From the Publisher
A warrior heroine with a caring heart, stalwart friends, an edgy futurist subtext and the suggestion of a possible sequel make this a thrilling sci-fi adventure. Imaginative and riveting.
—Kirkus Reviews
Action-seeking readers should enjoy the many revelations, twists, and hand-to-claw battle sequences, and fierce, take-charge Aluna is the kind of heroine who is easy to get behind. An open-ended conclusion leaves the door to Reese's futuristic world wide open for future adventures.
—Publishers Weekly
FEBRUARY 2012 - AudioFile
In a dystopian future, 13-year-old Aluna has spent her entire life in a city hidden in the ocean. When the devices that allow her people to breathe underwater begin to fail in the weeks before Aluna’s legs will be transformed into a tail, she and her friend, Hoku, leave home to search for solutions in the Above World. Narrator Kate Rudd channels Aluna’s frustration and anger as she fights and forges alliances with other tribes of genetically modified humans. Rudd also captures Hoku’s wonder as he begins to understand the technology that will save their people. Accents help define the various tribes, and a sense of urgency pervades the entire performance. A fast-paced and distinct entry in a crowded genre. A.F. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
In a future world in which habitable space has been exhausted, Humans have physically modified to survive in the skies, oceans and deserts. Living in the hidden City of Shifting Tides, 13-year-old Aluna heroically strives to save the ocean-dwelling Coral Kampii when their lives are threatened by destructive forces in the Above World. Feisty Aluna and her techie pal Hoku have the Kampii's "thick bones and tough skin, adaptable vision, [and] breathing necklaces." Even though Aluna will soon trade her legs for a swimming tail, she doesn't fit with the isolated Kampii and defies them by secretly training to be a hunter. When their breathing necklaces mysteriously fail, causing Kampii to die, Aluna opts to leave before receiving her tail and journeys with Hoku to the Above World to try to find some answers. Along the way, Aluna and Hoku encounter deadly Dragonfliers, aquatic Deepfell demons, winged female Aviars, half-horse Equians and brutal Upgraders. Fighting every step of her perilous quest, Aluna enlists help from creatures of the air, land and sea. A warrior heroine with a caring heart, stalwart friends, an edgy futurist subtext and the suggestion of a possible sequel make this a thrilling sci-fi adventure. Imaginative and riveting. (Science fiction. 10-14)
