Gripping story – a must read 3-book series!

I just finished reading the first third of this series, having waited a bit on it for the other two to be out or forthcoming. It is about a teenage girl, Mei Lin Yu, who is named after her grandmother who is one of the founders of their new world. Ten of the richest families left earth which was in decline and set up on a new planet, somewhat pushing the native people to their will. The final ship of Reachers (that helped build the first ten ships) may have never arrived. There are interesting animals, people with some extra abilities, and politics. As Mei is inconveniencing her brother and her parents are always off pursuing their careers elsewhere, she is shipped off to finally meet her grandparents for a couple months before she can hopefully get into the best school (at least if her parents' arrangement for a makeup exam following her missed one due to eye surgery gets her in). Well, she immediately hits it off with a monkey-type of animal and it sleeps at her feet and she talks to it, seemingly getting appropriate looks of compassion back. The people are interesting and she has several discoveries as she tries to connect with the lovely place where they live (not hard to do). The mysteries are beginning to unfold and many suspicions are being worked on. Can she help the local people she is coming to cherish? Is she really just a child who must honor her parents and their wishes? Does she even believe in these supernatural abilities some have claimed exist, including sensing weather patterns and talking to animals? She needs to know more and so do I. Can wait to read more, but I was pleased the way this book ended without a completely abrupt event that left me hanging in the wind too much. It was written so a teenager or adult can enjoy this captivating story.

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