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3 out of 4 stars
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It's the year 2130, and the world is no longer as we know it! The Alliance is now in control of everything, and life is steadily becoming unbearable, especially for non-members of the Alliance. Though Cynthia Frank had a job, her boss always treated her unfairly because she wasn't a member of the Alliance.
When two recruiters met with Cynthia one morning and asked her to join an underwater civilization, she didn't expect her decision to be a difficult one. While she was trying to decide, her boss accuses her of stealing in the office. And that was the final straw! Hence, she quits her job and joins the recruiters to the underwater civilization known as the Colony. In the Colony, Cynthia, now known as Tephra, discovers that things are not as rosy as the recruiters told her they were. The leader of the Colony is power-drunk. He is willing to eliminate anyone in his way to conquer the world, not minding that his quest could destroy the Colony. Tephra soon finds herself leading the rebels determined to bring their beloved Colony back to its former glory. Will the rebels be able to defeat the powerful Supreme Principal of the Colony? Time will tell!
K. C. Weston has taken me on a fascinating ride I won't forget in a hurry with this novel, Tephra Rising: The Colony. It's hard to believe that this is the author's first book in this challenging genre. More so, this is the first book in the Tephra Rising series. This novel excellently combines sci-fi and dystopian themes while maintaining an alluring balance between science and humanity. I must commend the author, K. C. Weston, for the impeccable portrayal of the dynamic nature of humans. I enjoyed the depiction of contrasting leadership styles in the book and how they affect people.
What I liked the most about this book is its faultless characterization. I enjoyed how easy it was to relate to each character's personality. It helps that the author's descriptions are vivid, simple, and direct. The thoughts, appearance, and actions of the characters are clearly described and distinct. It didn't take long for me to start empathizing with them due to how life-like they were. I became so attached to some of the characters that I greatly feared for their safety and hated anyone who meant to cause them harm.
Furthermore, the worldbuilding in this book is praiseworthy! The author convinced me of the possibility of life underwater through coherent and relatable descriptions. I was able to form clear pictures of the Colony in my mind. It just felt as if I was physically witnessing the events unfolding in the Colony. I enjoyed the author's use of the third-person point of view in the narrations because it gave me an unbiased perspective of each character's stance.
This book is also bespangled with humor. I enjoyed how it brought comic relief in-between the suspenseful narrations. I fell in love with Eleven's character. He was just too funny. The witty remarks between him and Ninety-three always made me laugh. However, my favorite character is Tephra. I like how courageous and smart she is, and I am sure other readers will love her too.
Nevertheless, I found more than ten typos in this novel. Though the errors didn't stop me from enjoying the story, I am unhappy about the many typos. It's the only reason I won't be giving the novel a perfect rating, which is unfortunate. I believe another round of proofreading would help the book to earn the rating it deserves. Until that is done, I am rating Tephra Rising: The Colony 3 out of 4 stars. The title is devoid of profanities. Be advised that there are descriptions of people dying in the book, so readers who dislike reading about such things can skip this one. I am recommending this novel to readers who love dystopian and sci-fi books, especially those who enjoy stories with strong female protagonists.
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Tephra Rising
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