Scan barcode
lavendermarch's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this up at a used book sale earlier today. Truth be told, I wasn't expecting much from it, but it exceeded my expectations. Jax was a likable - if certainly very imperfect - protagonist who grew throughout the story. March was a good counterpart to her, and the side characters were all decent.
In general, I thought that this was a fast-paced read and a solid introduction to the series. I want to know more about the SF aspects of things (it's the fantasy reader in me, world building is important); while we got enough to get by here, I hope Aguirre will go deeper in later books.
The romance wasn't bad, but I felt that Jax fell in love too quickly - it was hate to love, but she was recovering from the loss of her lover, so it felt a touch unrealistic that she moved on so fast. That said, I did like Jax and March's relationship, even if they're both a touch too intense for me, haha.
Overall, this was a fun read and I'd recommend it. I'm going back to the book sale tomorrow to buy the rest of the series! 3.75 stars, rounded up.
In general, I thought that this was a fast-paced read and a solid introduction to the series. I want to know more about the SF aspects of things (it's the fantasy reader in me, world building is important); while we got enough to get by here, I hope Aguirre will go deeper in later books.
The romance wasn't bad, but I felt that Jax fell in love too quickly - it was hate to love, but she was recovering from the loss of her lover, so it felt a touch unrealistic that she moved on so fast. That said, I did like Jax and March's relationship, even if they're both a touch too intense for me, haha.
Overall, this was a fun read and I'd recommend it. I'm going back to the book sale tomorrow to buy the rest of the series! 3.75 stars, rounded up.
lark_reads's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book, and I really wanted to give it five stars. The characters are well rounded out and believable, the universe is interesting and I liked the plot. However, it felt like the relationships between some of the characters evolved and grew very suddenly. It felt forced to me. In the end though the book was very good, and I'll be reading the second in the series.
caufwee's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
delitealex's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the world with all the different creatures and beings. Learning about how they travel space through grimspace and people with the J gene was interesting. I did find Sirantha whiny at times though. I will be reading the next book to find out what happens next.
wyvernfriend's review against another edition
3.0
Not a bad story, in fact that both myself and my husband read. It reminds me of older sf with a smidge more romance involved. However I think the romance was the weakest part of the book.
Sirantha Jax is a grimspace navigator. One of the few. She's almost burnt out, like all navigators do, eventually, and is accused of something she's not sure if she's guilty or not and there are plots within plots. March comes into her life and he has a job for her, a job that could cost her her life, but with him also comes love.
I didn't really get that the love was truly believable, it didn't grow well enough to convince me. However I did like that the characters came across as flawed and realistic and interesting. I would read more in this series but wouldn't hunt it up.
Sirantha Jax is a grimspace navigator. One of the few. She's almost burnt out, like all navigators do, eventually, and is accused of something she's not sure if she's guilty or not and there are plots within plots. March comes into her life and he has a job for her, a job that could cost her her life, but with him also comes love.
I didn't really get that the love was truly believable, it didn't grow well enough to convince me. However I did like that the characters came across as flawed and realistic and interesting. I would read more in this series but wouldn't hunt it up.
meghaha's review against another edition
3.0
Grimspace is an entertaining page-turner with world building that reminded me a bit of Serenity while I read it. But once I'd finished tearing through it, I realized I was somewhat dissatisfied with the story. I think it's mostly because I'm not a fan of romance novels, and as you get further into the book, it stops being a science-fiction novel with romantic elements, and becomes a full-blown romance novel with a sci-fi backdrop. I guess that just means I wasn't the right reader for this book.
On a more technical note, I have qualms with ending, as the mess the characters were in was resolved impossibly neatly..
Also, I'll admit I'm mad about a certain death. Man, any fondness I had for the characters disappated after such callousness.
On a more technical note, I have qualms with ending, as the mess the characters were in was resolved impossibly neatly.
Spoiler
The last portion, where Sirantha makes her bounty hunter sympathetic to her cause, defuses a terrorist/hostage situation, and topples the central corp/gov simply by just talking a bit and walking into the HQ? It didn't seem believable to me. It was way too easy and straightforward a resolution after such a big buildup.Also, I'll admit I'm mad about a certain death.
Spoiler
OK, so I'm mad about baby Z dying, and especially the characters' attitudes about it afterward, since they were so nonchalant. Basically: 'um so I probably wouldn't have shot so quickly there was a human baby in the way, I feel a little guilty? Maybe? Should I? Haha whatever back to kissing.' I mean it was a baby...maybe not human but still a baby!janivewe's review against another edition
4.0
It was mostly a 5 stars book until it wasn't.
I don't think people rate books 5 stars because they are perfect but because it entices them in a way they'll never forget.
This book started out being absolutely awesome. It had great characters (loved the main lead), extremely good plot, it never got boring, fast paced, good world building and it was filled with humor. It had everything I liked in a book and it would have been a five stars book if it weren't for its ending.
.
I might complain a bit more later on.
Happy reading everyone!
I don't think people rate books 5 stars because they are perfect but because it entices them in a way they'll never forget.
This book started out being absolutely awesome. It had great characters (loved the main lead), extremely good plot, it never got boring, fast paced, good world building and it was filled with humor. It had everything I liked in a book and it would have been a five stars book if it weren't for its ending.
Spoiler
I hate convenient endingsI might complain a bit more later on.
