Salvage

Written by Alexandra Duncan

Narrated by Johanna Parker

Ava, a teenage girl living aboard the male-dominated deep space merchant ship Parastrata, faces betrayal, banishment, and death. Taking her fate into her own hands, she flees to the Gyre, a floating continent of garbage and scrap in the Pacific Ocean, in this thrilling, surprising, and thought-provoking debut novel that will appeal to fans of Across the Universe, by Beth Revis, and The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood. Internationally bestselling author Stephanie Perkins called it "brilliant, feminist science fiction."

Ava is the captain's daughter. This allows her limited freedom and a certain status in the Parastrata's rigid society—but it doesn't mean she can read or write or even withstand the forces of gravity. When Ava learns she is to be traded in marriage to another merchant ship, she hopes for the best. After all, she is the captain's daughter. But instead, betrayal, banishment, and a brush with love and death are her destiny, and Ava stows away on a mail sloop bound for Earth in order to escape both her past and her future. The gravity almost kills her. Gradually recuperating in a stranger's floating cabin on the Gyre, a huge mass of scrap and garbage in the Pacific Ocean, Ava begins to learn the true meaning of family and home and trust—and she begins to nourish her own strength and soul. This sweeping and harrowing novel explores themes of choice, agency, rebellion, and family, and after a tidal wave destroys the Gyre and all those who live there, ultimately sends its main character on a thrilling journey to Mumbai, the beating heart of Alexandra Duncan's post–climate change Earth. An Andre Norton Award nominee.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Apr 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9780062299901

Alexandra Duncan

Alexandra Duncan is an author and librarian. She lives in the mountains of western North Carolina with her husband and two monstrous, furry cats.

Reviews for Salvage

[tanaise-968201 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was really really good, and this cover is really really really wrong. As is the blurb.

This is a story about Ava, a girl raised in a spaceship in a very strict and patriarchal society. She breaks some rules and is forced to escape and flee to Earth in a mailship to avoid an honor killing. On Earth--specifically the floating city built over the plastic Gyre in the pacific--Perpétue, the captain of the mailship essentially adopts her while she is adjusting to the differences of earth gravity, and Ava learns to read and to fly a spaceship herself. Ava has an aunt in Mumbai, so when yet more disaster strikes, she and Perpétue's daughter head there to find her.

This is not the book that the cover is for--that is light and fluffy, and this book is serious and painful over and over again, but I had only meant to read a chapter before bed, and that was 2 hours ago. It was very very good.

[jennybeast · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Putting the "Dys" in dystopian, Duncan has written a scary, brave, profoundly disturbing and empowering sci-fi stand-alone book with a kick-ass main character.

There were things I did not love, but that made sense for a plot involving a cult that evolves on a starship. Well written, and hard to put down.

[livingtech_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There was a part of this book near the beginning where I almost quit reading it. Then another part midway where I was so pissed at it that at that moment I would have rated it one out of five stars. But shortly thereafter it picked up, and things, while still bad, mostly got better for the main character. It wasn’t the end of the painful things happening, but it was the end of the scarlet-letter-style dystopia portion of the book.

In general, I don’t like reading dystopia. At least not where the main character feels the brunt of the painful twists to which society has been subjected. So three stars instead of 4.

This was a page turner. And I did enjoy the message / morals. It was just... very difficult reading in a bunch of parts. Probably worth it tho.

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was not sure about this at first as it started off as a space opera, but it turned out to be a very engaging story with some pretty deep themes.

[ingrid98684 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Lazy and formulaic. Literature like this is just annoying.

[mirandalg14 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thanks to Edelweiss and Greenwillow Books for allowing me access to this title.

This was an interesting look at society and how the norm can change based on what the society accepts/is told by their leaders. I liked how the MC grew and changed her perceptions as she learned different things. I thought she made a great choice in the end to move on with her life to what she wanted to be, not how she was raised to think she should be.

