The Unquiet

Gr 9 Up—There have always been two Earths with identical versions of every city, place, and person. However, people from the second Earth are beginning to disappear. Out of fear and paranoia, the two Earths agree to shut themselves off from each other, ostensibly to regroup and find a mutual solution. But the second Earth has already taken steps to ensure its survival. During this self-imposed Silence, it begins replacing versions of people from Earth One with sleeper-assassins meant to take the place of their doubles and await the coming war. Fourteen-year-old Lira is one of them. She has trained since she was six to become the Lira of Earth One and live with her grandparents and younger sister, carrying out clandestine missions and assignments until the time comes for her to strike. She is cold, ruthless, and determined to be the perfect soldier. This debut novel's pacing is uneven. Too much time is spent setting up characters and motivations without significant forward movement in the plot. The denouement feels like an extended epilogue. An intriguing premise and the well-developed protagonists are this novel's strengths, though Lira doesn't take an active part in the events around her. She seems content to constantly wait, and the pacing suffers for it. Also, the many repetitive scenes add nothing new to drive the story forward. This title will find its audience, but the lack of balanced structure and action makes it less gripping than most sci-fi works.