Book Review: Reader (Daughter of Time #1) by Erec Stebbins

I have a confession to make. I don't like sci-fi. I don't hate it but I don't like it either. Out of all the book and film genres, science fiction is my least favorite. That is slowly changing though.

I surprised myself by signing up for Sci-Fi November. I remember thinking, this should be fun! After all, I've read a few sci-fi books here and there that I really liked, so I thought, why not? I'm glad I did that because now, I've read more sci-fi books and watched more sci-fi movies. Which was fun, but also mind-boggling.

One of the sci-fi books I've read recently is Reader by Erec Stebbins, which is the first book in the Daughter of Time trilogy. I was actually asked to review the second book, Writer, which came out last April 26. But of course, I had to read book 1 first so I did exactly that.

Ambra Dawn is unlike any seventeen year-old girl. She is special, not because she's beautiful or smart or talented but because of cosmic reasons. She is a 'reader', someone who can see what others cannot. You can think of it as 'third eye' or 'sixth sense' but it's not really like that because she can see through time and space. Her power is a blessing and a curse, for it is because of this gift that she was sold as a slave, deformed as a lab rat, and transported to other worlds serve alien creatures. Her power is the reason she lost everything... but it's also the one thing that can save her and the universe from the super villainous Dram. Ambra Dawn is a great narrator, a compelling one. I could feel her pain, her sorrow, through her words. Yes, she is powerful but she has lost everything and everyone that is important to her. So I couldn't help but feel for her and be  awed at her strength, grace, and resilience. She's probably the most resilient character I've ever come across. While Reader is highly character-driven, its world-building (or universe building?) is just as well done. This book is very imaginative and unique in this sense. It really made me think about the possibility of other worlds. Truth is, this book is so well-written that a lot of times, the line between Ambra's world and mine blurred and I kept thinking, is this still fiction? Reader is a really engrossing read, with parts that just kept me excited and twists and turns that were mind-blowing. My only criticism is that there were parts that felt overwhelming for me because of the info-dump. But other than that, I can truly say that Reader is one of the best sci-fi novels I've read. I can't wait to read Writer, and more of Erec Stebbins' works.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I am a biomedical researcher who writes political and international thrillers, science fiction, narrated storybooks, and more. Erec's Website Find him on Goodreads

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