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ceena's review
2.0
This was a bummer... I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. Couldn't hold my attention. I don't understand the whole gene thing and how it works and why. If she has this gene why can't she just teleport? hmmm
Definitely some good parts though, because I did finish it!
Might try the second book? buuuuut probably not.
Definitely some good parts though, because I did finish it!
Might try the second book? buuuuut probably not.
duckie84's review
5.0
The only reason I didn't finish this book within 48 hours is I didn't want it to end.
I love the character of Jax. She is sarcastic and passionate, her character arch goes from stuck up to selfless.
I want to go read the rest of the series.
I love the character of Jax. She is sarcastic and passionate, her character arch goes from stuck up to selfless.
I want to go read the rest of the series.
writings_of_a_reader's review
3.0
3 1/2 stars. I liked this one a lot. I don't read a lot of sci-fi and when I do it's usually YA. I don't know what it is but the characters in most adult sci-fi I've read just seem so hard edged and abrasive to me. And the world itself in most sci-fi is already rather stark and cold, being on a spaceship and all. I did like March a lot, his hard edges eventually melted away, but not so much that he became a mushy gushy puppy instead of a man, although he came close once or twice. I liked Jax too, but didn't love her. I think she just lacked some femininity. There was one character that became a favorite that I hope returns in the next book and that was Velith. I was surprised at how much I liked him.
Parts of this book reminded me of different TV shows or movies I've seen, some of which I liked a whole lot. I thought of Han Solo and the Millennial Falcon from Star Wars. I thought of the TV series Firefly. One planet they went to reminded me of the movie Pitch Black. I thought of Star Trek Voyager at one point. These were all positives for the book for me. I've heard comparisons to the game Mass Effect. Although it looks interesting, I have not played that myself but watched others play it a little and I can see the similarities.
One thing I did find annoying was the author had a habit of leaving off the first word of sentences, mainly the word "I". Here are examples of parts of sentences from the book:
"Feel it running down the divots in my spine..."
"Glance across the room and find Dina..."
"Can feel Dina looking at my back..."
I really liked that the book wrapped up quite nicely and would be fine as a standalone read, which is a plus because I won't feel like I'm missing anything if I don't get around to reading the next book in the series, and honestly I haven’t decided if I want to read it.
Parts of this book reminded me of different TV shows or movies I've seen, some of which I liked a whole lot. I thought of Han Solo and the Millennial Falcon from Star Wars. I thought of the TV series Firefly. One planet they went to reminded me of the movie Pitch Black. I thought of Star Trek Voyager at one point. These were all positives for the book for me. I've heard comparisons to the game Mass Effect. Although it looks interesting, I have not played that myself but watched others play it a little and I can see the similarities.
One thing I did find annoying was the author had a habit of leaving off the first word of sentences, mainly the word "I". Here are examples of parts of sentences from the book:
"Feel it running down the divots in my spine..."
"Glance across the room and find Dina..."
"Can feel Dina looking at my back..."
I really liked that the book wrapped up quite nicely and would be fine as a standalone read, which is a plus because I won't feel like I'm missing anything if I don't get around to reading the next book in the series, and honestly I haven’t decided if I want to read it.
lynseyisreading's review
3.0
What a shame.
(This is not really a review, just a rambling observation).
Such a good idea and a nice cast of characters. Sadly, it lost my interest pretty quickly.
One of my biggest pet peeves when reading is when characters start acting as if they've known each other a lot longer than they have, or are a lot closer than I feel they should be. It completely stops me from being able to connect to them. Here, the main character was saying things like, 'he always does that' and ' I can't remember a time when I didn't feel that way about him' after what felt like about 30 minutes. When an author races ahead of herself like this leaving her readers behind by overestimating their level of involvement, it makes me stop trusting the story. And if I don't trust it, I can't lose myself in it.
Add to that a plot that started strongly, but began meandering at the midway point until if fizzled and died - a quiet death, too, not even anything showy or dramatic - and it had lost me altogether.
Still, I give it three starts for the interesting premise.
3 stars! ★★★
(This is not really a review, just a rambling observation).
Such a good idea and a nice cast of characters. Sadly, it lost my interest pretty quickly.
