ve been on a Star Wars kick recently (for the first time in my life, I watched the movies, and I enjoyed them a lot. I plan to see the new one soon! Spoiler alert – Darth Vader is Luke’s father). That being said, I was excited to jump into a book with galactic enemies and human resilience.
This book, right off the bat, was much different than I expected – in the best possible way. The plotline went ways I never saw coming and I absolutely adored the spin that the author took on it. Reveal after reveal led to the inevitable climax. My only disappointment was the ending. It seemed too rushed, too convenient, to really be realistic after all the buildup. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this book greatly!
The main character, Alice, was a fun point of view. Her mindset was relatable and she had a good sense of humor, so that my laughter intermingled with tense, suspenseful alien goodness. I liked the love interest, as well. It wasn’t insta-love, thank god, and their relationship worked well. It was interesting watching the romance blossom, and their exchanges were a lot of fun to read. Another relationship that was lighthearted and cute was between her and her father. Their banter was hilarious and in the notable scene.
This was a short review, but I didn’t have much to say – I just really loved this novel. There were so many aspects of it that were interesting and expertly weaved together: mystery, action, suspense, romance, even history. It was a different idea than any other alien novel I’ve read, and the aliens in the story brought surprise after surprise. It was heart-wrenching, at times, but oh so worth the read. The only thing I would have changed was the ending – I would have extended it more, made it a little harder for the characters to succeed. It felt like this massive advantage was just handed to them. Nevertheless, I can’t wait for the world to read this novel!
Notable Scene:
“She loved the streak in my hair, and she said she wanted one – so like good friends and roommates, we dyed her hair and then snuck her around the back of the building to avoid the R.A.”
“If I didn’t know you were a good kid, I’d be terrified.”
“What makes you think I’m a good kid?”
“Because a bad kid would lie about sneaking out and getting caught.”
FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Dark Energy. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: An intriguing, suspenseful twist on an alien story that I enjoyed immensely.
Opening Sentence: Want to hear something freaky?
The Review:
Five days ago, a massive UFO skidded across two countries in the American Midwest, killing more than 15,000 people. Alice’s life is uprooted when her father, director of special projects, moves them closer to the base of the site. Alice moves into a boarding school for talented, rich children. And then, the aliens emerge. One thing is soon clear – nothing will be the same again.
I am not a huge reader of alien books. I loved Alienated, and the Lux series, but I can’t think of any other novels I’ve read with aliens as the center focus. However, I’ve been on a Star Wars kick recently (for the first time in my life, I watched the movies, and I enjoyed them a lot. I plan to see the new one soon! Spoiler alert – Darth Vader is Luke’s father). That being said, I was excited to jump into a book with galactic enemies and human resilience.
This book, right off the bat, was much different than I expected – in the best possible way. The plotline went ways I never saw coming and I absolutely adored the spin that the author took on it. Reveal after reveal led to the inevitable climax. My only disappointment was the ending. It seemed too rushed, too convenient, to really be realistic after all the buildup. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this book greatly!
The main character, Alice, was a fun point of view. Her mindset was relatable and she had a good sense of humor, so that my laughter intermingled with tense, suspenseful alien goodness. I liked the love interest, as well. It wasn’t insta-love, thank god, and their relationship worked well. It was interesting watching the romance blossom, and their exchanges were a lot of fun to read. Another relationship that was lighthearted and cute was between her and her father. Their banter was hilarious and in the notable scene.
This was a short review, but I didn’t have much to say – I just really loved this novel. There were so many aspects of it that were interesting and expertly weaved together: mystery, action, suspense, romance, even history. It was a different idea than any other alien novel I’ve read, and the aliens in the story brought surprise after surprise. It was heart-wrenching, at times, but oh so worth the read. The only thing I would have changed was the ending – I would have extended it more, made it a little harder for the characters to succeed. It felt like this massive advantage was just handed to them. Nevertheless, I can’t wait for the world to read this novel!
Notable Scene:
“She loved the streak in my hair, and she said she wanted one – so like good friends and roommates, we dyed her hair and then snuck her around the back of the building to avoid the R.A.”
“If I didn’t know you were a good kid, I’d be terrified.”
“What makes you think I’m a good kid?”
“Because a bad kid would lie about sneaking out and getting caught.”
FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Dark Energy. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
February 8, 2017
• My review of this book can be found on my YouTube here: Dark Energy by Robison Wells
Read
January 28, 2023Did not Finish. I guess I'm too old for this Y-A book. Because although the main character is 17 years old, the story read like it was written for a 12 year old. It never got rolling ( I read 85 pages) and life is too short to read boring literature- that's my motto. I didn't find it either interesting or well written. I won't rate it because... just because. Let me know in the comments if you found it a "good read" and why. It's been put into my "donation box" for now.
June 11, 2020
I didn’t pick this book up expecting to be blown away by it, but I did expect to enjoy it more than I did. There wasn’t all that much that happened even for a short book, and I definitely anticipated more action than we got. The characters in the book were actually pretty good other than the love interest, but overall, the plot was lackluster. Okay read for me.
April 10, 2016
This book was pretty fun, combining aliens, ancient Native American legends, and a whole lot of really entertaining and often very funny dialog. The author has a very similar sense of humor to mine so I was constantly laughing out loud while reading. Some of the side characters aren't terribly fleshed out, but for the most part the characters were all pretty good, with distinct personalities and such. The writing was excellent. The author is very good at expositing without looking like he's expositing, giving back story, and other plot related information in a very flowing and integrated manner so there's never really a time where it feels like a character is sitting down and saying something just so that the reader will know what's happening. It's also one of the few YA books I've ever read that doesn't feel condescending toward it's target audience at all. Most YA books have at least a few parts where it feels like the author is trying to mold younger minds, and it comes off kind of more than a little douchey. There's none of that in this book at all, which is a really huge plus to me. All in all I really enjoyed this one, and I think I'm going to look into a few more books by Robison Wells.
