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kathydavie's review
4.0
Sixteenth in the Katherine "Kitty" Katt hilarious science fiction, romantic fantasy series and revolving around the really expanded family and friends of Kitty Katt-Martini.
My Take
A chunk of the start is spent in catching us up in the series: the number of aliens who are refugees on Earth from various galactic wars, Jeff is president of the US, ACE resides in Jamie, Lizzie's parents and current "parent", all the other multi-verses with their own Jamies, Kittys, etc.
Koch uses first-person protagonist point-of-view from Kitty's perspective, which exposes us to Kitty's superpowers, as she confronts pride, revenge, and greed as she goes about saving various planets and their peoples with Kitty making friends everywhere she goes. It's all that acceptance she's got going on, seeing everyone as people. Wouldn't it be great if we could see everyone that way. It's also why Mother put Kitty on Communications.
I love that Kitty is so ticked off with the superconsciousnesses and gets a really amazing bargain.
Action Girl Kitty is all about sentient beings being people no matter what they look like, moves to music, and gets plenty of hints about what to do (or not) from Algar. She's not the only action however. Her core group sees plenty, and Mother keeps everyone on board hopping as well.
Yep, it's still funny, but omigod, Koch has really leapt into fantasy-sci fi land on this one. And her glee about her FLOTUS super power started to become annoying, even if it was fun!
That about-face from Mephistopheles is hard to wrap my brain around.
Kitty is practical, requiring ten times the number of bathrooms the guys think are necessary for the spaceship. Good thing, since there are way more passengers than anyone ever expected — thanks to a couple of young'uns!
Ooh, I love that power source for the Distant Voyager! If only we could get it to work on our cars, lol.
It's a tour of parts of the galaxy and a long voyage of encountering hostile planets with violent populations, rescuing others, and gathering allies. SuperBun's planet is quite the oddity, although Helix Prime does give it a run for its money. I like the idea of it being a tourist destination, lol.
The prose is running with plenty of slang, and positive Kitty is mother, superpower, and snark fest, lol. The politicians along for the ride are not positive with lots of whining. The kids are gleeful. Mother is dictatorial until Kitty has had a chance to work her wiles on her.
What can I say, it's fun, humorous, and has lots of gadgets — the way to my heart, lol
The Story
The Distant Voyager is a huge achievement for the US, for the world, a ship that can explore the galaxy. It's at the ship's christening that everything goes wrong.
That'll teach Kitty to promise Jamie and Charlie a vacation! Especially when Ixtha tells everyone the fate of the galaxy is at stake.
The Characters
This isn't the complete of characters. For that you'll need to check out the review on my blog.
Katherine "Kitty" Katt is married to Jeff Martini, a gorgeous alien from the Alpha Centauri system. She's also the First Lady of the United States, Queen Regent of Earth for the Annocusal Royal Empire, the Galactic Delegate representing Earth on the Galactic Council, and known as the Warrior Queen Shealla on Beta Eight. She also has Dr Doolittle skills. Harlie and Poofikins are two of her Poofs. Duchess is Kitty's pet pit bull. Charles Reynolds has been Kitty's best friend since ninth grade, is the smartest guy in the room, and is the current director of the CIA.
Jeff, an American citizen, is now the president of the United States. Their gifted children include the six-year-old Jamie who is the host for Fairy Godfather ACE, a superconsciousness returned to Kitty and the A-Cs. Mous-Mous is Jamie's Poof. Their two-year-old Charlie is also telekinetic. Mine is his Poof, lol, although Murphy also signs on.
Sixteen-year-old Lizzie (Alien in Chief, 12) is their ward; Fofo is Lizzie's Poof. Benjamin Siler, a highly trained assassin with his own gifts, is Lizzie's adoptive father and the current American Centaurion Defense Attaché.
