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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
It took me 12 days to tear through every last book and short story written by Jennifer Foehner Wells so far. The majority of her books and stories are in an interconnected world. In the short story, [b:The Grove|24930297|The Grove|Jennifer Foehner Wells|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1431966339s/24930297.jpg|44585223], we get the origin story of Hain who is one of the major characters in this book. And we encounter characters from the series that begins with [b:Fluency|22566044|Fluency (Confluence, #1)|Jennifer Foehner Wells|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403451883s/22566044.jpg|42028608] in the final chapter of this book.
I found this book to be predictable, but it was still enjoyable. It's only after Darcy is abducted by a slaver spaceship that she discovers that she inherited alien druid genetics from both of her parents. This makes her a highly sought after prize because her genetic inheritance brings with it special physical abilities she's never known that she had. For some reason, I started out reading the title of this book as "The Druid Games". I think it would have been an apt title because it shares some qualities with [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447303603s/2767052.jpg|2792775]. To say more would be a spoiler. But if you're looking for a self-capable, kick-@$$ female heroine in a sci-fi novel, you need to look no further. If you like forest survival tales (especially on other planets with strange flora and fauna), then this is also a book you'd enjoy.
If you want to get started with this series, I suggest the following order for maximum effect:
1.[b:Fluency|22566044|Fluency (Confluence, #1)|Jennifer Foehner Wells|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403451883s/22566044.jpg|42028608]
2.[b:Remanence|29488335|Remanence (Confluence, #2)|Jennifer Foehner Wells|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1457770501s/29488335.jpg|45064595]
3.[b:The Grove|24930297|The Grove|Jennifer Foehner Wells|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1431966339s/24930297.jpg|44585223]
4.[b:The Druid Gene|32492214|Inheritance|Jennifer Foehner Wells|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1510763883s/32492214.jpg|53082830]
Reading 3, 4, 1, 2 would also work.
So now I'm experiencing a little bit of Series Letdown Syndrome where I'm sure that nothing I could read could possibly be as interesting as the world I've left behind. I'm just crossing my fingers that the next book in the Fluency series comes out within the next couple of months as originally planned. It's almost unheard of for me to enjoy a series past about book #2, so this is a rare author for me.
I found this book to be predictable, but it was still enjoyable. It's only after Darcy is abducted by a slaver spaceship that she discovers that she inherited alien druid genetics from both of her parents. This makes her a highly sought after prize because her genetic inheritance brings with it special physical abilities she's never known that she had. For some reason, I started out reading the title of this book as "The Druid Games". I think it would have been an apt title because it shares some qualities with [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447303603s/2767052.jpg|2792775]. To say more would be a spoiler. But if you're looking for a self-capable, kick-@$$ female heroine in a sci-fi novel, you need to look no further. If you like forest survival tales (especially on other planets with strange flora and fauna), then this is also a book you'd enjoy.
If you want to get started with this series, I suggest the following order for maximum effect:
1.[b:Fluency|22566044|Fluency (Confluence, #1)|Jennifer Foehner Wells|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403451883s/22566044.jpg|42028608]
2.[b:Remanence|29488335|Remanence (Confluence, #2)|Jennifer Foehner Wells|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1457770501s/29488335.jpg|45064595]
3.[b:The Grove|24930297|The Grove|Jennifer Foehner Wells|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1431966339s/24930297.jpg|44585223]
4.[b:The Druid Gene|32492214|Inheritance|Jennifer Foehner Wells|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1510763883s/32492214.jpg|53082830]
Reading 3, 4, 1, 2 would also work.
So now I'm experiencing a little bit of Series Letdown Syndrome where I'm sure that nothing I could read could possibly be as interesting as the world I've left behind. I'm just crossing my fingers that the next book in the Fluency series comes out within the next couple of months as originally planned. It's almost unheard of for me to enjoy a series past about book #2, so this is a rare author for me.
unfortunately my tablet was broken and i was unable to Finnish this book but i died get 4/5th of the way through it. it was a free book so it was not synced with my account and was just on the tablet. i really enjoyed the book though when i got it i did not know it was book 3 so at some i want to read the other books and read them in order.
