Army Officer. Fugitive. Sorcerer.

Across the country and in every nation, people are waking up with magical talents. Untrained and panicked, they summon storms, raise the dead, and set everything they touch ablaze.

Army officer Oscar Britton sees the worst of it. A lieutenant attached to the military’s Supernatural Operations Corps, his mission is to bring order to a world gone mad. Then he abruptly manifests a rare and prohibited magical power, transforming him overnight from government agent to public enemy number one.

The SOC knows how to handle this kind of situation: hunt him down–and take him out. Driven into an underground shadow world, Britton is about to learn that magic has changed all the rules he’s ever known, and that his life isn’t the only thing he’s fighting for.
*Blurb from Goodreads*

Review – Control Point by Myke Cole is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone – one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship – tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

*blurb taken from Goodreads*

*This review contains some spoilers*

For those who know me, I’m not a huge lover of sc-fi type books as I really find all of the descriptions of ships and whatnot to send me off to sleep. So even though I’ve read good things about Across the Universe, I wasn’t that tempted to pick it up. But after finding myself with nothing to read the other night, I downloaded a sample from Amazon and low and behold, there was my evening (sleep actually) gone for the night when I bought the book and I was up until 3am finishing this story.

Across the Universe started off very strong, and I loved that Amy’s love of her parents made her follow them as ‘frozen cargo’, which meant she left all that she knew behind on earth. And I say this because it’s so rarely often you see a loving relationship between the protags and parents in YA. So when Amy is frozen, you would think that the next chapter would be when she woke up in 300 years with her parents, and throughout that time period Amy would not feel, dream, or imagine. But that’s not the case. Amy is in a half life dream state where she has semi-conscious thoughts, and I found that to be terrifying and it was the stuff of nightmares because can you imagine being like that for over 300 years?!

But Amy doesn’t wake up 300 years later, she wakes up much sooner and she’s lucky she didn’t die or drown when the frozen liquid unfreezes with tubes still down her throat. And when Amy wakes, she vaguely and with blurry vision sees Elder, the second in command of Godspeed and who is the male protagonist. Elder is in training to become Eldest who is in charge of the people upon Godspeed. The current Eldest is training Elder, and they butt heads quite often. There are different levels upon the ship and within each of these levels are people who have their own purpose. It’s the job of the Eldest to make sure that the people are run literally like cattle. Elder in most ways is quite immature and boy-like in his feelings and responses, and when he discovers the frozen cargo which has been hidden from him and everybody else on the ship, he looks upon Amy as if she was a new toy. So when Amy wakes up and realises how Godspeed is run, this is actually the stuff of nightmares for her.

I’m finding it hard to write this review because there are so many plot twists and explanations about how Godspeed is run that if I did that alone, the review would probably be over two pages long. Whilst there is a subtle romance between Amy and Elder, Across The Universe is not romance centric, and it’s more about the people, and how for so long — since a Plague took hold and killed off so many people — they are controlled right down to their DNA and hormones on board the ship. And mixed in with that is the other sub-plot of the frozen people being killed off.

And Elder is very different from the Eldest who comes across as a psychopath as when he sees Amy, his first thought is to chuck her out of the hatch into space. And Elder slowly begins to see that the way of life upon Godspeed is so terribly wrong, and he clashes with Eldest but doesn’t have the courage or the conviction yet to set upon a change. Yet when he gets to know Amy and he sees through her eyes what Earth used to be like, and how this is not how humans behave, he becomes more rebellious against Eldest, and the more he learns more about Godspeed the ship, the more horrified he is.

Again, there are so many subplots to talk about that I just can’t name them all, and this is where I have a problem with the book. There is just way too much going, and whilst I think it’s definitely a strong debut, I found myself confused so many times. Even writing this review, there is so much to talk about that I can’t fit it all in. But what I thought was conveyed so well was Amy’s loss and grief of being alone on this ship without her parents. And Amy contemplates waking up her Father so she won’t be alone because she thinks that in the future, they won’t need him. But she never does it, and I’m really looking forward to the next book in seeing how Amy adapts to her new role. Again, I know I’m vague and I apologise, but spoilers .

The book has it’s strong points in Amy and Elder, and it’s told in alternating chapters from their POV. And there is a revelation at the end that really took me for surprise, and I hope we get to see more of that revelation in the second book and how Elder and Amy deal with it.

Overall, Across The Universe is a fascinating read and I enjoyed it, but there were too many plots for me to follow and it ends up being somewhat of a confusing read. But I would definitely pick up the second book in the series and see how the story follows.

