Since this series really has to be read all the way through and in order, I’m writing this review about the WHOLE SERIES, not just this single book. SSince this series really has to be read all the way through and in order, I’m writing this review about the WHOLE SERIES, not just this single book. So there will be BIG SPOILERS if you read below the BIG SPOILER notice below. But for those who want a spoiler-free, overall opinion of the series, this next paragraph is for you. I loved it! It has a very Firefly-esque-ness to it (yeah, that’s totally a word). The characters are fantastic, and the action scenes pulled me in. I kept wondering how the hell they were going to get out of the predicaments they were in, but somehow Alisa always figured out a way. Probably the best thing about this series was the banter between characters. It’s probably the best banter I’ve ever read in a book, and for that reason alone, it’s worth reading. I also loved the post-imperial politics. I like how there wasn’t a clear good or bad side, and that the characters had emotional scars from the war. The whole series was very fast paced. It did come a bit predictable after eight books though. Alisa and the gang traveled through space and reached their destination, and some big bad dude was there to tractor beam in the Nomad. They escape, travel through space again, and someone shows up to tractor beam them in. Travel again, and an ambush they have to escape. Very predictable. And I think this is why I wish this series had been six books instead of eight. I was ready for the characters to accomplish something, not just escape enemies over and over again. I ended up skimming much of books 5-8 for that reason. I’m not sure if I would have skimmed is much if I hadn’t read the books back to back. I think I finished all eight books in about two weeks, so that was a ton of reading. But I would have been too frustrated and unsatisfied if I had to wait for the next books to release. *shrugs* I give this series a very strong 4 stars, and definitely recommend it. There were a few things I didn’t love about it. Example, for two or three books right smack dab in the middle of the series, it seemed like the author forgot how to use contractions. It made the writing feel unnatural, and it was confusing because I didn’t notice a lack of contractions in the first books. When I got to end of the series, I realized the author was using the contractions again, so it read much more smoothly. So…maybe she had a different editor for the middle books? Alright. The rest of my thoughts will be below and with spoilers, so if you don’t want spoilers, you should stop reading NOW. BIG SPOILERS BELOW
Thing #1 that bothered me: I didn’t love the fact that Leonidas’s quest turned out to be what it was. Buroker dropped enough hints throughout the first few books, so I suspected it. I was just hoping I was wrong because it was a major disappointment. I mean, his big motivation in the book is to find a way to get laid? Or worse, start a family (gag!)? It was just weird since everyone else had important, universe-impacting goals. Plus, I was ready for a bunch of kissing, and a bunch of kissing didn’t happen much in the series. That disappointment is on me, though, not the author. I was fully aware that I was reading a Science Fiction/Space Opera type of novel, and not a romance. It’s my fault that I always want romance as a big subplot. Thing #2 that bothered me: they found Jelena. Of course they had to. It would have been an unhappy ending if they didn’t, but my interest in the series took a major dip as soon as she boarded the Nomad. There’s nothing wrong with Jelena. She’d be fine if this was a book about her, but this book is about Alisa, her mom, and as soon as Jelena comes into the story, Alisa changes. Oh, the banter is still there, and I still love her and Leonidas and the gang, but she goes into mom mode, thinking about what her daughter will think about things, questioning whether she should take risks, and Jelena’s bedtime is a big worry. And this of course came at a time when Leonidas achieved his goal, so even when he and Alisa hooked up, it was weird. *I* felt awkward for them, even when they were caught up in the moment. *I* couldn’t get Jelena out of my thoughts. So, yeah. I would have preferred the series to be six books, and for Alisa to find Jelena in the epilogue of the last book. lol ...more
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