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    Earthbound
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    Earthbound
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    Earthbound
    Audiobook9 hours

    Earthbound

    Written by Aprilynne Pike

    Narrated by Hallie Cooper-Novack

    3.5/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    If love can survive death, are soul-mates eternal?

    Eighteen-year-old Tavia is the only survivor of a plane crash that killed her parents. Grieving and lonely, she starts having strange visions; of a boy she’s never met but feels compulsively drawn to. A boy who tells her to do things she never dreamed of.

    Tavia begins to suspect that secrets are being kept from her, and that her kindly aunt and uncle know more than they are letting on. Was the plane crash really an accident? Or is Tavia part of something bigger than she ever imagined?

    With only her instincts and long-time crush, Benson, to rely on, Tavia must decide where her destiny lies, and who with.

    #1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike has created a heart-stopping romance built on a love triangle like you’ve never seen before and filled with epic stakes and a centuries-long conspiracy. Give it to fans of Nightshade and Fallen.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJul 31, 2014
    ISBN9780007594948
    Unavailable
    Earthbound
    Author

    Aprilynne Pike

    Aprilynne Pike has been spinning stories since she was a child with a hyperactive imagination. She completed her BA in creative writing at the age of twenty at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. Aprilynne currently lives with her husband and children in Arizona.

