by Brent LeVasseur
Kindle Edition, 114 pages
Published
February 23rd 2015
by Aoléon PressGenre: Middle Grade Fantasy/Science Fiction
My Source: I received a copy in exchange for an honest review
Description: Aoléon and Gilbert receive a special mission from PAX, a wanted criminal and leader of the Martian resistance movement to investigate the Luminon of Mars, who he suspects is planning an invasion of Earth to steal its milk cows. Gilbert has an encounter with the Luminess (the mate of the Luminon) and discovers something strange about her during a procession, and the duo are chased by the Royal Paladin Guard.
At Aoléon’s home, Gilbert meets Aoléon’s family, her sister Una, mother Phobos and father Deimos as well as her overzealous pet Zoot. He is also introduced to Bizwat, a covert operator and Procyon Commando, who uses his Saturn Pizza delivery job as a cover.
Gilbert then gets to visit the Martian Space Academy (Aoléon’s school) where he encounters Aoléon’s nemesis, Charm Lepton and her friend Quarkina, as well as receiving a history lesson on the Martian people by Plutarch Xenocrates. After class, Gilbert and Aoléon get to train in zero-G and Gilbert is treated to a Psi-ball match between Martian Space Academy and Martian Science Academy.
My Review: I really enjoyed Part I and was excited to see what would happen to Gilbert on Mars. This story really sparks the imagination in an adult like me, so I can't imagine what it does in a younger reader. I thought the illustrations were fantastic in Part I, but the images in this part were absolutely mesmerizing and extremely well done! They were full of detail and color and really captured my attention. I found myself studying them each for awhile before continuing on with the story.
There was a lot more about the mind reading in this book and this sentence really hit home for me: "For a brief moment, Gilbert saw the Luminess for who she really was — all of her history, her insecurities, her flaws, and her deepest, darkest secrets flew through his mind in flashes." It would be really hard to pretend to be someone else when your thoughts are known by all.
This installment also had a lot of history. History of their food, of how they came to be, and of their planet. As I mentioned before, I have a 3rd grader and a 6th grader and I know they'd both be fascinated with the story, as they are very interested in space. However, most of the history lessons, especially while the characters were at school, were full of big words and elaborate descriptions. In fact, I read part of it aloud to my kids and asked if they understood what was being said and it was over their heads. I'm sure this will all play a role in future installments, but I was glad when the story shifted to the Psi-ball match.
Psi-ball reminds me a bit of Quidditch, for you Harry Potter fans. This match is where Part II ended and it was full of intense action, which was a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to what will happen next.
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
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Meet the Author:
Mr.
LeVasseur enjoys crafting good stories based on lovable characters
designed to translate well to multiple media formats such as books,
games, movies, and toys. He lives in New York when he is not commuting
between Southern California and Olympus Mons, Mars. His hobbies include
writing, 3D animation, musical composition, and intergalactic space
travel. He also enjoys various sports such as skiing, running, and
exospheric skydiving.Connect with Brent: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Aoléon: The Martian Girl
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