review by Kara Eng, age 19

The 13th Continuum by Jennifer Brody

    The 13th Continuum is a dystopian novel where the apocalypse was predicted. It follows the story of Aero and Myra, members of colonies whose main objective is to recolonize the earth. However, it’s been 1,000 years since any of the colonies have seen earth or contacted one another.
    While the theme of the novel isn’t particularly original, it’s executed well. The narration switches between Aero and Myra. Aero is a soldier in a pseudo-Spartan space colony that reviles emotion. Myra lives at the bottom of the ocean in a community that has rejected its past and banned any sort of talk of The Surface or their original mission. The multiple perspectives offer very different takes on this post-apocalyptic world. Each have their own flavor and are well thought out. I would have liked to see more of Aero’s perspective (since it is more Myra themed); but otherwise, Brody knows how to switch point of views in just the right way to keep readers on edge and engaged.
    While Aero and Myra have realistic and distinct narrative voices, most of the background characters seem two-dimensional. We are told that Myra/Aero have a strong relationship with a character, but we don’t really see why. Sometimes supporting characters seem to act mechanically, serving to aid the protagonists in overcoming a certain obstacle, and nothing more.
    The plot itself is a little predictable. This isn’t to say that it isn’t enjoyable, only that it takes away some of the urgency of reading the next chapter. There is a lot of set up for the rest of the series. However, I enjoyed the twists and turns of the novel and plan to read the rest of the series.
    Overall, I recommend this to those that have enjoyed dystopian novels or even have a slight interest in trying out the genre. I especially recommend this to those looking for a new series to start. 4/5 stars.


Find this book in our catalog: The 13th Continuum 

Catalog Number: YA SF BRODY,J

402 pages