About ‘Mara’s Awakening (Mara Files book 1)’ by Leo Flynn:
Genre: Science Fiction; Young Adult; Space Opera; Female Lead
As the leader of the Star Corps, the galaxy’s elite peacekeeping force, Mara Keres was respected throughout the stars. But now, betrayed by her oldest friend, Kottura, she finds herself rotting in a prison cell, surrounded by the criminals she put away.
When all seems lost, her new cellmates offer her a chance at escape. She’ll take anything she can get her hands on, but is it a trap? Before she can make her move, Kottura reveals her long-held plans. The galaxy is in shambles, and it needs a new leader.
Kottura is convinced the crown belongs to her. And Mara is the key to making it happen.
With the galaxy on the brink of destruction, will Mara be the key to saving it or causing its downfall? Buy now and find out!
NOTE: This is the second edition of the ‘Mara Files.’ I have previously reviewed the first edition.
I was thrilled to see this review request in my email! Over a year ago, I left feedback on Leo Flynn’s ‘Mara Files’ books. It was a great story, but the delivery fell flat. Apparently I was not the only one to offer writing advice and the author has now released rewritten versions of the books. I’m so happy to announce that it’s a huge improvement! Leo really took the criticism to heart and put a lot of work into perfecting his skill and it shows. It’s that kind of receptive mindset and dedication that is going to lead him to success in his life.
The story begins with a flashback in nightmare form; it’s the day Mara lost her limbs and subsequently gained cybernetic replacements. Currently, she is imprisoned for a yet to be defined act of treason she swears she is innocent of. It’s been six years of solitary confinement when all of a sudden, she is removed from protective custody and placed in general population. There she meets Ishali, an Anguin whose people place Mara as a hero, and Mallory, a teen member of a notorious pirate group known as The Blood Syndicate.
As the three hatch a plan of escape, the reader really gets to know Mara on levels anyone meeting her would not see. True, she is as inwardly grumpy as she is outwardly, with a short temper and a blossoming urge for revenge, but what most don’t see is the long road that has dragged her down into this resentful, angry person. Once a proud warrior who put herself in danger for the good of others, she has now been betrayed by those she held most dear, rejected by the societies she fought for, deemed a villain, and left to rot alone in a horrendously kept prison. How else would you act after so many years of this treatment?
The way the author brought up different pieces of Mara’s past alongside her prison experience was wonderful. We got to see both the aftermath of her life’s journey to this point as well as tastes of the woman she once was, the one she wishes she could still be. We see her depression at how things have not changed significantly better as she once rallied for, her anger at the corrupt systems and individuals who threw her under the bus for their own gains, and those tiny, barely even there sparks of hope that still manage to burst through despite her current state of affairs.
I particularly appreciated the author’s inclusion of real-life issues regarding inmates and prisons. He pointed out many problems this system faces- in more than one country- through the inhumane way Mara is treated in addition to her internal commentary on its flaws. The need to refine the system does not stem solely from the fact Mara is wrongly imprisoned, just as others might be, but simply how it is meant to rehabilitate just as much as it is meant to keep people safe rather than use perpetrators as outlets for public hatred.
Granted I assumed the twists and ending of the story would be the same as before, for you who have not read it: this part is one of the best aspects of the story. Having prior knowledge myself, I can also say that the rewrite made the twist ending much more satisfying.
You can buy the ebook on Amazon!
You can buy both ‘Mara Files’ books in one on Amazon!
You can find the author on:
Amazon
Goodreads
Author Website
((Review submitted to Amazon and Goodreads))
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~Sahreth ‘Baphy’ Bowden
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