[anissaannalise-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.5 stars. This was a great read and so much happened that I don't have the time to put it all down here. I will say that I do wish there were more science fiction stories like this in general and in YA & NA in particular. This very much reminded me in tone of A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan. These are the sorts of standalone books that make me wish they had a sequel because the world is so well rendered and the characters well done. I enjoyed Ava's evolution from her hiding her ability to perform fixes to her banishment and basically being reborn on earth. She had to learn to walk, read, fly a ship and take care of another in her charge after tragedy. And that wasn't even the totality of her journey. She had to find her Aunt Soraya in Mumbai and learn the truth of how she ultimately came to be a part of the community on the Parastrata and what that means for the life she can choose now. I found it all satisfying a read and understood where she was coming from most of the time. I understood her attraction to both Luck and Rushil and understood her decisions regarding them at the end. It didn't feel like there was a love triangle to me and as I loathe those, I'm calling this exceptionally well done. I wanted so much more from Ava but had to remind myself that considering where she'd come from, she was on schedule and probably ahead on exercising her own agency and embracing it. I wished to know more about Soraya and also the camp where the cast away boys from the merchant ships were living. It made me wonder about the government and what sorts of regulations there are with the merchant ships who seem to have human rights infractions across both sexes. This book says so much about different societies, ethics in anthropological research, natural disasters, pollution, population over-crowding, financial stratification in society, personal rights versus group advancement and so much more. It was worth every single page & I could've gone 200 pages more here alone.If the writer decides to write another book in this verse, I'll be thrilled to read it. Well done.

[beckygandee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have been wanting to read Salvage for awhile now, the beautiful cover and the hype around it had me interested. My mother-in-law bought me this book while on vacation and I really didn't get a chance to dive into it until we were home and unpacked. Once I picked it up, I didn't want to put it down. It had an Across the Universe feel to it, which is definitely a good thing in my book.Ava has such an unique life living on the Parastrata, she met a handsome young man, Luck, who she would be married to. It started off so sweet and innoncent and then it just takes off, Ava's life gets flipped upside down. Her journey was just amazing to read and I felt so connected with Ava and all of her ups and downs. I could kind of guess how the ending would play out, but I'm still thinking about how i feel about it. I could see why she chose who she did, I guess I just hoped it would be different. Ava was a whole new woman and everything about her changed.I'm looking forward to reading more from Alexandra Duncan, she really intrigued me with Salvage!”

[theindigoshelf-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Salvage is one of those books that I feel was written just for me. I loved it. It was such an emotional roller coaster that I became a bit teary-eyed at different parts. I was left feeling content after the fantastic emotional ending. However, I do admit that it did get off to a rocky start. I stopped reading for a while at 200 pages (out of 528). I wasn't sure how I felt about the odd language and the slow start, so I came back to it a day later. When I picked it back up things had changed. The dialogue progressed and the atmosphere was considerably different. It had me intrigued.Ava is my ultimate heroine. We meet her on the Parastrata with her crew and "friends". Ava struggles in dealing with the snobby, talk-behind-your-back crewmates on her ship; they snicker and frown at her. She is the captain's daughter, yet she is treated different from all the others. She has a slightly darker complexion than everyone else because her mother's father was from Earth. Scandalous. On the ship, the Parastrata, it is customary for the men to do the flying, the reading, the guard duty, and the fixing. It is also customary for the women to do the menial work, such as cleaning, milking the goats, cooking, and keeping their heads down in the presence of men. I thought Duncan did a great job of touching on the subject of inequality and kept Ava likable with her progressive thoughts. Because Ava is considered important in her position as a captain’s daughter, her marriage is of utmost importance to the crew. This is where the romance begins.We are given a small insight to Ava’s past, only to show us her intended love interest. She believes she is in love with her best friend Soli’s brother, Luck. After they got along so well when they were little kids she believes they are perfect for each other. She hopes that she will marry him at the next trade, and be a wife to a future captain. But when a trade deal goes wrong, Ava is sent spiraling into a place she never thought she would end up. She is thrown out and left alone towards a journey of meeting new friends and seeing a whole new environment she never knew existed. We see her gain strength and learn things she thought were impossible for her to learn. Throughout Salvage, Ava grows as a young woman. She begins to see where things could be different on the ship, and she starts to see how she could make a difference, at least, in her own life. This is where the second love interest is introduced.Real life teenage romance often involves multiple crushes and believing that you love someone, even if it is nonsensical. It’s a part of growing up; searching for true love... among other things. That said, Ava does find someone else, and continues to think about Luck whenever she feels guilty. I was a bit wary after seeing that there would be two love interests, but Ava impressed me. Duncan impressed me. The boy she meets is a complete mystery to Ava. She wonders about his motives for accepting her as she is. He is something that she used to learn how to gain the strength she always knew was hiding inside her.As a standalone debut novel, Duncan has done a brilliant job integrating parts of teenage life into an unpredictable dystopian-like future with bits of teenage romance. I would recommend Salvage to anyone who has struggled with finding who they are. The ability to rely on your own inner strength and believe in the impossible were a few of the valuable lessons I took from this book.

