We Lost the Sky

by Marie Howalt

In the distant future when Tuscany is a desolate wasteland ruled by the forces of nature, Renn is abandoned by his fellow wanderers. As a dust storm approaches, he struggles to find shelter in the ruins of an ancient city. But he gets more than he has bargained for when he accidentally awakens a dormant creature which resembles the maddened Moon servants from his people’s legends.

Meanwhile, a teenage survivor of the lost civilisation is keeping an eye on his old home, the one remaining great city, Florence. Unlike the city dwellers who rarely venture out of Florence’s protective domes, he scavenges long-forgotten technology while looking for others from his own time. And now he is building an army of artificial humans outside the city that no longer welcomes him.

The Florentines reject advanced technology and innovation. Yet, a restoration worker strives to learn engineering and longs to find out more about the strange relics that turn up on her workbench. She is caught between the city’s, wealthy, protected neighbourhoods and its outer slums, determined to help the impoverished denizens. However, both endeavours mean working against her own father and the ideology of the ruling class.

As tensions mount in Florence, Renn and an unlikely new travelling companion are drawn towards the city. But danger is lurking around every dune of sand. It is going to take more than luck to avoid suspicious settlers and survive the turbulent weather conditions and fierce predators longing to put a quick end to their journey.

Genres: Science Fiction

295 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2019

About the author

Marie Howalt was born and raised in a small North European kingdom called Denmark and started writing stories at the age of 11 after sucking the local library dry of science fiction and fantasy.
After graduating from the University of Copenhagen with a master’s degree in English studies and religion, Marie worked as a translator between English and Danish for years before sustaining an injury that caused the condition PCS (Post Concussion Syndrome).
Now Marie writes as much as physically possible. The stories are a lot longer and quite a bit more complex than the childhood scribbles, but they still take place in the far future, fantasy worlds or alternate realities.
When not writing, Marie enjoys being a cat perch, drawing, reading and bribing imaginary people to tell their stories.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

- Read more reviews like this one on my blog -

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I have a weakness for post apocalyptic stories so when I got the chance to read Marie Howalt’s We Lost the Sky I knew I just had to read it, and I was so excited to begin. And I really wasn’t disappointed.

In We Lost the Sky the moon is gone, and with it we lost the world as we know it. Parts of the lost civilisation still remains, but only as ruins or technology that most humans no longer understand. Some of them try – In Florence, which is now covered by huge domes that protect it from the harsh weather, Theo attempts to learn as much as possible about the old tecnological objects that are brought into the protected city. But that is not easy when the rest of the community rejects almost all technology that is more advanced than simple electric light. The only human that really understands the old technology is Luca. And that’s only because he himself is a relic from a lost time. But he is not the only walking relic – While searching for cover from a dangerous storm, the wanderer Renn accidentally awakens a dormant AI.

It is these four people who carry the story, and they do it well. All the characters are very different, but that doesn’t keep the reader from liking them all equally. Every chapter is told from the point of view of one of the four main characters, and this allows the reader to better understand their lives and personality.
I love character driven stories so this was something that I really enjoyed while reading the book, and this and the smooth writing style was probably the main reason why it turned out to be completely impossible for me to put down the book once I started reading it. I had to know what was going to happen, and no, it couldn’t wait till the next day even if I had to sacrifice my night’s sleep for it. Which I did – I thought I was just going to read one more chapter, but how could I possibly stop reading when the book was this good?

The story’s pacing is neither too fast nor too slow, and besides getting to know the chracters very well, you also get to learn abot the post apocalyptic world, in which the story takes place. Post apocalyptic worlds are part of what fascinates me the most in Sci-Fi, and this world was truly interesting. In some ways it resembled our own, but at the same time it was also totally different, and those two things mixed together created an amazingly interesting atmosphere for the book.

If I had to mention one bad thing about this book though, it is that it ended. While reading this I remembered why I love Sci-Fi so much in the first place, and why I seriously need to start reading more of the genre again!

So if you love Sci-Fi, post apocalyptic worlds and character driven stories you should definitely give this one a try!

