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DO YOU DREAM OF TERRA-TWO? ~ TEMI OH

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BLURB: A century ago, scientists theorised that a habitable planet existed in a nearby solar system. Today, ten astronauts will leave a dying Earth to find it. Four are decorated veterans of the 20th century’s space-race. And six are teenagers, graduates of the exclusive Dalton Academy, who’ve been in training for this mission for most of their lives.It will take the team twenty-three years to reach Terra-Two. Twenty-three years spent in close quarters. Twenty-three years with no one to rely on but each other. Twenty-three years with no rescue possible, should something go wrong. And something always goes wrong.








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BOOK REVIEW


You will like this if you like:

~ space travel

~ emotional/ mental cost of going on a one way journey

~ character driven plot

~ Sci-fi based on true science

~ Star Trek

~ The Martian (book)

~Intersteller( film)


To Note: Trigger warning: suicide


Genre: YA Sci-Fi

Plot: 4.5 */5

Characters: 5/5

Writing Style: 5/5

Personal Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall Rating: 19.5/20

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Have you seen the movie Interstellar? Me and my friends were discussing it once, and I told them that, that film haunted me for a long time because I was left desperately sad and hollow. You see while they were focusing on  the triumphant ending, I just couldn't get passed the sacrifices the first astronauts made, some gave their lives others their chance to be with loved ones. Could you go on a one way trip to another planet never before seen or occupied? I am not sure I could. It takes the kind of courage I do not think I possess. Do you Dream of Terra-Two essentially sets out to answer this question. It follows gifted kids that were trained from 12/13yrs old to go on a mission to a "new Earth" - Terra-Two. Training starts young as it takes 23yrs to get to it. And it covers all their emotions, insecurities, the strains of gruelling study/ training schedules and thats before they have even been selected. There is just enough true science embedded in the story to make the whole process truly believable.

The entire book played out like a Hollywood film in front of me and it was just such a rollercoaster but though there was some action, most of the time the driving force was the interactions between the characters. I cant believe it was her debut novel. No wonder Simon Schuster picked it up.

I personally am careful with character driven books, because when they're done well, they wring out so many feelings out of me that it leaves me emotionally drained. And this was no exception, all the things the characters felt, I felt, when they were scared, I was scared for them. Their moments of introspection really helped you to understand all they were going through and what their motivations were. It was so well done, I had no choice but to find the characters engaging. Though the book is primarily based in space, the focus is more on the dynamics between the six teenagers and their senior crew members.

It was a stroke of genius to set it in 2012, seamlessly blending known history ( such as the London Olympics) from our time into theirs. This concurrent history ground it in such away that you could believe it is happening now in our own lifetime. Being able to relate this way to the characters made you so much more empathic to their feelings. I even felt anxious for their safety as we fully got to understand how dangerous it really is to be out in space.

What was fascinating to realise was that although this is sci-fi there were a lot of mystical elements in it and I feel the central ideas all revolve around belief and faith. That leap they all had to take into the unknown? Yes the science said they could do it, provided them the tools such as the spaceship and such. But none of that would have mattered if each of these characters didn’t at some point decide to have faith. Faith in themselves, in their destiny, faith that a better world exists, that we can choose not to repeat mistakes, that there is a higher purpose and they are where they’re meant to be.


One more thing worthy of note is the representation in this book, I loved that we had BIPOC representation as well as different faiths depicted in positive light.


I was not expecting to get as emotional as I did with this book, it has burrowed under my skin, and has been haunting me for days now and has left me with a strange disquiet.

I would Highly, highly recommend this book.

*I only marked it down by 0.5 on a purely personal reason, I was hoping for more from the ending.

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