Dhriti Aiylam (Dorito)

I really enjoyed this book, because so many aspects were unique and unlike anything typically seen in the science fiction/fantasy genre. The entire premise itself falls into that category: the idea that the squila on Planet Zero have a human counterpart on Earth, and that corruption of the squila leads to the death of the human. But this premise was more than just novel: it served as a great way to bridge both worlds featured in the story— Earth, and Planet Zero— as well as allow for some really interesting worldbuilding on Planet Zero. And that was what made this story so interesting— the fact that it took place both on Earth and in a fictional world. In many fantasy novels, sometimes it’s personally hard for me to relate to the main characters, because they often start and end in the same fictional world, a world where it can be difficult to envision myself in. However, before Sapphire was pulled into Planet Zero, she was a regular 16-year-old girl living a normal life, a life that most teens can easily imagine themselves living in. We see the very real relationships that Sapphire has with her parents and friends, and all of the ups and downs that come with those relationships. This is what made the story so relatable, and as a result so much more engaging. We can understand Sapphire’s shock when Toby tells her that she’s the Chosen One, and that she’s half squila— wouldn’t any average person react the same way if their cat started talking to them? Speaking of Toby, I just loved the whole idea behind this character. In a lot of YA books, if there’s even any animal companion at all, they usually play a secondary role, and certainly don’t talk. That’s why Toby was so unique. A cat being one of the central members of Sapphire’s team— and not just a central team member, but a guide, too— is certainly something that we don’t encounter too often. But Toby also played other important roles in the story—the flashback of Toby’s life on Planet Zero prior to coming to Earth, as well as his once-close relationship with the novel’s antagonist, Thaddeus, serves to broaden our understanding of the world and of the conflict in an integral yet really special way, an effect which would have been very difficult to achieve had Toby not been there. The third member of Sapphire’s team was also an interesting choice— Luke, her ex-boyfriend. The fact that Luke was pulled into the narrative as well made for a really interesting dynamic between the two characters, because although many of their interactions were them trying to deal with the lingering awkwardness from their breakup (especially since a third character, Dylan, was introduced into the love triangle), the two still had feelings for each other. Upon arriving to Planet Zero, Sapphire and her team face a variety of challenges of all sorts. The challenges, once again, were very creatively thought out, and really helped to develop the world of Planet Zero— yet this worldbuilding left enough ambiguity for the reader to use their imagination too, which allowed them to immerse themselves in the book in a completely different way. Watching Sapphire and her friends go through these external challenges, and also being able to simultaneously see the internal ones— Sapphire’s inner conflict and insecurities about her identity, and her changing relationships with those around her— help readers view the story from multiple facets and make the reading experience so much more interesting. Being a freshman in college, I’m still trying to navigate my way around campus and adjust to the change, and as a result, I don’t get much time to read. Sapphire and Planet Zero was the perfect book to bring with me for the beginning of my first semester, as it was a reasonably short read, and lots of fun. I would definitely recommend it, and I can’t wait for the sequel and to see what else Christina will be writing!