"Hope's Daughter" by Melanie Cusick-Jones

Hope's Daughter
by Melanie Cusick-Jones
320 pages (e-book)


Short Version: Cassie and Balik begin to question life on the space station. When they go looking for answers, their world begins to unravel.


Why I Read It: I won this ebook in a giveaway. The summery intrigued me and I love the cover.


The Book: (From Goodreads)
Life should be simple for Cassie. 

For the small population of Earth survivors who live on the Space Station Hope everything they do is planned and scheduled, down to the cyclical food menus, their roles in the station, even how many children they have.

Despite rigid controls directing her life, Cassie feels more out of synch than ever and worries she won’t find a place for herself within the station community. Perhaps that’s because she’s hearing things inside her head that can’t possibly be real. Or maybe it’s the regular elopements of her peers, heading off to a romantic future in the Married Quarter of the space station, whilst she’s never even been attracted to a boy – no matter how hard her best friend Ami pushes them at her. Then there are the odd questions her work placement partner Balik keeps raising. His questions are just as troubling for her as his distracting smiles and eyes that seem to see inside her.

As Cassie draws closer to Balik she finds that everything else in her life begins to shift. He tells her things that call into question the system they live within. She can't believe he is right, but at the same time she finds it hard to deny the sincerity of his ideas. Could there be a connection between Cassie’s problems and Balik’s questions? The truth will drag them both to a terrifying and deadly conclusion beyond anything they could have imagined.


My Thoughts: This book was amazing! Any time I picked it up to read, I was immediately pulled into the story and couldn't let go. One of the best things about it was how I was able to relate to the character's emotions and feel what they were feeling. I was happy, anxious, nervous, angry, just like Cassie and Balik. Speaking of Cassie and Balik, I loved them! In the beginning Cassie seemed a little quirky the way she had conversations with her conscious. Some of those conversations made me laugh out loud. Of course the voices she was hearing was not helping her out either. And then there is Balik- handsome, smart, caring Balik. I really enjoyed getting to know him with Cassie. He opened up to her and no one else. This helped build a great relationship between them. It wasn't too rushed or too slow. Balik likes to ask questions and challenge the station's ideas and systems. His curiosity is very appealing. And of course that is what gets the two of them mixed up in things they are not supposed to know. I don't think I am going to go into this much for fear of spoiling an amazing book you should all read. I will say the answers to their questions about life on the space station was not what I was expecting at all! I was surprised by each new event and I love that. It is so much more enjoyable if I cannot guess what is going to happen next. The ending to Hope's Daughter had enough closure to end the story but left some opening for a sequel. The next book in the series is Rainbow Maker's Tale and I cannot wait to get my hands on it to read!


5/5 Stars (You should all read this book!)

#9 in the 2012 Ebook Challenge
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