2021-09-15
The world’s only hope is 18-year-old Serenity Ashdown.
Serenity is just your typical teen genius finishing up her senior year at Harvard and majoring in nuclear medical technology and chemical engineering. Her life has been a simple balance of studying and fencing (her father’s suggestion), but she’s invited to work on a project for her father’s boss. When her father goes missing, she will do anything to find him, even breaking into the lab. Serenity accidentally stumbles her way into the top-secret project, finding herself in an alternate New Hampshire: The small town of Hancock is a city, the vegetation is dying, and her doppelgänger is trying to crush the government. There are some familiar people in this alternate Hancock, but that’s where the comfort ends, as even her best friend, Shawn, is completely different in this world. The story is told in the first person, allowing readers to understand how Serenity is processing all this new information, making astute deductions, and dealing with her feelings. Serenity sees her intelligence as a curse, but it may be the only thing that can save a dying world. This novel is weakened by occasionally stilted writing, but readers will enjoy following Serenity as she learns to become a leader. Serenity is cued as White; the supporting cast is international.
A dystopian thriller showcasing a strong young woman in STEM. (Science fiction. 13-18)