I give it a C+.

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Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Publisher: Ace
Release Date: Out Now
How did we get it: From the Publisher

DEAD HEROES GET MONUMENTS. LIVE ONES GET TRIALS.

Sirantha Jax has the right genes—ones that enable her to “jump” faster-than-light ships through grimspace. But it’s also in her genetic makeup to go it alone. It’s a character trait that has gotten her into—and out of—hot water time and time again, but now she’s caused one of the most horrific events in military history…

During the war against murderous, flesh-eating aliens, Sirantha went AWOL and shifted grimspace beacons to keep the enemy from invading humanity’s homeworld. The cost of her actions: the destruction of modern interstellar travel—and the lives of six hundred Conglomerate soldiers.

Accused of dereliction of duty, desertion, mass murder, and high treason, Sirantha is on trial for her life. And only time will tell if she’s one of the Conglomerate’s greatest heroes—or most infamous criminals…
*Blurb taken from Goodreads*

E_bookpusher:
I think the title is perfect for this book given the ending of the last one. I wasn’t sure what to expect but it certainly wasn’t this. What happens when the war is over and people have to recover? What happens when those who haven’t been fighting get a chance to analyze what the fighters did and decide that they don’t agree with what was done? This is an injustice that resonates with society today. AFTERMATH is also about the people who are involved in the war themselves and how they have changed over the course of time; so what happens to their relationships with others?

Has:
Yes! I loved it too and the title was definitely apt. This was the aftermath of the physical, the mental, and most definitely the emotional elements of the past 4 books and I totally agree it adds so much depth to this series. It’s so bittersweet and heartwrenching.

E_bookpusher:
What I also found heartwrenching is how Jax really wanted to go back and make amends for everything she did in the name of war. Not necessarily back in time since that isn’t possible but back to certain locations or people and fix how things turned out. Most characters either can’t or are unwilling to try to repair what they have broken unless it involves a romantic or sexual interest.

Has:
From the outset of this book, it was a roller-coaster of an emotional journey for Jax and her family (I don’t think it is her friends/lover anymore because they have become her family over the course of the series.) And it is the same for the reader — I felt that I was emotionally wrung out and I am glad we got to see this thoughtful and retrospective look about the aftermath of war and its consequences.

It was also FANTASTIC character development for Jax because she started out as the selfish party-girl who only lived for herself and seeing what she did even though it cost her so much especially those closest to her was amazing.

E_bookpusher:
Yes, at some points I had to stop, put the book down and walk away because it hit far too close to home with my day job profession and thinking about what is going to happen to an entire generation as the US reduces it’s presence in the Middle East.

I also agree on the character development. Jax really wasn’t my favorite person when this series started in GRIMSPACE but the person she has become just amazing. I think this is a perfect example of how characters need to grow throughout a series.

Has:
I felt emotionally wrung out but I can definitely understand how hard this could be to someone who went through a similar situation and I give major Kudos to Ann for writing realistically about this. I also felt that the relationship between Vel and Jax was another highlight for me. I ADORED their scenes together and in a lot of ways it felt like this was an unconventional love story but not in a romantic or sexual sense. Vel also came a long way throughout the series and I loved his character’s journey just as much as Jax’s and in this book, if I didn’t love him before, I adore him now.

E_bookpusher:
Talking about character development take a look at Vel. From the alien bounty hunter that we first met in GRIMSPACE to the Vel at the end of AFTERMATH. I never thought I would grow to love such an alien character. He manages to always be there for Jax regardless of the situation. When they talk about a spiritual/emotional love I think of Jax and Vel.

Has:
Oh yes! Vel really gets Jax and understands her – there is a scene in the book that captures this perfectly which was also very powerful, especially about the aftermath of the war but I think this scene sums it up beautifully what the theme of the book is about.

