The Moon Dwellers by David Estes
Series: The Dwellers Saga #1
Publisher: Self
Source: Bought
Release Date: June 27, 2012
In a desperate attempt to escape destruction decades earlier, humankind was forced underground, into the depths of the earth, creating a new society called the Tri-Realms.
After her parents and sister are abducted by the Enforcers, seventeen-year-old Adele, a member of the middle-class moon dwellers, is unjustly sentenced to life in prison for her parents' crimes of treason.
Against all odds, Adele must escape from the Pen and find her family, while being hunted by a deranged, killing machine named Rivet, who works for the President. She is helped by two other inmates, Tawni and Cole, each of whom have dark secrets that are better left undiscovered. Other than her friends, the only thing she has going for her is a wicked roundhouse kick and two fists that have been well-trained for combat by her father.
At the other end of the social spectrum is Tristan, the son of the President and a sun dweller. His mother is gone. He hates his father. Backed by only his servant and best friend, Roc, he leaves his lavish lifestyle in the Sun Realm, seeking to make something good out of his troubled life.
When a war breaks out within the Tri-Realms, Tristan is thrust into the middle of a conflict that seems to mysteriously follow Adele as she seeks to find her family and uncover her parents true past.
In their world, someone must die.
I have been wanting to read this book for awhile. I have read some really great reviews on it.
Finally, one of my book groups choose it as a monthly read, so it moved up on my TBR list.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The first few chapters I had a problem getting into the book as it was a bit slow. I realize it was a lot of character and back story building, but those chapters just didn't captivate my attention. But, I took a break, switched books, and when I picked The Moon Dwellers back up I finished in under a day.
The Moon Dwellers is the first in a trilogy. The main character Adele (named after the author's wife) is a middle class citizen in the Moon Realm. Mankind was forced underground generations ago due to a disaster that made the Earth's surface unlivable. The underground world is split into three Realms, called the Tri-Realms, the Sun Realm, the Moon Realm, and the Star Realm. The Star Realm is the poorest and the furthest underground, with their citizens living in shanties and crime is everywhere. The Moon Realm is the middle class realm, but their citizens still struggle to live, as the Sun Realm taxes everything so severely, the citizen can barely afford to live. The Sun Realm is the closest to the surface and holds the rich and elite of the society.
When Adele's family is taken by the Enforcers, the Sun Realm's police, Adele is unjustly thrown in jail, she must break free and locate her family. Along the way she meets two inmates with their own dark secrets.
This book had a nice balance of plot, action, and great characters. I loved that Adele was a total badass who could take down anyone with a roundhouse kick. The only part I had trouble connecting with was the whole love at first sight. While the concept is great for this book, I'm not sure I totally can believe it.
You can tell that the next two books are going to slowly unravel the mysteries and secrets that were presented in this book. I can't wait to read The Star Dwellers.
