Seven Strengths: A Tale from Turaset (The Industrial Age, #0.1) in GR Won't Let Us Delete This Group But It Ended July 1, 2022.

Jan 21, 2022 Scott Peters rated it it was amazing

Set in a future in which earthlings have resettled on a far-off planet, our main character must decide where her place lies in the world. She longs to throw off the constraints handed to her by birth: the inheritance of a hotel in the country with its daily burdens and drudgery. But as she explores her options, she begins to wonder if the hotel is perhaps a better choice than she first imagined.

I enjoyed this story for its well-developed characters and world construction. While the pace is not f ...more

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Feb 18, 2022 S.D. rated it really liked it

Seven Strengths--A Tale from Turaset,

17-year-old Celeste is an engaging heroine. She's stuck in the countryside and heir to a family business she has no interest in running. It's a lot of work, plus it has driven a wedge between herself and her younger sister who isn't in line to inherit. Celeste's yearns for a more meaningful life than changing bed sheets, cooking, and cleaning at the family inn. She secretly applies for a teaching position where she can make a difference. Of course, it falls t ...more

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Jan 20, 2022 Ann Birdgenaw rated it really liked it

Seven Strengths: A Tale from Turaset is a dystopian novella with familiar undertones. Seventeen year old Celeste wants to discover more of the world than just the isolated inn that her family runs and she is expected to inherit and continue the tradition. There is another family tradition that is of interest to the broader world: Aerovoyancy, the ability to see carbon dioxide emissions in the air. Her family’s genetic gift. But is this a blessing or a curse? Can Celeste stand up to the oil titan ...more

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Jun 24, 2022 Lynn Helton rated it really liked it

Shelves: speculative-fiction, challenge-readers-unbound-2022

This novella, prequel to The Industrial Age trilogy, is a coming-of-age story about the generation prior to that of one of the main characters in the first novel of the series, told against a sci-fi backdrop. Seventeen-year-old Celeste feels that she’s being forced into a future she doesn’t want, trapped by the traditions of her small country village and the beliefs and paranoia of her parents. So she jumps at a chance to break free and leave her village and its drudgery behind. During the cours This novella, prequel to The Industrial Age trilogy, is a coming-of-age story about the generation prior to that of one of the main characters in the first novel of the series, told against a sci-fi backdrop. Seventeen-year-old Celeste feels that she’s being forced into a future she doesn’t want, trapped by the traditions of her small country village and the beliefs and paranoia of her parents. So she jumps at a chance to break free and leave her village and its drudgery behind. During the course of the story, as the book itself even says, Celeste grows and learns “to navigate life as the details of it changed around her”.

Elements I liked:
What a beginning! That first sentence really had me wondering what came next and drew me in to find out where it was going.

The characters’ various conflicting worldviews, preconceptions, and misconceptions were well-rendered throughout the story. The formless dread from Celeste’s parents’ fears lurked in the background and gave the story some tension.

The book depicted satisfying character development and growth for both Celeste and her younger sister. There were also some great descriptions – one of my favorites: “little icy pebbles of water from another sea-storm… harsh and biting, as opinionated as the city itself.”

Elements I struggled with:
The reader learns that “Seven Strengths” is an old folk tune, but it featured little in the story, especially for being the book’s title. Supposed to be about four women in search of adventure, the song is only mentioned twice in passing and the story doesn’t even say what all the strengths are. This felt like a missed opportunity to highlight Celeste’s growth with a stronger tie-in to the strengths from the song and book title.

An intimate scene near the end of the story seemed a bit too detailed — bordering on cringeworthy — especially for the younger members of the book’s YA audience.

Overall:
While various sci-fi elements are certainly components of the story (such as advanced genetic engineering and living on a different planet), they didn’t form a large part of the tale. At its core, the story is a recognizable coming-of-age tale, an easy and entertaining read. ...more

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