Above World Review

368 pages
Release date: February 14th, 2012 

Thirteen-year-old Aluna has lived her entire life under the ocean with the Coral Kampii in the City of Shifting Tides. But after centuries spent hidden from the Above World, her colony's survival is at risk. The Kampii's breathing necklaces are failing, but the elders are unwilling to venture above water to seek answers. Only headstrong Aluna and her friend Hoku are stubborn and bold enough to face the terrors of land to search for way to save their people. But can Aluna's fierce determination and fighting skills and Hoku's tech-savvy keep them safe? Set in a world where overcrowding has led humans to adapt - growing tails to live under the ocean or wings to live on mountains - here is a ride through a future where greed and cruelty have gone unchecked, but the loyalty of friends remains true.

Review (ARC):
As far as dystopian novels go this is a great one. I absolutely loved the concept of humans adapting to their surroundings as the world changed and got overcrowded. There are quite a few different colonies of people who all have adapted in different ways to different surroundings. I really liked the way the author mixed the realistic with the fantastical in this novel. Aluna is an absolutely amazing heroine. She's strong, fearless, and always ready for an adventure. I also loved the character of Hoku. Even though Hoku isn't as strong as his best friend Aluna he is extremely intelligent and that helps them out a lot in this novel. I think that the world created here is beautiful yet frightening at the same time. The battles and adventures are intense and action packed. The ending was amazing and I can't wait until the next book comes out so I can see where Aluna's adventures take her. This was a strong and interesting dystopian novel which I definitely recommend to those who love these kind of books.