Zoe Evelyn Lionheart – or Eve as she likes to be known – is a skilled roboticist for her age. Living in the capital of the Greater Continent, her whole world is working on robots until rumors of war begin to stir. Little does Eve know that she will be swept up into events that haven’t been seen since the time of myth and legend. Together, with a group of brave and clever friends, Eve must work to end this brutal war and discover the power she has within her. Through these perilous adventures, both robots and humans learn first-hand what it means to have a soul purpose. 

And So Began the War, by Ian Anthony Hollis, is a compelling science fiction novel that creates a fascinating world. The creativity embedded in this story is astonishing. It is highly emotional and the plot is uncovered like an excellent chess game. It also features a young woman in STEM, which is always wonderful to see. However, this epic sci-fi story can be quite dark as it delves into some serious and dangerous situations, but I found them to be absolutely riveting.

Eve goes through so much in this book. I would have loved to have read some of her inner dialog so that I can see the depth of emotion and decision making that she experiences, as well as the rest of the compelling characters. This felt like an epic science fiction adventure, even though this is young adult novel because there is so much going on, the scale is massive and the stakes are high. I enjoyed the characters and would have liked to have understood their motives a bit deeper. The plot has a great pace and is consistently entertaining. I felt that the reader only needs some puzzle pieces more explicitly explored – such as the character Amy and her storyline.

This is a world that readers will love to discover. It is vivid and fascinating and the authors descriptions make it seem like we are only scratching the surface of a much larger backstory. What rung true for me in this thrilling novel were the themes of sacrifice and identity – particularly in the exploration of morality.

Pages: 309 | ASIN: B08FCHJRF9