““Sirantha,” he says gently, “you may work yourself to
death, and it will not bring those soldiers back. You try to
atone, but you do not mourn. You must cede their loss and
give them over to the Iglogth.”
He’s wise— and he’s right.
“I don’t know if I can,” I whisper. “I’ve seen some tough
times, but this is the worst because I can’t get their families
out of my head. I must be such a monster in their eyes.”
In a lightning gesture, he lashes out with a claw, drawing
a shallow X over my heart. The blood wells through my
sliced shirt, and for a moment I am too shocked to move. I
can’t believe Vel hurt me. I would’ve sworn he never, ever
would. I guess this means he hates me, too. The agony
sears way more than it should for the size of the wound,
burning from the betrayal, and tears spring up in my eyes.
When I see my pain reflected in his side- set eyes, I
know why he did. So I can cry. Even though it hurt him,
too, he gave me the wound that permits me to let go. It’s a
selfless thing, because I can see by the twitch of his mandible
that it injured him, too. He has a friend’s blood on his
bare claws, a horrendous thing— and lovely, too.
My sobs, when they tear free, wrack me from head to
toe. He draws me to him, all smooth chitin, cool and hard
to the touch. There should be no solace in it, but there is
because he’s Vel, and he took my pain for his own.”

For me this illustrates how much they have grown from wary adversaries from the first book, to survivors who have experienced huge loss but also huge growth. Jax and March have an epic love story but I also think Vel and Jax share an unconditional love which has beautifully evolved.

E_Bookpusher:
That scene almost had me in tears. To be able to understand that sometimes it requires more then just words to get someone to actually grieve.

So what did you think about the ‘telegrams’ wireless messages really between Suni Tarn and Edun Levitar? The way they have shifted over the series from straight tentative business to potentially more *wags eyebrows*

Has:
I really liked them and it was a clever way to show an overall picture about the war and adds political intrigue and I loved the human element of them evolving from neutral exchanges to friendship. I also got that feeling that something more was in the offering between them. I really hope we get to see them meet in the future. Especially Edun Leviter who is such a shadowy but integral character in the last few books.

E_bookpusher:
You have probably noticed that we didn’t talk about March during most of our discussion. He is certainly around and plays a significant role but talking about it would be a major spoiler so we will just leave it as it continues their relationship theme as heartwrenching and bittersweet all at once.

Has:
I really think that was the main theme of the book, bitter-sweetness, there is a line that portrays Jax and March’s romance where she writes “What you said about the sweetest pain? That fits us. I guess you already knew this, but I’ve never been in love before.” – I think this portrays what they are going through over the course of the series.

E_bookpusher:
Ms Aguirre has created another masterpiece here. She continually finds ways to keep the tension and value of what is at stake high for her readers. She doesn’t leave characters or scenes dangling without bringing them back into the overall plot thread. Jax is such an unpredictable character that I am never sure what she is going to do next. Having finished this one I am eagerly looking forward to the next installment,well once my heartbeat slows down again *grin*.
I give AFTERMATH an A.

Has:
This was a wonderfully written and emotionally wrenching penultimate installment in an epic series. I am so glad we got to see the plot threads that were introduced in the previous book tied up or reintroduced back to the main plot. I have no idea what will happen next but it does feel, and I agree, that something big is on the horizon but it will definitely be unexpected. This is such a multi-layered series with real characters that go through real consequences and emotions, and Aftermath presented another aspect and layer in the Grimspace series. I will be sad to see the end of this series with the last book, Endgame, but I eagerly await its conclusion.

I give AFTERMATH an A

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Joint Review – Aftermath by Ann Aguirre is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

 
Super-Being Exterminator Kitty Katt and the Alpha Centaurian she loves, Jeff Martini, should be finalizing their wedding plans. But that was before she discovers Jeff is in line to become Emperor back on his home world. Kitty knows she is everything a royal family wouldn’t approve of, and is bracing herself for the worst. As it turns out, the royal family is just the beginning. Especially when extraterrestrial Amazonian terrorists are determined to start and end Kitty and Jeff’s nuptial festivities with a bang.
*Blurb from Goodreads*

Has: I have been looking forward to this book for a long time especially since it promised an eventful event for Kitty and Jeff and in that case it certainly didn’t disappoint.

MinnChica: I too have been really looking forward to this one. I’ve come to love the hijinks that Kitty and Martini get into, and with their wedding being in this book.. I knew it would be a treat!

Has: I think this book really cemented their relationship in a lot of ways and definitely developed further which I loved. And I think it really needed that, especially with the previous events and happenings.

MinnChica: Definitely. I felt like both Kitty and Jeff were really focused on each other, on their relationship in this book. To me, it felt like they were in a more adult relationship; trusting each other, putting their faith in each other, growing together,  and I loved that!

Has: Yes! I think my favourite scenes from the books and I think from the series to date between them, is in this book. I loved how they learned from each other and realised a few things with this book.

MinnChica: Exactly!! Although it seems like the two of them did not have as much page time together as they had in previous books. So much of this story also focused on Reader (whom I love and adore) and Kitty as they humans within the AC group.

