Review Detail

Mary Weber’s THE EVAPORATION OF SOFI SNOW follows the titular character as she navigates more challenges than any one teen girl should. Sofi’s father has died. Her mother is wedded to the company she built and runs. Oh, and aliens have brought their planet into Earth’s orbit, and they, the Delonese, have brought many positive things with them—but there’s still suspicion about what they REALLY want from the people of Earth.

Sofi and her younger brother are the key components to a gaming team that is involved in Earth’s Fan Fight games—a high-tech competition in which teams compete in challenges that sound like different levels in a video game. When things go wrong in the midst of the games, the powers that be say that Shilo has died, but Sofi is convinced that the Delonese have taken him to their planet. With the help of her former boyfriend, the attractive and politically savvy Miguel, Sofi sets out to rescue her brother amid all sorts of other plot twists and turns.

An engrossing plot and fascinating technology propel THE EVAPORATION OF SOFI SNOW. The Fan Fight games sound amazing, Sofi’s adventures as she escapes various situations kept me flipping the pages, and other than occasional political explanations, the action is non-stop.

Sofi is a fantastic character—a great blend of smarts, sass, and sensitivity—and I suspect we’ll see more of her since Sofi’s story seems to have a lot more to it. (Hooray!) My only complaints about the book are the lack of character development beyond the exquisite care given to Sofi, and some of the explanations for other characters’ actions didn’t quite ring true. That said, those imperfections are overshadowed by Mary Weber’s ability to write good action sequences, and her aptitude with world building. And the awesomeness of Sofi Snow, of course.

My thanks to YA Books Central and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.