Still the Sun - by Charlie N Holmberg

Wow. I am genuinely so impressed with this story. It sucked me in and held on, keeping my attention even when I wasn’t in the middle of the pages. I am completely sold on Charlie’s books and can’t wait to read even more of them! Pell is determined and hard working and cares about her people—of which there are few in their small town, which is slowly dying in the baking sun. The new world took me a minute to get used to, but once I did, I was all in. I liked how Pell would work through a problem, mentally and physically, giving herself time to figure things out, but also pushing herself to make sure she did. She was maybe a little hotheaded, but I still liked her tenacity and her vulnerability. All the people in the town—Salki and Cas in particular—were really so good. I loved them and was invested in their lives. And I’d be lying if I said Heartwood wasn’t one of my favorites. He is kind of intense, but once you learn his story, it makes perfect sense why he would be. The mystery surrounding Heartwood and Moseus really kept me interested. I guessed at a couple of things, but there were a lot that still surprised me, particularly how the whole world came to be. But there are a lot of puzzle pieces that have to be moved into place. It’s kind of interesting figuring it all out alongside Pell. Her visions and her experiences sometimes answer questions, but nearly always also create more questions. And I really was invested in figuring out why she had the visions in the first place, what the tower was all about, and her work with the machines. It’s a bit of a slow build to get to where you have the answers, but I honestly thought it was worth it. As I said before, I really liked this book and I’m looking forward to spending more time in Charlie Holmberg’s works. And I hope we can look forward to a sequel for this one! It may have ended happy for now, but there has to be more to come. And I look forward to it when it does! **Many thanks to the author for the copy. A positive review was not required, and these thoughts are my own.