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shawniebooks's review
2.0
I enjoyed the sci-fi elements, but the characters and relationships were flat. I also couldn't get behind the hero at all.
eg_m's review
4.0
I love Admiral Chaka Saahren - an alpha without the hole. Allysha is great - smart, resourceful, and heroic. The core tension that separates them got a bit old and frustrating, but bonus points for the Ptorix - truly alien aliens.
lindca's review
3.0
The storyline itself was somewhat enjoyable, but the romance part of it was awful. There was instalove without even the excuse of some kind of mating instinct, girlish giggling in a grown woman, and lots of stupidity to go around.
Three stars, though, since I had no difficulty finishing this.
Three stars, though, since I had no difficulty finishing this.
pippajay's review
4.0
What I liked:
Excellent world building, technology, and I love the non-human Ptorix - a concept underdone in the SFR I've read so far. I especially enjoyed the alien planet Tisyphor with its deadly fauna and interesting flora, and the almost poetic descriptions of Ptorix architecture, plus the complex, well-thought out politics and inevitable friction between two species (bearing in mind how difficult it is for human beings alone to get along with one another as it is). And while I didn't buy the hero's insta-love, nor that he was the notorious(?) Iron Admiral, he wasn't a jerk and he cared about her in a way that wasn't totally focused on having sex with her as soon as possible.
What I didn't like:
A bit disjointed and rough at the start, and I really didn't buy the main hero's insta-love for the heroine. I liked Allysha: a bit naive, a little bit 'helpless maiden' at times, but also a tech nerd and unassuming. I was also slightly disturbed by the hero's continued conviction that she would marry him eventually even when she was saying no. Love his conviction but found it rather stalkerish/obsessive.
In conclusion:
A book for those who like the ST/Firefly kind of SF with a romantic element, and providing the insta-love thing doesn't prove too big an obstacle. I would read them more for the SF concepts and the action than for the slightly less than believable 'romance' - the ending is more a dubious status quo than the HEA/HFN required to be a true romance. However, as this is only book one I'm assuming there's an overall romantic arc to the series to satisfy the romance fans by the end.
Excellent world building, technology, and I love the non-human Ptorix - a concept underdone in the SFR I've read so far. I especially enjoyed the alien planet Tisyphor with its deadly fauna and interesting flora, and the almost poetic descriptions of Ptorix architecture, plus the complex, well-thought out politics and inevitable friction between two species (bearing in mind how difficult it is for human beings alone to get along with one another as it is). And while I didn't buy the hero's insta-love, nor that he was the notorious(?) Iron Admiral, he wasn't a jerk and he cared about her in a way that wasn't totally focused on having sex with her as soon as possible.
What I didn't like:
A bit disjointed and rough at the start, and I really didn't buy the main hero's insta-love for the heroine. I liked Allysha: a bit naive, a little bit 'helpless maiden' at times, but also a tech nerd and unassuming. I was also slightly disturbed by the hero's continued conviction that she would marry him eventually even when she was saying no. Love his conviction but found it rather stalkerish/obsessive.
In conclusion:
A book for those who like the ST/Firefly kind of SF with a romantic element, and providing the insta-love thing doesn't prove too big an obstacle. I would read them more for the SF concepts and the action than for the slightly less than believable 'romance' - the ending is more a dubious status quo than the HEA/HFN required to be a true romance. However, as this is only book one I'm assuming there's an overall romantic arc to the series to satisfy the romance fans by the end.
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