Gravity

I try not to do this too often but please be one with your Spoiler Sensitivity Levels and know that this might be a bit spoiler-ish but not too bad.

First off, I have been CRAVING for this book ever since its cover was released; synopsis written and the site went live. It's been a long time coming. For those that don't know my first love has always and forever will be Science, more specifically anything space related, aliens and all. When this book came about I just couldn't help but to be super geeked about it. Yes, you just read geeked.

As I opened up my copy to read so did the heavens and so my journey began.

Boy, was there a lot going on in this one!

In the future, the world has witnessed four World Wars in which the last one has left Earth broken and dying. The Ancients, a peaceful alien species, have always been around to help the humans fix their mess, unconditionally, until now. The Ancients have asked to be paired with a human in which they can receive nutrients via a ritual/process called The Taking. It's similar to how the Dementors (Harry Potter) sucked out people's joy/souls etc. The Ancients only take a bit every night and not to kill, although, it can be used to kill as well. In addition The Taking, the Ancients also want to eventually move to Earth so that everyone can live together like one happy family because their world is dying too. The leaders on Earth agreed to their terms so long as the Ancients fixed their Earth, stat.

The Taking has been happening for many years now but the whole coming to live on Earth seems to be on hold and the Ancients have grown tired of waiting. Ari, a future leader, has been recruited by her Ancient, Jackson, to help avoid a very real threat of war between the Ancients and the humans. Ari soon discovers how easily history can repeat itself and how far people will go to gain total control and power.

ARI, ARI, ARI...

One thing that I feel the YA world lacks or is rare is an honest to goodness strong female lead. I look for strong because I want my nieces to read about strong so they can be strong and I want my son to read and appreciate that strength in women. I want them to read about women that are smart, decisive and follow through, love but are not boy crazy, are very aware of their surroundings, know what's right and wrong even if she has been spoon fed a certain philosophy for years. This was Ari, from page one. Ari is by far the strongest and most developed character in the book. When I say she was kickass... I mean she was KICKASS. She has been trained by her father, the current Commander, to become a future Commander and leader. The way her brain works and the things she does wreaks of leadership. Not once did I question who she was or what she was capable of. I loved her from beginning to end. BTW, not only is Ari this strong woman but so is pretty much every female of importance in the book (Ari's mom, Cybil, Gretchen). Yep, A++.

This World and its People

To be fair, I read an ARC and all of the following could have been fixed already. This world needs some work. There are some holes and kinks that need to be fleshed out. Some characters need to be fleshed out a bit too. Example: Jackson, the Ancient, and Lawrence aka childhood friend aka future President, seem to have a bunch of information/secrets and not a one ever really give much away. It made it hard to really trust and like them whole heartedly. I took to heart what the Commander had told Ari. He said don't trust anyone, and I sure as heck didn't but more importantly I walked away with too many questions that should have been answered in this book which created much suction because Melissa West CAN WRITE.

The Romance

It's not on the front burner, folks. I know what the synopsis says but it's not. THIS IS NOT A BAD THING!! There is a bigger picture with more pressing matters! A world needs saving! Yet, there is a healthy amount of love and romance and nicely balanced. It's not insta-love either. Jackson and Ari have been paired for about 7 years now. That is 2,555 days of The Taking (sometimes you just have to bust out with the math). Ari has always felt Jackson's presence, curious about him, just as he has been curious about her. Although Ari could never see her Ancient, she has always been connected to him AND The Taking is a very intimate process. In fact the story speaks of the bonds/connections/attraction, humans and Ancients alike, develop for one another. All of this combined made the relationship between Ari and Jackson feel natural to me.

All in all, Gravity is one action packed read with a bit of romance, yet full of intrigue, is definitely unique, thought provoking with a WTH ending and is ALL SCI-FI!! Good stuff, Peeps...Good stuff.

ARC provided by publisher for tour/review purposes.