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    Reviews for Earthbound

    3.5/5

    62 ratings18 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I found this really boring and struggled to finish reading it. I didn't feel any connection with any of the characters and it feels like the narrator didn't either. It neatly ties up the story started in Marsbound and it does so in Joe Haldeman's usually abrupt style and that's all I can really say about it.I would only recommend this for people who have read Marsbound and Earthbound and want to know how the story ends. Don't bother reading it if you haven't read the others as you will have no idea who the characters are and why you are suppose to care because I've read those two books and by the end of this, I didn't care what happened to the people.
    • 2/5
      This was the third book in the Marsbound trilogy and I had not read the other two. i was very disappointed in the book in that there was very little 'meat' to it -- especially given that it was from a Hugo Award author. Character development must have occurred in a previous book as there wasn't much here -- to the extent that one was not at all emotionally attached as various ones met their demise in the wars following the 'Others' turning off the energy on Earth. I would not recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      With Earthbound (a Marsbound Novel), Joe Haldeman, the Hugo and Nebula award-winning author, wraps up his fascinating three-book story that began with Marsbound and continued with Starbound. Carmen Dula, who voyaged to Mars with her family in Marsbound and discovered Martians is the main character, and first person narrator, of Earthbound. She and her husband, whom she met on Mars, are back on Earth after they had voyaged to a distant star system in Starbound to try to negotiate a truce with a strange and powerful race known as “The Others” who’s anger toward the human race in Marsbound had some very serious consequences on Earth. Namir a soldier and some others, including one Martian, also made the trip to negotiate with “The Others” are back on Earth with Carmen, in this novel. Unfortunately, the negotiations did not go well and the people of Earth had angered “The Others” by building a fleet of warships to try to protect Earth from the aliens. “The Others” punish the population of Earth severely and Earthbound enables the reader to see the tragic consequences of angering “The Others”. The wrath of “The Others” creates global chaos and extreme hardship on Earth. Carmen and her group of space diplomats are caught in the violence created by frightened and desperate people trying to cope with the conditions imposed by “The Others”. It is a grim but interesting book that provides some closure for many of the characters, although not a desirable closure for some of them. Haldeman also displays his ability to depict the brutality and desperation of people fighting for their lives, which he has done very adeptly since The Forever War (1974). I am a big fan of Joe Haldeman’s work, and I have read (and own) 24 of his novels. In my opinion, Earthbound did not provide a very satisfactory resolution of the three-book story. It wasn’t a bad read, but it wasn’t consistent with the author’s usual standards. However, it is an interesting read and I certainly recommend this book to everyone who enjoyed Marsbound and Starbound.
    • 1/5
      In this third novel in the Marsbound series, the crew of the Ad Astra return to Earth after their brief and unsatisfying meeting with the mysterious “Others.” Their welcome back celebration has barely begun before the virtually omnipotent aliens to decide to torment humanity again. We never learn much about them from direct communication, but from their actions, it is clear the Others are a sadistic bunch, treating humanity they way a budding psychopath might treat a fly, pulling off one wing and then one leg at a time for whatever amusement that might provide.
      Humanity itself is presented as almost as bad. One of the torments the Others impose on Earth is to deprive it of electricity. Any technology requiring electricity stops functioning. Generators, no matter how simple, cannot create a current. Batteries won’t store it. Nothing electrical will work. Within an hour of this happening, people start shooting one another. Those whose veneer of civilization is not so thin and do not respond to disaster by immediately visiting their neighbor, murdering them, and stealing their canned goods are apparently in the minority.
      Carmen Dula, the Mars Girl, from the previous two books again provides the first person point of view in this book. She has matured and not nearly as irritating as she was in the other two. Many of the other characters are back as well, but some of them die. New characters are introduced, and many of them die. Several unnamed characters die, and billions of nameless people are presumed to die quickly from violence or ultimately from starvation. This is not an uplifting story.
      One interesting character, a humanoid construct of the Others called “Spy,” appears -- and then disappears. He pops in and out of existence and we never learn much about him.
      This trilogy (so far) begins with humanity reaching for the stars and discovering new life and ends with it a squashed from outside, its achievements destroyed, and its ability to recover denied. I can’t say it was a fun read for me.
      Sorry if that’s a spoiler.
    • 4/5