January 27, 2016
intriguing, fast paced, and a truly unique spin on ALIENS!!!!!!! plus lots of sass.
March 11, 2017
i thought she was going end up with the other guy... it was a good fast paces standalone :P
September 4, 2017
Sci-fi for life!
wishlist
April 30, 202030 April 2020: $2.99 on Kindle
March 3, 2016
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
Dark Energy may perhaps be overshadowed by having a similar plotline to the popular Undertow series by Michael Buckley. Take human-like aliens, mix them with a girl in high school, add hunky warrior love interest and requisite YA triangle, and you get the general idea. But similarities aside, Dark Energy suffered from some of the most glaring "logic and believability" issues I've come across recently; I just couldn't suspend disbelief enough to enjoy the book.Story: An alien ship has dropped out of the sky and fallen across several states, killing hundreds of thousands in the process. Teen Alice has been dragged to cold Minnesota with her NASA-Researcher father so he can study the ship. When human-like aliens emerge, two are assigned to Alice's school to help integrate these new 'refugees'. Their arrival causes upheaval at the school and Alice soon discovers that there is much more to these aliens than they are saying.
The dialogue was quite snappy and amusing to read - especially between father and daughter. Although highly unlikely and unrealistic, the quips between characters did make me smile. Because this is a dialogue focused book, it does read very quickly and doesn't bog down in places due to the ongoing reveals about the aliens.
But I honestly had a hard time with nearly every action taken by the characters. I don't expect my YA to be all that grounded in real world logic - but there was so much that didn't make any kind of sense that it was distracting. E.g., the moronic actions taken by the aliens who clearly have something to hide, that the government would send the aliens to a high school right after they landed, that kids would be ad hoc recruited to explore and photograph the inside of the huge ship (without parents' permissions!!), etc. etc. And those are just the ones I can list without giving away spoilers.
So although Dark Energy was a quick and easy read with snarky fun dialogue, it also fell very flat on the storytelling aspect. Every fantastical tale really should be grounded within some semblance of a firm believable reality or it risks alienating (pun intended) readers. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
February 10, 2016
Originally reviewed @ Blood,Sweat and Books
It's been a tick since I've read an Alien story that captivated me as much as this one. I felt like I blazed through this story. Whole pages seemed to pass me by and before I knew it the story was over. While the incredibly fast pacing certainly helped with that, without the brilliant writing from the Author none of that would have mattered.
From start to finish I was completely hooked into Dark Energy and its characters. I especially loved the relationship between Alice and her Father. It was so nice seeing a positive Father/Daughter relationship for a change. Also I loved Kurt. It was great having a romantic build up that felt natural, not forced just for the sake of having a couple. Best of all their romance didn't overshadow the main story. It just blended into the background nicely. Oh and I can't help but mention the Aliens themselves. Their background is one of the best parts to be discovered. You'll be slack jawed when all is revealed. It was a really nice twist on a typical Alien invasion plot.
As for the story, woah boy, it was a doozie. While I did guess one portion of the plot correctly, the other major twist was so shocking even I was caught off guard. I really love when an Author can surprise me. For people like me who read a lot it can be tough. If I could award a Gold star to the Author for originality I would.
Overall, I'm completely happy with Dark Energy. The plot was great, I loved the little twists and turns to the story and best of all it was great seeing so much diversity among the main characters. I really hope the Author decides on a sequel or even a prequel. I definitely feel like more story is waiting to be told.
With that being said, I'll be rating Dark Energy by Robison Wells ★★★★★.
*Review copy provided by publisher via Edelweiss. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated by the publisher or Author for providing them
It's been a tick since I've read an Alien story that captivated me as much as this one. I felt like I blazed through this story. Whole pages seemed to pass me by and before I knew it the story was over. While the incredibly fast pacing certainly helped with that, without the brilliant writing from the Author none of that would have mattered.
From start to finish I was completely hooked into Dark Energy and its characters. I especially loved the relationship between Alice and her Father. It was so nice seeing a positive Father/Daughter relationship for a change. Also I loved Kurt. It was great having a romantic build up that felt natural, not forced just for the sake of having a couple. Best of all their romance didn't overshadow the main story. It just blended into the background nicely. Oh and I can't help but mention the Aliens themselves. Their background is one of the best parts to be discovered. You'll be slack jawed when all is revealed. It was a really nice twist on a typical Alien invasion plot.
As for the story, woah boy, it was a doozie. While I did guess one portion of the plot correctly, the other major twist was so shocking even I was caught off guard. I really love when an Author can surprise me. For people like me who read a lot it can be tough. If I could award a Gold star to the Author for originality I would.
Overall, I'm completely happy with Dark Energy. The plot was great, I loved the little twists and turns to the story and best of all it was great seeing so much diversity among the main characters. I really hope the Author decides on a sequel or even a prequel. I definitely feel like more story is waiting to be told.
With that being said, I'll be rating Dark Energy by Robison Wells ★★★★★.
*Review copy provided by publisher via Edelweiss. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated by the publisher or Author for providing them
March 24, 2016
Dark Energy is a Young Adult Science Fiction story about aliens. The main character is named Alice and her father works for Nasa so they are brought to the crash site of the aliens for her father to work. Alice is enrolled in a school nearby that houses full-time high school students called Minnetonka.
