Book Review: Passage by Indie Gantz

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Title: Passage
Series: The Akasha Series #1
Author: Indie Gantz
Publication Date: March 2018
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult

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Purchase Links:
Barnes & Noble // Amazon // Indiebound

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Passage
The Akasha Series #1
Indie Gantz
Cromulent Press, March 2018
ISBN
Trade Paperback

From the author—

On day one, Charlie Damuzi and her mute twin brother Tirigan are blissfully unaware of the dangerous world they live in. They may be aliens living on Earth after the extinction of humans, but to Charlie, life is pretty mundane.

On day two, the Damuzi family is ripped apart by a family secret that forces the twins to flee the only home they’ve ever known.

Determined to find a way to reunite their family, Charlie and Tirigan travel to uncharted territory in search of their salvation.

But that’s just Charlie’s side of the story.

In the future, forty days from when we first meet the Damuzi twins, Tirigan is on the move. His destination is unknown, as are the people he’s surrounded himself with, but his mission is still the same. Keep his sister safe and reunite their family.

However, as Tirigan attempts to navigate the complex bonds he’s formed with his companions, he’s forced to confront the one thing in life he has yet to fully understand.

Himself.

Family. Deception. Power. Destruction.

It all begins on day one.

There are elements in this story that set it apart from many other science fiction tales, not least of which is the premise that Earth is now populated by aliens, long after humans as we know them have gone extinct. That alone gives the reader the promise that the two principals, Charlie and Tirigan, are going to be very different beings than what we’re accustomed to and so they are but…they’re also quite familiar. This brother and sister are really appealing and it’s very easy to forget that they are, indeed, aliens.

These fraternal twins have the bond that we see between twins now but they take it further. Tirigan is essentially mute but that doesn’t hurt his connection to Charlie because they can communicate telepathically. The two live a comfortable existence until everything is suddenly turned topsyturvy and they are forced to leave it all behind.

Another compelling facet of this book is the author’s use of flash forwards, told by Tirigan. That can often be confusing and disruptive but Ms. Gantz handles it well and the future episodes allowed me to feel an even stronger rapport with Tirigan. In fact, they helped to round out the worldbuilding that is so critical to any science fiction story.

On the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed Passage and, while much of the book is taken up by the setup and worldbuilding, I was still engaged by Charlie’s and Tirigan’s adventures and I’m anticipating even better things to come next year in the second book, Kindred.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, September 2018.

About the Author

Indie Gantz grew up in Northern Virginia and received her Psychology degree at George Mason University. Despite her passion and curiosity for the human mind, Indie left her chosen field of study to finally give voice to the many imagined minds she has created.

Indie lives with her family in North Carolina. She spends her days drinking tea and clacking keys.

Author Links:

Website // Goodreads // Twitter // Facebook

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