REVIEW: EXILED

Author: RaShelle Workman
Series: Yes #1
Publisher: Polished Pen Press
Release date: October 2011
Genre: YA scifi

On the planet of Kelari, Princess Venus is set to leave on her journey to become immortal. But someone sends her to Earth and accuses her of blasphemy, punishable by death. The only way Venus can redeem herself in the eyes of the gods is completing a new mission for them. She must make young Michael find his true love. But her body can only survive on earth for seven days and her time is running out.

I liked the concepts in Exiled, like the bed that knows when you're ill, but most particularly Venus' cool boots. Their super strength is balanced by the symbols in the heels which show the wearer's personal weaknesses, sort of like a real-life Achilles heel! They show that no matter who you are, god or not, everyone can strive to be better.

It did start to feel though like more and more ideas were being thrown into the pot including mind reading abilities on earth, and it felt a little mish-mash. I haven't yet decided whether it was an overwhelming jumble or very wide world building. If you're going to accept that aliens and other plants exist, then why not accept selective mind reading and gods arising from the ashes in super-boots? Perhaps it is down to each reader to decide.

I felt sorry for Venus because she was stuck in a love triangle with the dependable and protective Zaren and the vulnerable Michael. Both of them are good, kind and caring people. I wanted her to like Zaren who was willing to stand by her no matter what, but chemical attraction doesn't work like that. As Venus is not used to human emotions, she struggled to understand her own and other people's feelings, making the concept of love seem strange and making her naive to how others felt about her.

The story did leave me wanting on several fronts. Being a fan of standalone books or series books that you can read without feeling obliged to finish the series, it left quite a few questions in the air. There was also some inconsistencies in the plot: Venus would be dying then spritely, then dying again then spritely. With a little more work, Exiled could have been a great read. Let's hope that Beguiled doesn't suffer from the same issues.

Exiled is a light and easy read that will have you wondering ' do aliens really do exist, and if they do can I have a pair of those boots please'?!

Rating: 3*