The story is all about how Alice and her friends view the aliens arrival and the subsequent events that follow. You get a in-depth look at how it would feel if aliens actually did descend on the earth and how the government would react.
I really enjoyed the story being told by Alice and her friends and the experiences they went through and the honest reactions that each of the characters had as the dealt with the arrival of the aliens.
The plot twist was very interesting to me and really grabbed my attention and made me want to keep reading. Overall, this was a very interesting book and if you like science fiction then I would definitely try it out!!
The story is all about how Alice and her friends view the aliens arrival and the subsequent events that follow. You get a in-depth look at how it would feel if aliens actually did descend on the earth and how the government would react.
I really enjoyed the story being told by Alice and her friends and the experiences they went through and the honest reactions that each of the characters had as the dealt with the arrival of the aliens.
The plot twist was very interesting to me and really grabbed my attention and made me want to keep reading. Overall, this was a very interesting book and if you like science fiction then I would definitely try it out!!
November 16, 2015
As far as alien encounter books go, this one was a great and fast read! Readers like me who don't want to be able to guess the ending and who enjoy being completely surprised will find this the perfect book! Alice's father is the director of special projects at NASA and just when she is installed in a boarding house in Minnesota a UFO crashes near the area. She is struggling with settling in and getting used to her new room when she has to get used to having two aliens aka "guides" around the schools and interacting with her, as well. Alice can already tell that the Guides are not quite what they claim to be and, after seeing a blood-spattered room, is sure that she needs to find the truth.
...
http://livetoread-krystal.blogspot.co...
...
http://livetoread-krystal.blogspot.co...
May 13, 2016
An interesting enough premise falls a little flat with giant leaps of logic--alien teenagers get to go to boarding school two days after landing on Earth, just because it seems like a good idea? Teenagers get to wander about in a crashed alien ship and take notes for NASA because they're really smart?
What.
What.
April 13, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. One of my favorites. Highly recommend if you like YA sci-fi. I really like how there is romance but it doesn't take center stage (They are in the middle of an alien invasion after all) I also loved the side characters and the friendships.
Look forward to reading more by this author.
Look forward to reading more by this author.
June 12, 2016
A bit far-fetched but its certainly interesting and original.
April 3, 2016
Welcome to my tour stop for Dark Energy by Robison Wells which features a review and author interview! His latest is a Sci-Fi adventure intertwined with US history and this fast-paced story will have your fingers flying to flip the pages. The tour runs from March 21st through April 1st and consists of a guest posts, interviews and reviews. There is also a tour-wide giveaway for a finished copy of Dark Energy! Please visit the tour page for all the details & to follow the tour and don’t forget to enter the Giveaway at the end of this post for your chance to win!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Several days ago a huge alien ship dropped out of our sky and crash landed across several U.S. states, killing thousands of Americans in the process. Alice’s normal teenage life is turned upside-down when her dad, the director of special projects at NASA, moves them to Minnesota and closer to the base of the alien crash site. She enrolls as a new student at the local boarding school and when the aliens emerge from their ship two “Guides” are assigned to go to Alice’s school as a way to help integrate the alien refugees. Her father encourages her to make friends with the Guides so Alice tries to welcome them to her new school. Everything seems to go ok at first; that is until an alien fleet arrives and starts looking for her new friends.
It’s been a really long time since I’ve read an alien sci-fi book and this was one of the reasons I was drawn to pick up Dark Energy. I’ve also never read an alien book that’s also in the YA genre and this one sounded like it could be a lot of fun while also offering something different to the reader. Turns out I was right and I’m so glad I took a chance on this book because it was a really great, fast-paced read. Right from the get go, this story led me in a direction that I wasn’t expecting it and I truly enjoy it when an author can do that. Plus, this book has ethnic diversity that isn’t just constricted to the idea of “aliens” integrating themselves into human society. Well’s brilliantly grasps this need for diversity in YA and I hope that more authors will take note and see that this is how it’s done and done well!
One of the best aspects of this book was the relationship between Alice and her father. You don’t often find such positive relationships between fathers and daughters in the YA genre so this was a really pleasant surprise to me. And Alice herself was just a wonderful character; she was very relatable yet had a spunkiness to her that just made her a lot of fun. This made for a great balance with the more tense moments of the book, one moment I’d be laughing and the next I’d be chewing on my nails. I really enjoyed Kurt too, Alice’s love interest. This was a shorter novel and despite that I never got that feeling of insta-love that can sometimes plague both shorter and YA books. There was a wonderful romantic build up between these two that felt really sweet and natural.
Overall I just really enjoyed Dark Energy, the intricate plot and wonderful characters reeled me right in to this fascinating story. The reveal of the alien’s backstories was jaw dropping and oh so original! At one point I thought I guessed what their deal was and what was coming next in regards to the plot and although I had a tiny bit figured out I was still left feeling completely and utterly shocked once the big reveal came. It was one of those “OMG, I did NOT see that coming!” moments and I just sat there for a moment absorbing what I’d just read before I hungrily read on.
The only thing that kept me from giving it 5 stars is that I did feel like the ending was over a little too quickly. I would have loved to see our characters struggle a bit more in trying to figure out a way to succeed and win. I guess what I really wanted was just…… more. I wasn’t ready for it to be over yet which really isn’t a bad thing ;) Who knows, maybe there will be a sequel?? If you love wonderfully written books full of action, mystery, history, and a bit of romance then this is definitely the book for you and I would highly recommend it. Dark Energy is also one of those rare Young Adult books that is well suited for teens over the age of 13 and will be enjoyed by guys and girls!