Has: And Reader definitely has some interesting developments too! I was glad we got a lot more insight with him because the first two books focused so much with Kitty and Jeff. I also hope we get more insight and development with other characters like Christopher and the other AC’s in future books.

MinnChica: I agree completely. Gini does such a good job of bringing the secondary characters to life, I totally want more and more of all the secondary characters.

Has: I also loved the new characters that were introduced – like the new alien AC’s and the tribble like Poofs whose’s scenes were a HIGHLIGHT of hilarity.

MinnChica: OMG yes, the poofs were so fun!! I loved every scene with them. And the new Aliens were a great introduction to explanding the world. I loved how different they were than other typical aliens. I hope they stick around for future books!

Has: It definitely expanded the world and I loved the brief glimpse we got of the offworld setting too! I wished we had more of that because it felt like a taster of how the AC’s origins. Although a few subplots was tied up in Alien in the Family – A few has opened up which I look forward to seeing happening.

MinnChica: Yes, there were a lot of sub plots that were left open in this book, and I have to say that was one thing that I was a little disappointed in. There was SO MUCH going on in this book. Sometimes I felt like my head was spinning in a million different directions, trying to keep up with everything.

Has: I agree – I actually had trouble following the main subplot which was the alien threat/conspiracy that was happening alongside the buildup to the wedding. I think due to the hectic pace and the twists and turns – so much was happening it was really hard to follow especially when the twists happened. I had to reread those sections to follow what was going on.

MinnChica: Yea, I found myself flipping back and forth pages as well, trying to figure out if I missed anything or didn’t let something sink in all the way. And that is typically something I never have to do. This book is definitely FILLED up with action and non stop plot twists and turns, almost to the point of brain overload.

Has: It really felt like it two books in one – there was enough to fill two books but it was jammed all in one.

MinnChica: Agreed, I felt as if it could have been separated into two books as well, although I don’t know if I would have wanted to wait any more for the Kitty/Martini wedding. Which while I know some people felt dragged on, I was happy with it. I loved that they did things their own quirky way, and that nothing happened to disrupt their day. I breathed a little sigh of relief that no fugly or big bad guy popped out to ruin things for them!

Has:  I thought something was going to happen in the wedding too but I loved the scenes leading up to it along with the big day itself. I thought it was a fun and a cute ending- I especially loved the unique ‘wedding march’ bit.

MinnChica: Exactly! It was so fun and personal to them. I really enjoyed that!

Has:  I think the wedding scenes/the ending felt a bit like a novella/epilogue of sorts – I think it could have stood out very well as a stand alone short. I think so much happened in the book we needed a bit of a breather although it did feel like something bad was going to disrupt the big day but I was glad it never happened!

MinnChica: I thought exactly the same thing, that the last 100 pages or so would have made a great novella within the series. As much as I loved it, it did seem to drag out the story and left me almost emotionally drained at the end.

Has:  Exactly!!! I felt the same way. So much happened in a relative short frame of time it was definitely overwhelming

MinnChica: All in all, I really liked Alien in the Family. Although the book really seemed to drag on at times, and was filled with sub plots galore, I really did enjoy the extensive continuation of world building, introduction of new characters and development of Kitty and Jeff’s relationship. I can’t wait to see where else Gini will take us. I give Alien in the Family a B-

Has: I also enjoyed Alien in the Family and some of my all time favourite scenes with Jeff and Kitty are in this book. I also loved the expansion of the AC world and the new alien races, although I did feel overwhelmed with the plotline, which felt that there was too much going on. However this book for me cements Jeff and Kitty’s relationship in a lot of ways and I look forward to seeing how it evolves further in the next book. I give Alien in the Family a C+

Joint Review – Alien in the Family by Gini Koch is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Publisher:  Ace
Where did you get this book: Book provided by publisher
Release date: 31st August 2010

TALK IS CHEAP WHEN LIVES ARE IN JEOPARDY

Sirantha Jax is a “Jumper,” a woman who possesses the unique genetic makeup needed to navigate faster than light ships through grimspace. With no tolerance for political diplomacy, she quits her ambassador post so she can get back to saving the universe the way she does best—by mouthing off and kicking butt.

And her tactics are needed more than ever. Flesh-eating aliens are attacking stations on the outskirts of space, and for many people, the Conglomerate’s forces are arriving too late to serve and protect them.

