Ghosts of Mars – The Adventures of Eva Knight | By Stuart White | Illustrated by Jennifer Jamieson

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My thoughts

Narrative and Plot

Ghosts of Mars is all about Eva Knight, the firstborn Martian who hates that title. The story told from her perspective shows her desperation, frustration and the coming of age in this roller coaster rover ride.

The plot is quite strong and we immediately get to see what Eva’s story arc might be right from the beginning. However, it takes unexpected twists and turns at the end, all while keeping Eva’s character arc in mind.

Characters and Conflicts

Eva, Hercus, Quasar and Jay are all the central characters in the story. And then there is Thunderchild, who stole the show. Eva gave me a Matilda vibe with her penchant to get into trouble and bring down detentions upon her. Eva is stubborn, has a problem with authority, and feels trapped within the system. To top it all off, she is type 1 diabetic.

This is one of the few books where a teen with limited vision does something reckless and fails repeatedly. Most of the stories have adults who are clueless. And for that reason, I appreciate Darshi’s character even though I wish there was a glimpse of an arc for her too.

Eva, who feels sorry for herself and always feared to let anyone near, finally learns to let go and let people in at the same time. The journey to get there is quite adventurous. However, there are a few instances where the repeated coincidences just took me out of the world and reminded me that this is fiction.

Other than that, this is a fun ride.

Conclusion

Ghosts of Mars, delivers exactly what it promises. It is all about Eva’s adventures and hopefully there is more to come. If you think you would enjoy a futuristic Martian coming of age story, give this a go.  

About the Author

Disclaimer :I received a copy of the book from TheWriteReads in exchange for an honest review. 
 This review is published in association with TheWriteReads blog tour for the BBNYA finalist 2023.