Gamma Ceti is planet in another galaxy, with a remote colony of vaguely religious people living in a vaguely 20th century world. Dex is an outcast in his class, which essentially means he’ll be an outcast for life, because of the closed-off and tight-knit nature of this community. When a new girl arrives from Earth, he’s infatuated by her, but too timid to approach her. However, it’s not long before an encounter with a bully forces Dex onto Tabitha’s radar, and then life really changes for Dex. He and Tab spent a lot of time alone together, which she eventually admits started as an attempt on her part to try to uncover some strange happenings in the school. What neither of them ever expected was to encounter a massive conspiracy involving brainwashing, a conspiracy that those involved would kill to keep secret.

When I first decided to read this book, I expected a fun YA adventure with a mystery to unravel. There were some interesting elements to the mystery as it unfolded, and I appreciated the way that the main character had some real drawbacks, even as he started to evolve through the story. Even Tab broke some stereotypes I expected from her character.

Unfortunately, but I was distracted throughout this book by a few issues. One was the amount that the two main characters had frivolous conversations in the middle of dire circumstances. I’m not saying that the conversations themselves were unimportant to the characters, especially in high school. However, running away from bad guys, or trying to escape a secret lair, are not the best times to have arguments about relationships. Maybe this was a result of the author wanting to keep the action going, while also trying to resolve the relationship, but to me, it just made absolutely no sense. At one point, the characters even stopped moving toward their escape to have one of these discussions!

Another thing that bothered me about the book was the writing. Maybe it’s only because I read the entire thing over the course of a day, but I noticed such a repetition in character actions and dialog tags that it grew distracting by the end of the book.

I also have to mention the cringe-worthy items for me. First, there was the f-bomb right off the bat that made me realize the book would be just as language-heavy as the adult books I’ve been reading lately. Then there was the rather graphic sex scene with two teenagers that was very unwelcome and uncomfortable for me. That blind-sided me in particular, considering the YA/Teen shelving and the cartoonish cover art (though I didn’t notice the blood on Dex’s sock until after I’d read the book). I would not want my teens reading this book.

By about halfway through the book, the characters had hinted at what was going on, and it never really deviated from that. I expected some sort of twist, or final reveal, but outside of a few small unexpected things, it followed through to the end much like I expected. And there was no real resolution, not even a firm answer about whether what the characters hinted at is what was even going on. It looks to be the beginning of a series, but I don’t know which thread the continuation will follow, so for now, I just feel let down. In some ways, this is what you want from a book in a series, and to be honest, it did its job. I will look for the next book in this series and give it another chance, going into it this time with an understanding of what I’m in for. That’s the main reason I am giving this book 3 stars, when originally I planned to give it 2.

Final thoughts: The book is a strange mixture of being too mature for teen/YA (in my personal opinion), but too juvenile for anything above that. I honestly couldn’t recommend this book for teenagers, but for people who enjoy sci-fi that is less complex and tech-heavy, it could be worth a read.

A quick YA read. It's called fiction for a reason. A somewhat believable premise. The bully gets his comeuppance. Aliens, and mind control, and an unforeseen romance. It's a typical summer YA read that will most likely fly off the shelves.

A fun sci-fi space adventure for teens!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What an awesome debut for Nemo West! The Curious Conspiracy on Gamma Ceti (The Story of Dex) grabs you from the first page and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout, waiting to find out what will transpire next. In the remote colony set up on the planet of Gamma Ceti, they do things just a tad bit differently than they do on planet Earth. There are lots of rules and regulations to follow, one of which is no technology. Dex and Tab find themselves skipping Morning Mass, and from there the surprises just keep coming. They decide to do a bit of exploring, and by doing so find more than they bargained for. They decide to work together to right the wrong and try to save those on Gamma Ceti. However, little do they know, this is not an easy task to accomplish. The character development is well, and the story line moves along well, until the end when it seems to be a bit rushed. However, I would definitely be interested in reading a sequel to this story in order to find out just what happens next. There is some violence and some language, but I am most leery of the sex contained within the story. I think it might be a bit much for younger teens. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Publishers for granting me early access to "The Curious Conspiracy on Gamma Ceti".