Nadine Alexis is their live-in nanny. Francis Alexis, Nadine's sister, is Kitty's double; Craig Rossi, an A-C, is Jeff's double. Colette Alexis, another sister, is Kitty's press secretary. All three Alexises and Craig are Troubadours. "Uncle" Pierre is the White House majordomo and Kitty's fashion consultant. Rajnish Singh is the chief of staff and an A-C troubadour. Vance Beaumont is Kitty's chief of staff. Akiko is the fashion designer who makes all of Kitty's clothes.
Walter Ward, an A-C, is the head of White House Security and Malcom Buchanan, a.k.a. Dr Strange, is Walter's boss, the head of Team Tough Guys, and assigned to protect Kitty and Jamie (Alien Diplomacy, 5). Colonel John Butler and Cameron Maurer are part of Team Tough Guys. Len Parker, Kyle Constantine, Evalyne, and Phoebe are part of Kitty's Secret Service detail. Keith is the head of Jamie's Secret Service detail that includes Joseph and Rob?? Dr Tito Hernandez is the inventive White House Physician (Alien in the Family, 3).
Mom, Angela Katt, former Mossad, is the head of the Presidential Terrorism Control Unit (PTCU); Sol Katt is Kitty's dad. Uncle Mort is the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Brigadier General Marvin Hamlin is good at spotting conspiracies.
Kevin, Mom's right-hand, and Denise Lewis have two children: twelve-year-old Raymond and Rachel. Denise is in charge of the embassy daycare. Doreen, an A-C, and Irving (a total science nerd) Coleman-Weisman have a son, Ezra. Nancy Maurer is caring for her grandchildren thirteen-year-old Chase/Chance and Cassidy.
Most of Jeff's cabinet are along for the ride.
These Alpha Centaurions were . . .
. . . exiled to Earth for their religious beliefs. Christopher White is Jeff's cousin and married to Amy. They have two kids: Becky and Jeffrey (JR) Richard. Toby is Christopher's Poof. Twelve-year-old Kimberly Price is another of the kids. Paul Gower, Jeff's cousin, was a dream reader and the A-C Head of Recruitment, although he's now the A-C's Supreme Pontifex. Richard White is the former Pontifex and is Kitty's partner. Serene Dwyer, a closet troubadour, is the A-C Head of Imageering and the head of the secret A-C version of the CIA. She's married to a human, Brian Dwyer, an astronaut and an old boyfriend of Kitty's. William Ward, Walter's older brother and an imageer, is the Head of Security for all of American Centaurion and is based at the Dulce Science Center in New Mexico. The late Gladys Gower had been the original head of security. Melissa "Missy" Gunnels does security at Sydney Base. Viola, Carmine, and Romeo are the head of security? at Caliente Base. Camilla is a rare A-C who can lie naturally; she's married to Rhee.
Abigail Gower-Tucker and Mahin Sherazi are Embassy Cultural attachées.
The critters include . . .
. . . Peregrines can blend and protect the A-C royal family on Alpha Centauri and on Earth. Bruno and his mate, Lola, are Kitty's peregrines. George and Gracie are Walter's peregrines; Teddy is Walter's Poof. The Poofs, brought by Algar, are cute, cuddly furballs who can get large and in-charge. Ginger is an ocellar and Wilbur is a pig-dog from Beta Eight (Alien Research, 8). The least weasels, the royal mascots of Algarria, are the newest addition.
Hacker International is . . .
. . . a group of computer hackers hired to do the government's dirty work. Their leader is Stryker Dane, a.k.a. Eddy Simms, Big George Lecroix, Dr Henry Wu, Ravi "the Geek" Gaekwad (he's married to Jennifer Barone, an A-C), and Yuri Stansilav, a.k.a. Omega Red. Chernobog is the world's top hacker, and while part of the group, is actually under house arrest. Jeremy Barone is Jennifer's brother.
The Distant Voyager is . . .
