Book Review: Firmament: In His Image

Firmament: In His Image by J. Grace Pennington

Recommended for: Ages 10 and up (interest level)

Rating: PG

It was supposed to be a routine check of a parched planet. That was what Andi expected when she joined the small exploration team, but when their shuttle crash landed, the unthinkable happened—they encountered intelligent life.

Now stranded on the strange world, the team accidentally angers the iron-fisted leader of the village, and the compassionate intervention of a young native named Elasson may be all that's keeping them alive.

Their shuttle seems beyond repair, the oppressive heat is sapping their strength, and the local ruler is determined to execute them. Can Andi help find a way to escape before it's too late?

After listening to the first book in the series, my sisters wanted me to read the second book.

Writing: 4/5

The writing was mostly well done, but it was a little confusing at the beginning  as to where the characters were. I was a little disinterested with it until they landed on a planet. Once they got to the planet, the story was exciting and interesting. It would have been more suspenseful if I hadn't heard spoilers. There were hardly any typos, if any, and the dialogue was well done also.

Setting: 5/5

There are two main settings in this book: the spaceship, the Surveyor, and a desert planet. The ship is not a large part of this story but the main parts of the ship are sickbay and the bridge. The planet is good for sci-fi and is a desert planet with few plants. I thought that the settlement for intelligent life was a good representation of how people would live in that kind of environment.

Plot 5/5

The plot was well thought out and had plenty of mystery. I wasn't very interested with the parts on the spaceship, but it got more exciting and interesting as the book went on. There is time between different events to get to know the characters a little more. There is also some conflict with the main characters which makes the story more interesting.

Characters: 4/5

All the characters are well done and unique but they are not characters that I love or that I am attached to. The main character is Andi Lloyd who is the adoptive daughter of Doctor Lloyd. She is not a perfect person and so makes a good character. One character though, Crash, annoys me, though he became a little more likeable when you find out some about his past and what he is struggling with. Some of the characters are stubborn and hold strongly to their beliefs no matter what other people say. 

This is a good story that I enjoyed and anyone who likes science fiction should read it.