Geneva Sommers and the Quest for Truth

Geneva Sommers Series, Book 1

By: C.J. Benjamin

Narrated by: Whitney Morse, Jason Goedken

Magic, myths, and the legend of Hullabee Island

Geneva Sommers, a young orphan girl on a quest to know who she is, has always wished for a different life. Since the great flood and the untimely death of her parents, she's lived a captive life at the orphanage, barely surviving the dangerous predators that patrol the prison-like walls of the Troian Center.

One day, Nova, a brave orphan boy claiming to know the truth, speaks up. He tells her an impossible legend and that she's the key to unlocking it. Not only does he believe she's the daughter of a long-lost goddess, but he thinks she holds the magic necessary to save their island.

If the myths are true, not only will Geneva learn her true identity but she could be the only one able to prevent Hullabee Island from falling into the hands of a dark and mysterious enemy.

With the help of Nova and her fellow outcast friends, Geneva plans to escape the Troian Center to uncover the truth and save her island. But first, she must learn to master her newly acquired magic powers.

Will she master her magic in time or will her quest for the truth be her fatal flaw?

Book #1 in the Geneva Sommers Series.

The perfect listen for fans of Percy Jackson, Magnus Chase, and Harry Potter.

©2019 C.J. Benjamin (P)2019 C.J. Benjamin

This is a relay good story.

I really enjoyed listening to this story, even though the cover leads you to think there will be swords and bows when no weapons were used in the story. All the characters in this novel had numbers not names until the main character start red remembering hers. Overall the narration was good, the story was really good and I would recommend it for middle school ages and up.

Great story

I really enjoyed this book and the interplay between the characters. It kept me entertained and I was riveted to the story

Lighthearted, new middle grade fantasy

Geneva Sommers and the Quest for Truth tells the story of a young girl searching for her past. Number 65, or Tippy, lived with a group of orphans who were identified by number, so it is only in the first and final pages of the book that we even hear her true name. Upon discovering that several of the other students remembered their true names and parts of their stories and after the surprising realization that she (along with a few of them) have magical powers, 65 wants more than ever to learn who she is.

The story is filled with excitement, danger, adventure, magic, and friendship - so many elements that make an amazing story. There are moments when 65's wisdom is beyond her years, while many other times she does things that remind us that she is still just a kid. As awkward as that was to read and never know how she would behave, that's true to middle school. Some of the violence and romance was less believable for her age. Number 65 and her peers also experienced brutal mistreatment by the majority of adults in their lives. The abuse of power is a heartwrenching thing, and so much more when enacted toward children.

The narration was wonderful and the two narrators did an excellent job telling the story in multiple voices. I look forward to hearing the next part of Geneva's story.

I received a free audiobook from the author and have reviewed it voluntarily.

Not just for kids

This book is classed as YA, Young Adult, meaning in their teens, but adults could also find it enjoyable, even if they don't have kids. Magic and adventure, with a "young love" thrown in, who could ask for more?

Decent if you can put up with an oblivious heroine

The main character is an idiot. People tell her things, sometimes repeatedly, and she ignores them and then acts surprised a chapter later by the very things they told her about. She loves mice, apparently, and at one point spends an entire chapter on an emotional rollercoaster trying to save an injured mouse from a cat. I couldn't stop laughing at how overly dramatic the whole affair was.

That said, it's an interesting and relatively unique mix of urbanish and standard fantasy. The cover really does not portray the story correctly, as it felt much more orphan-schoolgirl meets x-men than an ordinary fantasy quest. Apart from the times I was yelling at the main character for her willful ignorance in refusing to listen to anything anyone said, it was an enjoyable story with a sufficiently unique presentation of its more generic elements that I was only once tempted to put it down. (That emotionally-fraught save-the-mouse chapter went on way too long.)

The narrators do a very good job. I thought the primary (female) voice was excellent, conveying a lot of the main character's emotion in her narration. One character does seem a bit gratingly high at times, but otherwise I have no complaints. The male voices are a little more generic, less diverse from each other, but the main characters remain distinct. Above-average performances all around.

I requested this book to review and received a free copy in order to do so. I'm not sure I'd be willing to pay full price for the story, but if you like childrens/YA stories and can find it on sale I would say it's probably worth a try.