      Reviewing the full trilogy, (here be spoilers)...#1 - MarsboundQuite a good book and a very good opener to the trilogy. One of the more interesting aspects was the way Haldeman subtly managed to change the voice of the protagonist as she grew up from a teenage girl into a young woman. At the beginning of the story, Carmen Dula is leaving her Florida home to go live on Mars for a few years with her family. By the end of the book, she is a 'Martian', quarantined away from her home planet, and now facing a mission to another star system to try and deal with a vastly superior alien threat.#2 - StarboundA solid middle volume. The pace slackens a bit from the first novel but, considering it's mostly about a team of human emissaries traveling to another star system, it cruises along pretty well. There is some weird pseudo-science stuff that is essentially explained away using Clarke's Axiom; "Any sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic". Apart from that, the rest of the science in the book seems pretty solid while not getting in the way of keeping things moving forward, (note: I am not a rocket scientist so please don't lambaste me if the science is actually completely wonky).Overall, this is a good book that carries the reader nicely from the end of Marsbound into the beginning of Earthbound.#3 - EarthboundThe third book in the trilogy is a solid closing volume. The team has now returned from their trip to meet with The Others to find that the Earthly quarantine has been lifted. In this book therefore, most of the action takes place back on Terra. And there is a good amount of action. Haldeman paints a brutal and, to my mind, realistic picture of how things might progress should a scenario like this ever come to pass. Despite the grim narrative, the novel does end on a hopeful note.The Trilogy (spoiler warning!)A word about the entire trilogy: Haldeman takes the first-contact trope and stands it a bit on its' ear; Instead of humanity being initially out-classed by a vastly superior race and then somehow figuring a way to triumph through, y'know, "good old-fashioned human ingenuity & stuff", Haldeman imagines a scenario where humanity is not up to the task of overcoming the stacked odds. I've read many negative reviews of this series and, frankly, I don't get it. Does everyone want a happy ending all the time? The writing is smart, the characters are fairly well-developed - especially the protagonist, and the plot moves well throughout all three books. The situation is, quite honestly, about the most likely thing that we would face if another species happened to be keeping an eye on us. Think about it; A race of beings that have the ability to travel through interstellar space would realistically be so technologically advanced compared to us that, if they wanted to wipe us out, and we tried to fight back, it would be like a pack of squirrels trying to stop a bulldozer.I give books #1 and #3 four solid stars each. Book #2 gets 3.25 stars and I average the trilogy at 3.75 overall.
    • 3/5
      A bit slow to pick up but genuinely intriguing, Earthbound introduces the reader to a world in need of help from our main character Tavia. While it took a bit to pick up, the book concludes with many questions answered but many more new answers to be found in the second and third book of this trilogy. An easy read that keeps you begging for more when you turn that last page.
    • 3/5
      I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. To be honest, I'm late in writing this review and I can't actually remember the book. I had to google it to figure out what I should say. Life changes got in the way of me reviewing and that's my bad. I do write a little blurb in my journal upon every book I finish. I wrote: "Slow going and confusing but it did get better." So there you go.
    • 3/5
      While this was a fun read, it wasn't entirely captivating. It took me a while to get through.
    • 4/5
      Earthbound was a pretty enjoyable read. I particularly enjoyed the romance in the story, and I liked the main character, Tavia. The problem I have with this book (and any other book that does the same thing), is that almost all of the drama could have been avoided extremely easily. Also, I found some aspects of the story to just be completely unbelievable. That being said, I do plan to continue reading the series when new books come out.
    • 4/5
      Just this morning I read an article on PublishersWeekly.com that evaluated the future of the YA novel. There were several things the article pointed out that are falling flat with YA readers these days: multi-book series, dystopianism, and love-triangles. Its all been done, people. Overdone. And what that means for YA, is that if an author is going to "go there" they better do so in a fresh, new way. I can't tell you how many covers like that of "Earth Bound" populate the shelves at Barnes & Noble, and how anymore, I bypass them. I enjoyed "Earth Bound" well enough, and I might even read its sequels - its not a bad book - but I'm sorry to say the prime-time for this story was about five years ago. The market is just over-saturated with this type of story: traumatized beautiful girl with a secret who is attracted to two different boys that play two different roles in her life. The future of the world rests on her shoulders, no less. **yawn** All that said, its still a reasonably decent escapist read while you're there; the romance is satisfying. Its just forgettable.
    • 1/5