[Kathy Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carefully paced and breathtakingly beautiful, We Lost the Sky is a post-apocalyptic tale which defies expectation in all the right places and will leave you feeling changed in ways you can’t explain.

The world is exquisitely crafted with a haunting but magnificent sense of isolation, which in turn makes the perfect backdrop for the characters’ determined fight for survival.

Each character is masterfully put together. Renn is the ‘lone wolf’ yet he is not unapproachable to either the reader or the rest of the cast. Mender is an advanced android, yet Howalt resists the stereotypical sit-com human vs robot misunderstandings and instead gives the character the full depth, gravity, and complexity that they (or ne I should say) deserves. Luca is arrogant, a little egotistical and sometimes self-centred but he is not insufferable. Instead you can see a twinkle of vulnerability, and a desire to belong in a world that has long since left him behind. Finally, Teo is a somewhat sheltered and idealistic young girl, yet her journey to stand against her father is heartbreakingly real and I found myself wracked with indecision alongside her. Howalt draws these characters together in an organic and exciting way. I found myself cheering them on as they overcame adversity, and despairing when they experienced loss.

The finale blew me away. It wasn’t grand, nor epic, but it packed a punch. It reminded me that progress starts with a big decision and a chain of small changes, and that is something the world needs to bear in mind.

Howalt is not afraid to delve into deep and meaningful issues such as inequality, poverty, and the wilful ignorance to scientific fact – issues which many can no doubt relate to. Yet Howalt unpicks these issues with delicate subtlety.

It's also nice to have such an unusual setting. Unique in every aspect.

The characters, world, themes and morals will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading. I cannot recommend this enough. I’m not the biggest fan of dystopian/post-apocalyptic stories, in fact I usually actively avoid them, but We Lost the Sky has made me reconsider my literary preferences. If that’s not a statement in-and-of-itself as to the sheer quality of this book, I don’t know what is.

[Eva Therese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Postapocalyptic fiction dealing with life five centuries after a world-ending cataclysm. Having the catastrophe not be about climate change or anything manmade is a bold choice in these days, but it frees up space because the story then doesn't have to be about whose fault it was, only how people are dealing with it.
And people are people, even five hundred years later. The cataclysm has become myths and legends. Advanced technology has become alien and therefore feared. People in the domed city of Florence are pretty well off, but everyone else is struggling.
We follow four main characters, who start out very with very different circumstances, but whose goals gradually start to align.
All of them are well written and likeable in their own way and we see each of them coming into their own when they are forced to not just stand for what they believe in, but also figure out what they believe in the first place. Also yay! for genderneutral androids.

A different and more character-driven take on the postapocalyptic genre.

[MisLuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the characters and how they slowly unravel during the read. I love the world which is not typical sci-fi world but something in between realistic and apocalyptic. I love the lore behind the world which is familiar so it feels like I could just travel there and wait but still so different that it's a whole another story told here.
It's brilliant in a way too that you can decide how light of a read it is. The story is good even as light read but the deeper one thinks the more it does reveal some basic things about ourselves.

[Amanda at Bookish Brews · Rating 5 out of 5]

We Lost the Sky was a wonderfully calm (for a post apocalyptic tale), curiously adventurous, and delightfully interesting. I applaud the pacing of the book, I felt like every event was placed at just the right time, and the characters met up at equal intervals along the plot. I absolutely adored how it was put together.

All of the characters were delightful, and the way that they all came together was great! I loved how Mender and Renn found each other right off the bat. I loved how Marie Howalt was able to create a different tone in each of the characters perspectives. I especially enjoyed the development of Mender. As Mender developed as a character, the tone in nir chapters became more smooth, essentially becoming more humanized. Definitely a fun touch!

I also really liked the idea that in some distant future we would be driven away from technology, but still have relics of our old (but more advanced than present day) technology. How interesting!

I was going to give this book 4 stars, but I just adored the ending so much that it made me actually feel so content that I had to bump it up. It tied it all together so well that I just appreciated it immensely more. This was a light and delightful read, and I am actually quite excited to see what is in store for the characters that I came to adore in the next installment.