A huge thank you to the publishers, HarperTeen, and Rockstar Book Tours for putting together this amazing blog tour and for providing me with a complimentary, advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
Author Interview
1) Where did your idea or inspiration come from to write a YA novel about a UFO crash landing on earth?
The first part of the book that came to me was the idea of integrating an alien into a school. The scene where the aliens come to the school was actually the first chapter I wrote—and I wrote it back in 2008. I didn’t know where to go with that idea, though, so I put the book on hold for six years. I finally came back to it by free-writing a first chapter (I often find that allowing myself to be completely unrestricted in my writing gives me WAY better ideas than any brainstorming. That chapter was where I got the idea of Alice’s Navajo origins, the crashed ship, the rich family, the father/daughter dynamic, and the boarding school.
2) What type of research did you do in order to make your storyline realistic and believable?
I believe in research as a lifestyle, not as an intense book-by-book cram session. So, for example, the spaceship is cylindrical because that’s a way to create artificial gravity. That was not something I had to research—it was something that I knew from taking an astronomy class in college. Another example is Alice’s ancestry as a Navajo: I used to live on the Navajo reservation, and I also was (for a couple semesters) an anthropology major in college. So, ultimately to answer your question, I try to read and experience as much as I can, and then I choose to write about stuff that I’ve learned.
3) If you could spend the day with one of your characters from Dark Energy, who would it be and what would you guys do or talk about?
Alice is funny, and Brynne in spunky and spontaneous, and the aliens are interesting and mysterious, but I think my favorite is Rachel. She’s a self-proclaimed math nerd with a strong sense of moral duty. She isn’t popular, but she’s an award-winning genius.
We would talk about nerdy, sciencey things and I’d pick her mind for book ideas. We’re also both introverted, so we’d probably just hang out without talking the whole time. We’d probably eat pie.
4) Which character from your book would you say you connected to the least or was the most difficult to write?
The most difficult to connect with would be Suski, the male alien. His sister, Coya, engages with the girls a lot, but Suski keeps to himself, resents being at the school, doesn’t like the translators, and doesn’t open up about himself. He’s written to be hard to connect with.
5) What are your thoughts regarding aliens and UFOs, do they really exist or are they just fiction?
I think they absolutely exist. I have great faith in the Drake Equation, a formula that predicts the existence of aliens based on the likelihood that certain conditions exist in the galaxy. Depending on how conservative you’re being with your estimations, the Drake Equation calculates anywhere between twenty (20) and fifty million (50,000,000) intelligent civilizations exist!
6) If you could pick one song or album that represents your Dark Energy, what would it be?
I listen to tons of music while I write, and I usually make playlists for each book—including everything from folk to metal. But if I had to pick just one album for Dark Energy, it would be Icky Thump, by The White Stripes. It has good songs for action, like “Icky Thump” or “Bone Broke”; it has good songs for humor, like “Rag and Bone”, and “Baby Brother”; and it even has its own brand of twisted romance, with “A Martyr For My Love For You”, and “You Don’t Know What Love Is”.
7) Who were some of your favorite authors growing up and how have they influenced your writing?
Despite my current job as a fulltime writer, I actually wasn’t a reader while I was growing up. It wasn’t until I was twenty one, and I picked up an old copy of Huckleberry Finn, that I came to love reading. My favorite author actually inspired me to write Dark Energy, in some ways: Tony Hillerman. He wrote a series of detective novels that all take place on the Navajo Nation. I loved his books because he wrote about the places and people I knew (and because he was a darn good writer, too).
Giveaway!!
1 Finished Print Copy of Dark Energy (US Only)
Contest Ends April 2, 2016
Hosts not responsible for prizing
This review was originally posted on My So-Called Book Reviews
January 19, 2019
Andere finden Überraschungen in den Buchläden, ich in der Bibliothek. Ganz unerwartet stolperte ich dort über »Guides – Die erste Stunde«, ein Science Fiction Roman von Robison Wells. Auch wenn es sich hier um eine sehr klassische Erstkontaktgeschichte handelte, konnte ich mich doch sehr dafür erwärmen.
»Niemand weiß, was sich in dem gigantischen UFO befindet, das die Welt nach seinem Absturz in Atem hält. Und Alice ist sicher: Niemand außer ihr Vater, der für die NASA arbeitet, hätte seine siebzehnjährige Tochter jetzt auf ein Internat nach Minnesota gebracht - ausgerechnet mitten ins Zentrum der Katastrophe. Hier kommt Alice der Wahrheit hinter den Nachrichten gefährlich nahe. Doch mit der Wahrheit kommt auch die Angst vor den unbekannten Geschöpfen, die das Raumschiff verlassen …«
(Quelle: Goodreads)
Erstkontaktgeschichten gibt es viele, also solche Geschichten, wo es zu einer allerersten Berührung zwischen Menschen und Außerirdischen kommt. Deren liebste sind mir immer noch Arrival und Contact, aber auch »Guides« konnte mich begeistern.
Dabei muss man eigentlich ganz objektiv sagen, dass »Guides« eigentlich wenig innovativ ist, was diesen Geschichtentypus angeht und doch eher in Richtung Independence Day geht statt Arrival. Der Plottwist am Ende war recht vorhersehbar, und ehrlich gesagt war das Ende ohnehin der schwächste Teil für mich.
