Elisa O'Donnell made a new dwelling for people in her novel Enigma. Enigma is a spacecraft between the moon and earth, made necessary after a nuclear war made the planet uninhabitable. Enigma’s motto is Longevity, Ingenuity, Fertility, and Equality. Genesis, a 17-year-old, fit for breeding inhabitant of Enigma with a best friend who is a UFB (unfit for breeding) is just enjoying her life hanging out with her friend and attending school. Although enjoying her youth, she also has to decide how she will do her share to make the continuance of LIFE possible. Once she turns 18, she has to make a choice between bearing a child or embarking on a STAR, a ‘Secret Travel and Recognizance’ mission. While deciding her fate, she encountered a secret organization named GURU that might help her in making a decision for her future.

Elisa O'Donnell created an original and imaginative world in Enigma. The devices and gadgets are new, creative and interesting. The scenes were described really well, involving all the senses, and reading this story was a very good experience. My favorite part of the book was the concert in the park and I very much wanted to have been there, but reading it was gratifying enough. I didn't know the book was not complete, so when I reached the end it was a little sad, but I got excited to know that there will be a book two. The plot was developed well and the characters were intriguing, particularly Genesis. I can’t wait to know more about why she’s special and also what will happen next in Enigma.

The planet was decimated by nuclear war. Now, situated between the Earth and the moon is Enigma. Enigma was created as an outer space bunker and is now home to the descendants of those that survived the holocaust. Enigma is a fully structured world that demands equal contributions from each inhabitant. These inhabitants must follow the teachings of the pillars of LIFE, Longevity, Ingenuity, Fertility, and Equality.

Genesis Velorum and her family are privileged due to superior genes. But her best friend, Warble, is a UFB — unfit for breeding. They are best friends that share everything until right before their eighteenth birthdays. Then things suddenly change. Because of their different designations brought about by DNA testing, their paths are scheduled to be almost complete opposites. While Warble’s fate is practically sealed, Genesis faces a mandatory decision about how she will contribute to Enigma. There is the safe option, staying in Enigma and assisting with increasing the population, or risk embarking on a space mission, leaving behind the only world she has known? Forced pregnancy or a secret voyage out and away, not exactly the choice she would like. And then she discovers the existence of a secret society. What else doesn’t she know about?

A well written and well developed story. The author has created a set of characters that are simply trying to do what they must to get by. The first couple of chapters started a little slowly for me, but once I got into the story I didn’t want to stop reading. The plot grows on the reader as things start to change and all new things come about. Written for the YA audience, it’s good science fiction done really well. Any lover of good sci-fi will enjoy it.