      Earthbound began so promisingly - traumatized young girl who's lost her parents, has a nice best-friend whom she's slightly crushing on, and has amicable relationships with the step-aunt and uncle who have taken her in. She sees a mysterious blonde boy on the street, and immediately feels a connection to him. She then sees him at 2 am on her lawn, and freaks out. Tells her therapist and best friend. Worries about her safety.All great points, right? Pike's writing, up to this point, is lyrical and engaging and I was really loving where the story was going.Cut to the next morning, where our protagonist, Tavia, has decided that the mystery-man is nice. Trustworthy. That he's not going to hurt her. That "he’s a cappuccino secret – something sweet and frothy that warms me from the middle out." Excuse me, what? Despite repeated warnings and weirdness, Tavia decides she's going to go meet him, in a town that takes hours of driving to get to. And off we go, with the best friend Benson in tow.What follows is too complex, and simultaneously too boring, for me to remember clearly. Luckily I kept good notes on Goodreads! There are red herrings everywhere, the main characters are never on the right track, and there are so many coincidences and random events that I could not keep up. Certain events stuck out at me, and had me laughing out loud or groaning in despair, but  I don't think the author was going for those reactions.It's immensely difficult to like a book if you dislike the protagonist, especially in a book told in first-person. And I disliked Tavia vehemently, once she stopped being an independent, intelligent young woman, and became focussed on following her stalker. I just don't understand why anyone, man or woman, would react the way she did. So I was laughing when bad things happened to her, and rolling my eyes at her pathetic attempts at figuring out what's going on.My antipathy towards Tavia could have been redeemed if I had felt any connection to either love interest, but the romance is stilted and non-sensical throughout the novel. There are absolutely no redeeming qualities about Tavia's mystery stalker, and her best friend Benson is bland. Tavia can't figure out which one of them she wants, and is constantly thinking about one and making out with the other. On the topic of Benson - I also feel that the romance between Tavia and Benson is really weird: they basically act un-attracted to one another except for a handful of random but intense make out sessions. It's really confusing. There is a fix that the author introduces, some 86% of the way through the book, but I had basically given up on Earthbound by then.My final gripe (and I know there are many) is the plot itself. Or, to be clearer, the lack thereof. Beginning as science-fiction lite, perhaps with a bit of reincarnation/parallel universes thrown in, Earthbound quickly snowballs to incorporate elements of historical thrillers, paranormal romance and finally, Egyptian mythologies. It feels like the author didn't know where the book was going, and just kept adding over-used tropes until a page limit was achieved.The thing that almost made me throw the book across the room was this: "I should have realised how ubiquitous the triangle has been as a symbol throughout our history. The Templars, the Masons, the Egyptians; hell, it's on our dollar bills. The Earthbound - and through them, these brotherhoods - are etched across the history of civilisation." I found that the story did pick up in the end - once Tavia stopped thinking about her mystery-stalker and Benson, I started enjoying the book again. So perhaps a lot of my discontent with the novel has to do with the love triangle - I found it unnecessary and bland.I didn't like this story and I wish I had spent my free time engaged more pleasantly. But it's a little like a train wreck, I couldn't look away, couldn't stop reading, and it was so bad, it was almost riveting. If you like your love triangles with a background of themes of mythology and reincarnation, you may enjoy Earthbound. But I'm not sure I'll ever be brave enough to pick up a Pike book again, and thank my stars that I read Life After Theft (which I enjoyed immensely) beforehand.A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic.
    • 5/5
      I haven't read any of Pike's work before, though I've heard great things. I'm kind of glad I started with this book, however, as I loved the originality of it, and the incredible interesting twisty tale it took me on. Plus, I'm a major sucker for reincarnation tales--always have been, always will be. The way Tavia handles her situation felt really believable to me, especially how she dealt with the plane crash and its aftermath. I liked her from the start, despite her insta-love with the random apparition she sees. And then there was Benson. Okay, it may be blatantly obvious from some of my other reviews that I am a major sucker for a hot, nerdy guy. I can't help it. And Benson? *Fans self* Yep, totally fit the bill to utter perfection. Yes, there's a twist that I saw coming a mile away, but I'm still absolutely Team Benson. Fair warning: minor rant to commence. WHY is it that the best friend always gets the shaft in books? Seriously! Just once I'd like it where the best friend wins out over the swoon-worthy other guy. Can anyone name a book where that happens? Because I'm a little tired of the good guy getting friend-zoned and totally losing out. Because, like Benson, he's totally the one who SHOULD win out.Blah. Can you tell that irks me?So, yeah. Totally looking forward to the next book in this series. Recommend it highly for the Benson factor :)*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thanks HarperCollins and LibraryThing!*
    • 3/5
      So... I should have known that maybe this wasn't my favorite kind of book before I started it. The love triangle was obvious from the back cover. And there is nothing wrong with love triangles unless you know right away which one she will end up with (and I did.) The story does get intense and is a page turner but I didn't find it extremely original. Plus, I dunno, I didn't feel a huge connection to the main character. However, this book does appeal in the way it sets out to I think. While I was let down by some elements I would rule out the book as bad for everyone.
    • 4/5
