About the Book:
The first book in a gripping duology from acclaimed author S.K. Ali introduces a fractured world on the brink of either enlightenment or war.
Would you trade love for peace?
Raisa of Upper Earth has only lived a life of privilege and acquiescence. Ever dutiful, she accepts her father’s arrangement of her marriage to Lein, Crown Prince of the corrupt, volatile lands of Lower Earth.
Though Lein is a stranger, Raisa knows the wedding will unite their vastly different worlds in a pact of peace: an infusion of Upper Earth technology will usher in the final age of enlightenment, ending war between humans forever.
Or is justice more urgent?
Newly released from imprisonment, Nada of Lower Earth has found her own calling: disrupting the royal wedding.
Convinced her cousin Lein’s alliance with Upper Earth will launch an invasive, terrifying form of tyranny, Nada sets out undercover to light the spark of revolution.
When Raisa goes missing a week before the wedding, all eyes turn to the rebels, including Nayf, Nada’s twin brother, a fugitive on the run.
In Nayf and Raisa meeting, the long-simmering animosity between their worlds slowly burns away into something unexpected.
But the Crown Prince wants his bride — and future — back. And he will go to the ends of the earths to reclaim them.
*Review Contributed by Lillian McCurry, Indie Manager & Staff Reviewer*
Fledgling: The Keeper’s Records of the Revolution by S.K. Ali is an exciting sci-fi dystopian that takes you on a tense journey through what is left of Earth and its inhabitants. After a cataclysm caused the oceans to rise and the land to sink, the world was divided into new factions: Upper Earth, the wealthy who live in giant cities in the sky; the Bridge, an industrial area between Upper and Lower Earth: Lower Earth, those who survived on the Earth’s surface; and the Underground, those whose homes sank below and eek out a living. This story follows a few different people from all walks of life as their lives converge and the Revolution begins.
Raisa is the daughter of an Upper Earth leader. Highly educated, pampered, and loyal to her father, Raisa accepts his arranged marriage with Lein, the crown prince of Lower Earth. This arranged marriage is supposed to bridge the ever growing tensions between them and unite them as they once were. However, when she arrives on Lower Earth, she learns that everything she’s been taught has been a lie. Now it is up to Raisa to help stop the impending “Enlightenment,” when all of Lower Earth will be joined with Upper Earth in a bid for control of not just the land but their minds.
Enter Nada, a newly released prisoner of Lower Earth and the granddaughter of the former leader. Nada has spent her years of imprisonment learning about the resistance and what the Enlightenment truly will bring. With her release, Nada has one simple mission: capture Raisa and bring her to the resistance, led by her long thought dead mother. But nothing is ever simple. Nada must convince Raisa she means her no harm and somehow evade Lein’s mercenaries at the same time which becomes even harder when one of those mercenaries is her beloved.
The story is told through a series of stories and points of view gathered by the record keeper. Each one is in third person, except for Raisa’s because she is not of Lower Earth telling her story and therefore not aware of their customs. I liked this aspect of the story. We see some events from different perspectives and others we get just one. It was easy to keep up with who was telling the story and when it all took place. It flows from one chapter to the next seamlessly. Because of the tension regarding the uprising, it also moves at a fast-pace. Honestly, I didn’t want to take breaks from reading because I was so invested.
Overall, I really enjoyed Fledgling. Raisa, Nada, and the other characters I didn’t mention in this review are fully fleshed out and easy to relate to. Being in each of their perspectives at different times helped me understand their motives and what drove them to certain actions. This is a duology, however the ending is satisfying ending at a point that feels natural for what is to come next. I highly recommend this one to fans of sci-fi.
Audiobook Note: I alternated listening to the audiobook and reading my arc. There are five different narrators for each of the main characters. I’ll admit this helped in keeping track of who was telling the story. While I enjoyed the female narrators, I struggled with both of the males. They sound very similar, both still good, just harder to tell apart then the females. I listened at my normal 2x speed. Overall I enjoyed the audiobook and would recommend it to those who prefer to listen.
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