The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
veronica87's review against another edition
2.0
I had high hopes for a good science fiction story but unfortunately this was not it. The main character, Devi, a young and headstrong mercenary-for-hire was okay as a leading lady but she spent far too much time acting unprofessionally for me to take her too seriously. There was also far too little attention on the actual science fiction elements I was interested in and far too much page time spent on Devi mooning over a man she hardly knows. I like a bit of romance in my stories but the romantic love interest here was about as bland as a wet noodle in my opinion and I didn't think there was ever any sexual tension at all so my investment in that part of the plot was a big fat zero.
mormor4's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
kimberlymichelle's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
I skimmed this audio book because it wasn’t really hooking me
pinecone_mushroom's review against another edition
4.0
I'd probably give it three stars on another day, but it was just what I was in the mood for and so I enjoyed it a lot. Some new ideas, some familiar ideas organized in different ways. I normally skim fight scenes because I can't make sense of them, but these ones were described well. A few bits that annoyed me (I don't like the verb "quirk," I don't like when people express HUGE AMOUNTS OF EMOTION through a two-second look, Rupert is the name for a bear), but I acknowledge other people might not get bothered by such things.
justiceofkalr's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, so that was definitely a frustrating ending. But in a way that still makes me want to read the next book. A lot of my opinion of this book probably relies a lot on where the series goes as a whole, so I find it kind of hard to rate this book at the moment. I like Devi, the main character, pretty well and the plot and world were interesting. I definitely want to see how they develop. On the other hand the romance felt a bit too much like the insta-love variety and Rupert, the love interest, was just so perfect yet mysterious that I had to roll my eyes at him. But, iffy romance aside, I enjoyed the book. I even kind of enjoy how much the ending frustrated me.
crasscasualty's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty light sci-fi, but exactly what I have always wanted. Pulpy, kick-ass lady mercenary realness.
rebeccazh's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, so:
I had unholy fun with the first book, it was fast-paced with a cool setting and a likeable heroine. The story was gripping and fun. I loved the plot twists. I love being surprised by books. The romance was there but not a main plot point
Second book wasn’t as fun as the first, sadly. The romance started to dominate. I enjoyed the puzzle Dev had to figure out when it came to the plague and magic and Maat and the twists
Third book was a mess. The romance had become sappy; I’d lost interest and respect for Rupert tbh. He seemed someone who’d experienced too much loss and made Dev his world. It’d have been much better if the romance was dialed down. I liked the plot twists a lot more
I love Rupert (a lot) though I wish the love story was less dramatic
There was actually relationship development in the third book; Dev learned to trust Rupert and maintain a healthy relationship. That was really nice. The problem I had with the third book was that the book couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a romance novel dealing with relationships, trust and vulnerability, or if it wanted to be a sci-fi adventure romp with twists and turns and high stakes and all that stuff
Really, really liked the galaxy it was set in. The armour idea is great
Wish the second book hadn’t went with the amnesia plot. Though I get why it was done, it’s over-used
Still, I had a lot of fun with this series
I had unholy fun with the first book, it was fast-paced with a cool setting and a likeable heroine. The story was gripping and fun. I loved the plot twists. I love being surprised by books. The romance was there but not a main plot point
Second book wasn’t as fun as the first, sadly. The romance started to dominate. I enjoyed the puzzle Dev had to figure out when it came to the plague and magic and Maat and the twists
Third book was a mess. The romance had become sappy; I’d lost interest and respect for Rupert tbh. He seemed someone who’d experienced too much loss and made Dev his world. It’d have been much better if the romance was dialed down. I liked the plot twists a lot more
I love Rupert (a lot) though I wish the love story was less dramatic
There was actually relationship development in the third book; Dev learned to trust Rupert and maintain a healthy relationship. That was really nice. The problem I had with the third book was that the book couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a romance novel dealing with relationships, trust and vulnerability, or if it wanted to be a sci-fi adventure romp with twists and turns and high stakes and all that stuff
Really, really liked the galaxy it was set in. The armour idea is great
Wish the second book hadn’t went with the amnesia plot. Though I get why it was done, it’s over-used
Still, I had a lot of fun with this series
paradoxically's review against another edition
3.0
While entertaining, Fortune's Pawn was a bit lighter than I thought it would be and a lot more heavy on the romance as well. Still, I did enjoy reading about Devi's adventures in space, even though I sometimes cringed at some thoughts or actions. But, yes, this is a lighter sci-fi that's very heavy on the character interactions between Devi and her love interest, Rupert, with a plot that seems to be slowly knitting itself together in the story.
