Goddess in the Machine

Gr 7 Up–Cryogenically asleep for 1,000 years, Andra wakes up, drowning. Everyone she knew is dead. Inhabitants of the new world think she is a goddess. Andra plays their game in order to learn what happened and to get back to Earth. Zhade is the exiled, illegitimate prince of Eerensed and he has other plans. He wants to help Andra and take the throne for himself. Zhade’s brother, the vicious monarch, will do anything to stop him. Can Andra and Zhade both get what they want? And what happened to cause Andra to sleep so long? Narrator Kim Mai Guest masterfully brings to life the characters and makes them easily distinguishable. Her pace and intonation fit well with the sci-fi mystery. The plot is well-developed and engaging, and leaves the listener guessing what is really going on. Read alikes include Marissa Meyer’s Cinder, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff’s Aurora Rising, and Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen.