Title: Phantom Universe (Summer Chronicles Book 1)
Publisher: Obsidian Mountain Publishing
Publish Date: Feb 15, 2011
Copy Provided By: Obsidian Mountain Publishing for Review
Buy: Barnes and Noble
Book Blurb: Sold into slavery to pirates at the young age of four, Summer learns to survive the rough seas of subterfuge and thieves through silence. When the boat she’s lived on most of her life is destroyed, Summer finds herself washed up on the shore of a new world, a phantom universe full of the bizarre and extraordinary. She meets Gage, the one boy who understands the girl with no speech. But when their lives are put on the line, will Summer finally call out? Or will all be lost in the fathomless depth of silence?
Review: This is an incredible read. At times it is a bit hard to follow because of Summer's situation. At four she's kidnapped and sold into slavery a slavery that has her beaten into silence and nearly raped if not for her friend Landon.
The story jumps back in time a bit at the beginning, explaining how Summer came to be on the Cosmos, and then it explains how other events have shaped her. Then it comes back to the present, where a 16 year old Summer is about to be kidnapped again by The Secret Clock Society. Somehow when she escapes she time travels 200 years in the future, a very dystopian future, and the Society is still hot on her heals.
It is in the future that she meets a Leaguer named Gage who teaches her to trust. She falls pretty hard for him, even when she finds Landon in this strange future. Oh and Canada has taken over most of North America except for NYC. That's definitely a moment of WTF in the story. Plus the Canadian's aren't very nice. But this is a dystopian future, and no one is ever nice in dystopian books. The people that aren't part of the Canadian Federation are Outlanders, and they are kept mostly as prisoners, who the President plans to execute at a later date.
Definitely not nice!
Summer is an exceedingly interesting character. The fact that she doesn't speak throughout the book makes her even more intriguing. It goes to show how abuse can really alter a person. She's a 16 year old girl, but in most ways she's a child. The only love she was shown was by her mother, who she lost at 4. Though people like Landon and occasionally the captain of the Cosmos show her kindness.
The people that touch Summer's life when she time travels are really great. They fight for her and protect her, and yet, only a few of them really have a connection with her.
I have to admit this story confused me at times. I wanted to know more about The Secret Clock Society and the role they played in Summer's life, and that wasn't really detailed until the end. The ending was a little rushed too, but other than that, this is a really gripping book and the characters are well rounded. I definitely can't wait until July when book 2 comes out!
Rating: 4 flowers
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