Tag Archives: Sleepy Cat Press

Book Review: Canopy by D.M. Darroch @YABoundToursPR

by

0

 

Canopy Book Tour! 
Feb. 1-5
Canopy
The Silvanus Saga Book One
by: D.M. Darroch
Sleepy Cat Press, January 2021
Genre: YA, Post-Apocalyptic,
Dystopian, Science Fiction
 
************
 

See the girl in the trees. Catch her if you can.

 

Several centuries ago, a group of ecologists escaped the breakdown of a society ravaged by climate change by vanishing into giant, genetically engineered forests in the North American west. Dwelling among vast canopies that hover several thousand feet above the earth, their descendants fear the cannibals roaming far beneath them and cling to the teachings of their sacred text, The Book of Silvanus. 

 

Sixteen year-old Ostrya considers it a burden to train as the canopy’s next doctor. But her life’s work has been preordained—and she’s desperate to reclaim her mother’s love. When a cataclysmic storm wracks the canopy, Ostrya begins to face her doubts about the teachings of the book and the laws of the canopy. If she is to survive, she will have to decide if her destiny is in the treetops or on the forest floor…

Although Canopy is billed as dystopian, it’s also post-apocalyptic and the combination is one  of my favorite kinds  of science fiction. With both, the most crucial element is worldbuilding; it not only should be complex and thorough enough so the reader really understands this very different way of life but also entertaining enough to make the reader want to learn more. In my opinion, Ms. Darroch has let her imagination run and created one of the best settings I’ve read.
*
The author’s opening paragraph—having to do with spiders, of all things—let me know right away that I was in for an intriguing journey and, with each page, I was drawn in further. Imagine a world in which you never touch the ground, shoes are outlawed and genetic engineering has caused trees to become gigantic beings with the resulting increased oxygen production leading to the growth of lesser creatures that are six times the size of the same creatures generations earlier, before the devastating climate and health changes confronting humanity.
*
Of course, all is not perfect for the tree dwellers and there are people still living on the ground with all its challenges The teen-aged Ostrya, pre-ordained to become a doctor because it’s expected of her, is restless and insecure about her future, wanting to know about the world below…and so begins a most interesting and fascinating tale, one I raced through but didn’t really want to finish. This will go on my list of best books read in 2021 and Book 2 can’t come fast enough 😉
*
Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, February 2021.
************

Buy Links: 

B & N // Amazon // Apple Books 

Rakuten/Kobo // Angus & Robertson // Thalia

bol.de // Indigo // Mondadori // Indiebound 

************

Canopy Book Tour Giveaway Contest!

Giveaway Prizes: 

Grand Prize: Hammock! (US and Canada)

First Prize: $30 Amazon Gift Card! (International)

Second Prize: Hand-signed copy of paperback (US and
Canada) 

Third Prize: Ebook (International) 

To enter, please visit: 

Rafflecopter

 
(Giveaway runs Feb 1-19, 2021) 

************

************

Author Bio:

D.M. Darroch is the author of the Inventor-in-Training series as well as other speculative fiction stories. Her books weave together nature and science with adventure and often a touch of humor. Danelle lives in Washington State, USA and enjoys long walks in the forest. Her website is: https://www.dmdarroch.com.

Website  // Goodreads // Amazon Author Page

************

Follow the tour here.

************

Tour created by YA Bound Book ToursÂ