Amazing work, Marie Howalt. I'm definitely impressed. I'm eager to read the next one, but content with how it ended. Absolutely admirable.

**I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[J.A. Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I think fixing the mess I made is the best remedy,” Luca mumbled.
“I’m afraid there will be none of that,” she retorted.
-Luca and Nanny

Luca is a teenager from the futuristic past, before the sky fell, but being a young man out of time does nothing to dampen his spirits. Teo is a young woman that anticipates a future with good friends and technological advances, but first she must face her father and the city he controls. Renn wanders a wasteland that used to be the Italian countryside, and all he wants is to rejoin his traveling group. Mender, an artificial intelligence in an artificial body, wakes in a future that fears sentients like nem or doesn’t believe they exist.

This is a novel about the post-apocalyptic Earth left over after a meteor strikes the moon. The book is set around what used to be Florence, Italy, and follows the lives of these four protagonists as they fall into a mess of will and circumstance.

Clocking in at 295 pages, this is a full-length novel with plenty of time to explore its characters and setting. The pace is steady, never too fast or slow, and ‘natural’ is the word I think of when thinking about plot progression. Everything happens because it must, because everything chains together into an eventual outcome, and that makes the culminating events satisfying. I know where these characters came from, why they made their decisions, what they could’ve done instead, and how everyone came together for the climax.

“I say it’d be better for all of us if the flood made them leave,” commented the wife of one of the councilmen.
“Or drown,” added her husband. “Just kidding! Just kidding!”
-Participants of the Dinner Party

Being a future-based post-apocalyptic society, We Lost the Sky presents people inhabiting a world that is largely unrecognizable. The story picks up decades after the cataclysm, and before that the world already had sentient artificial people and fanciful healing agents. The combination of future tech with a desolate landscape makes Earth seem more an alien world than our home. Though of course, the people are more than recognizable despite the strange surroundings.

Because Howalt does an excellent job at considering the line of consequences for a fallen moon. There are people that worship the moon’s fallen form, or think of her as a lost goddess, and there are signs of the (literal) impacts made by her disappearance. It’s also far enough past the disaster that people have forgotten the history of their downfall and who they even were. There are also clear divisions of those that were prepared versus those that survived. There are hidden caches of cryochambers, dome-covered cities stagnating under protective cover, and nomads purposefully avoiding attachments as they wander a broken world.

This is the setting of Howalt’s We Lost the Sky, and these are the locations that contain our four protagonists. Luca is the descendent of a wealthy family that had a safety chamber of cryo-storage, but he is the only one that survived. Teo is daughter to the man leading a stagnating domed Florence. Renn is the vagrant, and he meets up with the recently-wakened Mender seeking nir programmers for purpose in a lost world.

“Do you think it is always like that? That some people will go hungry while others have plenty?” Renn asked.
“I think it is a danger of any society, yes,” ne said.
-Renn and Mender

All four begin the novel separate, alone in their own ways, and at a turning point in their lives. Luca is growing restless and fed up with the downfall of the cities he used to know. Teo is stretching the limits of her freedom. Renn loses track of his covey, the group he travels with for support and belonging. Mender is awakened after the loss of power for centuries.

And then, as events pull them along, the four meet and the knowing of one-another changes lives completely. When Renn meets Mender, he is shown a past that he never even considered. Luca meets these two and remembers loneliness and the promise of companionship. And Teo, though surrounded by the people of Florence, finds an understanding of greater possibility and responsibility with her introduction to the world beyond the city domes.

More than anything, this is a story that is about people finding people and making connections. About how we make judgments and resist change. The setting, with its wastelands and people afraid of the past and future, allow Howalt to highlight the absurdities of human nature. And the grace in our capability for kindness. The setting is used as a tool, though it’s also deep enough that the details feel like genuine byproducts of the broken planet. And it’s never used in a way that drags your face in some dismal reality or heavy-handed forewarning.

