Review - Link by Summer Weir #ya #scifi #fantasy

Welcome to my review post of Link by Summer Weir.

About LINK:

For seventeen-year-old Kira, there’s no better way to celebrate a birthday than being surrounded by friends and huddled beside a campfire deep in the woods. And with a birthday in the peak of summer, that includes late night swims under the stars. 

Or at least, it used to. 

Kira’s relaxing contemplation of the universe is interrupted when a piece of it falls, colliding with her and starting a chain of events that could unexpectedly lead to the one thing in her life that’s missing—her father. 

Tossed into a pieced-together world of carnivals and gypsies, an old-fashioned farmhouse, and the alluring presence of a boy from another planet, Kira discovers she’s been transported to the center of a black hole, and there’s more to the story than science can explain. She’s now linked by starlight to the world inside the darkness. And her star is dying. 

If she doesn’t return home before the star’s light disappears and her link breaks, she’ll be trapped forever. But she’s not the only one ensnared, and with time running out, she’ll have to find a way to save a part of her past and a part of her future, or risk losing everything she loves. 

Dreamy, fluid, and beautiful, Link pairs the mystery of science fiction with the minor-key melody of a dark fantasy, creating a tale that is as human as it is out of this world.

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About the author:

Summer Wier grew up spending Saturdays with a maxed out library card and her nose in a book. But as much as she loved reading, and even writing, both took the back seat when it came to career choices. With her sights set on law school, corporate greatness, and even a hankering to become the first female president, she set off to conquer the world. As life would have it, though, she didn't attend law school, nor did she become president (although, one day, your vote may be appreciated), finding her strengths, instead, in accounting and business management. After finishing her MBA, she revived her love for reading and began writing with dreams of finishing a book of her own. When Summer isn't working, reading, or writing, she's trying to keep up with two energetic girls and her husband, and dreaming of the mountains of Montana.

For more information on Summer Wier visit www.summerwier.com or connect on Twitter @summerwier.

My Review:

Link by Summer Weir is an awesome blend of fantasy and science fiction, carried by fascinating characters and a girl who’s connection to the universe is unlike anything you’ve ever read before.

Kira is the main character and lives on a world oddly similar to Earth. Her dad disappeared before she was born and she’s decided she really doesn’t care. For some inexplicable reason, she is tagged by the universe to be the link between her world and a mysterious world trapped (or preserved?) at the center of a black hole. She’s transported to this strange place which is a mirror world to Earth called Thaer when a dying star links it’s energy to hers. She is able to travel between worlds – unless that star dies completely. Before all is lost, she needs to put together the pieces of her history – the missing dad – and help the boy she finds trapped on this world.

It’s fairly complicated, but extremely interesting as pieces are pulled together. I did get a bit confused by the phrase “her star” as the dying star because that made me assume it was the star of her home planet. But no one ever seemed concerned that if her star died, her planet would die with it. So I guess it’s some random star – or else we’ll learn more in the second book. The only other complaint I had was that  her planet was just too Earth-like. I think there should have been more and earlier distinctions.

I didn’t quite follow the ways in which she was able to travel between the worlds – but that’s probably my problem since I have a background in physics and wanted to connect it too strongly to reality! So just ignore that and enjoy the ride. A lot is revealed toward the end of the book, but even more questions come up, so you’ll end wanting the next book.

The writing was strong, characters well developed, grammar/punctuation in good shape. Recommended – 4 stars