Michelle A. Barry

After finishing Moongarden, I was happy to see that Seagarden had already been released; alas, I have to wait for the final book. I never write much about middle books because I don't want to give much away.

Myra, Canta, and Lila move to Venus to attend school there as an exchange program. They want to find a group of Reps who are seeking more rights and even to regain their former magic. They also want to find Hannah's sister who was exiled to Venus for being a Botan, with hope of finding Canter's mom, as all Botans are exiled here. Canter and Lila love the new school, for it's nothing like their school on the Moon where everything is super strict. On Venus, classes are fun. The students experiment and learn in very different ways. Miura rarely sees them. Feeling alone and neglected, Myra makes friends with a boy who seems to also be an outcast, Noah. She also discovers more of the Number Whisperer magic by learning math with music. She plays the trombone based on math. When Canter and Lila fail to show up to meet her, she dumps the trombone and starts skipping class again with Noah.

Noah knows where all the places are where one can hide. Unlike the moon, Venus has storms and water. Myra spends time looking for a place to hide her forbidden seeds. When a storm approaches, Myra wants to see and feel it because she never has. The seeds wash out of her pocket. The seeds implant in the sea or ocean floor, springing into huge plants. She doesn't have a choice; she must explain to Noah. He agrees to help. Canter and Lila eventually find out about all of these changes with Myra and are hurt, angry, and sorry for neglecting her. With all three working together again, they finally contact Hannah and connect with the people working against the company providing all of the horrible food. It's here where all the surprises happen. Who can be trusted? What happened to the food? Why does the company's owner. have so much power?

I liked this book as well. I liked the first book better because I could see the train wreck coming and wanted to spare everyone. I will be reading the third book, for I like the characters and their friendships.… (more)

I was not expecting to like this book. It's a 2024 Lone Star selection.

Myra must be great as a Number Whisperer. Her parents hold high positions in the government as Number Whisperers and the assumption remains that Myra will be equally talented. Unfortunately, the numbers do not speak to her. She lives a lonely existence at the prestigious school for people with magic with no friends and mostly mean roommates. She knows how often and how one can skip classes without being discovered. One rule is to never return to the same place. It's in a new location where Myra unwittingly finds a garden. Years ago, the Earth became inhabitable when the plants all became poisonous. People have moved to the Moon and other planets to get away from the dangers of the Earth. One company mass produces something called "food," but it's nothing like what existed on Earth. Myra fears she will die after finding the garden. Her roommate, a Mender, checks her over and doesn't find anything wrong with her. Myra soon discovers that her magic isn't with numbers but with botany. She can make the plants thrive and grow. She learns from a Rep (a lower class group of people who do menial tasks, assumed to be stupid and treated rudely by most people; they go about "unseen"), Bernie, who worked in this garden with a previous magic person. It's all very hush-hush. Myra can't tell anyone.

Every school must have the resident athlete whom people follow; he's good looking and maybe even smart. In this book, our athlete is Canter. He's the son of the director of the school with whom he does not get along. He discovers Myra and her garden. He finds his own place in the garden and agrees to keep Myra's secret. They become odd friends who hope to bring food back to all of the colonies. The last person to join the group is Lila, Myra's Mender roommate. They all believe that they can solve the food issue and help people.

My one criticism is that they act way older than they are said to be. When each character mentioned their ages, I was stunned because they present themselves as high schoolers. I found the novel to be a page-turner even though I rarely like books set off Earth. I'm not a sci-fi person, nor do I like books set on colonies in the universe. Occasionally, a book will be well-written and entertaining, making it a really good sci-fi novel. This novel is light sci-fi. Nonetheless, it's very enjoyable.… (more)