[erlangerfactionless · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There is so much to love about SALVAGE. It feels like classic sci-fi with a teenage protagonist and modern struggles. I have little, if nothing, to complain about. I appreciate it being a standalone novel, and at a little over 500 pages it is definitely able to tell a complete and well-rounded story.The characters are strong, with deep personal narratives and very real emotions and motivations. Their nuanced development is at times unexpected and familiar. I particularly liked Perpetue, the tough woman who takes Ava in and acclimates her to being planetside - on Earth. Ava's relationships with her adoptive family and the friends she makes along her journey are compelling and interesting. Perpetue's daughter, Miyole, is quite endearing and a strong character that stands on her own while still motivating a lot of plot points. The plot and pacing are pretty much perfect. SALVAGE is sometimes a page-turner, other times a slow and thoughtful rumination on human nature. The contrasts between spaceside tribes and planetside cultures is startling. The inequality, the oppression of women, the abandonment of children - each happens in a different way on both sides of the atmosphere. Ava experiences both sides, and learns to feel at home in a completely foreign place. The writing had a classic and somewhat timeless feel, reminiscent of Tamora Pierce and Ursula K. LeGuin. As a fan of classic sci-fi I really enjoyed this. The jargon that doesn't feel out of place or forced in context, the complex and well-developed lore and mythology, and the otherwordly feel of the writing style all work towards creating a modern masterpiece of YA science fiction. If you are a fan of science fiction, as a teen or adult, then this book is for you. Fans of Ursula K. LeGuin, Margaret Atwood, Tamora Pierce, ENDER'S GAME, Beth Revis, and the MATCHED trilogy are a perfect audience for Alexandra Duncan's debut, SALVAGE.

[brandileigh2003 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to read Salvage I'll admit, the cover caught my eye. Its pretty and the moon being so close to the water and the girl on the beach. I just want to know what it going on. Then I read the synopsis and saw a chance for the main character to totally stand up for women in general on the male dominated planet, and I also wanted to find out how she would fare with her escape. Like me and most sci-fi all of the new words, concepts and world was a little overwhelming, but by Chapter 4 I was learning what everything meant and their slightly different word usage and style. I did like the world building even if it took me a while to really understand. They are on a spaceship and it sounds like something happened on the earth but they still long for it. The structure of their ships heirarchy was maddening, but I totally understand that our society used to be similar as well. Women do not have jobs as mechanics or pilots, instead their value comes from kitchens, livestock care, laundry and most importantly having babies. I didn't connect right away with Ava but by chapter 3, I saw that she did have a spark to fight how things were, learning about the fixes and just the desire to learn more, since women don't learn to read or much math, she learned figuring on her own. We got to see pretty quickly what she was made of when she was set to be a bride for a ship that they hope to negotiate trade with, and she is caught in a compromising situation that broke my heart. Her brother all of the sudden won't talk to her, the Aethers, the other ship kicks her off, and she is going to be exiled. As for the secondary characters I liked Soli and Luck, but wondered at the beginning why so much time was built building these relationships, but then I figured that is the catalyst for her needing to escape and being on Gyre. Then after she escapes, we meet Perpetue and Miyole. They are so accepting and Miyole is a precious, intelligent little girl. It gives Ava purpose, but also Miyole a role model and someone to help her along. The part where they end up in Kalina and the Salts was pretty epic. The things that Ava never thought she would have to do and a strength even more than everything she'd already overcome and faced rises up in her and I really admired her and her willingness to do what needed to be done for her and Miyole. Also, how Ava discovers a kindness in strangers, really shows her that humanity can go both ways, they can do horrible things, but then also beautiful. I am pleased with how the romance was threaded into the book and the resolution. I can't talk much about it, just like I can't talk much about where she ends up after Gyre because I def don't want to give out spoilers, but I saw tremendous character growth in her, as well as surprising twists to the story. Despite the slow for me start, I ended up tearing through Salvage, connecting with Ava, loving the world set-up, as well as hoping for another book about Ava to release soon. But as I understand it is a standalone, so I think there is lots of potential with the great world building and character development that will be lost. Bottom Line: For me, took until Ch. 3-4 to get fully into the story then it carried me away.

