NEPTUNE'S TEARS

A star-crossed (literally) romance plays itself out in London in 2218.

Seventeen-year-old Zee is a gifted empath, someone who is able to heal psychic and physical traumas through the power of thought. Her talents prove to be a liability when she falls in love with a supposed alien whose motives are less than transparent. Realizing that their relationship is impossible, Zee throws herself into her work. Her favorite patient is a 200-year-old woman who possesses some of the titular Neptune’s Tears, priceless diamonds that were harvested by robots on that planet. Zee is called to action during the chaos that results when anarchists try to destroy London with powerful shock bombs. Realizing that she is also telepathic, Zee signs on to be trained as a diviner, which permits her to predict a catastrophic attack and save Earth from certain doom. Her extreme attraction to the supposed alien boy propels her to travel to Southeast Asia for a final fling, hoping to lure him back to live with her. A final surprising plot twist removes the mystery surrounding Zee’s lover but does not serve to ensure their future life together. The premise of the skilled telepathic protagonist is intriguing, but the story is thin, the ending is disappointingly vague, and there are a few too many loose ends to make a satisfying read.

A miss.