      I wanted to like this book... I did. And in the end, I think I managed it. I was a little confused, but I feel like the confusion will get better as the sequel(s) come out and I get more in depth knowledge. The story moved quickly, was exciting, and drew me in. It's definitely not a boring narrative, I'll give the author props for that!!Excited to see what the rest of this story has in store... a h-ll of a good start!!!
    • 4/5
      Review courtesy of All Things Urban FantasyThere is a wonderful sense of mystery and intrigue throughout EARTHBOUND that perfectly compliments the utterly unique mythology that Aprilynne Pike has created. It is a complex story with a robust supernatural world that is as elusive to readers as it is Tavia for most of the book, but even though my head was spinning with questions while reading, all the answers were provided by the end.As far as protagonists go, it isn’t often that we get one who is recovering from traumatic brain damage along with severe physical injuries. It added such an interesting layer to Tavia and provided real credibility to her fears that she may be loosing her mind when she first begins seeing things. I also really appreciated that Tavia’s injuries and limitations were dealt with in such a realistic way, even when she learned more about her supernatural abilities, she wasn’t able to ‘fix’ herself. It’s who she is.The romance was the one element that was a little underwhelming for me. I thought Tavia’s crush on the cute librarian who was helping her catch up on on the school she missed was initially really sweet, but once they started looking into Tavia’s abilities, the romance stumbled. Feelings and huge declarations came fast and free and there were a lot of make-out scenes at really inopportune moments.Overall, EARTHBOUND is delightfully surprising from beginning to end and packed with inventive mythology and tons of action laced danger. The setup up for the next book in the Earthbound series actually has me more excited for that story than I even was for this one. I’m looking for more twisty-turny fun and the promise of a romance that has epic potential.Sexual Content:Kissing
    • 5/5
      Picking uo a book from a author I know and love, she has never failed me. This time around, she took my breathe away, taking me on a unexpected journey of truth and lies.1. Plot. The plot of the book is brilliant. I love how in an instant, the reader is moving with the plot, feeling every depth of emotion. The story really moves with the reader and I can appreciate that. I enjoyed being out of the loop and overcoming every single plot twist and turn with Tavia.2. Build Up. The author did a great job in building up tension, trust, secrets, etc. GAH! I want to explode and tell you everything!!! I will not. Trust me when I say that I thought I had it all figured out….I was wrong.3. Love interest. This too was also done extremely well. With the turn of event at the end of the book, I’m VERY interested in seeing where this love interest will go. At this point, I think it can go either way. Tavia is a very strong person for all that she went through. I admired her determination to see thing through.4. Secret society. Yes, there is one and I really loved how well it was written. The reader is given piece by piece and able to make connections at the right time. I really enjoyed the back round to the society. It’s gives the story much more depth and information to look forward too. I’m anxious to see exactly how it will all played out now that certain secrets where exposed.5. Excitement. This story brings enough excitement to make your heart race! I really loved the world building, the setting and breaking of trust. Towards the end of the book, I didn’t even know who to trust anymore. I was getting so caught up in the book that every decision that Tavia made, made ME nervous!!An excellent start in series that I know will impress me, Earthbound is unstoppable. Jam-packed with on the run action, intense love and secrets, Earthbound serves up everything you want in a story. An effective thrill ride from start to finish, Earthbound rocks!
    • 4/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.Quick & Dirty: This was a really fun read full of action, cute romance, betrayal, and suspense. I am a big fan of Aprilynne Pike’s work and this was a great start to her new series.Opening Sentence: I remember the plane going down.The Review: Tavia Michaels is the only survivor from a plane crash that killed both of her parents. It has been two years now, and after multiple surgeries and lots of therapy, life seems to finally start feeling normal again. Tavia lives with her step aunt and uncle that she hardly knew before her parent’s death. She has come to care about them, but it’s hard for her to let people close to her. She has one really close friend that she shares everything with. His name is Benson and he is a college student that works at the local library. She felt an instant connection with Benson and has been secretly crushing on him for months now.Then one day everything changes. Tavia sees a boy that looks like he could have stepped right out of a history book. He has long blond hair pulled back into a low ponytail, and he’s wearing breeches, a long fitted coat and a top hat. He also happens to be the most beautiful boy Tavia has ever seen. Then he starts to pop up all the time in random places but no one else ever seems to see him. Tavia starts to wonder if she is going crazy. She starts to notice that she is being followed, and she starts to develop weird powers. As things start to unravel she doesn’t know who she can trust or what she is, but the boy she keeps seeing might have some answers for her. Hopefully, Tavia will live long enough to find out what is going on and what she is.Tavia is an interesting girl. She is so broken by what happened to her parents that she has a hard time opening up to people. She cares