Split The Sun – Tessa Elwood – Inherit The Stars Trilogy #2 – Running Kids Press – Published 6 December 2016
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Synopsis
The Ruling Lord of the House of Galton is dead, and the nation is in shock—or celebrating, depending on the district. Kit Franks would be more than happy to join him.
Kit’s mother bombed the digital core of the House, killing several and upending the nation’s information structure. No one wants the daughter of a terrorist. Kit lost her job, her aunt wants her evicted, her father is using her as a shield against a drug lord, a group of political rebels need Kit to ignite an interplanetary war, and the boy two floors down keeps jacking up her suicide attempts—as if she has a life worth saving.
When Mom-the-terrorist starts showing up on feeds and causing planet-wide blackouts, everyone looks to Kit for an answer. The rebels want Mom on their side. The government needs to stop Mom’s digital virus from spreading before there’s no record of government left. Both sides will do anything, destroy anyone, to make Kit crack. They believe she’s the key to Mom’s agenda and the House’s future. Worst of all, they may be right.
Kit’s having dreams she can’t explain, remembering conversations that no longer seem innocent, understanding too much coded subtext in Mom’s universal feed messages. Everyone, from Mom to the rebels, has a vision of Kit’s fate—locked, sealed, and ready to roll. The question is, does Kit have a vision for herself?
My thoughts
Split The Sun mixes fast-paced and edgy drama, action, family, romance and one hell of a resilient character to create an addictive story.
Kit has achieved a status of notoriety thanks to her mother blowing up their planet’s archive. Kit is left feeling both guilt and hopelessness, despite her ignorance about her mother’s deadly plans, despite what the rest of the planet chooses to think about her. But it seems like no one will let Kit fade into the obscurity she craves – not the crowds who lay blame, the government who seek answers, a rebel group of protestors that think Kit might live up to her mother’s apparent glory, her family who only want to take from her, nor the boy who lives in the apartment above Kit. Kit will need to decide what she will fight for – if anything.
Split The Sun is the second book in the Inherit the Stars series. It is more like a companion book, with a different set of characters and different plot line, but set in the same world and with the same mix of action, sci-fi adventure and romance. I think I enjoyed Split The Sun more than I did Inherit The Stars. Both are great books but I really connected with Kit. I had initially expected Split the Sun to continue the story of Eagle and Asa from Inherit the Stars, but wasn’t disappointed at all in Kit. She is a fantastic character. Continually knocked down, she is on the very edge of giving up and yet she cares so much about people, does everything she can for the people that treat her like rubbish. Her resilience and strength is amazing.
It’s really interesting to read a sci-fi from the perspective of basically a minor player in the world’s politics and ruling class. She’s not the princess who must save them all. She’s not someone with all the answers. She’s just a girl who has had a rough life, left to deal with the mistakes of her parents. And yet, unbeknownst to her and against her wishes Kit has the chance to make a difference to her both her own life and her planet’s. Split The Sun reads like a contemporary but with the very cool technology and setting of a sci-fi.
The romance is a great addition to this story. Tessa Elwood has a knack for writing characters and partnerships that blossom naturally through time and circumstance. Kit might start off disliking her dark-haired neighbour, resenting his continual appearances and interference, but she’s drawn to him, his quirky smile and gentle nature.
This book really has so much going for it. While the Split The Sun’s timeline follows on from the end of Inherit The Stars I think the books could be read in any order. I can’t wait for the third book in this planned trilogy. I would love to read more from Kit, love to return to Eagle and Asa from the first book, or love to fall in love all over again with a new set of characters.
The publishers provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
More information
Category: Young adult fiction.
Genre: Science-fiction.
Themes: Space, fuel usage, resource, environment protection, environment destruction, electricity, family, romance, grief, guilt, suicide, parents, planets.
Reading age guide: Ages 13 and up.
Advisory: Mature themes, attempted suicide. Implied sex scene between secondary characters with some details. Coarse language, s***. References to drug use and dealing.
Published: 6 December 2016 by Running Kids Press.
Format: Paperback, ebook.
ISBN: 9780762458479
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