And I enjoy a story that has fun while taking itself seriously. We Lost the Sky does that in spades. The characters are living in their world and enjoying what they can, but they also respond properly to the threats and challenges they face. This is no cartoon world without consequences, but it isn’t joyless grimdark with overly-gruesome death and destruction. Luca cracks anachronistic jokes from his past while facing danger, and Teo flirts while toying with political intrigue.

Those interactions, both lighthearted and serious, do a pleasant job at revealing the characters and their ideas and ideals. It provides a discovery of the four lives separately, and all four are well established by the time they discover each other. Then, after the world jumbles them together, the group heads toward a new future with a hopeful message of peace and resolve. I knew them well enough to understand what they’ve lost, gained, and how they might change beyond the last page.

“Move it!” one of the guards behind them yelled. “Break it up!”
“What are you afraid of?” she shouted back.
-Teo

I enjoyed We Lost the Sky for so many reasons that I can’t help but recommend giving it a read. On the forefront, Howalt’s book speaks on change, survival, and fear of the unknown. Behind that, this is a story about identity, family, standing up for your ideals, and accepting the wisdom of others. Then, there are sprinkled-in elements on the acceptance of gender, the strength of pacifism, and the values of traditionalism versus progressive ideas. All of these bits combine together into a fun book with fantastic aspects and well-written depth.

[Jannik Fogt · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book in the Moonless trilogy. I read it rather fast, and now im reading the second book in the series.

The series is about a litter of people and a Sentient (some kind of care robot) who meet each other on earth after the moon has "fallen". Society has collapsed and now people live in small wanderer-communities or hudle together in ruined cities.
There's plenty of world- and character building and the storys pacing is nice and cozy. Genre-wise its within dystopia, but it has a positive and humorous tone, that I rarely see in dystopian fiction. I was supprised to expericence Marie Howalts unique litterary approach to this genre, and even though I prefer my dystopian fiction dark, bleak and unforgiving, I really enjoyed reading "We lost The Sky."

This book might have opened my eyes in regards to the hopelessnes of dystopia: In Howalts dystopian fiction, hope is not lost - it's right there, between the people (and robots) who inhabit the moonless earth.

[Eva · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only for an honest review.

I enjoy Science fiction, particularly dystopian novels and that's why I decided to ask for a copy of this book, books review sites can be unforeseen potential, however, I was incredibly disappointed. Howalt's book has the capacity to be good, the storyline is there yet it lacks certain characteristics to make it a good novel. I apologise for my bad review, as someone who wishes to write myself I understand the difficulty.

The book starts in a moment of action and although this can work really well if done right, it did nothing here. I was confused by the second paragraph, I had to start reading it several times to actually get through the entire prologue. Short sentences, repetition, and multiple verbs in each sentence are utilised to establish a sense of urgency, however, the author overused these elements to the point that it was incredibly difficult to read. There is also a huge lack of punctuation and several spelling errors throughout the piece and we don't get a character name until towards the end of page two. The prologue doesn't introduce the world or the characters and isn't explained until much later in the novel leaving the audience incredibly bewildered.

The first chapter does a little better, it introduces the world and we see a few more characters, we establish that the scene is an apocalyptic world devastated by some horrible event and most of the world is desert. However, the story continues to move too quickly and the audience isn't established enough to understand what's happening, tense changes throughout the piece and sentences at times need to be read over more than once for understanding.

As the novel moves on the audience meets several characters but their language and personality are not consistent. Renn is shown to not be super intelligent as a wanderer living in the desert, yet he is found to know random words for example he is shown to not understand "nutrients" but knows "anatomy". Teo is attempted to be pictured as intelligent but everything she says and does make her appear incredibly stupid and naive, coming across as a dumb kid in the 21st century rather than a historian in a dystopian future. She is also constantly complimenting herself "she was a pretty good techie" and uses rhetoric questions when thinking so much that it gets annoying.

Throughout the book there are many things mentioned that aren't explained and language errors, personally, the writing to me feels quite basic and the lack of explanation leaves the reader confused. I could write much more (with quotes) about this novel but I don't want this to be TOO long. In the end, I gave up around halfway and skimmed the rest of the novel. I apologise to Marie but this is my honest review.

