Author: Kayla Olson
Genre: Science Fiction
Source: HarperTeen
Goodreads
Lindley Hamilton has been the leader of the space station Lusca since every first-generation crew member on board, including her mother, the commander, were killed by a deadly virus.Review by Nara
Lindley always assumed she’d captain the Lusca one day, but she never thought that day would come so soon. And she never thought it would be like this—struggling to survive every day, learning how to keep the Lusca running, figuring out how to communicate with Earth, making sure they don’t run out of food.
When a member of the surviving second generation dies from symptoms that look just like the deadly virus, though, Lindley feels her world shrinking even smaller. The disease was supposed to be over; the second generation was supposed to be immune. But as more people die, Lindley must face the terrifying reality that either the virus has mutated or something worse is happening: one of their own is a killer.
This Splintered Silence is a Lord of the Flies style of novel where a group of teenagers is forced to fend for themslves, except it's set in space and there's a deadly virus spreading throughout the population.
This was my first novel by Olson, and it's certainly not going to be the last. She does a fantastic job of building up the suspense throughout the novel, and showing us the different reactions each member of the core crew have to the crisis of the virus. Main character Lindley is not perfect, and justifiably so- she's a teen who has been left with a massive responsibility she's not ready for just yet.
As on might expect, there's a pretty big twist in the novel, which is built up to nicely. I certainly didn't realise what was going on, although when I thought back to the rest of the novel, there probably was some foreshadowing that I didn't notice.
Overall, an excellent sci-fi mystery/thriller.
Really liked it
RatingsOverall: 7/10
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 2/5
