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The Split

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Lose yourself in this brand new Sci-Fi/Fantasy adventure, where the charm of "Harry Potter" meets a futuristic world...

It's the year 2100. Earth is dying. A young woman named Elsie has risked everything to get her new-born son, Will, aboard The Mayfly - a spaceship that will transport a select number of people to a new planet they can call home.
Thirteen years later, and Will is ready to start school at The Space Academy, an institute specialising in subjects such as Alien Studies, Technology and Rocket Control.
Whilst there, Will begins to uncover secrets about his father's death , becoming wrapped in a compelling mystery that he and his friends must solve if they have any hope of saving humanity from the terrifying threat that lies in wait..

214 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 20, 2017

49 people want to read

About the author

Hannah Hopkins

5 books12 followers

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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Profile Image for N.N. Heaven.
Author 6 books2,084 followers
February 22, 2018
Life is a space odyssey but for Will and his three friends, they’re about to find out just how deadly outer space can be. Welcome to The Space Academy where students learn all about the history of aliens as well as rocket control. While studying, Will uncovers the real mystery behind his father’s death. He investigates and soon discovers more than he bargained for. Now, he must decide who he can trust and how to stop the destruction of all humanity. Will he and his friends stop the evil plot before it’s too late?



I’m a huge science fiction reader and have been since I was ten. Just when I think I’ve read all tropes, I stumble across The Split. While strictly young adult, the plot flowed so well, I got sucked into the story. Each character was fun to get to know and had depth. I loved the idea of The Space Academy and reminded me of a sci fi Hogwarts. There’s plenty of humorous dialogue and the mystery intrigued me with a few twists I didn’t see coming. A highly enjoyable read and I can’t wait to read more from Hannah Hopkins.



My Rating: 5 stars



This review first appeared on N. N. Light's Book Heaven: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/si... Come join us!
Profile Image for Joshua Grant.
Author 22 books271 followers
January 10, 2019
Hannah Hopkins’ The Split was both exciting and heartfelt. After numerous world wars, gang wars, and a mass disaster left Earth in utter ruins, a young mother fights to get her baby boy aboard the Mayfly, a massive space transport. But more is going on in The Split than mere survival. Hopkins’ novel hits you both in the heart and the mind as it takes you on its exciting adventure of discovery and intrigue!
Profile Image for Elite Group.
3,112 reviews53 followers
February 19, 2018
A new life in another galaxy

Elsie James was almost denied entry on the Mayfly, a giant spaceship taking those lucky enough to escape from dying earth. Captain Alfred Sommers (Alfie), the commander of the Mayfly is a friend from college and, thanks to his intervention, she and her baby William (Will) are saved from being shot while trying to board the Mayfly.

Elsie and Will live on the “first floor” where Alfie and his daughter, Lois, live. This floor is reserved for only the “chosen” few.

Will leaves the rest of the thirteen and fourteen-year-olds to attend the Space Academy, where they learn subjects that will help them prepare for their eventual arrival on the planet Novum. Among those travelling with him are Emily, Finley and Lois. Little do these four teenagers know what life is going to throw at them during their first year at the academy.

I loved this book from the opening lines, “She was running through the night, clutching the small, precious bundle under her cloak tightly to her chest.” I had to read on, wanting to know who “she” was and what the “precious bundle” was that she was clutching.

Hannah Hopkins has created a sci-fi novel that is both original and exciting. This book sparked my imagination to a time in the future, when the only way to survive is to leave earth and I can see any teenager reader getting completely hooked into the plot and happy to follow the exploits of the very well-defined characters.

I loved the teenagers not just for their bravery when facing danger, but also their loyalty to each other. I also loved how Hannah Hopkins has included bullies who, unfortunately, like most of their ilk, always pick on the vulnerable and how these bullies are confronted by the group.

Hopefully, there will be a sequel to this book.

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Profile Image for Peter Van.
Author 7 books1 follower
May 23, 2018
The Split is a very nice book. I always read three books at the same time, alternating after reading one chapter in a book. With The Split I was reading Erwin McManus 'The Last Arrow', and Janet Evanovich 24th episode of Stephanie Plum. After three chapters in each book, I couldn't stop with The Split any more and had to read it first. So it stood it's ground in fierce competition.

Very good story, good characters. Can't wait to start reading part two The Secret Society.

Obviously the book is self-published, which has my attention as I am trying to prepare for self-publishing my own book, so I pay more attention to details. The self-publishing is shown most obviously in the formatting. The page numbers are in a distracting location, especially on page 73 where the story reveals numbers and the page number is very confusing here. The spacing between lines varies. The book probably would be better sized at 5x8.

It is very clear, that good story and good content, trumps formatting. Always.
Very good. Well done Hannah Hopkins.
78 reviews1 follower
January 16, 2018
Many questions asked over the years are tackled in this book with an interesting and terrifying perspective.
What will the future be like?
Are we alone in the universe?
What will happen if humans have to abandon the earth?
This book follows the story of four young teens who have been accepted to attend the prestigious Space academy where they attend exciting classes like alien studies and how to pilot a rocket ship.
But they uncover a secret plot that threatens the remainder of the human race...

