Book Review: Terra Electrica by Antonia Maxwell

Book 1 in an action-packed dystopian adventure series set in the near-future post-melt Arctic.

The last ice cap has melted, and the world is on the brink of collapse. A deadly force—Terra Electrica—has been unleashed. It feeds on electricity. It is infecting civilization.

In this chaotic, rapidly changing reality, 12-year-old Mani has lost her family and community to the Terra Electrica. Armed only with some ancestral wisdom and a powerful, ancient wooden mask she was never meant to inherit so soon, she suddenly finds herself responsible for the fate of the world.

Can Mani piece everything together and harness her newfound powers in time to save humanity?

GENRE: Middle Grade Dystopian

PURCHASE LINK: Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Antonia Maxwell is a writer and editor based in North Essex and Cambridge, UK. With a degree in Modern Languages and a long-standing career as a book editor, she has a lifelong curiosity for language and words, and a growing fascination in the power of story – the way it shapes our lives and frames our experience.

Review

First off: I love the illustrations! Add the colorful cover and it's such a pretty book overall. But if that doesn't draw you in, the story will. It's not quite what I expected, which was refreshing! It's an easy read especially for young readers. The descriptions will transport you to another world, much like what Mani experiences when she puts on her mask.

Did I mention I love Mani? Yes, she's a young girl and she has plenty heart-wrenching moments that remind us that she's that. But she's strong, brave, and at the core, a survivor. She did things I could not do, and I'm a grown woman! (Some of the stuff she readily ate... 🤢) I also really liked how she was shown to have a good relationship with her parents.

There's clearly more to the world than what has been covered by this book, so we'll hopefully get the sequel sooner rather than later. I have so many questions! We've been told where the "plague" originated, but what else is there? What's up with the Ark, it can't be the only one? And what role will Mani have to play in healing the worlds?

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

---

Hi! I'm Marie, a Filipino SFFH author and book reviewer currently based in the UK. I’m the co-author of The Prophecies of Ragnarok, a Norse myth new adult urban fantasy trilogy, and I also have several short stories published in anthologies and literary journals.

You can find more info about me and my books, and also subscribe to my newsletter for more content, here. And if you like what I do, please also consider supporting me on Ko-fi! 🩷 https://ko-fi.com/mariesinadjan

If you fancy a short read, I have a cozy reimagining of the Norse myths about Hel, but it's just under 70 pages and can be read in one sitting. ✨ Plus there's a swag kit coming soon! Includes a "membership card," a bookmark, a sticker, an origami dog, and an exclusive 500-word story 🫶🏼

All things end, and all must die.

But death is not always the end.

When Geiravor Lokisdottir was stripped of her name and cast out of Asgard, torn from her family and the life she had known, she thought she’d lost it all. But in the shadows of Niflheim she discovers the path to her destiny, and what it truly means to be queen.

This is a prequel short story to THE PROPHECIES OF RAGNAROK trilogy by Meri Benson and Marie Sinadjan, and a retelling of the myths involving Hel, the Norse goddess of death and the queen of the underworld.