kellylynnthomas's review against another edition
3.0
I think the world Catherine Asaro has created is interesting--a "cyber web" powered by telepaths--but the storytelling can get a bit clunky and is a bit too heavy on the romance for my personal tastes. The science tends to come in giant chunks, which breaks up the story flow, even though it's interesting. All in all, though, a fascinating book.
Trigger warning, though: semi-gratuitous/detailed rape scenes.
Trigger warning, though: semi-gratuitous/detailed rape scenes.
furicle's review against another edition
3.0
Sci-fi romance. Off the top of my head, it's the only attempt I've heard of to make the Mayan culture relevant in a star spanning civilization. Not bad, just not me. If it's your thing, you'll likely like it a lot. I checked out a couple of reviews before I wrote this one, it's interesting that this one does seem to skew along gender lines in my limited checking.
shoelessgirl's review against another edition
2.0
I love the grandiose space history and the science fiction aspects, but the romance is so. freaking. problematic that I nearly rage quit several times too. I think I'd have liked Tina if she'd been paired with someone closer to her age/life experience, but I spent most of the time cringing. My fav interactions in the whole book were her with her best friend and her with the JAG.
julesmcleish's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
scribal's review against another edition
1.0
Really horribly written--this was the only one in the series that I actually regret reading. I kept thinking I'd learn something that would shed light on other books.
tome15's review against another edition
3.0
I will continue reading this series of romantic science fiction adventures. Asaro does better when she sticks with coming-of-age story lines. Her adult worlds see a bit squidgy too me. I know. I know. But it was the only PG word I could come up with. Hers is a complicated universe but it doesn't have the political or psychological depth of series like The Expanse or Game of Thrones or any of the several series written by C. J. Cherryh.
lizskeldon's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
j00j's review against another edition
2.0
Better than the first book in this series, though it still suffers from occasional bouts of tl;dr explanation. It takes a real gift to make that kind of detail in hard SF interesting to me-- the only author who's managed to do it is [author: Scott Westerfeld] in the Risen Empire books. Asaro's science is intriguing, but her explanations feel a bit clunky to me. Your mileage may vary, of course. In any case, the characterization in this book seemed improved, and the Mayan cultural elements she brought in were interesting, although unfortunately I'm not in a position to assess how well she did her homework.
lauriereadslohf's review against another edition
5.0
This is the second book in Catherine Asaro's Skolian Empire Saga and is also another not-to-be missed read for hard-core scifi fans and romance readers looking for a well-written futuristic love story.
Ms. Asaro has created another extraordinary heroine and hero while maintaining a non-stop action filled read. I now know why these books appeal to so many different types of readers - there's adventure, romance, political intrigue and interesting future societies and theories that boggle the mind.
The best thing about this book for me was the characters. If I can't care about them I just won't be able to get into a book no matter how interesting others may find it. The author takes as much care developing her characters as she does her plot which makes this book so special. Tina may only be seventeen but she was forced to grow up early and her actions, and responses to the unbelievable situations she's thrust into are very realistic. She's vulnerable and tough, smart and easy to like. Althor is a perfect match for her, he's strong, sensitive and moody and with her strong empathic abilities she's probably the only one who would be able to fully understand and love him.
My only complaint, and it's a minor one really, that can probably be attributed to the fact that I don't read much hard scifi, is that sometimes the book lapsed into long technical explanations that jogged me out of the story and because I read this book immediately after finishing PRIMARY INVERSION some of the explanations didn't seem necessary to me so I skimmed them. Despite that nit I can't recommend this one highly enough. The characterization is flawless, you'll love and route for these people as they face impossible odds.
Ms. Asaro has created another extraordinary heroine and hero while maintaining a non-stop action filled read. I now know why these books appeal to so many different types of readers - there's adventure, romance, political intrigue and interesting future societies and theories that boggle the mind.
The best thing about this book for me was the characters. If I can't care about them I just won't be able to get into a book no matter how interesting others may find it. The author takes as much care developing her characters as she does her plot which makes this book so special. Tina may only be seventeen but she was forced to grow up early and her actions, and responses to the unbelievable situations she's thrust into are very realistic. She's vulnerable and tough, smart and easy to like. Althor is a perfect match for her, he's strong, sensitive and moody and with her strong empathic abilities she's probably the only one who would be able to fully understand and love him.
My only complaint, and it's a minor one really, that can probably be attributed to the fact that I don't read much hard scifi, is that sometimes the book lapsed into long technical explanations that jogged me out of the story and because I read this book immediately after finishing PRIMARY INVERSION some of the explanations didn't seem necessary to me so I skimmed them. Despite that nit I can't recommend this one highly enough. The characterization is flawless, you'll love and route for these people as they face impossible odds.