One of my biggest pet peeves when reading is when characters start acting as if they've known each other a lot longer than they have, or are a lot closer than I feel they should be. It completely stops me from being able to connect to them. Here, the main character was saying things like, 'he always does that' and ' I can't remember a time when I didn't feel that way about him' after what felt like about 30 minutes. When an author races ahead of herself like this leaving her readers behind by overestimating their level of involvement, it makes me stop trusting the story. And if I don't trust it, I can't lose myself in it.
Add to that a plot that started strongly, but began meandering at the midway point until if fizzled and died - a quiet death, too, not even anything showy or dramatic - and it had lost me altogether.
Still, I give it three starts for the interesting premise.
3 stars! ★★★
emleemay's review
4.0
I've always said that I'm a honest reviewer, so to continue being truthful it has to be said that this review is late due to me being stranded in London overnight, after spending the day getting ever so slightly drunk and then going to see The Avengers in 3D. So yeah, now we've got that out of the way, I can't see any reasons not to like [b:Grimspace|1828067|Grimspace (Sirantha Jax, #1)|Ann Aguirre|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298780718s/1828067.jpg|1827857]. Apparently, some people found it difficult to connect with the characters, but I had no such problem. I would liken the love/hate relationships - filled with sarcasm and humour - between the crew to that of other group relationships in sci-fi. It reminded me a touch of Firefly, and even more so of Torchwood.
Sirantha Jax has all the typical elements I look for in a good heroine - she's strong, snarky, ass-kicking, she's not immune to the local hottie but she can keep her head and focus on the more important things when it matters... but at the same time Jax is different as well. She's thirty-three for a start, a fair bit older than your typical heroine, and I like the idea that women don't have to be fresh out of high school to kick ass and be awesome. More of this, please. And the author's choice to mix typical urban fantasy with science fiction works really well. Urban fantasy is a genre that constantly produces more and more of the same thing, some people will come back to it time after time because of this reason - but I prefer something a little unique, and unique is hard to come by.
I remember Tatiana's review of [b:Unholy Ghosts|6261189|Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, #1)|Stacia Kane|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320399822s/6261189.jpg|6444397] and how she said that there's no point reading the synopsis of urban fantasy books anymore because they are practically all the same. [b:Grimspace|1828067|Grimspace (Sirantha Jax, #1)|Ann Aguirre|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298780718s/1828067.jpg|1827857] is one of those rare books that does offer something different. The setting, for one thing, and the use of a team for another. I normally find the latter to be the big difference between sci-fi/fantasy in books and on tv. The majority of tv shows have a team of main characters who work together to solve the paranormal mysteries, Buffy and Angel did, Firefly and Roswell did, Torchwood, Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle... in urban fantasy books there's usually only a heroine and the occasional appearance of mr sexy.
I used to think this was because they used 1st person narrative, but Ms Aguirre has disproved that theory and successfully written a novel from Jax's POV, but with a well-developed team dynamic. I've been re-watching Torchwood recently and I couldn't help comparing Jax to Gwen Cooper - the group newbie who is at first reluctantly accepted but eventually develops a closeness with the group (still punctuated by sarcasm and jovial insults, of course). Being inside Jax's head is hilarious, she has a perfectly-timed mental comment for every situation and I found myself laughing aloud many times. I really liked this, and I really liked March.
I commented early on about the way March was introduced to the reader, the way he is described by his actions and behaviour instead of his looks. We are never told that March is beautiful or perfect or sparkly, he is enigmatic and interesting and that's a million times hotter than just being hot. However, we are told that he has a cute butt... I don't know about you, but I say YAY!!! There's some smut too, as if you needed another reason to read this.
Okay, I can't promise anyone that they'll love this, if you're not a hardcore urban fantasy lover then you're probably picky like me and a lot will depend on how well you connect with the characters. All I can say is that I found it extremely enjoyable and I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
stephlunatic's review
4.0
I wasn't sure if I was going to like this because I really didn't like the primary book of the Vaginal Fantasy Hangout pick of **SPACE** fantasy. But, this book was really good. Granted, I have a soft spot in my heart for smart-ass female protagonists but what can I say, they're fun!
The characters were believable and likable (an even more important characteristic, as far as I'm concerned), the worlds were interesting and the science/tech was not overpowering or incomprehensible.
I would totally recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun quick read who enjoys playful teasing and romping adventure.
The characters were believable and likable (an even more important characteristic, as far as I'm concerned), the worlds were interesting and the science/tech was not overpowering or incomprehensible.
