ECOSYSTEM

I’m so excited to be a part of Joshua Bellin’s blog tour for his latest young adult book release, ECOSYSTEM. Be sure to enter his giveaway at the bottom of my post. As a fan of his other works, SURVIVOR COLONY 9, SCAVENGER OF SOULS, and FREEFALL, I was eager to get my hands on his latest.

THE BLURB

Seventeen-year-old Sarah is a Sensor, gifted with the ability to survive within the sentient Ecosystem that swept away human civilization centuries ago. While the remnants of humankind huddle in small villages of stone, Sarah uses her psychic connection to the Ecosystem to travel freely in the wild in search of food, water, and fuel. Sarah doesn’t fear the Ecosystem—but she hates it for killing her mother when Sarah was a child. When she hunts, she hunts not only for her people’s sustenance but for revenge.

Then Miriam, an apprentice Sensor, is lost in the Ecosystem, and Sarah sets out to rescue her. Joining Sarah is Miriam’s beloved, Isaac, a boy who claims to possess knowledge of the Ecosystem that will help their people survive. The harrowing journey to find the missing apprentice takes Sarah and Isaac into the Ecosystem’s deadliest places. And it takes Sarah into the unexplored territory of her own heart, where she discovers feelings that threaten to tear her—and her society—apart.

A thrilling fantasy adventure from the author of Freefall and the Survival Colony series, Ecosystem is the first book in a YA trilogy that includes The Devouring Land (2019) and House of Earth, House of Stone (2020).

MY REVIEW

In ECOSYSTEM, Bellin has developed a unique, post-apocalyptic world, one where nature has turned on us and become our predator. Every foray into this treacherous land ensures a painful death. Unless you are a Sensor. Seventeen-year old Sarah has this Sensor gift and with it she can Sense the Ecosystem. She knows when it moves, what it sees, and even its intent. With this ability, she’s able to join the other Sensors and journey into the dangerous Ecosystem to hunt and gather food for her community. But when the Ecosystem uses Sarah’s own gifts and weakness (her Sensor-in-training) to lure her into the deepest, darkest heart of this predator, Sarah begins to question her past and even her community.

Sarah is a feisty character, who has been taught and trained to ignore her emotions, instead focusing on the task at hand. I liked that about her. I also loved the development of her character from the moment we saw her celebrating her first hunt, to when she’s cast out, and even as she abandons all of her training to do the unthinkable.
A character who surprised me was Isaac. He showed up late in the story, and at first I merely dismissed him as a side character, but then he shows up later in the most unexpected way with the most unexpected ability.

I loved this twist as it’s very unusual for me to be surprised by events in a story.  In fact, I think that’s why I enjoyed ECOSYSTEM so much. It’s full of unexpected moments, it doesn’t follow the norm, and the world building is incredibly fresh and unique. Unlike Bellin’s other works, ECOSYSTEM had a storytelling style and veered more into the realm of fantasy, which I really liked. This is such a thrilling story that once I started reading, it sucked me into this world. I am eagerly waiting for the sequel!

GIVEAWAY
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For the full blog tour, go here to check out all of the stop.

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