Wandering Star

October 1, 2015
While threats still loom after Zodiac (2014), vilified Rho must pick up the pieces. On a Cancrian colony on the surface of the Capricorns' planet, Rho is haunted by both the deaths she's seen and the ones she feels responsible for, as well as dealing with the dramatic reversal of public opinion toward her. She also learns the reason why the armada fell apart: sabotage by Risers, those born in one House who shift to another. Furthermore, the Riser population is rising. The Risers]mentioned in the first book]become a major plot point here, leading to thought-provoking dilemmas about how to handle violence coming from oppressed minorities. Rho]still flawed and nuanced, a delightfully conflicted reluctant leader]struggles to find her voice again after having been so thoroughly shut down. Making it difficult is what she has to report: nemesis Ophiuchus reaches out to her with a terrible warning, as well as an offer, and Rho doesn't know if she should trust him. She doesn't have much time to decide; terrorist group Marad is ramping up the violence and the brutality. While this story unfolds, Rho pieces her way through the Trinary Axis chapter of Zodiac history that was hinted at as terrible in the first installment, finding parallels that help shape her character development. After twists, action, and heartbreak, the ending sets up the next in the series. A thematically powerful ride. (Science fiction. 14 & up)

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January 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-This series takes place in a fantastical future world in which Earth was long ago destroyed and the human descendants moved to a galaxy that consists of 12 worlds based around the 12 signs of the Zodiac. The first volume found 16-year-old Rho being named the new Guardian of her House (Cancer) as numerous houses began experiencing harmful weather-related natural disasters. Rho believed it was all part of a revenge plot from Ophiuchus, the exiled Guardian of the fabled 13th House. The second novel follows Rho's new adjustment to life post-Guardian on the House of Capricorn. (Needless to say she made some disastrous decisions that have led to her exile.) Her peace is interrupted when a new terrorist group, the Marad, begin to threaten the Zodiac Houses, and Rho is approached to help stop them. Will Rho be able to get the citizens of the Zodiac to trust her once again despite her tarnished reputation as a failed Guardian? Give this to teens looking for an interesting futuristic world that incorporates an astrology twist into the mix.

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