[Alysha Voigt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was captivated by the premise of this one. In the not too distant future, humans have developed sentient robotic beings for specific purposes such as nursing or protection. When an asteroid destroys the moon, and the earth rapidly becomes a dusty wasteland, some people are wealthy enough to freeze themselves, protected by their sentient servants for a few centuries until it's safe to reanimate. Some people are able to survive the blast, and they slowly rebuild civilization, generation by generation, developing new accents and fashions.

Roughly 500 years in the future, Florence has become a thriving city protected by huge domes, isolated from the rest of the world. If there are any other surviving groups out there, they don't want to know about them. They've sworn off "old technology" such as cameras and computers, thinking perhaps this technology is what led to the previous world's downfall. Anytime they uncover technological ruins from the past, including sentients, they are either destroyed or locked up in archives. This is where the story begins.

There are four main characters: Teo, the 20-something daughter of a Florence councilman; Luca, a teenager from "ancient times" who was successfully reanimated and now lives outside the city with his sentient servants; Renn, a lone-wolf nomad trying to catch up to his traveling group; and Mender, a sentient hospice nurse from Luca's time, who had been powered down for centuries but was recently woken up by accident. Mender, like all sentients, uses ne/nem pronouns, which was a little tricky to navigate, but refreshingly thought-provoking.

Each of these characters get their turns narrating, and the author does a great job balancing and developing them. The first few chapters are a little rough--as readers, we're immediately thrown into the action with no context--but I was hooked right away. I was fascinated by this author's creativity and couldn't get enough of this world. The juxtaposition of the "ancient people" and the current citizens of Florence, the wealthy ones inside the domes and those who live in the slums outside, and the nomads versus the "stagnants" were some of the interesting relationships at play.

Although I caught more than a few errors, it didn't impact my enjoyment of the story like it has in some other books. I later learned English is the author's second language, which may have played a part. The complimentary Kindle copy I received through Voracious Readers Only didn't have any chapter indexing, which was a little frustrating to navigate, but I can tell from the Acknowledgments that both the author and the publishers have a good sense of humour, which I really appreciated. I'm definitely reading the next in this series!

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book take place in Tuscany Italy, something that pleased me quite a lot, most apocalyptical books take place in America or UK, and this one was so many years in the future that even the people that lived there didn’t know that they were once part of Italy. This book reminded me of fallout games, but without as many weapons, the feel was quite similar, however since it’s so many years in the future (is told about millennia) it makes sense that most cities are levelled down or even look like they’re underground like the clinic where mender was.

I did quite like this book, I only don’t give full 5 stars, because I was a bit lost at first because each chapter is told by one of the characters, and before I got to really know each character I lost much time going back and forth trying to connect dots that eventually all made sense and come together, I also took a while to understand that it was given a special set of pronouns to mender (one sentient character present in the book) and at first I thought it was only an orthography error but it wasn’t.

I recommend this book for people that want to read about the future apocalypse, when people almost don’t remember how the world ended and are simply making their life with what they got, or trying to change the present they got, just try it, you may be surprised by how much you’ll like this story.

This book opens the doors to a big universe, I mean, while its quite satisfying on its own, in the future if the author wishes she could tell us about how the even took place, the people who built the dome, the forefathers of Florence, the ones that built the wall to separate the slums from the ones living in the dome city. More about the stories lost in the cryogenic pods that didn’t work, the future about the construction of the new city.

I received a free copy of this ARC, I thank VoraciousReaders and the Author and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Edna · Rating 4 out of 5]

***I received this book from Voracious Reader in exchange for a review***

I really enjoyed this! The author has created a world and characters that I ended up caring about a lot. It's a post-apocalyptic tale, but one that somehow feels more hopeful than most, even though the world so far as we know is only Florence and the surrounding area. I liked it that for a change the apocalypse wasn't our fault, and that the survivors were not a bunch of monsters. No hordes of bandits raging across the barren landscape. It was refreshing.

