Heather’s Bookshelf: Extant
Author: Sarah Newland
Released: 09/01/19
Genre: YA SciFi Action/Adventure
““It was built for you. And it may do you good to consider it more of a rabbit hole.”
Natalie hesitated as they passed through the door; the reference made her uneasy. She had never cared for Wonderland.”
“Extant” is Book One of the Coelacanth Project introduces Natalie Morgan, a teenager and her four friends, Leo, Tawney, Owen & Brant. The kids are connected by their parents—all of which have mysterious jobs.
What their parents did for a living never really bothered the kids, until an explosions start happening around them. When her parents disappear and her home’s destroyed, Natalie is attacked by strangers. Barely making it out alive with the help of her friend, Leo, and her dog, Enzi, Natalie reunites with the rest of her friends to seek help and answers.
They turn to the only person they can—-their estranged Uncle who reveals unbelievable secrets about the kids, their parents, and the world. The kids also learn they are in imminent danger and being hunted by an organization known as Nautilus. They claim they are only after peace, but their actions certainly don’t reflect such an agenda.
Trigger Warning: violence, murder
Overall, I enjoyed this adventure. I found the secrets/powers to be interesting and different than what I have read before. It also made me want to push the tale forward to figure out exactly what was going on. The story flips from past to present timelines which I thought helped the pacing. The author’s descriptions are consistently detailed which helped with “seeing” the scenes but dragged along the story a little when listening on audiobook. My biggest drawback to this story for me was Natalie. I personally found her to be really annoying. She consistently relied on her friends, Uncle, and Enzi to get her through situations both physically and emotionally. She was understandably in shock and freaking out, but so were the rest of her friends and they all managed to keep it together. I much preferred Tawney and Leo’s characters (and of course the furry four-legged friends). This book is setup from the beginning as a “book one” so the cliffhanger expectation holds true here. When I finished book 1 I had more questions than answers but did feel invested in the main characters and what happens to them in the future —- so mission accomplished!
I ended up checking out this tale on mixed platforms- e-book and audiobook. The narrator is easy to listen to and understand. She does an excellent job of changing her voice for each of the characters, but is a little sing-songy for my attention and the level of descriptive detail of this story.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
The first book in a series about a group of teenagers trying to find the truth about themselves, their parents, and their place in the world.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Sarah Newland
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here or Audible
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