My absolute favorite thing about this book was the entertaining writing style of the author. I loved how the imagery and sentence structure worked together to create a sense of atmosphere and scenery, whether that's the urgency and suspense of Liz being discovered by the Somavians or the warmth of their reaction to her.
Another thing I loved was the kindness of the Somavians. In many science fiction novels, aliens are portrayed as evil or scary. But isn't it just as likely they would be generous and friendly? In Heartsong, the Somavians are exceptionally giving, helping to nurse Liz back to health and provide her with a home. It's more than could be said about humans if an alien suddenly landed on Earth.
This novel also provides interesting parallels to life on Earth. At one point Liz ponders the existence of prejudice against her on Soma, saying, "It was a weird feeling, knowing people out there were prejudiced against me just because of what I was. I had never really been a victim of prejudice back on Earth..." This draws a clear connection between the violence and attitudes perpetrated against Liz on Soma and the experiences of many on Earth. Another parallel is the idea of a cross-cultural connection and both the difficulties and rewards that come with it. The language barrier, discovery of new customs and traditions, novel experiences and much more.
My only criticism is the story starts out a bit slow, but it quickly picked up. Overall, I enjoyed this entertaining tale of adventure and discovery told from the viewpoint of an intelligent, relatable teenager.
Keep reading!
Colleen