Below

Gr 8 Up—The world exists in two planes. Above, cities stand on islands that float in the sky. Below is a barren wasteland where only the strong survive. Elia is a laundress in the Mirrored Palace who spends her days toiling under the watchful eye of palace officials. When she is tasked with hiding a wooden box by a lady-in-waiting, she never dreams that it will send her tumbling over the edge to Below. Her world collides with Hokk, a boy who has been exiled from his city to the deserted prairie. He has never seen a body fall from the sky and survive, and believes that Elia could be his ticket out of exile. As they fight to survive, they learn that their worlds may be more entwined than they thought. The narrative is told in alternating voices; however, Elia's world Above is far more developed than Hokk's Below. Little background is given on how the two divisions came into existence, which leaves readers with many questions and without a particular allegiance to either character. A cliff-hanger abruptly ends the story, resulting in many questions for upcoming installments of the series. Overall, this is an interesting premise that was not fully developed. Here's hoping that the next volumes answer more questions, though only the most die-hard fans will likely continue reading.