about her aunt and uncle, but she feels like she is burden to them. As she starts to realize that nothing in her life is as it seemed, she really has no idea who she can trust. She is a really caring person, but she trusts people too easily. There were times when her voice irritated me a little bit, but overall I did really like her as a character. I was able to feel her emotions and by the end of the book I really connected with her.Quinn is our mystery boy that Tavia keeps seeing. He is totally swoon worthy with long blonde hair, green eyes, and totally gorgeous. He always seems to pop up when Tavia is in trouble, and then he disappears. I don’t want to spoil anything so I’m not going to go into a lot of depth about Quinn, but he is a very intriguing character that I am excited to get to know better. He isn’t in the book a ton, but there is a love triangle so I know that he will be a bigger factor in the future books.Benson is the boy that Tavia has befriended and she has really relied on him ever since the crash. He is the only person that she feels comfortable totally confiding all of her secrets in, and she has also totally fallen for him. She hasn’t said anything to him about it because she doesn’t want to ruin their friendship and she knows that she has a lot of emotional baggage so she feels that he deserves better. Benson is a total book nerd. He wears sweater vests, glasses and is really smart. He seems to really care about Tavia and he is a good friend to her. I actually really fell for Benson and I am totally Team Benson at least for now.This was a really fun read for me. There is tons of action and suspense. The plot is very intriguing — full of twists and surprises. I really loved the romance, it is sweet and totally gave me butterflies. I really liked the characters and I cared enough about them that days later I was still thinking about their story. The book flowed perfectly and I had a really hard time putting it down. I have been a fan of Aprilynne Pike for a while now and this is a great addition to her already wonderful books. There is a slight cliff hanger at the end so of course I am dying to read the next book in the series. I would highly recommend this series to anyone that enjoys YA Paranormal action books.Notable Scene: I look up, our faces only a few inches apart, and my chest freezes.My hand lowers slowly, his lips soft against my fingertips, until only one finger rests on his bottom lip. A distant part of me hears Benson’s breath, unsteady as it speeds up, his eyes burning into mine.I’m not sure who reaches out first or how it happens amid everything going on, but in an instant my fingers are grasping at his hair, pulling his face down to me, his hand behind my neck, pulling me up, tilting my mouth to his. His lips are desperate on mine, seeking, demanding, taking.But how can they take what I’m savagely giving?His whole body trembles as he steps forward, pressing against me, trapping me between the bookshelf and the warmth of him. The corners of books dig into my back as our bodies meet, push, wrap. I grasp at the soft fabric of Benson’s sweater-vest, and my fingers dig into his ribs just beneath. His hands are still behind my neck, my head—fingers weaving through my hair as he brings my mouth harder against his—but the length of his body rocked snugly against mine feels like its own kind of embrace.I rip my mouth away to gulp for air but return immediately to his lips, needing more of him. Tiny groans vibrate in his throat and they make me want to hold him tighter, kiss him deeper. I don’t know how long it lasts—forever and yet not nearly long enough—before Benson throws his head back and lets out a long sigh. His hands frame my face and he lets his forehead rest against mine as we both struggle for air. His breath is hot on my lips and when I breathe, it smells like him.And something in me knows that everything is different now.Better? I hope so.“Is this the part where I’m supposed to apologize?” Benson asks, and his voice is so low, so weak, it makes me want to cry all over again.“Are you sorry?” I whisper. And I don’t know what I want to hear.“Never,” he says, his whisper barely audible.A strange joy fills me and this time it’s not overwhelming. It’s calm. Peaceful almost. “Then don’t apologize.”FTC Advisory: Razorbill / Penguin provided me with a copy of Earthbound. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 5/5
      I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Wow this is the first book that I read by Aprilynne Pike, and all I have to say is Wow, I really liked this book! It was a surprise, I thought it was just going to be another love triangle, but oh my God it's so much more. Its really a book that as you read you keep uncovering new secrets and surprises you didn't expect! I just loved how from the beginning the story just pulls you in. Probably one of my favorite beginnings. I just loved the whole plot of the story. Travia's story is full of grief but also full of secrets. The secrets she will find out can either save her or destroy her. I loved the twists! OMG! There were some awesome twists that I didn't see coming! I can't really give away much, you'll have to read it to find out about how good the plot is. I also enjoyed the characters! Travia is amazing narrative, she deals with all that's happening in a way that I can connect to. She is strong but at the same time she is also weak. I liked her character a lot, well honestly I liked all of the characters. In a book, there were only a couple things that I might of not liked. I was really annoyed with some of the scenes, and all of the waiting to find out who the mystery "person is" lol! But that's just my problem...Haha Overall I really liked this book, and I will definitely recommend it. Now waiting for the second one to come out...