Very interesting book that kept me guessing as to what was coming next. Was a little slow at times, but I felt like the rest of the book made up for the parts that were a little slow to develop. Would recommend as a good read, and would surely read more from this author. ( )

This book grabbed my attention from the very first page. Brouwer says just enough in the opening narrative to ensure the reader wants to know not only what happens, but what is going on as well. In fact, you don't discover what exactly is happening until the end of the book, which was the only frustrating thing about it. I would have preferred a little more exposition along the way, but when I discovered there is a sequel in the works, I understood more of the author's reasoning behind not revealing as much as he did.

The book unfolds within a setting in which there has been a major upheaval in the United States resulting in a smaller country ruled by religious extremists in the Appalachain Mountains tensely co-existing alongside a larger country where science (absent any religious or moral influence) reigns supreme. The main heroine is a young girl who within her oncoming age of puberty must also delve into her own mysterious past which has her inexplicably tied to both places.

At its core, the book critically examines the dangers inherent in worldviews that exist in the extremist range of ideas. Simultaneously taking on religion and science, it explores what happens when the two sides totally dismiss the worth and contributions of the other and trry to create an environment in which their particular way is the one and only answer to all things. ( )

I could not finish this book. It is not my type of reading. I am sorry that I requested it as an early reader but I did not realize what type it was. My apologies to the author and to Library Thing . I will be more careful in my requests in the future.

Good book. Hard to put down at times. ( )

I read this book over Labor Day weekend. Very intriguing, a bit suspenseful in places. It is set in the future, about a century ahead. Deals with genetic engineering and how it affected a father and his daughter. I recommend it! ( )