The Girl Who Found the Sun

By: Matthew S. Cox

Narrated by: Marissa Parness

Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

It started with the insects.

The mass die-offs had been a warning unheeded. Before society realized the danger, the Earth had inexorably begun a transformation into a place where life could not survive. A small group found shelter in the Arc, an underground refuge safe from the toxins ravaging the surface.

After centuries of darkness, humanity’s second chance is running out - and Raven Wilder knows it.

Her job fixing the machinery in the Arc makes her aware of how close everything is to breaking down. When the systems fail, the last survivors of the human race will suffocate in the tunnels meant to protect them from the deadly air outside - starting with the most vulnerable. Unfortunately, in an example of history repeating itself, those in charge dismiss her concerns.

When her six-year-old begins showing signs of oxygen deprivation, Raven refuses to go quietly into oblivion.

She will break every rule to keep her daughter alive.

©2019 Matthew S. Cox (P)2020 Matthew S. Cox

The girl who found the sun

I loved this book!The characters were well thought out and likable,aside from Noah.I really enjoyed it. Marissa Parness was an excellent narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.' 

OK

Narration was good, but this YA novel has been done.....a few times.....and better.

“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

So exciting! I was on the edge of my seat

I loved this book! Don't let the cartoonish cover fool you. The book was great! Full of excitement and a great ending. I couldn't put it down.

Interesting

The story is good. The characters are fun. The scenario is fairly believable, and the plot is interesting. The only reason I am not giving it more stars is the constant inner dialogue Raven has with herself. So many pages could have been cut out of the book by reducing the number of times Raven had the SAME internal conversation, description of problems, and ruminations. I know they are running out of air. I know the scrubbers are failing. I know the hydroponics solution is making everyone ill because it has leaked into the ventilation system. I know that going outside might kill them. I've been reminded of it every chapter... sometimes multiple times a chapter. I did make it to the end of the book because the premise is interesting. If you can overlook being talked down to, the book is a fun read. It is a neat twist on the dystopian genre.

"I was given this free review copy book at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

A look into life within Fallout Vault type shelter

Listening to this story, I had the feeling of seeing inside an operating Vault-Tech vault. I certainly liked the depth in world building. The author paints a clear picture of this post-apocalyptic world. There's also excellent character building for major chars. We learn much about the the MC and other significant haracters. As some reviews have mentioned, the pacing of the plot is a bit slow. Though I don't find that so unusual for a story focusing on world building and character development. I enjoyed the listen.

This was my first experience with narration by Marissa Parness and I was very impressed. She clearly got into the performance. She has a wide range of voices and put plenty of energy. Narration certainly adds to the story.

I was given a free review copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this honest review.

Post, Post, Post Apocalyptic.

Can you imagine living underground for hundreds of years? Could you be sure you hadn't lost track of time in the generations that have come and gone? Is it Day or Night outside? Everything you have ever known is what you were taught by the people around you. We are the last people on Earth. The outside is toxic and will melt you if you go there. Yet not everything is as it seems.

Interesting basis for a story. I agree with other reviews that state this feels like a YA novel.
There are several references to post-apocalyptic fiction.
One annoying thing is that the MC is constantly repeating the dire circumstances of her situation. Especially at the beginning if the book. I get it. Things are Bad. Severe even. But tell me again? Why are you worried? I must have missed it.

I actually enjoyed this story. The characters were interesting and made you feel for them. Good or bad.
I thought the narration fit the story well.
I can recommend this for a simple read that will not get to deep on the political or moral fronts.

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Great concept, poor execution.

The apocalyptic setting and premise for the story is intriguing and was what initially grabbed my attention. This is definitely a young adult book. I usually dont mind simply written books, and I enjoy YA as a genre, but there's a difference in simply written and just a boring story.
The characters have full personalities and the interactions are fun, but a lot of scenes drag on far longer than they should. All of the action has a feel of "this happened and then this happened" instead of "this happened BECAUSE this happened." Most of the reveals felt anticlimactic, and the main antagonist had a motive that made no sense.
This is a simple and interesting story, but not a great one. Maybe I would've liked it better if I was 15.

Don’t waste your time and money

This book is truly awful. While the concept isn’t bad, the execution painful. The plot moves along like a three legged tortoise. The dialogue is vapid. Many of the character voices feel like an ice pick in my ear.

Nice

I must say this is my 3 from Cox and I'm not disappointed at all so far 😉 and about this book ...

After pollution destroys the world, Raven is stuck working the vents of the underground civilization that is keeping humanity alive, albeit failing. Her daughter, Tinsley, is sick due to a lack of air. And so is the rest of the small population. And going above the ground is forbidden because rumors have spread saying that going above will melt you. But Raven goes above. And she sees a world that people can live in. The only problem now is convincing the rest of the people that the world is not how they was told and that there is much safer then in the underground..
Narrator Marissa Parness is absolutely fantastic addition to this book her voice is really good .

3.5 Stars

I received this book via promo code and this is my voluntary review.

I've been on a post-apocalyptic literary binge for the last little while now and this seemed like my jam. If you are a fan of The 100, or City of Embers then you will most likely enjoy this story of Raven, a girl living as a technician in an underground bunker a few hundred years after the fall of human civilisation. There are less than 200 humans left alive (as far as they know) and the air scrubbers are failing.. the only hope might be to brave the outside world or die in their underground bunker with the slowly poisoned air.

Raven was raised on stories her father told her about his adventures outside their bunker, adventures he never returned from about 4 years ago. Finally driven by desperation... Ben the head mechanic, sends Raven beyond the only safety she's ever known into the outside to fix a turbine. What she finds there, and her daughters ailing health, convinces her that the time has come for humanity to reclaim the world up top or stay and allow their leader Noah, to leave them to die in the ark.

Narration by Marissa Parness was fantastic, even with the 14 1/2 hours but some of the chapters began to feel a bit repetitive. Matthew Cox has a slight habit of info dumping on needless details and there wasn't much "meat" in the plot... it could have been shortened to 7 hours and pacing would have been much better, another practical note for adapting the ebook to the audiobook is that the quotes at the beginning of the chapters should have been removed, as an ebook those are okay but as an audiobook I found it pulled me out of the story each time and didn't add anything important to the events unfolding so they became VERY frustrating.

Absolutely loved it!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book the story was really well written with lots of detail in it, so you were able to picture the surroundings perfectly. I honestly don’t no why this isn’t more popular. There was also a good amount of drama in it without being over the top.
I really liked the main character the author wrote her so well to the point that I could almost feel her emotions coming to life through the story.
I was gifted this book for free for a review but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this.
The author did a fantastic job writing it and the narrator was the perfect choice for the main character she had a lovely clear voice that was easy to listen to.

A well written and fascinating story

I recieved a review copy of this excellent book. It is well written and narrated, placing you in the shoes of a young technician trying to maintain the aging systems of the bunker. The book really captures her struggle and the world view that comes from growing up in such an environment, whilst also maintains a mystery that is slowly uncovered as the book progresses.