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wonderwomannz's review against another edition
4.0
I kinda forgot what happened in the first book, but after I started listening it all came back. I loved the characters and some nice funny bits in it. Started to slow a little towards the end, just a patch of over detail for me, but that was short lived and it picked up again. Narrator was good, overall an above average book.
sylviep's review
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
coffiend's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lisa_me's review against another edition
5.0
Mild spoilers
Eliana, and Immortal Guardian, survived the destruction of the ship she was on, but was left in space in only a spacesuit. She only had hours of oxygen, and Dagon’s ship was a month away. Dagon continued his rescue, retrieving what he thought was a body. But Eliana had survived in stasis.
Eliana was bubbly, funny, and a true warrior, and charmed Dagon and the crew. The ship was on a mission to find more survivors while avoiding the enemies who blew up the ship.
***
Dagon was commanding sexy, and noble. Eliana was hilarious. There was lots of good humor.
Eliana, and Immortal Guardian, survived the destruction of the ship she was on, but was left in space in only a spacesuit. She only had hours of oxygen, and Dagon’s ship was a month away. Dagon continued his rescue, retrieving what he thought was a body. But Eliana had survived in stasis.
Eliana was bubbly, funny, and a true warrior, and charmed Dagon and the crew. The ship was on a mission to find more survivors while avoiding the enemies who blew up the ship.
***
Dagon was commanding sexy, and noble. Eliana was hilarious. There was lots of good humor.
nz_elle's review against another edition
5.0
It's hard to explain this book if you have read the books that precede it. And I recommend you do. Chronologically, there are two books in the Gifted Ones series, then twelve books in the Immortal Guardians series, before the Aldebarian Alliance series starts. This book is the second in the Aldebarian Alliance series, and yes, I recommend reading all three series in order.
The Gifted Ones series takes place in medieval England, and the Immortal Guardians series takes place in present-day America. The Aldebarian Alliance starts in present-day American and moves to outer space and other planets. As far as I can tell though, they are not set in the future.
Without trying to give spoilers for any of the three series, there is a virus on Earth. It turns people into vampires, effectively, by requiring them to drink blood and eroding their mental capacity until they become mindless hunters. They develop superhuman strength and speed, and, yes, they grow fangs. They're also severely allergic to sunlight. A 'gifted one' is a person born with unique DNA which provides them with gifts such as telekinesis, telepathy, precognition, psychometry, etc. When these gifted ones are infected with the vampiric virus, they gain the superhuman strength and speed, the need to drink blood and the allergy to sunlight, but (and this is the key part) they retain their mental capacity. These individuals are known as Immortal Guardians, and they use their improved strength and speed, as well as their original gifts (which vary from person to person) to fight the vampires and save humanity.
The Segonian, as I mentioned, takes place off Earth. Eliana is an Immortal Guardian. At the end of the previous book, the spaceship she was on was attacked, and she ended up floating out in space in a spacesuit. She had enough air to last a couple of days. Help was more than a month away. She was doomed.
The first interaction between Eliana and Dagon (who is the captain of a spaceship looking for survivors from the spaceship wreckage) is via radio. Or the high tech version of radio, I guess? I don't pretend to know much about space travel! Dagon and some of his crew talk to Eliana as she floats alone in space, and start to admire and like the woman on the other end of the communications. They're saddened when they realise that they're too far away to save her before she runs out of oxygen.
I won't spoil the book, but it's a fun story that I enjoyed reading. Eliana is strong, sweet and funny. She is the ultimate kick-ass heroine. Dagon is utterly bemused by Eliana and it's sweet to watch him fall for her. The crew make fantastic secondary characters. "I want one!" Ha ha! Sorry, inside joke that you'll get after you've read the book.
My only niggle about the book is that so many of the alien races are humanoid, and basically, meet human criteria for attractiveness and sexual compatibility. I know, these are romance books, so it's bound to be the case, but it seems unlikely doesn't it? Dagon is a Segonian (hence the title) and yet he really only has one significant thing that makes him different from any handsome human male, and that one thing is not something that would affect his attractiveness (again, trying not to give spoilers!). This little niggle though is not enough to stop anyone from enjoying the book. And yes, there are races that are less humanoid that are encountered. I highly recommend reading all three series - The Gifted Ones, The Immortal Guardians and the Aldebarian Alliance. Great reads.
The Gifted Ones series takes place in medieval England, and the Immortal Guardians series takes place in present-day America. The Aldebarian Alliance starts in present-day American and moves to outer space and other planets. As far as I can tell though, they are not set in the future.
Without trying to give spoilers for any of the three series, there is a virus on Earth. It turns people into vampires, effectively, by requiring them to drink blood and eroding their mental capacity until they become mindless hunters. They develop superhuman strength and speed, and, yes, they grow fangs. They're also severely allergic to sunlight. A 'gifted one' is a person born with unique DNA which provides them with gifts such as telekinesis, telepathy, precognition, psychometry, etc. When these gifted ones are infected with the vampiric virus, they gain the superhuman strength and speed, the need to drink blood and the allergy to sunlight, but (and this is the key part) they retain their mental capacity. These individuals are known as Immortal Guardians, and they use their improved strength and speed, as well as their original gifts (which vary from person to person) to fight the vampires and save humanity.