There is one character, a non-human individual (I don't think that's giving away too much), that uses the pronouns "ne, nir, nemself" to refer to itself. I've come across this before in other sci fi tales where there are aliens or robots that have no gender to refer to. It is never very easy to read; for a non-human character it would just be a lot easier to use "it". These pronouns just feel so awkward that they threw me out of the story every time I saw one. In other science fiction the issue has been resolved by having someone say "It doesn't have a human gender, but it looks sort of feminine to me, so I'm going to call it a girl," and that's that. This might not bother everybody, I just found it disrupted the flow of the reading experience.

I am looking forward to reading more in this series!

[S. Warren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the concept behind the story in “We Lost the Sky” by Marie Howalt. Her characters come to life with a realism that sci-fy fans no doubt will appreciate. The world she created in “We lost the Sky” can be an exhilarating stage for action and adventure. Her characters are multi-faceted and differ one from the other both in the way they manage to cope with what’s left of their world as much as the differences in each other. I also liked the way Marie Howalt embedded the explanation for the state of planet Earth in the story as she wrote it.

Still, I felt that the author could have given us more with her unique style of writing. This book made me think of a delicious entrée that’s missing something in its recipe, but you’re not sure what. Maybe there could have been more explanation of how certain aspects of this post-apocalyptic civilization developed, maybe more exploring of Renn's world of wandering coveys or the situation that our lone teenaged survivor of a lost civilization found himself in. The book was no less enjoyable for that, so maybe it was just a matter of making the reader want more – in that case, it works well.

In fairness to the author, I must say that I have only read book 1 of her “Moonless” series and will be purchasing the next two; “Seeking Shelter” and “Heart of the Storm” with great anticipation.

Review by S. Warren Winslow

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

I was sent this book earlier this year in exchange for a review and finally after much time I have finished it!

I really enjoyed reading every character’s different perspectives and the writing style was easy to follow and enjoyable. Each character had their own distinct mindsets that weren’t confusing or blending together; my personal favourites were Renn and Luca!

The setting was easily described and not too complex and I always enjoy that in a book, to me it’s important to get a setting description down pat, and this was well done!

The plot was engaging and got quite emotionally tense in the 3/4 mark of the book and I really loved seeing it all come together! The pace was paced at a medium rate which was nice as well!

Some aspects of the story were slightly confusing, for example the idea of the Moon, I wasn’t in full understanding there, (though I partly blame that on how long it took me to read). Also I would love to see more on Luca and Renn’s pasts because I found those two characters very interesting and mysterious in their own ways!

Overall I really liked the book and if there was a sequel I’d love to see where it went! I also think it would be a pretty cool TV or movie adaption. Being a new reader in sci-fi novels myself, I say it was a great book that definitely would get me to read more books similar to this. I would also for sure read any more books coming out by Marie Howalt!

If you’re a fan of post-apocalyptic and/or sci-fi I would recommend this for sure. If you’re new to the genre, this novel will give you a good taste of it!

[BooksCoffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Howalt tackles the aftermath of a devastating apocalyptic event marvelously in this debut work of genius.

A meteor strike on the moon has devasted Earth and the world is not even an echo of its original self. In this landscape, a teenager from the lost civilization, a young woman from the protected city of Florence, a vagrant trying to reunite with his group, and a sentinel, an artificial intelligence in a human body meet and set on a journey to find a purpose in a lost world. T

he story is told alternatively in the voices of the four protagonists as Howalt combines her multifaceted and unforgettable characters with crisp prose and swiftly paced narrative. Without veering into extreme bleakness, Howalt brilliantly tackles the horror and despondency; the aftermath of the terrible catastrophe and the questions an apocalypse tends to raise.

This is Post-Apocalyptic fiction at its best.

