In Johnson's science fiction debut, 17-year-old Andromeda "Andra" Yue Watts awakes from her cryogenic sleep in the year 3102 to a world changed beyond recognition. She was only supposed to sleep for a century: instead, a thousand years have passed, and her contemporaries are long dead. Now she is alone on Holymyth, the planet where she, her family, and the other colonists planned to settle as they escaped the dying Earth. Johnson explores the relationship between science and religion through the people of Eerensed, who view Andra as the Third Goddess and nanotechnology as magic. Determined to return to Earth, Andra teams up with the charmingly untrustworthy Zhade--the bastard exiled prince of Eerensed--to gather the resources she needs for a new spaceship. In return, she must perform "miracles" to secure his status--a dangerous undertaking with Maret, Zhade's half-brother and the skeptical ruler of Eerensed, watching her every move. Though light on scientific exposition and heavy on evolved linguistics that may frustrate some readers, a complicated romance and passable worldbuilding round out the tale. Zhade, Maret, and Andra are compelling, morally ambiguous characters, and Johnson's plot twists ensure the narrative maintains interest. Ages 12--up. Agent: Victoria Marini, Irene Goodman Agency. (June)

Gr 7 Up--Cryogenically asleep for 1,000 years, Andra wakes up, drowning. Everyone she knew is dead. Inhabitants of the new world think she is a goddess. Andra plays their game in order to learn what happened and to get back to Earth. Zhade is the exiled, illegitimate prince of Eerensed and he has other plans. He wants to help Andra and take the throne for himself. Zhade's brother, the vicious monarch, will do anything to stop him. Can Andra and Zhade both get what they want? And what happened to cause Andra to sleep so long? Narrator Kim Mai Guest masterfully brings to life the characters and makes them easily distinguishable. Her pace and intonation fit well with the sci-fi mystery. The plot is well-developed and engaging, and leaves the listener guessing what is really going on. Read alikes include Marissa Meyer's Cinder, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff's Aurora Rising, and Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen. VERDICT Recommended for libraries where science fiction, mysteries, and adventure stories are popular.--Jessica Moody, Olympus J.H., Holladay, UT

A girl wakes up from cryogenic sleep in an unrecognizable world. In 2161 Andra went into stasis for space travel to a new colony. When handsome-yet-snarky Zhade wakes her on an unexpectedly devastated desert world, she learns she's overslept--by around a thousand years. Worshipped as the last of the three goddesses (the other two having already woken), Andra's expected to save the world. Along with differences between the world she knew and the one she awoke in, evolution of the English language into a futuristic dialect adds to her disorientation. While heavy use of this device will likely polarize readers, the dialect goes beyond a sprinkling of slang, possessing a strong intuitive internal logic, an authentic-feeling rhythm, and, sometimes, amusing origins. The characters aren't quite as successful as the prose--love-interest Zhade is pretty stock for YA, and at times reading about Andra's needing to be rescued gets old. Once readers (and Andra) get their bearings in Zhade's storyline and Andra's role, a series of twists and curveballs amps up stakes and tension, carrying the plot to its sequel-promising conclusion. Zhade is coded as white; Andra is fat and cued as biracial (with a redheaded mother and Hokkien-speaking grandmother); the world has diversity in skin tone, and Andra notes that those at the top tend to be lighter skinned. An exceptionally ambitious debut from an author to watch. (Science fiction. 12-adult) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

When Andra abruptly awakens, she believes she's reached the end of her journey across the cosmos, and that she and the thousands of new settlers with her will be able to re-create their Earth life on the planet Eerensed. She soon realizes that something has gone wrong, she's been asleep for centuries longer than anticipated, and that it is up to her to unravel several mysteries, including why the locals think she's a goddess, and whether her fellow travelers are all truly dead. There is another surprise in store for Andra, one that may actually be what saves them all. Johnson imagines what life might really be like at the end of a desperate journey through space to find a new home for humanity, and what role myth and technology can play in the transition. A somewhat predictable story is enhanced by an unexpected twist or two, a love angle, and the rough-speak, meant to be a translation of Andra's native tongue--for example, "kiddun" rather than "kid/children" or "meteor" rather than "matter."