Thrilling but different than first two books
This book was renamed and placed within the reading order as third. The first two follow the crew to the target and what follows. This was a thriller about a captive in space. The story merged at the tail end. The series is different but enjoyable. I recommend giving it a chance in order however.
This book was renamed and placed within the reading order as third. The first two follow the crew to the target and what follows. This was a thriller about a captive in space. The story merged at the tail end. The series is different but enjoyable. I recommend giving it a chance in order however.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It’s an unexpected turn from the previous books in the series. Super fun
This book is where the Confluence series world goes from polished to glistening. Darcy is a main character you’re desperate to cheer for, not because she’s special nor because bad things happen to her but because she’s vibrant, present, and forceful, and you can’t help but want her to succeed. The world she finds herself in is thick with old tragedies and new discoveries and questions of how to accept the two together. The overall plot is fairly straightforward, but the characters make this book breathe.
Heads up: New protagonist, new villain, new journey.
Although the last chapter hints that Jane Halloway is possibly nearby, this is not a direct continuation for the main protagonist in the first two books. But judging by the high general rating for Jennifer Foehner Wells’ third installment of the Confluence series on both Goodreads and Amazon, the change in main character and story doesn’t seem to be putting anyone off from the creativity and passion the author has for space-faring adventures.
My take away?
This was solid with interesting elements. But after Remanance it’s hard to dive into a new Wells novel without the expectation of getting the freaking rug pulled out from under me and like having the story and characters slam me on my ass. But this was still good.
Story
Brief, non-spoiler, summary: Inheritance follows the story of Darcy, a human who finds herself abducted and separated from her boyfriend as they are placed in intergalactic slavery, but Darcy finds she isn’t completely who she thought she was and must learn to adapt to her situation in order to survive.
I know I should keep this story seperate from the previous books, but I can’t help myself because I love them so much. Wells keeps the world-building basic by using the same method of having most of Inheritance from a human’s point of view like with the first two in the series, but I think this was necessary because this is a whole new situation with new species and a new conflict that needs to be explored. That being said, Inheritance’s plot is much more condensed with stakes isolated strictly to Darcy and her survival. There’s nothing wrong that.
When I realized that was it for this book I had to keep telling myself to lower my expectaions. Remenance was like one of the epic, high-stakes films of the Star Trek franchise that just built up speed the closer it got to its conclusion. Inheritance was more like a three-part episode of Star Trek with an intense final showdown. Also like with the first two books, this was an origin story for the main character. Darcy discovered something strange and incredible about herself that I only got a sample of here and was left wanting very badly to see where her story goes.
Characters
Female characters who are written to be tough and extremely lucky because...you know...feminism, really get on my nerves. It’s hard for me to find a strong female character that I don’t find annoying--and my feelings about that range in both the young adult and adult genres. But thank God Darcy is not one of those kinds of characters. Wells knows how to write characters that are strong because they had to earn it for the right reasons and I’m here for it.
I haven’t seen Darcy’s ethnicity mentioned much in reviews for this book, but I thought that was one of the coolest pieces of intrugue for me because Darcy draws on the words of her grandmother for strength and uses that drive to fight and survive even when she’s pushed to the brink of death. Darcy is African American and can’t help but compare her kidnapping situation to her family history, thinking back on how her grandmother explained to her what slavery was. Darcy’s newfound power could be an allegory, or it could just be a hell of a cool element to a character who organically has to learn to adapt if she is to be victorious. Darcy fights for her freedom and I freaking love it.
