I finished this book in one day, it was so good! Ms. Sarmiento has written a fine YA/SciFi book. The first few pages put me in mind of the old Ender’s Game, which was a big hit movie. Unfortunately, I disliked Enders. Darkness in A Sky Of Embers is way better! The protagonist (Engineer Madeline Yazzie) is a young fifteen-year-old soldier. She is enlisted in something similar to our Space Force. The story is set in the far future and there has been a terrible alien invasion. I don’t want to give away a lot about the aliens, but there are four other types of creatures that come and go in the story. Madeline has other soldiers who are in battles with her named Goodway and Rostein. They are secondary characters but play important roles. Ms. Sarmiento must have more than a passing knowledge of our US military because she weaves in bits about “marriage and military don’t mix”, military awards for battle actions, respect of rank and insignias, even active duty service members who take out military allotments to aid their family members.
sweethmalabama 