I would totally recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun quick read who enjoys playful teasing and romping adventure.
genevieve_piko's review
2.0
Okay so this is pretty of it's time (2008), changing a fuck to frag à la Battlestar Galactica .
Jax isn't the worst of this archetype but is very much the 'strong' female character that really wants you to know she "doesn't give a shit about anyone or anything". Lots of telling rather than doing.
An enemy to lovers storyline where again, classic, they say they've can't like them because they've "always" hated them- and that always is the 2 days they have known them .
Second book in a row of trying to get a good fun genre romance read and it not quiet hitting the spot- next up is looking for a vampire one- let's hope third time is a charm
Jax isn't the worst of this archetype but is very much the 'strong' female character that really wants you to know she "doesn't give a shit about anyone or anything". Lots of telling rather than doing.
An enemy to lovers storyline where again, classic, they say they've can't like them because they've "always" hated them- and that always is the 2 days they have known them .
Second book in a row of trying to get a good fun genre romance read and it not quiet hitting the spot- next up is looking for a vampire one- let's hope third time is a charm
annagy's review against another edition
They're in the middle of a jailbreak and this b*tch is like "He intends me to strip, but I know it's not prurient interest. Even before, I wasn't anything special to look at: lean, strong, and energetic, a good partner in bed, but not because I was beautiful."
Priorities???
Priorities???
anne_mercier's review
5.0
I haven't read much Science Fiction up to this point, truthfully none, and Grimspace was the perfect place to start.
In Grimspace, Ann Aguirre takes the reader on an amazing journey to different worlds, different, I guess you'd call them races as they weren't all different species, and so many different "abilities" within those races. I absolutely LOVED it.
I enjoyed Sirantha very much. She's a kick-ass heroine who doesn't put up with anybody's crap. She faces things head-on, no wussy-girl here. I love her strength and her resolve.
Then there's March. Wowza. He's been through some bad stuff and done some really bad stuff in his life, but there's something about Sirantha that calls to him on a deeper level, something that allows her to touch him on a deeper level. He doesn't put up with her crap either, and I really like that about him. Who wants a hero who lets the heroine overpower him? So not my cuppa. He finds what he needs for the present and future with Jax and I love that. Absolutely love it. Together they are amazing.
I so totally love that Sirantha and March can communicate telepathically and in a way that no one else has ever been able to do with him. That is so awesome and very sexy. They can see deep inside one another and that is a level of intimacy I never even pondered. Again, unique.
Dina was a hoot... "You stupid bitch. I don't need you dying for me. I need you to stick around because... you're my best friend." Gotta love her.
I liked Vel very much too. I queried Ms. Aguirre and it turns out that, yes, Vel will be in the next book. Woot!
The world Ms. Aguirre has created is unique, very exciting and so different from anything I've ever read. She took me to a place I didn't know existed, a place that was unlike anything I could ever imagine. Amazing. Truly amazing.
In Grimspace, Ann Aguirre takes the reader on an amazing journey to different worlds, different, I guess you'd call them races as they weren't all different species, and so many different "abilities" within those races. I absolutely LOVED it.
I enjoyed Sirantha very much. She's a kick-ass heroine who doesn't put up with anybody's crap. She faces things head-on, no wussy-girl here. I love her strength and her resolve.
Then there's March. Wowza. He's been through some bad stuff and done some really bad stuff in his life, but there's something about Sirantha that calls to him on a deeper level, something that allows her to touch him on a deeper level. He doesn't put up with her crap either, and I really like that about him. Who wants a hero who lets the heroine overpower him? So not my cuppa. He finds what he needs for the present and future with Jax and I love that. Absolutely love it. Together they are amazing.
I so totally love that Sirantha and March can communicate telepathically and in a way that no one else has ever been able to do with him. That is so awesome and very sexy. They can see deep inside one another and that is a level of intimacy I never even pondered. Again, unique.
Dina was a hoot... "You stupid bitch. I don't need you dying for me. I need you to stick around because... you're my best friend." Gotta love her.
I liked Vel very much too. I queried Ms. Aguirre and it turns out that, yes, Vel will be in the next book. Woot!
The world Ms. Aguirre has created is unique, very exciting and so different from anything I've ever read. She took me to a place I didn't know existed, a place that was unlike anything I could ever imagine. Amazing. Truly amazing.