As for the other characters, I have to admit that I haven’t read Wells’ novellas that actually explain the backstory for a few of the races Darcy encouters. But I’m glad I didn’t because that would have spoiled one of the reveals regarding the relationship between Darcy and her antagonist. We get to see a whole ship-ful of new alien species which I thought was really cool, the most interesting to me being a character named Selpis who Dacry befriends. The tone of that whole situation of Dacry being a human who is imprisoned by aliens and adapts to fight her way out reminded me so much of the animated series of Samuri Jack, just thinking of all the times Jack interracted with alien races and robots but adapted to his environment was a distant vibe for me while reading this.
Conclusion
I am really enjoying this series so far, and even though this was a different kind of direction in story, I am REALLY looking forward to the moment when all of these characters converge to save the galaxy or something.
To inifinity, and the fourth book!
Although the last chapter hints that Jane Halloway is possibly nearby, this is not a direct continuation for the main protagonist in the first two books. But judging by the high general rating for Jennifer Foehner Wells’ third installment of the Confluence series on both Goodreads and Amazon, the change in main character and story doesn’t seem to be putting anyone off from the creativity and passion the author has for space-faring adventures.
My take away?
This was solid with interesting elements. But after Remanance it’s hard to dive into a new Wells novel without the expectation of getting the freaking rug pulled out from under me and like having the story and characters slam me on my ass. But this was still good.
Story
Brief, non-spoiler, summary: Inheritance follows the story of Darcy, a human who finds herself abducted and separated from her boyfriend as they are placed in intergalactic slavery, but Darcy finds she isn’t completely who she thought she was and must learn to adapt to her situation in order to survive.
I know I should keep this story seperate from the previous books, but I can’t help myself because I love them so much. Wells keeps the world-building basic by using the same method of having most of Inheritance from a human’s point of view like with the first two in the series, but I think this was necessary because this is a whole new situation with new species and a new conflict that needs to be explored. That being said, Inheritance’s plot is much more condensed with stakes isolated strictly to Darcy and her survival. There’s nothing wrong that.
When I realized that was it for this book I had to keep telling myself to lower my expectaions. Remenance was like one of the epic, high-stakes films of the Star Trek franchise that just built up speed the closer it got to its conclusion. Inheritance was more like a three-part episode of Star Trek with an intense final showdown. Also like with the first two books, this was an origin story for the main character. Darcy discovered something strange and incredible about herself that I only got a sample of here and was left wanting very badly to see where her story goes.
Characters
Female characters who are written to be tough and extremely lucky because...you know...feminism, really get on my nerves. It’s hard for me to find a strong female character that I don’t find annoying--and my feelings about that range in both the young adult and adult genres. But thank God Darcy is not one of those kinds of characters. Wells knows how to write characters that are strong because they had to earn it for the right reasons and I’m here for it.
I haven’t seen Darcy’s ethnicity mentioned much in reviews for this book, but I thought that was one of the coolest pieces of intrugue for me because Darcy draws on the words of her grandmother for strength and uses that drive to fight and survive even when she’s pushed to the brink of death. Darcy is African American and can’t help but compare her kidnapping situation to her family history, thinking back on how her grandmother explained to her what slavery was. Darcy’s newfound power could be an allegory, or it could just be a hell of a cool element to a character who organically has to learn to adapt if she is to be victorious. Darcy fights for her freedom and I freaking love it.
As for the other characters, I have to admit that I haven’t read Wells’ novellas that actually explain the backstory for a few of the races Darcy encouters. But I’m glad I didn’t because that would have spoiled one of the reveals regarding the relationship between Darcy and her antagonist. We get to see a whole ship-ful of new alien species which I thought was really cool, the most interesting to me being a character named Selpis who Dacry befriends. The tone of that whole situation of Dacry being a human who is imprisoned by aliens and adapts to fight her way out reminded me so much of the animated series of Samuri Jack, just thinking of all the times Jack interracted with alien races and robots but adapted to his environment was a distant vibe for me while reading this.
Conclusion
I am really enjoying this series so far, and even though this was a different kind of direction in story, I am REALLY looking forward to the moment when all of these characters converge to save the galaxy or something.