Dennoch: Der Rest hat Spaß gemacht zu lesen. Alice landet auf einem Internat, auf das vor allem Bonzenkinder gehen, also Leute mit ausreichend Geld und Prestige. Aber auch besondere Talente. Das heißt, dass die wenigsten Protagonisten wirklich doof sind und ganz im Gegenteil sogar oft kluge Kommentare zum Geschehen abgeben können und umfangreiches Allgemeinwissen mitbringen. Trotz allem sind sie Teenager und benehmen sich auch wie solche. Nur eben solche mit einem etwas höheren IQ als der Durchschnitt, was einem den einen oder anderen dämlichen Kommentar erspart.
Alice hat indigene Wurzeln, die vor allem gegen Ende eine Rolle spielen, als sie zu ihrer Großmutter flieht. Ich kann leider nicht wirklich beurteilen, inwiefern dem Autor die Darstellung der indigenen Bevölkerung gelungen ist. Aber auf mich machte alles einen feinfühligen Eindruck und bot zudem einen interessanten kleinen Einblick in diese Lebensweise.
Streckenweise hat der Roman eine sehr düstere Atmosphäre und dem Autor gelingt es gut, das auch zum Leser zu transportieren und diesem eine Gänsehaut zu bescheren. Besonders gefiel mir, wie die Protagonisten auf die entsprechenden Situationen reagierten, die teils weit jenseits der alltäglichen Erfahrungswelt liegen, und wie sich das auf ihre Psyche auswirkte. Der Schock, der sich mitunter einstellte, wurde realistisch dargestellt.
Spannend war ebenso das Rätseln, was wirklich hinter der Anfunkt der Guides auf der Erde steht, denn es wird schnell klar, dass da mehr dahinter steht, als die Guides die Menschen glauben machen wollen. Auch wenn ich relativ schnell darauf kam, störte es mich nicht unbedingt, als meine Vermutung bestätigt wurde. Das Drumherum passte immer noch.
Der Roman mag zwar nicht viel zu all den Erstkontaktgeschichten hinzufügen. Dennoch ist er kurzweilige, spannende Unterhaltung, ein empfehlenswerter Happen für Zwischendurch. Einen kleinen Gruselfaktor gibt es streckenweise ebenso, und Lesern, die mit der Darstellung von Gewalt und Gewaltopfern ihre Schwierigkeiten haben, sei eher von der Lektüre abgeraten. Allen anderen kann ich eine klare Leseempfehlung aussprechen.
»Niemand weiß, was sich in dem gigantischen UFO befindet, das die Welt nach seinem Absturz in Atem hält. Und Alice ist sicher: Niemand außer ihr Vater, der für die NASA arbeitet, hätte seine siebzehnjährige Tochter jetzt auf ein Internat nach Minnesota gebracht - ausgerechnet mitten ins Zentrum der Katastrophe. Hier kommt Alice der Wahrheit hinter den Nachrichten gefährlich nahe. Doch mit der Wahrheit kommt auch die Angst vor den unbekannten Geschöpfen, die das Raumschiff verlassen …«
(Quelle: Goodreads)
Erstkontaktgeschichten gibt es viele, also solche Geschichten, wo es zu einer allerersten Berührung zwischen Menschen und Außerirdischen kommt. Deren liebste sind mir immer noch Arrival und Contact, aber auch »Guides« konnte mich begeistern.
Dabei muss man eigentlich ganz objektiv sagen, dass »Guides« eigentlich wenig innovativ ist, was diesen Geschichtentypus angeht und doch eher in Richtung Independence Day geht statt Arrival. Der Plottwist am Ende war recht vorhersehbar, und ehrlich gesagt war das Ende ohnehin der schwächste Teil für mich.
Dennoch: Der Rest hat Spaß gemacht zu lesen. Alice landet auf einem Internat, auf das vor allem Bonzenkinder gehen, also Leute mit ausreichend Geld und Prestige. Aber auch besondere Talente. Das heißt, dass die wenigsten Protagonisten wirklich doof sind und ganz im Gegenteil sogar oft kluge Kommentare zum Geschehen abgeben können und umfangreiches Allgemeinwissen mitbringen. Trotz allem sind sie Teenager und benehmen sich auch wie solche. Nur eben solche mit einem etwas höheren IQ als der Durchschnitt, was einem den einen oder anderen dämlichen Kommentar erspart.
Alice hat indigene Wurzeln, die vor allem gegen Ende eine Rolle spielen, als sie zu ihrer Großmutter flieht. Ich kann leider nicht wirklich beurteilen, inwiefern dem Autor die Darstellung der indigenen Bevölkerung gelungen ist. Aber auf mich machte alles einen feinfühligen Eindruck und bot zudem einen interessanten kleinen Einblick in diese Lebensweise.
Streckenweise hat der Roman eine sehr düstere Atmosphäre und dem Autor gelingt es gut, das auch zum Leser zu transportieren und diesem eine Gänsehaut zu bescheren. Besonders gefiel mir, wie die Protagonisten auf die entsprechenden Situationen reagierten, die teils weit jenseits der alltäglichen Erfahrungswelt liegen, und wie sich das auf ihre Psyche auswirkte. Der Schock, der sich mitunter einstellte, wurde realistisch dargestellt.
Spannend war ebenso das Rätseln, was wirklich hinter der Anfunkt der Guides auf der Erde steht, denn es wird schnell klar, dass da mehr dahinter steht, als die Guides die Menschen glauben machen wollen. Auch wenn ich relativ schnell darauf kam, störte es mich nicht unbedingt, als meine Vermutung bestätigt wurde. Das Drumherum passte immer noch.