Now, Jax must take matters into her own hands by recruiting a militia to defend the frontiers—out of the worst criminals, mercenaries, and raiders that ever traveled through grimspace…

I have been eagerly awaiting for the next installment in the Grimspace series, and it was well worth the wait! The book starts off shortly after the last book, Doubleblind, with Jax resigning her role as ambassador to the Conglomerate after her stint on Ithiss Tor. But this does not mean the end of her troubles – far from it. War is building up in the galaxy with growing attacks by raiders and pirates on border worlds, and far worse, the Morgut who are increasing their attacks. Jax and her crew embark on training an Armada to combat the growing threat – even if they have to recruit raiders/pirates themselves.

Oh wow! I literally inhaled this book and I could not put it down. It really felt like the tension and pace of the series has really stepped up a notch, and it’s definitely heading towards a big confrontation. Jax has grown so much – although this was illustrated in the previous two books. Killbox really shows how far she has changed and instead of just reacting and defending herself to those who threaten her, Jax has become more proactive and is on the offense and she does it in style.

In many ways this feels like a transitional book for the next arc of the series, but that is not to say it’s a filler, far from it. So many important things happened in Killbox that I feel the need to do a reread because it was so fast paced. While the galaxy is heading towards a major war, Jax has to face her own personal problems. The crew she comes to love as her family are also involved in the Armada, and have to face being separated from each other due to their different responsibilities and duties.

In Killbox you can see how far Jax has come to love and support her friends who have become her family, and there is some wonderful and emotional scenes where they all have to cope with separation, and their fear about the encroaching war with the Morgut. I especially love the scenes Jax shares with Vel, the alien bounty hunter, and Dina, the crew’s mechanic that really heightens personal bonds she shares with them, but without crossing into sentimentalism.

However, the real heartache comes with March’s self imposed estrangement. And because he took command of training and heading the newly established Armada, he placed their relationship on a hiatus. I really felt Jax’s pain because she understood the reasoning due to the military confines of establishing the Armada, but I did feel like smacking him in the head. And Jax did too! Especially after they both went through hell to be together. But there was a scene that really reflects all this, and shows how much Jax loves him and highlights what their relationship is about.

“March acknowledges that with a nod. Mary, how he burns, as if kindled from within by love of me. I remember its loss. I remember how I navigated him on Ithiss-Tor, filtering my essence through the dark spots in his mind, as though he were a series of broken beacons. I did it to repair him, fuse the damaged connections, so he could remember what it was to feel and love. War killed that part of him. I brought it back. In doing so, I left some of myself behind, but I think I also took part of him with me. We are twined together inextricably now, and I wouldn’t have it otherwise.”

I also liked the new characters that were introduced, such as the scientist, Evelyn Derad, that Jax and her crew rescues from an ex Farwan space station. And there are older faces who reappear.  But I really enjoyed Evelyn’s introduction, and like Jax, has many similarities as she survives a Morgut attack, and realising she was also used by the Farwan Corporation. She also holds the key in helping Jax cope with the after-affects of Grimspace exposure, as well offering new possibilities to Jax’s affinity as a navigator. And in the meanwhile, political intrigue is added with secret communications from a mysterious agent (who I hope to see in latter books), and the leader of the Conglomerate whose messages were placed throughout the book which adds a level of political intrigue along with the action.

Unlike Doubleblind, which was more introspective and calmer in tone, Killbox is an epic Space Opera with lots of space battles and action that does not stop until the last few pages. Killbox also shows how much Jax has adapted and changed, and is also willing to sacrifice herself to those she has promised to protect.  There are several twists and surprises in Killbox, but also several story threads in previous books that have been tied up, but also sets up bigger ones that will certainly play out in the next two books. Killbox also ends on a humdinger of a cliffhanger, and I SO want the next book. Like. right.now!

Killbox is a great installment in the Grimspace series. It’s fast paced with lots of action that really illustrates how the endgame is coming to a head. But this is a book that shows how far Jax has grown from the brash, selfish navigator in the first book, to the brash and selfless navigator that she is now. And Jax’s scenes of shared poignancy and affinity with her friends, and lover, March, adds a multilayer of emotional intensity towards the characters.. If you have not picked up the series yet, I highly, highly recommend the series as it’s one of the best, if not, thee Best Sci-Fi romantic series that combines action and plot. I cannot wait for the 5th book of the series!

I give Killbox  5 out of 5 stars!

