Determined to safeguard the children under their charge, Shane and his friends compete for the ultimate prize—a suicide mission against the flagship of the alien fleet. While Shane's feelings for Kelly deepen, along with his need to protect her, he finds emotions clouding his judgment. He’ll gladly die for her. But he refuses to die with her. No amount of training can prepare them for what is to come. Everything the brave teenagers have endured thus far will be eclipsed, with the freedom of humanity hanging in the balance.
The Harvest is the heart-pumping sequel to The Last Orphans by N.W. Harris.
N.W. Harris
In addition to writing, he has been a submarine sailor, nurse, and business owner. His studies have included biology, anthropology, and medicine at UCSB and SUNY Buffalo. He is an active member of SCBWI and lives in sunny southern California with his beautiful wife and two perfect children. He writes like he reads, constantly.
Find N.W. Harris
*****
My Thoughts:
Anyone who was around earlier this month may remember that I finally took the plunge and read The Last Orphans. I didn't know what to expect from the series and the synopsis really didn't tell me much. I didn't go in with the highest expectations, but by the time I closed the cover I knew I had read from one of my new favorite series. Holy smokes. A storyline beyond unique with equal parts sci-fi and horror, enough to make any reader interested. I was blown away. I was really excited to see where Harris went with book two, I immediately got my hands on a copy and wow was I impressed.
I'll go ahead and say that this book isn't really like the first one. In some aspects it was so different, it was though I was reading an entirely different series. While other haven't shared my opinions, I thought The Last Orphans was definitely a member of the horror subgenre (among others) so I was really shocked to see that The Harvest didn't carry over that horror-vibe. Instead, it went in a new direction, sci-fi, and knocked it out of the park. Whereas book one was a lot of flash and gore and shock (adding to the horror), book two was a lot of thoughts, technology, and paranoia (sci-fi at its' finest). This is definitely not a negative critique by any means, but merely my way of showing the contrast between the two novels. I am curious as to what vibe we may find in book three, but if I had to guess, I'd say more sci-fi than horror.
The Harvest focuses on our same cast of main characters for the most part, but we really see them grow as a team. While book one was all about survival, book two is really all about restoral. The survivors are on a mission to stop the Anunnaki and the youth they are controlling. The characters are written to perfection and were everything I was looking for. I was really pleased to see how our main characters Shane and Kelly continue to mature in such a short period of time. They truly are remarkable characters.
In an effort to avoid any major spoilers I will refrain from saying too much about the plot line of the end-game of any characters, but I can tell you that this one ends on a huge cliffhanger that I honestly didn't see coming. In retrospect, I probably should have guessed it, but I really didn't. I love when a story can surprise me and this one did, for sure! It isn't often I can say that about a novel and I embrace it when I can!
One of the coolest things I like about about this series is how Harris takes existing lore and history and turns it into an incredible story. Legends about the Anunnaki race have been passed down for years and remain some of the most interesting I have read. Rather than take and rewrite those legends, Harris has taken the groundworkings of history and molded them into a legend all his own. It's an incredible testament to his talent to see such an interpretation take hold and resonate with readers. Huge kudos to Harris for that.
The setting for The Harvest is all over the place. From Georgia to a mountain base in Appalachia to international destinations across the globe, our characters and their colleagues are on the move to take back their planet. Will they make it in time? I really enjoyed the vast differences in surroundings and how the authors was able to describe such settings with such vividness that I actually felt the sands of the Sinai Desert blowing in my face through my minds eye. How incredible, right?
I cannot wait to see what Harris has in store for this series next. Honestly with the cliffhanger ending we were given, the characters direction is clear, but I cannot wait to see how they get there. So many possible stories to be told here and I can't wait to see what direction Harris picks!
It should come as no surprise to anyone that I am granting The Harvest by NW Harris a near perfect 5-star review. This read was everything I was looking for, and more. I can honestly say I cannot think of a single thing I would have like to have seen changes. This series is among the most original and well-written that I have come across and I have found it a great honor to read and review them. As a male blogger, connecting with male authors is important to me and not something I get the opportunity to do often. Harris is definitely doing his part to show the world that male authors in this genre can make an impact. Huge kudos all around to NW Harris for this absolutely incredible series.
This series is perfect for readers of horror, sci-fi, dystopian, or fantasy. Ages young and old can appreciate the intricate web that Harris has weaved, but to be on the safe side, I'd advise this series to mature YA audiences.
*****
Check out my review of The Last Orphans (book one) by clicking the cover below!
Alright readers, that's all I have for you on the topic of The Harvest by NW Harris. What do you think? Sound like the series for you? I can't say enough great things about this series, it's incredible! Plus Harris is part of the Clean Teen Publishing family that I LOVE being involved with. Everything with their name on it is golden. I am so proud to be a supporter of them and their authors! Be sure to add this one to your TBR and let me know your thoughts in the comments! Until next time, Happy Reading!
-Ethan
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