Britta Tate is just 13 when selected as psychic intern with earth-based space program EASA. By the age of 23, she is one of the best psychics they’ve trained, but is frustrated she’s still unable to contact her brother Jem, missing in space.

Mankind is spreading from an Earth struggling to sustain 10 billion humans and their requirements. Britta is excited to be offered a chance to relocate to Nattalia, Jem’s last known location, with her father and brother Neath. Will her psychic skills be enough to find him, or will new revelations and a dark conspiracy threaten to overtake events?

Why, oh why, didn’t I read this sooner? I simply could not put this book down once started. The idea of us stripping our own planet of its natural resources has never been more relevant, and @michellesaftich has written the right amount of real science into the story, which prevents it running away into the realms of fantasy like so many others.

The characters are relatable and likeable. I felt empathy for Britta’s father who had already lost his wife and eldest son to EASA, and faced a similar prospect when Britta was enlisted.

There has to be a villain and you know who it is right from the beginning. I think I would have preferred a later reveal, adding an air of mystery, but it didn’t take anything away from the story. The plot was enjoyable to read, with the right amount of tension which built towards the final clash. There is an element of the final showdown which didn’t go the way I was hoping, but it may only be me, and I cannot into specifics without potentially spoiling a great read for someone else, so I’ll shut up.

Overall, I think this is one of my favourite reads this year so far, and happily recommend The Hatch to scf-fi readers, hence the four stars. Thanks to @Netgalley for this book.

this was a really good read, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the use of the scifi elements. I look forward to more from the author.

I was given a copy of the Hatch for the exchange of a free, honest review.

This is an enjoyable, had an enjoyable fast pace,ed story that is entertaining for young adults and adults.

Science fiction with a bit of paranormal suspense helped the book cross genres..

Both Britta Tate's mom and brother, Jem, have disappeared while working for EASA, an Earth-based space program, so when they come for her, she is not impressed. Britta is a psychic, just like her mom and brother, able to see bits of the future and travel unbelievable distances through space, which makes her very valuable to those in power. After 10 years of training she is finally able to head into space, with her brother's best friend Cal, to follow in her family's footsteps and see if she can find them.

The world building and description in this book are fantastic, I thoroughly enjoyed the description of Nattalia, the planet Britta travels to with many other refugees. The descriptions were clear and well thought out, without being overwhelming.

Britta, is a fiery young girl who doesn't follow the rules, but never steps so far out of them that it becomes a serious issues for her, for the most part. The development of the relationship between her and Cal was well placed and didn't derail the original story line.

Overall, this was a great book, especially for this interested in space travel, or worried about our future on this planet.

I found Saftich's novel fascinating. The characters were well developed and you could relate to them. The plot was fast paced and kept you engaged.

This YA sci-fi had some unusual twists, which I really liked. The main character is, even though she is psychic, not a super-duper overpowered girl.
Unfortunately, it is quite obvious how the visions she has about the number 49 are will be used.
The characters and motivations are pretty basic, there are not any nuances to any of them, and most of them stay pretty blank.
The names of the male characters are pretty cliché, too. Jem and Cal. At least one successful YA novel comes to mind for both of these names.
The author says in the acknowledgements that she has read some scientific papers about the stuff she is writing about, but she's not really explaining something good. Lots of techy nouns and verbs, but it is not important if a particle travels at or close to light speed.
In addition, tech and security seem to be just a convenient tool for story progression. No consistency at all .

Tldr: Nice take on the story, you can forget the rest

I tried to get into this book but I just couldn’t finish it, the plot seemed interesting but some of the characters were acting very different for age range and it threw me off and a few other things

This is a young adult book that fans of space fantasy should find fascinating and enjoyable. It is imaginative and relatively fast paced.

Britta Tate has a valuable talent, a psychic ability that allows her to see into the future and past. When she reached adolescence she also develops the ability to astral project and leave her physical body. Her mother and older brother had similar abilities and they became members of an elite space exploration agency which sent them into the cosmos in search of distant human habitable exoplanets.

Britta loves and misses her mom and brother but has always harbored a certain resentment toward her mom and brother for having left her, her younger brother and father behind. Then, abruptly, she finds herself forcefully recruited by the same agency for specialized training, particularly to enhance her psychic abilities. She excels to the point that she is considered the most talented of her kind.

Her mother, then her brother, disappear and even her talents are not enough to located them or to determine their fate.

Britta has been smitten by Cal, the best friend of her older brother, since being introduced to him by her brother. Though not gifted with psychic talents Cal has always felt protective of Britta. A good part of the story involves the growth of a romantic relationship between the two.

After spending a decade honing her abilities at the space institute a sudden announcement is made that the school will cease to exist and all students are expected to travel to a new and beautiful world, only recently settled by humanity. This action was strange enough but several thousands of ships will be also be making the trip with some billions of other people. The reason is not immediately explained but as the fleets of ships begin their voyage the passengers are informed that a huge asteroid is on a collision course with Earth and they are among the select segment of Earth's inhabitants that will be saved. The real reason was withheld from the general public to avoid a panic.

But, this is not the whole story by a long shot and the remainder of the book contains mind-bending plot twists and turns, including the discovery of a new species of life discovered on the virgin planet and new realms of reality that Britta must explore at her hazard. Even the home planet's fate hangs in the balance.

Very entertaining sci fi book. The paranormal aspects of the plot take precedence over the science fiction part. The reasons for the villain's plot are quite sketchy but, overall, the book holds your interest. I wish part of the middle of the book had been shortened and the ending lengthened so it didn't seem so rushed.

Thank you to Odyssey Books for a free copy of this book and to NetGalley for facilitating this.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was a casual read, definitely aimed at an audience younger than myself. That didn’t detract from my experience though. I found it was a relatively quick read but reading too fast meant you missed out on a lot of interesting and evocative foreshadowing and imagery, crows for death, flowers for happiness etc.

The story itself brought along a unique perspective to sci fi by essentially combining a fantastical element to it. It’s not a combination that you would think works, but it did! I found it to be a refreshing take on a sci fi novel and it made the story quite adventurous. the established dichotomy between the two distinct elements of sci fi and fantasy blended well and gave rise to interesting elements of the story. Such as the character could look at a person and instead of guessing their emotion, she was able to deduce accurately what they were thinking/feeling. Very enjoyable.

My only complaint would have to be the prologue. I would’ve liked it if less of the story was given away at the start, so there were some elements that were trickled to you as the reader throughout the story. As a whole, the first half of the book was kind of tedious to read as you knew exactly what happened. But regardless, I enjoyed it and more secrecies and hidden elements of the story were revealed in the second half.

I received a free copy of THE HATCH by Michelle Saftich in exchange for an honest review. This is futuristic novel wherein EASA is a militaristic entity involved in policing colonies. Shortly after Britta Tate’s mother died in the service of EASA, Britta’s older brother enlisted and left his family behind. Soon, EASA conscripts Britta for her psychic abilities and inserts her into grueling psychic and military training. Shortly after Britta’s brother goes missing, EASA organizes a mass exodus from Earth. Once they arrive at their destination, they learn the reason behind the massive relocation effort, and EASA gives Britta a mission. Find what her mother was killed obtaining and what caused her brother to go missing or stand witness to a horrific event.

I found this novel entertaining. The ending left the possibility of a sequel open. I would be willing to read the second book. There were a couple of things that didn’t make sense to me, but, overall, it was a pretty good tale.

#TheHatch #NetGalley