THE KINDRED by ALECHIA DOW
A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN
The Kindred by Alechia Dow is a YA sci-fi story with a sweeping love story at its core. Through this book, we are introduced to the concept of Kindred matches. Felix and Joy, our main characters, are one such Kindred pair. The Kindred system came about after The Second Chaos, an inter-galactic class war that pitted the poor against the rich. The Kindred system was then introduced, matching the galaxy’s poorest with the richest members of society. This way, the classes would understand each other more and no one would have a reason to fight. Felix is a
prince and heir to the throne of his home planet. Joy lives on one of her system’s poorest planets but has been paired with Felix anyway. There’s more to this story and there’s all sorts of political maneuvering to be had, however the main plot starts when the royal family is murdered and Felix’s parents are kidnapped.
Felix, and by extension, Joy, are accused of killing the royal family. As a result. they flee to modern-day Earth, where they meet a teenager named Rashid who helps them navigate human society, including going to high school. Felix and Joy need to flee Earth before the intergalactic police catch up with them, however, but getting off Earth is easier said than done…
I didn’t hate The Kindred but I didn’t love it either. This book clearly has a lot of heart and was written with care, much like Dow’s first novel, The Sound of Stars. There’s nothing wrong with these sorts of hopeful, almost Disney-esque books. They have an audience but I’ve come to realize that I’m not that audience. While reading, I found that I didn’t really like Felix all that much. He complains a lot and depends on Joy for everything and I didn’t see much growth in him from the beginning of the novel to the end. Joy is a different story. I loved Joy and rooted for her throughout the book. I also felt like the main thrust of the plot got lost in the middle–after Joy and Felix get to Earth. The sense of urgency is gone, and while I appreciate a book that meanders a bit on its way to the end, this book would have benefitted from a little more focus.
Despite these grumbles, The Kindred is an endearing and sweet novel, its underlying message that true love can change the world all the more important in these tumultuous times we’re living in. You can pick up a copy at the Oreana Library today!