I'm currently in the middle of a major move, and will definitely come back at a later time and write out a full review and rating.

Thank you so much!

The characters were good and I enjoyed the author's style.

The book was a great book but more intended for teens. It does have some cursing and some intimacy.

Gamma Ceti is a planet with a remote colony of vaguely religious people living in a vaguely 20th-century world. Dex is an outcast in his class. When a new girl arrives from Earth, he encounters a bully forces Dex onto Tabitha’s radar, and then life really changes for Dex.

Together Dex and Tab must survive bullies, fights, clones, chases, mind-control, and explosions to warn the Colonial Administration of a sinister conspiracy. Or die trying…

First time read by this author, enjoyed the book, thank you, Net Galley, for letting me review for an honest review.

**Disclaimer: I was given an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**


I had to stop reading as I was really put-off by how Tabitha Tempest is described and treated in the beginning of the story. I'm hoping to pick this up again later, based on other reviews, but it was a hard-stop.

Also, based on other reviews, the cover of the book should probably be edited or changed. Initial thoughts on the cover makes me think the story is targeted more towards a younger audience (middle-grade/young adult), yet the book includes gore, graphic sex, and vulgar language???

Dexter Carpenter(Dex) goes to Saint McIntyre's Academy in Gamma Ceti, a colony in Electra star system. There's a new girl in the colony from Earth, Tabitha Tempest(Tab) who is secretly admired by Dex.

Dex gets bullied every other day in school by Travis. On a fine day, he gets bullied which leads him, to skip the morning Mass. He comes across Tab who has skipped the Mass as well. Together they skip the Mass every day and hang out in Journalism Office in the school basement.

As the days pass, they skip the Mass every day. They soon start to see mysterious situations in the school about the morning Mass, the activities of students and staff, etc. Soon they get to know whoever goes to morning Mass is mind-controlled and there's something in the subbasement of the school.

What's happening in Gamma Ceti? Did Dex and Tab succeed in exposing? What's the story behind the new girl?

A cool science fiction series for the nerds out there! There's a fun, adventure, and a whole lot of other stuff in the book. The book is a series, and the adventure has just begun.

Thank you to Kenneth Floro for making available a digital edition of Nemo West’s ‘The Curious Conspiracy on Gamma Ceti’ in exchange for an honest review.

On the colony planet of Gamma Ceti, high school student Dexter (Dex) Carpenter dreams of adventure though is tormented and bullied. After being subject to a rather nasty prank, he accidentally skips class and runs into Tabitha (Tab)Tempest, a new girl from Earth and his secret crush.

The two eventually become friends and Tabitha reveals that she is seeking to uncover a planet-wide conspiracy. Dex eventually believes her and the two team up.

From the cover art I had wondered if this was a graphic novel; it’s not but rather a short novel that combines science fiction, adventure, and teen drama.

It was quite a simple, fun read with plenty of action. Nemo leaves things open for a sequel and Dex is certainly a character who I would like to see spread his wings beyond Gamma Ceti.

3-3.5 stars

When I first started this book, I wasn't sure how I felt about it because I was thinking of it as a book for teens or maybe older middle school kids. But then the f-bomb was dropped, followed by some pretty explicit sex and I was jarred thinking I wouldn't really feel comfortable recommending this to my teens or any of my students. There was also a fair bit of violence, some described quite vividly. So I adjusted the target audience in my mind to young adult and read it from that perspective. By the time I finished the book, I decided it was a pretty decent action/adventure for older readers. However, despite the fact that I might recommend this to a young adult but not a young teen, these characters are definitely in high school and the conversations they have with each other remind us just how young they are. I think it's this disconnect that prevents me from liking it a lot more. It's almost as if the author can't quite decide who his target audience is. Additionally, overlaying the whole story is the idea that the Catholic church (or at least the conservative, "backward" church in this story) is a brainwashing cult. There is so much going on in here that I'm not entirely sure what story is being told here. Still, I don't regret the time I spent to read this book. It was still a decent story and I liked Dex and Tab enough that I hope that some day Dex makes it off that planet.

I had such a trip reading This book, there's so many things that happen and I really enjoyed reading it. The characters were good and I enjoyed the author's style.