Don your intergalactic spacesuits, BEYOND by Maureen A. Miller will take you to unknown galaxies and introduce you to some odd beings. This young adult science fiction novel is a fantastic read, and I give it 4 stars.
In the novel, seventeen-year-old Aimee Patterson is accidentally abducted by aliens while out for a walk, and due to the rotation of the galaxies, can't be returned to her planet for five Earth years. While on the Guardian ship Horus, Aimee meets a lot of people--some really handsome, some creepy--and has some interesting experiences. When the ship is affected by a disease, Aimee must work with Warrior Zak to find a cure.
I really liked this novel. For someone who hasn't read much true science fiction, BEYOND is a great introduction into the genre. The technological ideas will blow your mind. I imagined a much more complex plot with schemers and master manipulators, but in the end the plot was straightforward and simple. Whether that added to or detracted from the book, I'm not sure; I enjoyed reading it either way.
I would have liked some more distinction of time on the ship. Understandably, time on the ship is not the same as Earth time, but based on Aimee's routine, it seems like she is only away from Earth for three Earth nights before being returned. The reader only knows of 2 times that Aimee sleeps and one meal; yet Aimee is told that it will be something like an Earth month that she has to remain on the ship before being able to return to Earth, and her body grows into a more adult womanly figure. Time paradoxes aside, the passage of time in the novel was not clearly illustrated, and so it was a tad difficult to get my bearings.
The romance was sweet and a great illustration of the sublime nature of teenage love, but the issue with time makes it difficult for me to determine whether the declarations of love are believable.
On the technical side, the pace was well done, and there weren't any grammatical issues that detracted from my enjoyment of the book.
Overall, this was a great novel, and I look forward to reading the next in the series, telling us what happened to Zak after Aimee is returned to Earth.
**Review originally written for The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=8953.
