Phantom Universe by Laura Kreitzer

Summary Provided by Goodreads:

Sold into slavery to pirates at the young age of four, Summer learns to survive the rough seas of subterfuge and thieves through silence. When the boat she’s lived on most of her life is destroyed, Summer finds herself washed up on the shore of a new world, a phantom universe full of the bizarre and extraordinary. She meets Gage, the one boy who understands the girl with no speech. But when their lives are put on the line, will Summer finally call out? Or will all be lost in the fathomless depth of silence?

My Thoughts:
I bought this book on my nook for $4.99, so I really excited about that. What sparked my interest was that the author, Laura Kreitzer wrote on her blog that she wrote this book to raise awareness on human trafficking. Many people do not realize how serious a problem this really is, and they also don’t realize that it is happening right here in the United States, not just in third world countries. That being said, I really wanted to read this book, because I too feel very strongly about this issue.

Summer, being a slave since she was four years old has learned to keep her mouth shut. She knows that speaking will get her whipped and burned. She has learned to communicate with her best friend, Landon through other ways. I loved Summer and Landon together. Both being slaves on the same ship, they help each other out, and they became friends when Landon saved her from being raped. Landon taught her how to read and write and has never made her feel bad for not speaking. They understand each other and it is a wonderful friendship. One night, they escape the ship and somehow, along with millions of other people are transported 200 years into the future. In the year 2210 Summer learns who she really is, falls in love (with a beautiful 18 year old named Gage), makes friends (with a group of people who I really enjoyed getting to know) and found her voice.

I thought this book was good, not the best I ever read, but good and interesting. I thought it had a nice moving pace, I liked the characters, and I thought the plot was original. My problems with Phantom Universe were that I spent the entire book being confused. It wasn’t a good confused either. Some books, I can’t wait to find out the answers because I am so invested. In this book, I couldn’t wait to find out just so I can stop being confused! The book answered some of my questions, but many were left unanswered. Book two in the Summer Chronicle series is scheduled for July 2011. I’m not sure yet if I am going to read it. I might because I did like the characters and would like to find out what happens to them.