Aerin

I had high hopes for this one going in, but it's turning out to be a bit more YA than I generally like.  The teenage protagonist who yearns for more than his confining world can offer him is a trope that I am just. so. over.

The premise of an inbred human colony on a distant planet unlit by sun or star, waiting for generations for a ship to come get them from Earth, is admittedly fascinating to me, and so far the worldbuilding is intriguing - the glowing trees, the wailing predators, the simmering volcanoes, the gaping, fathomless sky.

Here's what concerns me, though: This line from the blurb on the back of the book. "[Protagonist] will abandon the old ways, venture into the Dark . . . and discover the truth about their world."

Oh, there's a "truth" about their world, is there?  Because that might as well just say: "THERE IS A STUPID TWIST AT THE END OF THIS BOOK."  Oh boy!  Do you know what I hate more than stupid twists at the end of YA dystopias??  PRETTY MUCH NOTHING.

Let me guess: It was Earth all along!  Orrrrr it was all a psychological experiment!  Orrrrr it was all a dream!  The possibilities are literally endful!

Is it too much to ask that a premise be played straight these days?  That a story be built on genuine human drama and confronting obstacles instead of lazy trickery?

I'm hoping I turn out to be all wrong about this one.