This is a stunner.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is obviously an early book for this author but is a thoroughly enjoyable start! It looks like the first in a series, which is very pleasing, with several little trickles of character stories I would love to hear more about. We take technology for granted and assume it will continue to advance - the story around the loss of technology and the regression of society is also interesting. How did this happen and how is it going to progress with the new settlement in Sienna? Will they be able to use additional access to technology to challenge Florence (intentionally or not)? It is also interesting to have this story set in a future Italy rather than the conventional USA.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a different take on the post-apocalyptic story. Survivors that have survived the end of civilization have lost the use of, or shunned the robotic technology from before. They eke out a harsh existence hunting through the ruined terrain seeking anything useful to survive. One nomad falls through a rotten floor to be found by a terrifying “Other”. In a bunker not too far away, a young man has woken up in cryosleep alone but for his Sentients. His family’s cryo chambers having failed. And finally the city hidden behind its domes, protected from the harsh world outside. But is it any safer?

[Traumrealistin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the first book of a post-apocalyptic trilogy and I'm excited. Often these kinds of books are dark and oppressive, but this book is optimistic.

The book description gives a good first impression of the content. Through the book you can imagine what will become of humanity, which has to cope with seriously changed living conditions. A few centuries after a meteor destroyed the moon, causing the earth to undergo a complete transformation, many achievements have been lost. The book tells the beginnings of a change that leads to a new era. The book ends on a hopeful note. I will definitely continue reading the trilogy as soon as the third part is published, which should be this year.

[Agnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book follows various characters in a post-apocalyptic Italy. The story was mainly positive and light-hearted, in spite of the post-apocalyptic setting.

I enjoyed the story, and liked the characters, although I didn't quite connect with any of them. I would have liked to get more emotionally involved with them, but overall I had a good time reading this book and I would definitely like to read more about the characters and this world.

[HelloLasse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ordblindhed + engelsk + stress = meget kombination🤷‍♀️

Bogen fortjener en genlæse i 2020!
Jeg fik nogle gode indblik i historien
Personer er var
Verden vi befandt os i Amazing
Men på en eller anden måde fangede jeg ikke hele historien :/
Havde glædet mig, men vi prøver igen i 2020!
Opgiver ikke bogen endnu!?

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining. Plot a bit basic but good pace and very good characters that keep you interested. Sentient robot specialized in aged care home work interacting with mix of post global disaster characters was well done. Characters mostly young adult so a bit lacking in depth but ok for this story and some thought provoking stuff to keep the mind working.

[Janet Oosthuysen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got a copy from Voracious readers in return for writing an honest review.
This is honest- I loved it! read it in a single sitting. Marie has a real sense of character, and a compelling narrative. The different story arcs were woven together dexterously.
There were many different aspects of a future world that were really uinteresting. No spoilers but I loved the treatment of AI.

[Sherri Geisler Locke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told from multiple points of view, we have a cast of characters from all walks of life. Well life as it is in an apocalyptic future in Tuscany. Blending human and cyborg, and all forms of belief. Mirroring a lot of what we already experience with prejudice and faulty beliefs and some not so faulty beliefs too. Some kindness and understanding, some deception. A pretty enjoyable read.

[Barbara Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlike other books this author has a fresh new adventure to take you on. The characters clearly defined and personable, the setting original and detailed, the time lines crossed made a definitive addition but didn't dominate the story line. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will seek out this author again.

[Berylee Lay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Kindle version of this book from Voracious Readers..... and what a great book it was! I love post-apocalyptic stories and this was an unusual take on this trope. Setting the story in Tuscany was a nice touch and I enjoyed the story, and liked the characters.
Looking forward to the next two books in the series.

[Natasja | natasjalovesbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this story. I liked the setting and felt that Howalt had a strong sense of world-building. I liked the characters but felt a slight disconnect from them, mainly because their stories were told and not shown. The language was good though, the ending was cute, and overall I liked it.

Full review is up on my blog.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

The introduction to the Moonless series though it works just as well as a stand alone book. We're introduced to the survivors of the moon crashing into Earth and how the world has changed or in some cases stayed the same.

[Mass Mortensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Science Fiction at its best!

[Lisa Risager · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book, the characters, the language, the stories, but I want to know what happens next!

[Angus Woodward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this to find out how we'll all be living in the future!

[Kerry Forrester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Can’t wait for the next one if there is one.