To inifinity, and the fourth book!
Jennifer Foehner Wells’ Inheritance (Confluence Book 3) (also available in a collection of the first 3 books in the series plus 3 short stories: Confluence Codex 1: An Omnibus of the Scifi Series, Books 1-3) moves away from the adventures of Jane and her crew, and introduces us to Darcy, who’s been abducted by aliens. Apparently she has a genetic inheritance from an alien race, some members of which hid on earth and interbred with humans. That inheritance makes her very valuable, and the aliens plan to sell her as a slave. Darcy is mixed-race, so the idea of being a slave is even more personal to her than it would be for some others. Another prisoner, Raub, who seems to have a little pull with their captors, plans to escape–and he trains Darcy to fight so she can help him.
I am white, so I have no idea how reasonable the material on slavery is, or how well Darcy is depicted on that front. If anyone knows of a review by a POC, please feel free to drop a link to it in the comments section so folks can get other opinions that might be more informed about this aspect of the book. There are a number of parallels drawn to things on earth, such as eugenics programs.
I like Darcy quite a bit better than Jane. Jane just always felt kind of prim and proper, and eternally sad, and as a linguist she really isn’t an action-oriented character, so the books featuring her were slower and more ponderous. It also came across as a bit weird whenever she did get into action scenes, because it seemed so counter to her nature. Darcy on the other hand is bold and fierce, and when Raub starts teaching her to defend herself, sure, she whines internally a bit, but she knows this is her only chance and she grabs onto it with both hands.
There’s more action in general in here. First in an easily-thwarted early escape attempt, then in dealing with Raub’s training, and finally… well, I’m not going to spoil that. Suffice it to say, this book definitely held my interest the best of these first three books.
Content note for sexual assault: at least in this volume it’s not in any way portrayed as funny or otherwise non-problematic, possibly because in this case it’s the more “standard” male-on-female assault.
Original post on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/08/review-inheritance-jennifer-foehner-wells/
I am white, so I have no idea how reasonable the material on slavery is, or how well Darcy is depicted on that front. If anyone knows of a review by a POC, please feel free to drop a link to it in the comments section so folks can get other opinions that might be more informed about this aspect of the book. There are a number of parallels drawn to things on earth, such as eugenics programs.
I like Darcy quite a bit better than Jane. Jane just always felt kind of prim and proper, and eternally sad, and as a linguist she really isn’t an action-oriented character, so the books featuring her were slower and more ponderous. It also came across as a bit weird whenever she did get into action scenes, because it seemed so counter to her nature. Darcy on the other hand is bold and fierce, and when Raub starts teaching her to defend herself, sure, she whines internally a bit, but she knows this is her only chance and she grabs onto it with both hands.
There’s more action in general in here. First in an easily-thwarted early escape attempt, then in dealing with Raub’s training, and finally… well, I’m not going to spoil that. Suffice it to say, this book definitely held my interest the best of these first three books.
Content note for sexual assault: at least in this volume it’s not in any way portrayed as funny or otherwise non-problematic, possibly because in this case it’s the more “standard” male-on-female assault.
Original post on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/08/review-inheritance-jennifer-foehner-wells/
Darcy is an obsessed medical student on a hike with her boyfriend when they're abducted by aliens in the Arizona desert. It turns out that Darcy is part alien herself, and her rare genetics make her a valuable commodity on the slave market. After trying to stay a revolt, she's separated from all but one of the other prisoners. She spends her time training in combat with her lone companion, but she never suspects what he's really training her for. This was a pretty good book, and I don't think any of the characters was badly written or flat. I also appreciate the way the end sets up her quest and also found a way to tie in the other books in the series.
A solid pulp scifi book, but a real letdown compared with Fluency. Solid writing and interesting species elevate The Most Dangerous Game in scifi costume to an entertaining way to spend an afternoon.