The Segonian, as I mentioned, takes place off Earth. Eliana is an Immortal Guardian. At the end of the previous book, the spaceship she was on was attacked, and she ended up floating out in space in a spacesuit. She had enough air to last a couple of days. Help was more than a month away. She was doomed.
The first interaction between Eliana and Dagon (who is the captain of a spaceship looking for survivors from the spaceship wreckage) is via radio. Or the high tech version of radio, I guess? I don't pretend to know much about space travel! Dagon and some of his crew talk to Eliana as she floats alone in space, and start to admire and like the woman on the other end of the communications. They're saddened when they realise that they're too far away to save her before she runs out of oxygen.
I won't spoil the book, but it's a fun story that I enjoyed reading. Eliana is strong, sweet and funny. She is the ultimate kick-ass heroine. Dagon is utterly bemused by Eliana and it's sweet to watch him fall for her. The crew make fantastic secondary characters. "I want one!" Ha ha! Sorry, inside joke that you'll get after you've read the book.
My only niggle about the book is that so many of the alien races are humanoid, and basically, meet human criteria for attractiveness and sexual compatibility. I know, these are romance books, so it's bound to be the case, but it seems unlikely doesn't it? Dagon is a Segonian (hence the title) and yet he really only has one significant thing that makes him different from any handsome human male, and that one thing is not something that would affect his attractiveness (again, trying not to give spoilers!). This little niggle though is not enough to stop anyone from enjoying the book. And yes, there are races that are less humanoid that are encountered. I highly recommend reading all three series - The Gifted Ones, The Immortal Guardians and the Aldebarian Alliance. Great reads.
gray_inbetween's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
kim_brockway_gatehouse's review
5.0
A Stellar Adventure In This Sci-fi Romance Series.
I’m already a big fan of Dianne Duvall’s books but sci-fi is not my usual reading genre. However, I love Dianne’s writing style, the language she uses and the way she paces her plots.
I was drawn into this story and remained hooked throughout.
We’d already met our leading lady, Eliana, in The Lasaran and Broken Dawn. The soft spot I had for her only grew as this story progressed. She was perfect. Eliana displayed all the traits that I need a protagonist to have: resilience, intelligence and gumption. Plus she had me cracking up with laughter on numerous occasions. Dagon was also a protagonist that I enjoyed getting to know. The strong, stoic commander of his Segonian ship who rarely smiled but lead his crew by example. I loved seeing Eliana peeling back his protective layers and getting under his skin.
Both main and supporting characters are written with a range of personalities without being stereotypical.
What makes characters believable, are their traits. Even when reading fantasy and science fiction, I need to recognise human psychologies to build that emotional connection. The Segonian introduces us to a whole host of other characters and alien races. However, be they, hero or villain, each one was written with credibility – Dianne made me never doubt they were real.
Kirsten Potter narrated this story as she has for Dianne’s other books.
Kirsten’s performance was excellent. She manages to convey just what the story needs, when it’s needed. Not only with the emotion, tension and performance she adds to the narrative, but the skill at which she uses her voice for the dialogue. Kirsten is one of the best narrators that I’ve heard and easily transports me into each scene.
There were quite a few jumps along the story timeline. However, I understand that they were necessary to “get everything in” and keep the pace engaging. I can’t wait to get back into space and join the Aldebarian Alliance now that the scene has been set.
I’m already a big fan of Dianne Duvall’s books but sci-fi is not my usual reading genre. However, I love Dianne’s writing style, the language she uses and the way she paces her plots.
I was drawn into this story and remained hooked throughout.
We’d already met our leading lady, Eliana, in The Lasaran and Broken Dawn. The soft spot I had for her only grew as this story progressed. She was perfect. Eliana displayed all the traits that I need a protagonist to have: resilience, intelligence and gumption. Plus she had me cracking up with laughter on numerous occasions. Dagon was also a protagonist that I enjoyed getting to know. The strong, stoic commander of his Segonian ship who rarely smiled but lead his crew by example. I loved seeing Eliana peeling back his protective layers and getting under his skin.
Both main and supporting characters are written with a range of personalities without being stereotypical.
What makes characters believable, are their traits. Even when reading fantasy and science fiction, I need to recognise human psychologies to build that emotional connection. The Segonian introduces us to a whole host of other characters and alien races. However, be they, hero or villain, each one was written with credibility – Dianne made me never doubt they were real.
Kirsten Potter narrated this story as she has for Dianne’s other books.
Kirsten’s performance was excellent. She manages to convey just what the story needs, when it’s needed. Not only with the emotion, tension and performance she adds to the narrative, but the skill at which she uses her voice for the dialogue. Kirsten is one of the best narrators that I’ve heard and easily transports me into each scene.
There were quite a few jumps along the story timeline. However, I understand that they were necessary to “get everything in” and keep the pace engaging. I can’t wait to get back into space and join the Aldebarian Alliance now that the scene has been set.
macwolf01's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
docrobreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0