Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Songs of Thalassa
Author: Brian N. Tissot
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Hawaiian main character, but not ownvoice
Publication Date: April 1, 2020
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 15+ (parental death, self-discovery, slight violence and gore)
Publisher: BookBaby
Pages: 320
Amazon Link
Synopsis: In a future where sporting competitions take place on distant planets, a Hawaiian surfer seeks to reclaim her fame and followers while defeating her nemesis once and for all.After a surfing accident claims her career and nearly takes her life, surfer Sage Thompson is at a crossroads. Still mourning her astronaut father’s death on a mission to ocean planet Thalassa, a tragedy she might be able to put behind her with the help of her fans—if they still believed in her—she’s not sure what to do, where to go, or how to move on. But when Milo challenges her to a contest on the ocean planet Thalassa, the asteroid- and tsunami-ravaged world that stole her father, she’ll discover that she not only still has what it takes to win, but once she hears the songs of Thalassa, winning might not be the most important thing.Songs of Thalassa will appeal to fans of Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Martian, and Contact, and features a young woman on a journey of self-discovery struggling to develop a sense of place and connections between herself, her culture, and the universe on a virgin ocean planet.
Review: For the most part I enjoyed the book. I felt it was a well researched and intelligent book. The book is full of information about environmentalism and oceanography. The book is well written and the characters are well developed. I loved the world building as well and I loved how the author envisioned the future!
However, I did feel like the book was a bit too slow for me. The book was good, but very slow and I felt like it just dragged for about 40% of the novel.
Verdict: A great novel, highly recommend if you are looking for a book that touches on environmentalism.