Child of Etherclaw

Fenlee Harper and her adopted younger brother, Elliot, are navigating the world mostly alone. Since her mother’s passing, her father is always away working, which leaves Fenlee to look after herself and Elliot. Life in the low tier has been hard, but she has aspirations for a better life, and applying herself in the Mechatronics class at The Academy was the way she was going to do it. For her, it was a priority to be at the top of her class, and for that, she needed access to materials that were hard to find.

Scavenging in the Undercity of New Cascadia was dangerous but a necessity. Little did Fenlee know that a typical day of scavenging would change the trajectory of her life for good. There was more to the cheap opal her mom left her than meets the eye. She’s introduced to a power she never knew existed and some strange characters that help her along the way. From then on, Fenlee’s world is never the same.

This sci-fi fantasy novel introduces us to a futuristic world where a class system exists that is both literal and metaphoric. From the beginning, it opens with action that just sucks you in. I had no idea what was going on, but I was down for the ride. First, we meet Fenlee and Elliot, both capable and street smart, but they get themselves into some trouble, and as the story unfolds, we see that they aren’t as alone as they may have thought.

The characters were well developed and the storyline was exciting and imaginative, with an evil villain and endearing allies. The descriptions of the environment were vivid and really made me feel like I was in New Cascadia experiencing the sights and smells. The story is unpredictable, full of futuristic technology and government conspiracy. The author does a good job of introducing the history of this world mixed into the storyline so that the reader was not inundated with too much information.

I love a good coming-of-age story and this definitely fits the bill. It has the right amount of teen angst mixed with action, mystery, and even a little bit of romance. If this is the first in a series, I’d say it’s off to a great start and I would definitely love to read a sequel. I would recommend this novel to all readers who enjoy this genre.