Der Roman mag zwar nicht viel zu all den Erstkontaktgeschichten hinzufügen. Dennoch ist er kurzweilige, spannende Unterhaltung, ein empfehlenswerter Happen für Zwischendurch. Einen kleinen Gruselfaktor gibt es streckenweise ebenso, und Lesern, die mit der Darstellung von Gewalt und Gewaltopfern ihre Schwierigkeiten haben, sei eher von der Lektüre abgeraten. Allen anderen kann ich eine klare Leseempfehlung aussprechen.
Read
March 21, 2022DNF @ 36%
I really wanted to give this book a fair chance, especially that I like to give books until the halfway point to see if I really want to continue or not. But this book just isn’t for me.
The writing wasn’t particularly bad. It’s just that it’s on the younger spectrum of YA. Because of this, nothing was keeping me gripped to the plot, which in essence sounds intriguing.
A spaceship, that is larger than skyscrapers, crash lands and slides across a couple states, decimating thousands of civilians. People across the country are astonished and outraged at the same time. Angry that so many innocents are dead, but shocked that aliens are here on earth. Teenage Alice and her father, director of special projects at NASA move nearby to investigate. Alice is put into a boarding school since her dad is going to be busy investigating the crash site.
Even though that sounds thrilling, the author found a way to make aliens seem so boring. Nothing made me want to keep reading. Even the main characters, a bunch of school girls seem disinterested. There was literally a moment when the main character realized she was getting bored watching the news about aliens. If the characters are bored, why wouldn’t the reader be?
There was also no time to breathe. The story begins so fast, there’s no time to build chemistry between characters. Everything seems so obvious - Alice first meets a boy who is most likely gonna be a love interest (there are scenes of them touching hands the day after meeting). Then Alice meets her two roommates and they talk to each other as if they’ve known each other forever. There’s the guy who comes across as a bully. Then some more side characters with traits to distinguish them from one another (girl who wears sunglasses on her head while indoors). It’s all just stereotypical.
The buildup to the aliens coming out was the only thrilling part, but after a couple pages, the excitement fizzled out. Again, nothing kept me engaged. I got fed up and had the ending spoiled. I hate that I did that, but even by knowing the destination, I don’t think the journey would be worth it. It really bums me out because I dig alien stories. Just not this one.
I really wanted to give this book a fair chance, especially that I like to give books until the halfway point to see if I really want to continue or not. But this book just isn’t for me.
The writing wasn’t particularly bad. It’s just that it’s on the younger spectrum of YA. Because of this, nothing was keeping me gripped to the plot, which in essence sounds intriguing.
A spaceship, that is larger than skyscrapers, crash lands and slides across a couple states, decimating thousands of civilians. People across the country are astonished and outraged at the same time. Angry that so many innocents are dead, but shocked that aliens are here on earth. Teenage Alice and her father, director of special projects at NASA move nearby to investigate. Alice is put into a boarding school since her dad is going to be busy investigating the crash site.
Even though that sounds thrilling, the author found a way to make aliens seem so boring. Nothing made me want to keep reading. Even the main characters, a bunch of school girls seem disinterested. There was literally a moment when the main character realized she was getting bored watching the news about aliens. If the characters are bored, why wouldn’t the reader be?
There was also no time to breathe. The story begins so fast, there’s no time to build chemistry between characters. Everything seems so obvious - Alice first meets a boy who is most likely gonna be a love interest (there are scenes of them touching hands the day after meeting). Then Alice meets her two roommates and they talk to each other as if they’ve known each other forever. There’s the guy who comes across as a bully. Then some more side characters with traits to distinguish them from one another (girl who wears sunglasses on her head while indoors). It’s all just stereotypical.
The buildup to the aliens coming out was the only thrilling part, but after a couple pages, the excitement fizzled out. Again, nothing kept me engaged. I got fed up and had the ending spoiled. I hate that I did that, but even by knowing the destination, I don’t think the journey would be worth it. It really bums me out because I dig alien stories. Just not this one.
August 21, 2017
Guides - die erste Stunde von Robinson Wells
Aly ist 17 und gar nicht scharf auf Ihre neue Schule - Das Minnetonka Internat für Begabte und Talentierte. Aly findet sich jedoch weder begabt noch talentiert - sie ist schon stolz darauf, sich ihre Sozialersicherungsnummer merken zu können. Aber ihr Dad arbeitet bei der Nasa und weil Aliens beschlossen haben, ausgerechnet in Minnesota notzulanden musste sie Hals über Kopf in einem Privatjet Miami verlassen damit ihr Dad das Raumschiff der Aliens erforschen kann.
Während Aly versucht, sich mit Ihrer dunklen Haut als halb Navajo, ihrer nicht konformen Kleidung und ihrer blauen Haarsträhne in der neuen Eliteschule zurecht zu finden beobachtet die Welt die zunächst nicht vorhandenen Geschehnisse rund um das Raumschiff. Aly schließt schnell Freundschaft mit Ihren Zimmergenossinen Rachel und Brynnes. Auch Kurt scheint es ihr angetan zu haben ...
Nach einigen Tagen schneiden sich die Aliens einen Weg aus Ihrem Schiff heraus. Alle sind geschockt daß die Außerirdischen eigentlich wie Menschen aussehen, die nur lange die Sonne nicht mehr gesehen haben. Zwei der Aliens kommen als Abordnung ans Minnetonka Internat und Aly und Ihre Freunde finden heraus was es mit ihrer Herkunft auf sich hat.
Bald überschlagen sich die Ereignisse und die Actionszenen hätten so auch in jeden Avengers Film gepasst. Fantastisch! Sience Fiction par excellence!
Mehr möchte ich nicht vorweg nehmen.