Review: Killbox by Ann Aguirre is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

In this third instalment in the Grimspace series, Doubleblind marks a departure from the previous two books, which were frenetic in high octane action and scope. Sirantha Jax is asked by the Conglomerate to become a goodwill ambassador, to try and forge an alliance with the elusive and secretive bug-like Ithtorians. However, there are factions who would like to jeopardize this alliance. There is the insidious threat from a progressively more powerful Syndicate (a mafia like organization), headed by Jax’s own mother that would love to take over where the Farwan Corporation has left off, and has become a threat to the Conglomerate’s authority in the Galaxy. It is essential for Jax to try and cement an alliance with the Ithtorian because failure would leave the Galaxy under threat from the Morguts – a vicious alien race who have increasingly attacked outposts, stations and threatening the survival of the Conglomerate Alliance

In addition to these outside pressures, Jax also has to deal with healing March’s fractured mind after the events in Wanderlust, which have left him emotionless and dangerous to the people around him. Did I mention earlier that Jax doesn’t do diplomatic and sensitive well? Especially when she has to deal with an alien race that do not view humans in a favourable light due to a testy past.

Doubleblind is quieter in tone and pace compared to Grimspace and Wanderlust. It is more character driven as it focuses more about Jax’s developing relationship with March and Vel; ( If I wasn’t in love with Vel in the last book – I so am now!) the Ithtorian bounty hunter, who has cemented himself as a firm ally and friend to Jax despite his ties to Ithiss-Tor. Jax has grown up and matured a lot over the past two books. This becomes evident to the reader during the many diplomatic incidents in Doubleblind where the old Jax would have jeopardised the mission and abandoned March.

I really love the course of their romance across the three books, (Grimspace, Wanderlust and Doubleblind). Ann Aguirre gives the reader a sense of symmetry with March’s and Jax’s relationship. From the beginning, March was the sensitive and patient lover while Jax was the opposite. Now, Jax has learned and grown from past mistakes, to realize how important March really is. This shows how much she has changed from her previous irresponsible and cocky persona in Grimspace, and is evident in her determination to try to heal March from his emotionless disconnect.

There were times when I feared that March wouldn’t be able to reconnect due to the coldness and menace of his emotional disconnect – which was pretty scary at times. Despite this, I think readers will definitely enjoy how this subplot develops, because like the previous books where March helps Jax to overcome her own grief and emotional baggage, Jax does the same for March. And for me, this book strengthens their love, I think the quieter tone and pace of the book were needed to show and emphasize that.

Another relationship that was further developed was that between Jax and Vel; who I think – in my eyes – he is definitely become one of my all time favourite characters. Just like Jax’s relationship with March, the events in Doubleblind brings Vel and Jax closer – especially as there are outside and inside forces that threaten their mission, and even their lives.

One of the best elements in the book involved the world building about Ithtorian culture and their political intrigue. Vel helps and guides Jax, who learns there is more to the Ithtorian than she realised. This helps her to understand Vel and bond with him more.

One of my favourite passages in the book, which highlights this is:

‘As he straightens, his mandible moves in some subtle meaning. “Your manners have become … exquisite, Sirantha. The shading you gave that wa… it was poetic.”
Surprise washes over me as I register the compliment. “Really? What did I say?”
“In the time after the broken sunrise, brown bird looks to white wave. The Sky does not touch, all songs have ceased. It is far and lorn.”

Ann Aguirre does not keep the readers trapped on Ithiss-Tor. In between chapters, there are breaks with interviews and satellite forum conversations which convey what the galaxy is going through after the downfall of the Farwan Corporation, and the takeover bids of the Syndicate. This gives an insight that things are coming to a head later, and adds to the tension about the success of Jax’s mission.

There are also a few developments with Constance (Jax’s personal computer aide) and Jael. I hope we get to see more about them in the next book, although I was slightly disappointed that Dina, Doc and Hit were featured lightly in this book. I can understand why, though, as they would have detracted attention from the plot.

Doubleblind has enriched and further developed the characters and the world building of this series. It’s a pivotal book as it sets out and expands on future things to come for Jax and Co., and I am sorry to say it does end in a cliffhanger.

The Grimspace series is multi-layered with memorable characters and heart wrenching romance with dashes of high octane action and wit. And although this installment has a different change of pace and tone, it is a rich and satisfying chapter in this series.

Book four, Killbox, will be out late Sep/early Oct and I cannot WAIT!!!

I give Doubleblind 4.8 out of 5

Review: Doubleblind by Ann Aguirre is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter