Orenda by T.S. Simons
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Caitlin is back and she is home where she is introducing Gio to the rest of her family, and just as she expected, he fits right in, so as the days pass and he learns the skills her family have honed over a lifetime, she realises just how much she misses her sister. Soon, however, Caitlin is introduced to her future role as an ambassador to one of the newest communities of the ACC, she doesn’t really want it, but she has had experience in both the domed communities where she grew up and the underwater unhabs where she accidentally travelled on the 45th latitude and met Gio.

One day, Gio comes back from spending time with her dad and something is wrong, there is a strain and so when her mother pulled her to one side, it turns out that Gio asked her dad for permission to marry her and this announcement throws everyone for a loop and Caitlin is angry, but true to form, she and Gio work things out and agree to marry before they head to their new position. This turns into a joint ceremony and a massive party with family and friends travelling there from all over the world, where bonds are renewed, created and a lot of fun is had.

Soon after, Caitlin and Gio begin their work learning how to be ambassadors and what that entails and it os more work than Caitlin expected, but as she works through the exhaustion, cramming of information into her head and some of it completely baffling her, Caitlin runs herself into exhaustion, but it has a positive affect as it enables her to work through her worries, fears and anxieties to realise how important and enriching this post will be. When the time comes for Caitlin to really start, she begins to build relationships within the community and deal with some of the issues they face, and this leads to the kind of problem solving she lives for, so when she comes up with an idea, she latches on and is determined to make it a reality and if she can, it means a whole new future for all the communities in the ACC.

So as she calls in aid from different communities to reach this goal, it is not all plain sailing as old issues and enemies resurface to cause problems Caitlin had hoped she had left behind, but can maintain what she has built amid secrets, lies, betrayals and constant danger to keep herself, her family and the communities safe from this growing threat, or will she lose everything she has worked for? This is another amazing continuation of this series where science, science fiction and fantasy collide to create a future which could be a reality, as well as keeping you invested in the characters, their challenges and successes in this challenging, yet enthralling read.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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