Hesper the Alula and her best friend Tristan are involved in exciting times on Hesper's planet, known as the Alula Plane. The Alula's and Mentaurs are at odds with one another and each group is trying to prevent an alien race from invading the planet.

Hesper and Tristan are forced to part when Hesper is sent to the human plane to save the parallel planes of existence from destruction. She assumes the life of a high school girl with no memory of her previous life. Tristan manages, at great risk to himself, to reach the human plane and convince Hesper to return home in an effort to discover the real solution to the planes' troubles.

This easy-to-read book provides an interesting commentary on human interactions, albeit a very shallow look at that society. While the idea behind the societal critique is a good one, it barely grazes the surface and issues were never thoroughly explored -- although author Deanna Miller did incorporate a lot of them. I personally would have preferred that she tackle a few rather than try to introduce me, as the reader, to a wide variety of issues.

The main characters were decently developed, although I was disappointed that some of the supporting characters were left somewhat flat. For instance, Miller introduces the readers to a character named Aeon, who is obviously the key to understanding the point that Miller is trying to make. However, she only devotes approximately 1.5 chapters to him in a book where the chapters are particularly short. So, in that manner, her character development left something to be desired.

The book is a quick and entertaining read; however, the reader should not expect to get much of a message from it.

- Rambles
written by Melissa Kowalewski
published 5 July 2003

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