5 out of 5 stars
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Kim was labeled a traitor after making love to Shan, which was against the law, and was sent to District 33, a harsh and demeaning neighborhood filled with thugs, thieves, and others. Kim entered a world she was unfamiliar with, unprepared for whatever this new neighborhood had in store for her. Kim was constantly watched by the director, who appeared dissatisfied with her defiance. She meets new people, makes new enemies, and does everything she can to survive. On her first day, she met Mags and Luz, both of whom were eager to take her life. Kim believed that someone in the Artificial Intelligence Center wanted her dead. She needed money to survive. She got a job as a pedicabbie with one of the entrepreneurs, Len. She thinks of Shan and her well-being; after the encounter that got her into this mess, Shan went blank, and they planned to elope together. But Shan was nowhere to be found. Will she ever see Shan again? How will she survive in District 33 without a housebot, all other technologies, and all the comforts of her previous life? Get a copy to find out.
Craig W. Stanfill's novel The Prophecy of Heron was an engrossing read. I was captivated as I read how the author divided the book into three sections. Part one is about her exile, which included a lot of things but, more specifically, how she adjusts to her new life and new home. Shadows, the second part, had to hide for a few days to avoid being killed, and she was guided to the truth by an unseen hand. Third, the Maelstrom, where she was kidnapped by the UCE and forced to undergo gender treatment. This book reminded me of two fantastic movies I'd seen recently: Divergent and The Hunger Games. The plot was captivating and intriguing. I enjoyed reading this book and found many things to like about it. The first was how the author provided very clear and crisp descriptions of everything in this book, which helped to bring the characters to life. I found myself amused by Kim's intelligence and the way she dealt with challenges. She was my favorite character, and her compassion for both humans and AIs was endearing. I admired her for going against all odds to make things right, even if it meant risking her life.
What I didn't like was the use of the pronoun "her" throughout the book, even for a male character. As I read, this was upsetting and perplexing because whenever I came across a supposed male character with a male name being referred to as "her," I had to remind myself that he was a male character. But I appreciate that the author mentioned this at the beginning of the book rather than just dropping it on the reader. Also, I would recommend including a glossary of terms and names because I couldn't find some of the words used in the book in the dictionary while looking up their definitions.
I will still give this book five out of five stars because I greatly enjoyed reading it and was engrossed by the plot and clear descriptions, and because the aforementioned problems were insufficient to deduct a star. However, I suggest additional editing because I found a few mistakes while reading. Additionally, I want to compliment the editor on a job well done. The author's imagination was outstanding.
I would recommend this book to fans of science fiction, romance, and fantasy novels; they will find it fascinating. Because of the mild sexual content, I would recommend it to a more mature audience.
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