Project Ele

by Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels

[layawaydragon]

The Good:
+Typical characters grow
+well-done world building
+Lots of teen drama and fun
+No instalove or (tri)angles

The Bad & The Other:
-Cliffhanger
-Saw plot points coming
-Absentee parents

When first reviewed, they had a blonde on the cover and I found a homophone mix up. Both have been fixed.

World Building:

I like how it's up front and takes in consideration some very real implications.

The Virus is a genre stable but it's different how they're handling it. (At least from what I've read.) In Willow's world, they' installed panels to repair the ozone and cope with Climate Change.

Not going to lie, first reading that, it sounded weird and made me think of a giant dome. At least they bring up the mind boggling amount of energy it's taking to do so.

Even after finishing the series, I don't know if it's literal panels or a simplified explanation like how most people understand the Big Bang or Evolution. Either way, I'm okay with it and if it's too much for you it's all of 5 pages in so you bail without loss. (Or just not pick it up after reading this, lol)

This matters because to cope with The Virus, they're taking down the panels to heat the Earth's surface and kill it. Catastrophic for every other living thing? Yep, but I wouldn't put it past humans. And you just know not everyone is making it in leaving them to fend for themselves AKA die during Global Warming pt. 2: Quick & Intentional.

From there, the story revolves around their new shelter life. The way it's structured rings so true, especially as they discover more along their adventure.

There's of course the predictable bad guys but again, those bros exist and I was fine just riding through and hating them too.

But I HATE the mid-leap cliffhanger.



Willow:

I love how she goes from completely sheltered to broken and crowded. That sounds sadistic on my part, but it's as awkward and sweet and fun as you would expect.

She's understandably naive and young for 15 but I found it endearing though I'm usually hitting the darker, mature YA. Her perspective won me over.

I was so wrapped up in Willow and fun, I'd forgotten about the powers until they showed up around halfway through. Oh! What a welcome surprise that'd otherwise I'd be waiting for as it's mentioned in the blurb. LOL.

Romance:

Thank fuck they avoided the love (tri-)angle. It's not instalove though they crush immediately and begin dating shortly after. There's no throwing the “love” word around or acting like their the end all be all soul mates type shit.

Plus, Willow has some honest ponderings, like worrying about little things and wondering if she's just feeling this way because it's her first.