After the events that transpired in Seattle, the faculty at Skyship Academy have kept Jesse a prisoner in his own home, fearful of his ability to break Pearls. Cassius has escaped to the Polar Cities of Canada, fleeing the Unified Party — the very organization he’d once counted himself a part of. But when Jesse manages to smuggle onboard the Academy a mysterious red Pearl, he sets forth a destructive chain of events that leads him back to the Fringes and to a reunion with Cassius. It's there that the brothers meet Madame’s newest protégé, a troubled youth with a dangerous secret waiting to be unlocked. But a larger threat looms in the stars. Together, Jesse and Cassius must race against the clock, and those they thought they could trust, to prevent extermination at the hands of their ultimate enemy — an enemy hatched from crimson and ready to strike.
Recommended: OF COURSE, AWESOME STUFF!
About Skyship Academy: Crimson Rising
Recommended Ages: 15 and Up
Netgalley E-book: 190 pgs.
Expected Publication: September 8th 2012 by Flux
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In Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars, we learned that Jesse and Cassius both are Drifters or simply put aliens from out of Earth. Jesse and Cassiu's parents had lived on Haven (Jesse Fisher and Cassius Stevenson's home planet) until their planet became unstable so they had to send their people off their planet, although The Authority who is composed of people who are coming from Haven who happen to be Shifters and are capable of manipulating a rare element called Ridium are trying to bring down the opposition of Green Pearl Drifters who are really part of the Rebellion of Haven. Ridium is a special pure black substance that has properties that allow certain people to shape them into weapons or structures. The Authority are Haven's royalty including the branch of all Shifters but are now enemies to Jesse and Cassius as well as all Drifters since Jesses and Cassiu's parents are members of the rebellion against the monarchy full of Shifters. You see part of the reason, Haven had become unstable was because of the shifters manipulating Ridium in the first place which made Haven very much unhospitable environmentally-wise. Adaylla and Savon (Founders of Haven's resistance) had rebelled against the wishes of The Authority when they didn't want to cooperate in conquering Earth as their planet collapsed. Finally, we learn that Jesse is the Pearl Breaker while Cassius is the one who harnesses the recess energy from Jesse's pearl breaking into fire power. They are Earth's hope to truly stop The Authority from invading Earth.In Crimson Rising, Jesse searches for a way to build an army of Green Pearl Drifters before The Authority reaches Earth although stopping events from unfolding can go both ways. Jesse encouters a Red Pearl for the first time that seems to be a member of the dangerous Authority. Jesse is distracted though occasionally since Avery the girl he really likes had previously been captured. With Avery's return they meet Theo who quickly becomes one of the most dangerous enemies of the brothers. Theo really shows us the dangerous but amazing powers of a Shifter who can control Ridium. Jesse in the end must suffer losses even as he must remain strong for the war that inevitably looms between the Green Pearls Breakers Drifters and Red Pearl Drifters. Nick James's Skyship Academy: Crimson Rising was very entertaining. To be honest here and now while did get immersed in Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars was much slower reading in pace or ocassionally loss any alarming quality that would keep you at the edge of your seat while you took it in.
Now with Crimson Rising the potential that actually knew existed from The Pearl Wars exceeded in expectations in Crimson Rising. Got umbelievably far better. The action, a huge wow, increased to a kick-start by several degrees. A lot of things are moving into the grander scheme of the stale-mate between Green Pearl Drifters and Red Pearl Drifters which is rather good. The action and adventure also increased to any readers who had previously enjoyed Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars (which did, by the way). Given to you the reader as short and sweet: Awesome Science Fiction reading!
Overall: Amazing read!
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian, Steampunk, Young Adult
Read: Review of Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars by Nick James
About the Author
As a kid, Nick was a voracious reader of comic books. Of course, they didn’t sell them anywhere in little Anacortes, so it was a thirty-mile drive “off island” to get them. At that age, it wasn’t even about the pictures. It was one hundred percent the stories. Nick was always attracted to the big drama and dialogue.
He started writing seriously when he entered college. Five “practice” novels later (some weirder than others) and he started querying what was to become Skyship Academy. Then he was lucky enough to find a fantastic publisher in Flux. And next comes the moment when he get to share his debut novel with readers!
