Always Look Within

Aimee Patterson is a shy, nerdy young girl whose head is always in the stars. Living with her parents in North Carolina, she's the kind of girl who plays in the band and walks with her head down.

While walking her dog, Ziggy, by the marshy pond behind her house, something distracts Ziggy and he runs into the deep, dark woods that have always scared Aimee.

Swallowing her fear, Aimee goes in search for her dog. And something amazing happens. She is drawn up in a beam of light and finds herself, unbelievably, on a bigger spaceship than she could ever have imagined.

Beyond is the story of a search to save a civilization, an exploration of the Universe, a wonderful dabble in celestial mechanics and, the meeting of one's own true love.

Maureen Miller excells in her character development, I fell in love with all of her characters, except for the odious one! Her prose is beyond, pardon the pun, descriptive. I was in space, on the surface of many varied planets and felt my body change along with Aimee.

Adventure, mystery, sadness, loss, redemption and love born of connection are all experienced in waves. Beyond is that kind of book that you can't put down until you have reached the end.

I'm thrilled that this is the first of a series, I bawled my heart out at the end. I will be so happy to return to the Universe of Beyond. ( )

It is the day after Aimee Patterson’s high school graduation. College beckons, as does her dream of becoming an engineer. On an early evening walk, her cocker spaniel charges into the woods on the other side of the pond. Aimee trails after him, and in the stillness of that forest the unthinkable happens. She becomes paralyzed and watches in horror as her hands vanish before her eyes.

Waking to the sound of voices, Aimee realizes that she has been kidnapped. Little does she know how far away from home she is, though. In an attempt to flee her captors, she launches from their confines only to freeze at the view outside the window. The sky is black and filled with stars, and in the distance is a familiar blue globe. The planet Earth.

A group of humans forced to flee their planet after an epidemic destroyed their civilization now travel the galaxies in search of an antidote. Retrieving samples of plant life from every solar system, on this occasion Aimee was accidentally seized instead.

Aimee must learn to avoid the advances of an awkward young scientist who seems intent on dissecting her, as her own fascination turns to the exotic young warrior, Zak. Having fallen in love with Zak, she is now torn with the decision to return to Earth or live beyond the stars.

Very enjoyable and captivating. Great story... great ending.

I'm not one to read an entire book in one sitting, and although I didn't do that with "Beyond," I was tempted. I knew from the book description that Aimee would be taken away by alien beings and returned 5 years later, and I had preconceived ideas as to how the story was going to roll; alien beings with multiple, odd-shaped body parts performing invasive experiments on a young, female earthling. I was pleasantly surprised that I was wrong. How was I to know that she'd fall in love with not only one of her captors, but the entire race of alien people? What about her parents who had surely gone crazy with grief at the disappearance of their daughter. I had to get to the end of the book to find out what happened when she returned, and then what happened after that. Wow!

Great story. Great ending.
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My original BEYOND audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Beyond: Beyond the Series Book 1 is an enthralling tale of a young woman hours away from graduating with her life planned out before her. Aimee Patterson is an only child with parents that all kids long for until … She takes a fateful trip into the woods following her dog when suddenly she feels strange before blacking out.

When Aimee does wake up she finds her life is no longer planned out, she has no family and only Joh and a few others to help her navigate her way through her new world. Can she get back home? How does she maneuver her way through betrayal and treachery?

Maureen Miller builds a strong science fiction story full of twists and suspense. Miller captures the feelings of a young girl struggling to find herself and her way in a strange world all the while navigating through teenage girl hormones. The dialog is realistic as are the feelings of Aimee. Miller builds strong characters to draw her readers in and connect them to each and every character.

Miller develops the story line and characters with gracefully strong descriptions and situations.

Emma Lysy is a strong narrator; her voice helps to bring the reader in and keep them caught up in the story with her passionate, clear and moving voice. Her voice is even and soothing while projecting the emotions of Aimee and the chaos of her life.

I enjoyed this book immensely and listened to it non stop. I enjoyed the story and narrator to the point that I didn't want it to end. It was fun, light listening and Miller writes using vivid descriptions. Growing up, I loved stories such as this one - I longed to take those trips and explore new worlds while also finding myself.

This book is for anyone who loves science fiction, romance, and adventure.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author. ( )

Just after graduation Aimee Patterson takes her dog out for a walk on their large property when he runs off into the forest. She runs after him only to see him standing stock-still looking up at the sky. She goes to get him and he runs back the way he came. She turns to follow but now she can’t move.

When Aimee wakes she finds herself on a spaceship headed away from earth. The people are humanoid, and friendly. They say they will return her to her home as quickly as possible, on their next round past her planet 5 earth years from now!

In the time that Aimee is gone from earth she has many adventures, and makes many new friends, including one special one, Zak. She almost gets killed too by a scientist who wanted to dissect her.

I liked the way Aimee’s romance with Zak developed in this story. It wasn’t all at once. And while it did have a lot to do with physical attraction, it wasn’t totally physical attraction. It was built on their interactions with one another, their experiences together.

The descriptions of the various plants, animals and environments were well-described, making them easy to visualize. I would definitely have liked to have seen that sumpum standing on its back legs!

Action, adventure, clean romance. There is a lot to offer in Beyond. The pacing is moderately-fast. The closure on her five-year absence but that would be my only real critique. Otherwise I thought that Beyond was a fun science fiction read. I gave Beyond 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to the author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.

This review is published on my blog Shelf Full of Books http://kathrynsshelffullofbooks.blogspot.com/2014/12/book-review-beyond-by-maure... ( )