Happy reading everyone!
mairelon's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars.
This was a weird one for me. I've said before that I find it very hard to reach overly snarky/"baddass"/bitchy female characters so often found in adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy, but this was a mild dose of that.
What I struggled with were some of the narrative decisions around one scene that felt really strange to me.It's a lot of really heavy stuff part-way through the book that feels really glossed over. It just didn't work for me.
This was a weird one for me. I've said before that I find it very hard to reach overly snarky/"baddass"/bitchy female characters so often found in adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy, but this was a mild dose of that.
What I struggled with were some of the narrative decisions around one scene that felt really strange to me.
Spoiler
After waking a baby alien from its gestation they take the baby on board and try and raise him. We're told a number of times how attached March was, after essentially breastfeeding the baby for a month. Then Jax goes and shoots the baby dead during a hostage situation. While she feels bad about it, it doesn't feel like it's satisfactorily addressed in story? And to add to the scene, the enslaved man who she was forced to take ownership over decides to "go out on his own terms" by sacrificing himself for his master, which just felt... weird? And to top it all off, this is after discovering a forced breeding facility where women are kept sedated and pregnant by a pirate warlord and they just do... nothing about it.caterina_1212's review against another edition
Audiobook was not great, might be better read as print.
mothkeeper's review against another edition
4.0
WARNING! There are a few spoilers here and there. I tried to keep it to a minimum.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit, it was paced a bit oddly at times, but overall it was well-written with characters that piqued my interest throughout. Aguirre seems to have good hold of her characters, keeping their personalities well intact while tossing interesting twists into the story. I like that Jax was more than just a gutsy, headstrong woman - she was more than that and it kept you wondering where her story would lead.
Aguirre also did fantastically with the side characters, she made them characters who you loved and wanted to know more about. Doc Saul never ceased to be interesting, Dina is wonderfully gritty and March was a great example of a good male lead.
I found her way of individualizing each of the characters by making them have their own unique personalities and giving you reasons to like or dislike them in a more natural way was nice. For example, Loras seemed to be a bit of an enigma. You wanted to pity him and his existence given what was forced on his people. But then, Jax gave him a new reason to exist, she gave him a choice and he chose to be a white knight of sorts. He still made a sacrifice, but it was not simply to protect Jax - it was because he did what he wanted to do.
And then there are characters like Doc Saul. He's a pretty interesting guy, he comes off as all about the science. All about learning what he can learn. But under all that you can see he truly cares about everyone in the group. He is far more than he puts himself out there to be, and it makes me want to continue the story so I can discover more about him.
I loved how the sex scenes did not overpower the storyline, which can often happen with the genre of romantic novels. No matter if it's sci-fi, fantasy, etc. It did not appear at all to be the focal point of the story, which was refreshing. Yes it occurred, but it was never over done. It never overtook a moment in the story. You can go through most of the novel without encountering it and even when it comes about it feels far more naturally placed that a lot in it's genre.
I have all intents to continue with this book series, even if the first was simply for a book club. I am ever curious to know what lies ahead for Jax and the gang; as well as what is to come for the world Aguirre created with such a secret being revealed to the masses. What will the Farwan Corp do to save face? What can they do, really?
(After some thinking, I decided to add a little more to this review about my overall opinion of some of the characters and put forth some more detail. With as few spoiler-y comments as I can manage.)
I enjoyed this book quite a bit, it was paced a bit oddly at times, but overall it was well-written with characters that piqued my interest throughout. Aguirre seems to have good hold of her characters, keeping their personalities well intact while tossing interesting twists into the story. I like that Jax was more than just a gutsy, headstrong woman - she was more than that and it kept you wondering where her story would lead.
Aguirre also did fantastically with the side characters, she made them characters who you loved and wanted to know more about. Doc Saul never ceased to be interesting, Dina is wonderfully gritty and March was a great example of a good male lead.
I found her way of individualizing each of the characters by making them have their own unique personalities and giving you reasons to like or dislike them in a more natural way was nice. For example, Loras seemed to be a bit of an enigma. You wanted to pity him and his existence given what was forced on his people. But then, Jax gave him a new reason to exist, she gave him a choice and he chose to be a white knight of sorts. He still made a sacrifice, but it was not simply to protect Jax - it was because he did what he wanted to do.
And then there are characters like Doc Saul. He's a pretty interesting guy, he comes off as all about the science. All about learning what he can learn. But under all that you can see he truly cares about everyone in the group. He is far more than he puts himself out there to be, and it makes me want to continue the story so I can discover more about him.
I loved how the sex scenes did not overpower the storyline, which can often happen with the genre of romantic novels. No matter if it's sci-fi, fantasy, etc. It did not appear at all to be the focal point of the story, which was refreshing. Yes it occurred, but it was never over done. It never overtook a moment in the story. You can go through most of the novel without encountering it and even when it comes about it feels far more naturally placed that a lot in it's genre.
I have all intents to continue with this book series, even if the first was simply for a book club. I am ever curious to know what lies ahead for Jax and the gang; as well as what is to come for the world Aguirre created with such a secret being revealed to the masses. What will the Farwan Corp do to save face? What can they do, really?
(After some thinking, I decided to add a little more to this review about my overall opinion of some of the characters and put forth some more detail. With as few spoiler-y comments as I can manage.)