What I liked about Devi was how motivated she was to get what she wanted. She wants to be the best of the best. She wants to be a Devastator. She doesn't want to wait the usual amount of time to become one just because she doesn't have nearly as much experience--she's good as she is. That said, becoming a Devastator seemed more like an ideal than anything else because we don't get all that much information on them other than they're the 'best' of the Paradoxian army. In fact a lot of information is rather sparse (again, lighter sci-fi that has details that are kind of glossed over).
One of the things that irritated me greatly when I finished the book was all the emphasis on how great Devi is, how kick-ass she was, and yet time and time again we keep getting Devi having her butt handed to her (after handily kicking some butt, I would have to admit) and then needing to be saved. This happens almost every major battle. It's frustrating. It wouldn't have been so bad if it didn't happen so often. It just seems that Devi does something great, but then at the last second things go to hell and whoops, back to the infirmary we go.
But I really liked Devi's attitude. Her forthrightness about her life, her plain attitude about sex, the way she goes for what she wants with nothing held back. I really enjoyed her as a character. The romance, on the other hand, seemed to come a little bit out of nowhere. And by romance I mean feelings because we could all see that Devi wanted to climb Rupert like a tree at first glance. I think I would have liked it more if the emotions had been stretched out more, where Devi and Rupert would be this casual thing that slowly turns into something more. Instead we get a start up of feelings that happens very, very fast. So fast that I almost got whiplash.
The plot was interesting, what little we saw of it. You get a couple of answers, but you're left with a whole mess load of questions and an ending that makes you want to hit something because of course it ended like that. It does do a serviceable job as a lead in to the next book (for example, I am going to start reading the next book very soon), but you just kind of want more. Which is... probably good on the author's part. Mixed feelings.
A lot of the little details don't make all that much sense and the author, as I said above, doesn't do much explaining. I wish there was just a bit more about the setting and about the places and about what's going on around them. I love Devi, I like the fact that we're centered on her, but what the author wrote is so limited in scope.
The plot is a little sparse and the story a bit aimless. There's too much romance for my liking, or at least the emotional aspect happened way too quickly. I wanted to soak into the world (worlds) better, but details were light. But for all of that, I really loved Devi. Good thing she's most of the book. 3 stars.
What I liked about Devi was how motivated she was to get what she wanted. She wants to be the best of the best. She wants to be a Devastator. She doesn't want to wait the usual amount of time to become one just because she doesn't have nearly as much experience--she's good as she is. That said, becoming a Devastator seemed more like an ideal than anything else because we don't get all that much information on them other than they're the 'best' of the Paradoxian army. In fact a lot of information is rather sparse (again, lighter sci-fi that has details that are kind of glossed over).
One of the things that irritated me greatly when I finished the book was all the emphasis on how great Devi is, how kick-ass she was, and yet time and time again we keep getting Devi having her butt handed to her (after handily kicking some butt, I would have to admit) and then needing to be saved. This happens almost every major battle. It's frustrating. It wouldn't have been so bad if it didn't happen so often. It just seems that Devi does something great, but then at the last second things go to hell and whoops, back to the infirmary we go.
But I really liked Devi's attitude. Her forthrightness about her life, her plain attitude about sex, the way she goes for what she wants with nothing held back. I really enjoyed her as a character. The romance, on the other hand, seemed to come a little bit out of nowhere. And by romance I mean feelings because we could all see that Devi wanted to climb Rupert like a tree at first glance. I think I would have liked it more if the emotions had been stretched out more, where Devi and Rupert would be this casual thing that slowly turns into something more. Instead we get a start up of feelings that happens very, very fast. So fast that I almost got whiplash.
The plot was interesting, what little we saw of it. You get a couple of answers, but you're left with a whole mess load of questions and an ending that makes you want to hit something because of course it ended like that. It does do a serviceable job as a lead in to the next book (for example, I am going to start reading the next book very soon), but you just kind of want more. Which is... probably good on the author's part. Mixed feelings.
A lot of the little details don't make all that much sense and the author, as I said above, doesn't do much explaining. I wish there was just a bit more about the setting and about the places and about what's going on around them. I love Devi, I like the fact that we're centered on her, but what the author wrote is so limited in scope.
The plot is a little sparse and the story a bit aimless. There's too much romance for my liking, or at least the emotional aspect happened way too quickly. I wanted to soak into the world (worlds) better, but details were light. But for all of that, I really loved Devi. Good thing she's most of the book. 3 stars.
grid's review against another edition
5.0
Light and engaging, I quite enjoyed this. Nothing too ground breaking in terms of plot ideas, but solidly written space opera and some fun characters to boot.