You know when you’re browsing BookOutlet and find a book the piques your interest that you’ve literally heard nothing about, but you say screw it and buy it anyway? Yeah, that’s basically how I came to pick up Artemis Awakening (Artemis Awakening, #1) by Jane Lindskold.
Artemis is a pleasure planet created by a technologically advanced human empire that provided its richest citizens with a veritable Eden to play in. All tech was concealed and the animals (and the humans brought to live there) were bioengineered to help the guests enjoy their stay…
But the Empire was shattered in a horrific war; centuries later humanity has lost much of the advanced technology, and Artemis is a fable told to children. Until young archeologist Griffin Dane finds intriguing hints that send him on a quest to find the lost world.
After crashing his ship, he encounters Adara the Huntress and her psych-linked companion, the puma Sand Shadow. Their journey with her will lead Dane to discover the planet’s secrets…and perhaps provide a key to give unimagined power back to mankind.
The Good
- Engaging Story – I think plot line of this story was really fun. Most science fiction novels can get very heavy into the spaceships, battles, and aliens. However, Lindskold takes this story down a different path by focusing it more as an action-adventure. I actually would say it has more of a Tomb Raider or Indiana Jones type vibe. And this is more based on what the plot entails, rather than just one of the main characters being an archaeologist. You know, just to clarify. 😉
- Strong Female MC – I really enjoyed Adara. I thought she was strong and independent, even considered stronger than the other two male characters. You can definitely tell that she doesn’t need anyone to help her, she just does what needs to be done. I love that Lindskold didn’t just make her some damsel in distress, who is strong but makes dumb decisions. Adara is clever and is able to make plans that are smart and well prepared. Y’all know it would be extremely annoying if she was constantly making stupid decisions like most heroines are prone to do.
- Puma Humor – Sand Shadow is an animal who can’t even talk, and yet she has more personality than most human characters I’ve read about. I just need more puma!
- World Building – I think the author did a great job on the world-building. Artemis was well-fleshed out, including its history and creation. I had no trouble visualizing it as fantasy world-like setting. This was a planet created for an almost primitive living experience, and you are definitely able to get that feeling.
The Bad
- Same Ol’, Same Ol’ – While the story is engaging and entertaining, the overall plot points are quite typical to any adventure story. Once or twice during “big plot twists”, I just found that I wasn’t surprised or impressed. These twists are actually common plot points in many novels or movies, which is quite disappointing. There was really only time that I found myself thinking, now this is actually interesting.
- Romantic Side Plot – I’m usually all for having a little romance going on in my novels. However, it just seemed so forced in this story! I mean, the characters conflicting feelings is continuously thrown in your face at least once a chapter. And the best part about it? NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENS. It’s such a useless and unneeded side note, that I am racking my brain trying to figure out why it was even included. It’s almost like the editor thought, needs more love triangle!… No, no it doesn’t.
Overall, this was a decent read. It wasn’t anything special or groundbreaking, but I was engaged in the story and found it fairly entertaining. This is also the first book in a series, so it quite possibly could go in a completely different direction in the next book. I was able to snag the sequel from BookOutlet, so I do plan to continue on with the series. The ending gave me hope that things will really get interesting in Artemis Invaded. Fingers crossed!
Overall Verdict: 3/5 Stars
Do you ever read books where you find yourself thinking that you’ve already read the story before? Are you still able to enjoy the book? Have you read Artemis Awakening? If so, what did you think of it?
Wonderfilled Reads 