Die Dialoge sind sehr temporeich und flapsig. Am Anfang etwas zu flapsig für meinen Geschmack als es um den Tod von Alys Mutter geht als sie 8 war. Aber ansonsten ist es sehr erfrischend in einer Story in der es um Tod und den Fortbestand der Menschheit geht … ein wenig wie Gilmore Girls schauen ;-)
Das Buch hatte mich von ersten Moment an vollkommen eingenommen. Endlich mal wieder ein toller Sience Fiction Roman! Manchmal stilistisch nicht ganz ausgereift - aber hey, Deadpool schaut man auch nicht wegen der tollen Landschaftsbilder ;-)
Guides ist in sich stimmig und die Geschichte abgeschlossen. Ich werde sicher noch weitere Bücher von Robinson Wells lesen.
Popcornkino vom Feinsten zum Lesen!
Guides - die erste Stunde erscheint heute im Hapercollins Verlag und ist wärmstens zu empfehlen für alle die Science Fiction lieben! Ich hatte das Vergnügen es vom Verlag zum vorab lesen über Netgalley zur Verfügung gestellt bekommen zu haben.
Aly ist 17 und gar nicht scharf auf Ihre neue Schule - Das Minnetonka Internat für Begabte und Talentierte. Aly findet sich jedoch weder begabt noch talentiert - sie ist schon stolz darauf, sich ihre Sozialersicherungsnummer merken zu können. Aber ihr Dad arbeitet bei der Nasa und weil Aliens beschlossen haben, ausgerechnet in Minnesota notzulanden musste sie Hals über Kopf in einem Privatjet Miami verlassen damit ihr Dad das Raumschiff der Aliens erforschen kann.
Während Aly versucht, sich mit Ihrer dunklen Haut als halb Navajo, ihrer nicht konformen Kleidung und ihrer blauen Haarsträhne in der neuen Eliteschule zurecht zu finden beobachtet die Welt die zunächst nicht vorhandenen Geschehnisse rund um das Raumschiff. Aly schließt schnell Freundschaft mit Ihren Zimmergenossinen Rachel und Brynnes. Auch Kurt scheint es ihr angetan zu haben ...
Nach einigen Tagen schneiden sich die Aliens einen Weg aus Ihrem Schiff heraus. Alle sind geschockt daß die Außerirdischen eigentlich wie Menschen aussehen, die nur lange die Sonne nicht mehr gesehen haben. Zwei der Aliens kommen als Abordnung ans Minnetonka Internat und Aly und Ihre Freunde finden heraus was es mit ihrer Herkunft auf sich hat.
Bald überschlagen sich die Ereignisse und die Actionszenen hätten so auch in jeden Avengers Film gepasst. Fantastisch! Sience Fiction par excellence!
Mehr möchte ich nicht vorweg nehmen.
Die Dialoge sind sehr temporeich und flapsig. Am Anfang etwas zu flapsig für meinen Geschmack als es um den Tod von Alys Mutter geht als sie 8 war. Aber ansonsten ist es sehr erfrischend in einer Story in der es um Tod und den Fortbestand der Menschheit geht … ein wenig wie Gilmore Girls schauen ;-)
Das Buch hatte mich von ersten Moment an vollkommen eingenommen. Endlich mal wieder ein toller Sience Fiction Roman! Manchmal stilistisch nicht ganz ausgereift - aber hey, Deadpool schaut man auch nicht wegen der tollen Landschaftsbilder ;-)
Guides ist in sich stimmig und die Geschichte abgeschlossen. Ich werde sicher noch weitere Bücher von Robinson Wells lesen.
Popcornkino vom Feinsten zum Lesen!
Guides - die erste Stunde erscheint heute im Hapercollins Verlag und ist wärmstens zu empfehlen für alle die Science Fiction lieben! Ich hatte das Vergnügen es vom Verlag zum vorab lesen über Netgalley zur Verfügung gestellt bekommen zu haben.
June 14, 2022
Die Grundidee und auch der große Twist gefielen mir sehr.
Abgesehen davon bin ich leider zu alt für dieses Buch, denn ganz ehrlich als ob das FBI oder generell die Regierung ein paar Schülerinnen "als Unterstützung" auf ein außerirdisches Raumschiff lassen - geschweige denn sie sich um ein Alien kümmern lassen! Als Teenager ist es natürlich mega cool aber mir fiel es schwer darüber hinwegzusehen. Die Repräsentation der amerikanischen Ureinwohner fand ich gut (vor allem Alice als Hauptfigur, die eine herrlich sarkastische Erzählerin ist!), zumal der Autor sich wirklich Mühe gegeben und vorab viel Kritik von Vertreter*innen in sein Werk miteinbezogen hat.
Auch die Chemie zwischen Alice und Kurt war ganz süß, am Besten fand ich dass es wirklich nur aufkeimende Zuneigung ist nicht nicht direkt alle horny aufeinander sind.
Insgesamt hätte mir das Buch richtig gut gefallen, wenn es für eine etwachsenere Zielgruppe geschrieben worden wäre. Aber well, dies ist ganz allein meine Schuld denn ich habe ja bewusst zu einem Jugendbuch gegriffen. Und dafür ist es echt gut.
Abgesehen davon bin ich leider zu alt für dieses Buch, denn ganz ehrlich als ob das FBI oder generell die Regierung ein paar Schülerinnen "als Unterstützung" auf ein außerirdisches Raumschiff lassen - geschweige denn sie sich um ein Alien kümmern lassen! Als Teenager ist es natürlich mega cool aber mir fiel es schwer darüber hinwegzusehen. Die Repräsentation der amerikanischen Ureinwohner fand ich gut (vor allem Alice als Hauptfigur, die eine herrlich sarkastische Erzählerin ist!), zumal der Autor sich wirklich Mühe gegeben und vorab viel Kritik von Vertreter*innen in sein Werk miteinbezogen hat.
