The upper world by Femi Fadugba

Esso lives in a world where he's running out of time - then one day he makes a choice and learns he can see the future. A future that haunts him... Fifteen years later, teenager Rhia is lost and alone, wanting answers. On the cusp of signing with the Dons football club, with her grades holding her back, her foster parents arrange for a tutor. But this tutor has an obsession with physics and there might be more to him than meets the eye. Things are changing - luckily Rhia has her best friend and foster sister Olivia by her side to help her decipher the changes. With gang wars raging throughout the years, Esso and Rhia's fates collide but it's a race against time...

This mind bending sci-fi jumps between Esso and Rhia's perspectives, 15 years apart - the now and the 15 years later. With plenty of science and maths, as well as intense drama, this YA sci-fi has mixed theoretical with real life seamlessly. The author, Femi Fadugba, has written such an interesting story with two realistic protagonists - living life in hard times, with hardships and pain impacting every aspect of their lives. With a variety of supporting characters: family, friends, enemies; this time twist of a story looks at the impact of choices - even how not making a choice can be a choice. Fadugba has given readers much to think about, not only in science fiction but also human relationships. Good for fans of time travel theory and science fiction.

Themes: Science Fiction, Relationships, Time Travel, Choice, Consequences, Gangs.

Melanie Pages