[darkfaerietales_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Salvage is a good book, but judging on all the praise in the Amazon description, I had higher hopes and was not very impressed.Opening Sentence: The morning before our ship, Parastrata, docks at the skyport, I rise early.The Review:Salvage is the story of a girl ostracized from her ship in space. Forced away from her love interest and onto the harsh earth, she must learn to survive the gravity of the planet, take care of an orphaned girl, and learn to love again.Ava’s crewe has a sort of language that they share, like English with different grammar and wording. At first, the ship’s dialect was confusing. It was hard to get into any of the first chapters because I understood nothing — although I began to see what was happening by page thirty something, before that I was not really getting it. For example, Ava is “so girl”. Since typically “so” isn’t used as a job/saying of respect, you can see what I mean.Let’s talk about her first love interest, Luck. In my opinion they fell for each other way to fast. They hung out together as young children (smallones) for about a month, maybe less, before Luck disappeared on the Æther with his own crewe. Now they are meeting again, and somehow both of them are still starstuck? It doesn’t happen that way, and no one is in love so much that fast, even if they do believe they are to be married. Their parents, both captains, have supposedly bethrothed them, but still. Ava’s feelings of grief were well done; I just didn’t feel anything along with her. By the end of the book, the only feeling I had for Luck was irritation, and I can’t spoil why for you…Rushil, on the other hand, I did enjoy. At least their relationship takes more than a few pages to develop! He also has flaws, secrets in his past, and in my eyes it works in his favor: Luck was to perfect, not a very believable character. I’m definitely rooting for team Rushil. I have to say, this isn’t really a love triangle, because the whole book ended with a sense of finality and Ava choosing one of them. This doesn’t need a sequel, though it could have one made, but the plotline was wrapped up nicely with a bow on top.The whole dystopian setting wasn’t that incredible. Yes, there is space travel. Yes, earth is different from present earth. No, I wasn’t intrigued by its history (which is what a really fabulous future world should do)! My feelings for this book were in no way bad — just eh, the whole way through. The ending was slightly more entertaining but moved rather fast.Altogether Salvage was an okay novel, but nothing I would reread later on. The cover may be gorgeous but the content didn’t live up to it. I had such high hopes starting this one and I felt a little let down by the end. Perhaps if you don’t have high hopes, you will be impressed? I don’t know, but you might as well try it out. Worse comes to worse, you have a beautiful book cover to display from your shelf!Notable Scene: This is different, a slower burn what builds and builds, as if our lips our amplifying the charge between us the longer we stay linked. I never thought anyone would touch me this way again, never thought my heart could carry the charge. I give deeper to the kiss, lost in the unexpected heat of it.FTC Advisory: Greenwillow Books/Harper Collins provided me with a copy of Salvage. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.