Even with the many perspectives included in this book, the author successfully weaved their stories and made sure no character fell short in personality and made each one feel real to you.
Even with the book aimed at a younger age I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it had me guessing the whole time, unable to predict what will come next.
I can't wait to see if there is more to the story and I can't wait to see where it goes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Harini.
41 reviews6 followers
December 11, 2017
•This book was sent to me by the author for review•


THE MINUTE I PICKED UP THIS BOOK AND READ THE FIRST FEW PAGES, I KNEW I WAS GONNA LOVE IT!!
Everything about this book was fantastic. The writing was great. I really didn't want to stop reading and when I reached the end I was quite sad.

The characters were relatable and sooo fun to get to know.The way the plot was executed and the way it flowed was so good. It'd been a while since I'd picked up a sci-fi novel and I'm so glad this was the book I picked up.

Reading this book the second time was almost as equally as interesting as reading it the first time.
Definitely recommend reading this book!!


I can't wait for more books in this series!!
Profile Image for Carmel McDonagh.
3 reviews
November 7, 2017
When Will turns 13-years-old, he journeys to the Space Academy, where he learns many secrets about his family's past that return to haunt him in the present.
While the sci-fi part of the story features everything you'd expect- aliens, rocket races, advanced pieces of technology, what makes this story different is its use of relatable themes such as issues with parents, social class segregation and discovering your identity that are relevant today.
A very different take on the genre, though with enough satisfying fantasy/sci-fi elements to keep up with its contenders.
Would recommend this to anyone!
Profile Image for Julie Powell.
Author 72 books323 followers
January 15, 2018
I was asked to read this book, this is what I think.

This novel is directed at a younger audience - maybe YA - and its characters and style of writing certainly fit that profile. It is a space adventure about those who have escaped the failing Earth and life...school life...on a new planet. Its focus is on technology and the syllabus includes the necessity to learn about aliens.

The themes are the usual when concerning humans and there is a mystery to solve. Friendship is an important part of the story. It echoes today's world in many ways but is set in the not so distant future; who knows? One thing we all realise is that Earth is failing...

Worth a look.
Profile Image for Kami Usha.
4 reviews
January 2, 2018
If I had to pick two words to describe this book, I’d choose heartwarming and exciting. The characters are warm and relatable, and it wasn’t long before I felt invested in each of them. It’s a really easy book to read, right off from the beginning I was gripped and the ending really took me by surprise.

I’d say the book to slightly geared towards perhaps a younger audience but anyone could really enjoy it. I expect that as the series progresses and the characters grow older, so will the tone of the book. I’m really excited for the next one!
Profile Image for Leah.
1 review
November 4, 2017
Great read! I was hooked from the start! The storylines are very interesting and gripping and the characters very relatable and likeable. Can't wait to find out what's going to happen next.
2 reviews
November 5, 2017
Great read, couldn't put it down. I don't usually enjoy Sci-Fi but the characters and story were brilliant. Well worth a read.
Profile Image for Faith Jones.
Author 2 books48 followers
May 29, 2018
I liked The Split very much and thought it could easily have gone mainstream (hey, get yourself an agent). It’s got all the standard sci-fi elements I would normally look for and also suggests that a segment of the population could leave the planet to its own fate and get on perfectly well without the baggage. The story begins with Earth gone wrong and a (mostly) merit-based way off in an ark ship to find something better. Can the species be saved from its own mess? Will they be able to wrench themselves apart from families they’ve left behind. That’s not the theme of the book though, is it? That’s just the prelude. The Mayfly (a massive substitute for the Mayflower) peels off from the ground with so many thousand passengers and soars into outer space. Why though? Any engineer or part-time astrophysicist can tell you it’s so much more practical to shuttle people through the atmosphere and launch your large spaceship from a position it was constructed in beyond the atmosphere. Why design it to fly in air? That’s as maybe, as method 2 is shown here. The theme of the book has been patient until now, pacing up and down in the wings. What emerges in the story of this generational liner and those who inhabit it is the science fiction version of Harry Potter; a school for space cadets! Totally wow, of course. Who wouldn’t want to go there? Just as in Rowling’s alternative school, a mystery about parents unfolds and then there’s intrigue and finally a murder whodunit to solve. This is original, I should emphasise, not influenced any further from JKR, who definitely borrowed from plenty of other sources. There’s a bit of class struggle in this, a motif around your status relating to which floor of the vessel your apartment is located on (humans can’t cope without artificial hierarchies, can they, even when they’re stupid? – there’s no up or down in space). Knowing the Captain also seems to help your position on the deck plan and provides a direct line when you finally expose the conspiracy. Would this system become instantly redundant if they landed on an exo-planet though? I think so. It might be better to spend your time learning how to evaporate and condense water. I haven’t mentioned the aliens though and I really have to do that. There are collected specimens of alien life forms they show the students in school. Some of these creatures escape, as they need to do to show their full colours, but that’s nothing to the presence of the beings that might have followed the humans from Earth, breathing down their necks and skulking in the shadows ever since. The elders and betters have failed, so now it’s all up to the gang of friends (as opposed to the psycho-students who cause problems for them). This is an action and adventure mystery for kids of all ages set on a weird and wondrous spaceship. What could go wrong? One of the better books of the year.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews

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