Auch die Chemie zwischen Alice und Kurt war ganz süß, am Besten fand ich dass es wirklich nur aufkeimende Zuneigung ist nicht nicht direkt alle horny aufeinander sind.
Insgesamt hätte mir das Buch richtig gut gefallen, wenn es für eine etwachsenere Zielgruppe geschrieben worden wäre. Aber well, dies ist ganz allein meine Schuld denn ich habe ja bewusst zu einem Jugendbuch gegriffen. Und dafür ist es echt gut.
May 4, 2017
"Guides" von Robison Wells ist 2017 erschienen bei Harper Collins.
Zum Inhalt lt. Verlagshomepage: Niemand weiß, was sich in dem gigantischen UFO befindet, das die Welt nach seinem Absturz in Atem hält. Und Alice ist sicher: Niemand außer ihr Vater, der für die NASA arbeitet, hätte seine siebzehnjährige Tochter jetzt auf ein Internat nach Minnesota gebracht – ausgerechnet mitten ins Zentrum der Katastrophe. Hier kommt Alice der Wahrheit hinter den Nachrichten gefährlich nahe. Doch mit der Wahrheit kommt auch die Angst vor den unbekannten Geschöpfen, die das Raumschiff verlassen …
Dies ist eins der zwei Bücher, die ich geschafft habe, im Urlaub zu lesen. Und dies ist zwar von der Thematik vollkommen anders als das erste, aber ebenso gut geeignet gewesen, um mir den Urlaub zu versüßen.
Wobei „versüßen“ ja eigentlich das falsche Wort ist, denn bei Guides geht es um Spannung, Rätselhaftes und natürlich Fiktion, aber auch um Freundschaft, Mut und natürlich auch Liebe.
Die Spannung steigert sich langsam und die reichen und leicht verwöhnten Teenie-Mädels kommen authentisch rüber. Vor allem Alice ist ausführlich charakterisiert und ich glaube, dass sich Mädchen in ihrem Alter recht gut mit ihr identifizieren können. Vor allen verfügt sie über eine gewisse Portion Sarkasmus, der gerade in den Dialogen mit den Teenie-Aliens zu einigem Wortwitz führt.
Das Ende der Geschichte kam mir etwas zu abrupt – hier hätten dem Buch ein paar Seiten oder sogar Kapitel mehr gut getan.
Ich habe hier keinen überragenden Knüller in der Hand gehabt, aber solide und spannende Unterhaltung mit einer im übrigen, in meinen Augen, sehr kreativen Lösung für den Ursprung der Aliens.
Zum Inhalt lt. Verlagshomepage: Niemand weiß, was sich in dem gigantischen UFO befindet, das die Welt nach seinem Absturz in Atem hält. Und Alice ist sicher: Niemand außer ihr Vater, der für die NASA arbeitet, hätte seine siebzehnjährige Tochter jetzt auf ein Internat nach Minnesota gebracht – ausgerechnet mitten ins Zentrum der Katastrophe. Hier kommt Alice der Wahrheit hinter den Nachrichten gefährlich nahe. Doch mit der Wahrheit kommt auch die Angst vor den unbekannten Geschöpfen, die das Raumschiff verlassen …
Dies ist eins der zwei Bücher, die ich geschafft habe, im Urlaub zu lesen. Und dies ist zwar von der Thematik vollkommen anders als das erste, aber ebenso gut geeignet gewesen, um mir den Urlaub zu versüßen.
Wobei „versüßen“ ja eigentlich das falsche Wort ist, denn bei Guides geht es um Spannung, Rätselhaftes und natürlich Fiktion, aber auch um Freundschaft, Mut und natürlich auch Liebe.
Die Spannung steigert sich langsam und die reichen und leicht verwöhnten Teenie-Mädels kommen authentisch rüber. Vor allem Alice ist ausführlich charakterisiert und ich glaube, dass sich Mädchen in ihrem Alter recht gut mit ihr identifizieren können. Vor allen verfügt sie über eine gewisse Portion Sarkasmus, der gerade in den Dialogen mit den Teenie-Aliens zu einigem Wortwitz führt.
Das Ende der Geschichte kam mir etwas zu abrupt – hier hätten dem Buch ein paar Seiten oder sogar Kapitel mehr gut getan.
Ich habe hier keinen überragenden Knüller in der Hand gehabt, aber solide und spannende Unterhaltung mit einer im übrigen, in meinen Augen, sehr kreativen Lösung für den Ursprung der Aliens.
January 25, 2025
Eine nette kleine Geschichte über Aliens. Mich hat ein bisschen das Verhältnis der Hauptdarstellerin zu ihrem tollen teuren Auto genervt. Hoffentlich gibt es keinen Kratzer im Lack. Passte meiner Meinung nach nicht zum Buch. Oder es ist nicht richtig rüber gekommen. Interessant war am Ende die Anmerkung des Autors. Die kann man gerne zuerst lesen. Es gibt einen Eindruck davon, dass es schwerer war dieses Buch zu schreiben, als man es vermutet. Drei Sterne aber für eine gute Grundstory und dass es sehr leicht und spannend zu lesen war
September 19, 2017
Sehr unterhaltsam, rasant und spannend. Wenn auch nicht unbedingt immer ganz logisch und so... hat mich aber nicht groß gestört ^^
January 7, 2019
Good quick read. Read it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 259 reviews