Cities of Smoke and Starlight (Gate Chronicles) by Alli Earnest

Young Llama Thoughts
  • Adventurous
  • Christian Friendly
  • Easy Reading
  • Humerous
  • Youth Appropriate
Overall
3.7 Llamas

Review

So I have been eyeing this book for about a year now, but I never made the leap to get it. Till last week! (And let me tell you the cover is even prettier in person!) Even though the book has violence, war and blood in it, I still absolutely adore it!!!!!

This novel is about a world of First Earth settlers who found themselves lost on a planet with no way home. After re-establishing the human race, they discovered their technology didn’t work anyone. Flash forward quite a few years, their world is now crumbling and on the brink of war. The only way to save it is to make a treaty with the people across the land who have the precious metal that could end the war. Yalvara is ready to crumble to nothing, so a team of misfits set out to save the day. But pilot Kase despises Hallie Walker, the only one who could possibly build a bridge between the worlds. So get ready for a crazy ride of war, romance, adventure, mystery, magic and action…

This book was a masterpiece! I could not put it down; had to force myself to sleep through the night instead of finishing it! This novel has a fascinating world of steampunk and sci-fi that I love! The romance is soooo sweet and humorous with lots of bantering and cute moments. The adventure is amazing and soooo interesting you feel like your on the ship with the crew! It really is a different world that teens 15 and up would LOVE!

Now, there is violence in the book. (Slightly darker than Star Wars violence) People get shot, hurt, stabbed. Mention of guns, cannons, swords and such. Lots of mention of blood. Someones hand gets shot and the fingers are kind-of hanging on… (It was really gross, as someone who doesn’t do any blood, I was freaking out a little…) The magic in the series is also different. There are portals that open up, people who use a magical dust to heal. Mention of a power source that can use people as a host. It is NOT demons or voo-doo, but it does have a magic-like feel to it. (Sci-fi that has a fantasy twist usually has a magical feel to it. Sometimes I’m not comfortable with the magic, but this book did a great job with it and I believe it’s totally clean for Christians.)

Overall, I adored this book!!! It’s already on my favorite shelf and I can’t wait for book 2!!!!!!!!! May you all have a Beautiful, Fall Day! -The Young Llama Reader.

Pros

  • An AMAZING novel for sci-fi readers!
  • Romantic, adventurous and funny!!!
  • Such a good series!

Cons

  • A LOT of violence and blood mentioned…
  • Mention of war and sci-fi magic…

Perfect for fans of Dune, Pride & Prejudice, and anyone who believed Rogue One needed a romantic subplot. Two tortured souls. One world on the brink of war.

Kase Shackley is an embittered hover pilot still reeling from the night his sister died in his arms. He’s a screw up in every sense, so when a pilot nearly dies on his watch, he faces serious charges. Seeking to clear his name, he flies a ragtag crew to a lost and dangerous land from which they might never return. If only he didn’t have to work with the infuriating bookshop girl who insulted him with Shakespeare…

Hallie Walker, top scholar at the University, is jaded by the glittering society she’d always dreamed of joining. Raised in the mountains, she fled to the city to forget her painful past. When she loses her bookshop job and the promise of school tuition, she agrees to a top-secret government mission if only for the promised substantial sum upon her return. Now if she could just ignore the ungrateful, arrogant prat of a pilot…

In a world of hoverships and crumbling First Earth artifacts, it’s up to Hallie and Kase to accomplish the impossible: secure an alliance with an elusive, mystical race to help defend against a kingdom with dangerous technology and ancient magic. If they fail, the war will be lost before it even begins.

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