Part One of the Emiliana ChroniclesEmily discovers the truth of her existence when her adoptive parents reveal the details as to why she was placed on a remote planet to grow up away from her own kind.Her planet was threatened by hostile invaders before she was born. At her birth, ancient powers and prophecies were predicted in her future. Being the child of gifted parents, will she rise to meet … will she rise to meet her destiny?
Join Emily as she discovers her true strengths and gathers a team of friends and specialists supported by Cedrick, the most advanced Artificial Intelligence unit known in the galaxy. They form a formidable team ready to seek vengeance and justice for the wrongs that her home planet and those of her friends have suffered.
This is the first in a multi-book series. I hope you enjoy the adventure and stick around as we find out what the universe has in store for Emily and her team.
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Jacki has built an amazing new world with interesting species to habitat it. The plot itself is amazingly thought out and interesting, it’s Harry Potter meets Guardians of the Galaxy with some of Jacki’s personal seasoning.
The book was a bit dialog heavy in places I wanted the plot to speak to itself, but all in all I have to say I am waiting for the next chapter in Emiliana’s journey
Big ideas, but lacking in focus
“Emergence” is an imaginative take on the space opera genre, spanning many decades and planets.
Pros:
I quite enjoyed the framework of the story, and the larger cogs spinning in the Universe of “Emergence.” The interplanetary politics were quite fascinating, and I loved the subplot of the Kara’kuan scientists experimenting on people.
I also really liked the worldbuilding, and all the thought that went into Emily’s homeworld, the alien species, the super AI, and all the cool bits of tech that firmly cement this story in the sci-fi genre.
Additionally, there are quite a few short scenes between minor characters that are very humanising, and show a depth of storytelling that I wish were more present throughout the story.
Cons:
I enjoyed every other storyline more than Emily’s, which is a little troubling, as she is a main character. The opening was great, and really hooked me, but we didn’t get to see the return of that Emily until the very end – the rest of the time the story tells us that she is cool, but never really shows it, and doesn’t ever put her in real danger, any obstacles she comes across resolving themselves almost instantly, which takes the tension out of the narrative. On a related note, the characters Xi and Serthal have really interesting story arcs that fizzle out and go nowhere as soon as they join Emily’s plot line, which is a bit disappointing.
There’s also a pacing issue with the novel. Again, the other plots have well written rises and falls, but Emily’s story hits what I would consider to be the climax of her story about 60% through “Emergence” and then doesn’t get any bigger in scope, making the last bit of the novel drag on.
Overall, I enjoyed the sci-fi aspects of “Emergence” quite a lot, and the prose told the story in a clear, understandable manner despite the incredibly large cast and range of settings, but in the end, the narrative itself was lacking in clear goals for the main character, muddying what could be an otherwise captivating start to an epic saga.
2.5 stars
I don’t normally read sci-fi but enjoyed this book. The tale was told clearly, taking the reader along several storylines and timelines. Characters were well described and the world building was very detailed. My only issue was structural, with some sentences that ran on with commas instead of being separated by periods. Overall a creative, interesting read.
Emergence is an action packed sci-fi space opera full of adventure with interesting and complex characters/species. The author is descriptive in her dialogue, and she is vivid in her descriptions of the different planets and characters throughout. I really enjoyed reading about the main character, Emily’s, supernatural gifts and abilities. I found this character relatable, and I felt like I was cheering her on throughout the story. The story vacillates between different planets and timeframes which keeps the reader interested in the storyline from beginning to the end. This book will keep you guessing as the forces of good and evil go back and forth in an epic battle between the planets. I really enjoyed the different point of views in which the story is told. I felt like I had an insider’s view of the characters thoughts and motives and how they relate to each other. This book is a great read, and if you’re looking for a super cool sci-fi adventure book, this book is for you!
Emergence is the first sci-fi book I have ever read. I didn’t know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised by this book.
Emiliana (Emily), is the daughter of two powerful beings from far away, and heir to a legend. She is our protagonist who leads us on this adventurous journey. When she finds out who she is and the responsibilities due to her, she accepts her fate. It was wonderful reading about her past, how she built new relationships, and how she coped with the dangers her life.
The were many elements to this story, aliens, different planets and lots of technology. But also great emotion. Some humorous moments had me chuckling and there there would be these awfully heartbreaking scenes. There was a never a dull moment.
So, overall, it was a great book but does end on a cliffhanger.
Although this book has a solid premise and presents a good plot, I found the worldbuilding lacked depth. There were too many cultures and characters which made most of the description very superficial and I struggled to get a feel for any of them. The characterisation was better, but there are so many characters it was hard to remember who’s who. The style isn’t for me. It took me very long to read becauseI didn’t get into the flow, something jarred me.
Rawlinson is heavily influenced by contemporary feminism and she weaves in issues into this novel pertaining to gender relations in our own world.