In a future society where various alien races mix with humans, twelve-year-old Nuri performs crimes for Vadith until the day she is called away from her home in the slums by an irresistible song only she can hear. Nuri ends up in a secret training facility with the cream of Terra’s youth, who are all competing for the ultimate prize . . . This magnificent Sci-Fi story masterfully creates a whole futuristic universe while maintaining focus on Nuri’s rich inner world. An Oliver Twist-style plot in a Star Wars setting with all the thrill (but not the violence) of The Hunger Games, it is beautifully rendered: the writing is sophisticated and engaging, the exotic cast of characters are a delight, and the plot works perfectly, balancing wild imagination with relatable, age-appropriate themes (like bullying by the “mean girls”). In the facility, the adult characters guide and care for the young people with remarkable kindness, and there is a kind of karmic retribution for the mean kids, which is very reassuring to young teen readers. Beyond the reaches of the facility, life is more combative, but, refreshingly, there is no gratuitous violence. The story also illustrates and explores what it means to live in a “racially” integrated society – although Terra appears to be classist, certainly in the facility we see different species interacting with respect, awareness of and appreciation of each other’s differences in a way that is quite inspiring.
