An enjoyable YA story (although a couple of the underlying scientific plot points stretch credibility a bit). Still, I may well read the sequel. I particularly liked the inclusion and sympathetic depiction of a character on the autistic spectrum. ( )

When Jessamyn is grounded for crashing an aircraft on the Mars colony she thinks her chance of joining the next trade mission to Earth to save her planet from starvation are ruined.

But then Jess’s autistic brother is selected for the mission and she is asked to go along to keep him sane during the trip.

The trip to Earth doesn’t go as planned and Jess finds herself thrust into the politics of a dystopian planet that thinks that the Mars colonists died out years ago.

With adventure, drama and a dash of romance Jess sets out to rescue her brother before his body gets donated to an Earthling as part of the complex bodyswap program that is enforced by the planets dictatorial leader.

The characters are distinctive, the plot races along at a decent pace and there are moments of real tension as the away party struggle to complete their mission of saving Mars

I’ve read books from three of Cidney Swanson’s various series and this is the best of the bunch. I loved the lead characters and the plot has enough twists and surprises to keep everything interesting.

An excellent series opener ( )

Nicely paced adventure story of a young woman from Mars dealing with the trials and tribulations of growing up on a world in crisis, largely due to the abandonment of the colony on Mars by Earth. Well written, well-imagined with a variety of characters, most of whom are drawn out to a passable level such that I found myself caring about them, wanting to know what the next step would bring. Swanson is a solid new (to me, at least) writer. Saving Mars is the first of an already existing series with real promise. ( )

This reminds me of a Heinlein juvenile, in all the best ways. A bright, rebellious redheaded teen gets sent on an emergency mission because her neuro-atypical brother can't handle the trip without her, and of course things go sideways from there. I was alternately reminded of Podkayne of Mars and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, and that's pretty fine company.

There are some interesting social and scientific ideas here, and it's always fun to see Earth through the eyes of someone who's only ever known Mars. There's a bit of reading between the lines required, but we gradually get to see that the Mars colony is in pretty bad shape, holding on by pure determination and refusal to quit. I'm looking forward to seeing how one plot development affects her brother, but saying more would be a major spoiler.

The book's not without its flaws, though. One scientific clunker is that the Mars colony has trouble with peroxide - it's just H2O2; it'll break down into oxygen and water just fine. There are a few formatting flaws, too, such as the ship names not being italicized. (They are in the second book, which means this one clashes by comparison.) They're not huge problems, but there are enough flaws for me to deny the book a fifth star. I've already started on book two (of six), though, and I may well blaze through the whole series in short order. ( )

I loved Cidney Swanson's Rippler series so when I was given the chance to read this book for review I took it. Now, I'm not a big Sci-Fi reader. I don't mind Sci-fi in movie/television form, but its not normally what I gravitate to for reading material. However, I am so glad I read this book!

This book caught me from the first page and I couldn't stop reading it whenever I had the chance to read. I enjoyed the concept, the writing and pace of the book, the characters, the story and futuristic descriptions. This book excelled in adventure and the story took some nice twists and turns. Do I want to continue reading this series even though I'm not big on Sci-Fi, heck yeah!

If you like a great story, an interest in a futuristic world, great characters and adventure then I'd highly recommend this book for those pre-teen and older. ( )