Lotus And Thorn by Sara Wilson Etienne

Lotus And Thorn

by Sara Wilson Etienne

A thrilling fantasy adventure perfect for fans of Tamora Pierce and Sarah Maas

Ravaged by a plague known as Red Death, the planet Gabriel, a former colony of Earth, is a barren wasteland. Since being abandoned by Earth 500 years ago, resources are scarce and life is cheap. To stay alive, the survivors, the Citizens, scavenge the remains of a now dead city, trading for food with the resource-rich Curadores, the only other survivors on Gabriel. Every old computer, every piece of wire, every scrap of metal counts. To steal is the ultimate sin. So when tough-as-nails seventeen-year-old Leica is caught doing just that, she's exiled and left to the mercy of Gabriel's unforgiving desert for the rest of her life.

While in exile, Leica discovers a mysterious shuttle, which may not only lead her home, but even more impossible-reestablish contact with Earth. Then Red Death rears its head again, killing her entire work crew, leaving Leica all alone until a handsome Curador offers her refuge in the Dome-the only place on Gabriel untouched by Red Death, where a decadent and sultry life awaits. But there's a catch- Leica can only enter the Dome as his concubine-his Kisaeng. When a rogue group of Citizens see their chance for revolution in Leica's good fortune, she finds herself unraveling a deadly mystery with chilling answers to the true origin of Red Death and the reason Earth really abandoned them so long ago.

A richly imagined tale in the vein of Tamora Pierce, Lotus and Thornis a magnificent, epic fantasy adventure.

Reviewed by layawaydragon on

5 of 5 stars

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I had a whole review written out and lost it. Ugh!
>>Trigger Warning: Domestic Violence, Religious Bigotry, Bullying,
>>Epic Sci-Fi adventure that reminds me of Dreamsnake, with an almost all POC cast. Like vast majority brown people and culture. Not like cop out olive-tonned Katniss.
>>Love how religion was included, worked, and how people dealt with it.
>>Handles domestic violence better than most contemporaries. It's honestly one of the best portrayals I've read as a survivor.
>>Love the Grimm Fairy Tale inserts.
>>Did not see most of the shit coming.
>>Was not prepared for that ending. Was not prepared for there to be no sequel!?!?

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  • 27 May, 2016: Reviewed