. . . Earth's first inter-galactic spaceship and designed by Gustav Drax (Alien in Chief), a self-exiled Prince of Vatusus. The crew includes Commander Daniel Chee, Brian, and Airborne, which includes Tim Crawford, the head of Airborne, who's married to Alicia; Matt Hughes; Chip Walker; Randy Muir (he's married to Claudia); Joe Billings (he's married to Lorraine); and, Jerry Tucker (he's married to Abigail Gower). Lorraine and Claude are captains on Alpha Team. Commander James Reader, a former model, gay, and Kitty's other best guy friend, is married to Paul Gower. The ship IA is Mother, the HAL computer who takes over the ship. Mossy is one of the people who have hidden on the ship; he's a brigadier general in the Turleen Air Force on the planet Tur, although in Alien Nation, 14, Mossy was one of the leaders of the Mykali with Muddy the general.
Bahrain
Prince Wasim is eighteen and a senior at Skidwell (Alien Education, 15); he's the grandson of King Raheem. Naveed Murad is his personal bodyguard.
Ali Baba Gadhavi is/had been a notorious crime lord and is now an ally.
The journalists
Adam Johnson, a retired baseball player, is a co-host along with Kristie Rodriguez on Good Day USA (Alien Education). Both of them have roles in Code Name: First Lady, that was made by Jürgen Cologne. Bruce Jenkins is the Tastemaker (Alien Collective, 9). Mister Joel Oliver is now a top investigative journalist who is always accompanied by Belli, an African grey. Dion Callen France is the photographer/cameraman both Jenkins and Oliver use.
The Anciannas, a.k.a. the Ancients
John Wruck is a shapeshifting Ancient.
The Free Women of Beta Twelve are . . .
. . . Amazonian shapeshifters ruled by Queen Renata. Princesses Rahmi and Rhee are warriors and Renata's daughters.
Alpha Four is . . .
. . . the Alpha Centaurion planet where Alexander, the emperor of Alpha Four and Jeff's cousin, rules. Leonidas is a councilor.
The Sovereign Nation of Algarria is . . .
. . . a micronation. Al Garrison is their emissary meant to end the war between the United States and Algarria.
Ignotforsta is . . .
. . . a planet of apes — Kitty names them the Real Naked Apes — and are part of the Apatan system. Wheatles Kreaving is aboard the Eknara, a science vessel, investigating a disastrous neutron wave. Setah Momac is the ship's doctor. Bremelos Merplon is the ship's navigator. Grentix Wheekus is the science officer.
Cradus is . . .
. . . a moon made entirely of metal and the Cradi are under attack. Its uninhabited planet is Sephidon — both moon and planet are sentient. Crion is their sun. Their first contact is Fathade, and her mate is Feoren. Serion and Sciea, a C-3PO person, are siblings. Cavus "the Terminator" identifies as asexual. Pheo is their spaceport. It's the Orange Scourge that is so dangerous to them.
Other Superconsciousnesses . . .
. . . are the builders of galaxies. Sandy and the others have been laying down rules for ACE and Naomi Gower (Alien Research). Lilith had been an evil superconsciousness, but appears to have turned over a new leaf. Space Lucinda is another turned-superconsciousness that allies with Kitty.
The DreamScape is a realm that connects all beings through their dreams. Gates are an A-C technology that allows for instant transport. Algar, the Ard Ri, is a being from the Black Hole Universe who is on the run because he’s a Free Will Fanatic. The A-Cs don't know he's the Operations Team, a.k.a. the Elves.
Nazez is a planet where . . .
. . . SuperBun is the head bunny. Peter is the snuggly bunny. Lord Dupay, a.k.a. Dopey, wants to save the universe. Harvey will be the combined Dopey-Grumpy. Neela is the leader of the Dawar, the tree people, on the planet Tropea, a.k.a. Night World and Planet Black. Hixxx is the sea serpent, the leader of the Ezkot on Nazez.
Helix Rime is . . .
. . . the planet ruled by the Sheep Man, a.k.a. Mad Lord Johpunnt. Luhgremn is the capital city. Roanach is a sheep and part of the Outer Guard. Clorence is a possum. Telzor is the Captain of the Guard.
Helix Noblora is . . .
. . . Ixtha's planet?? It's the planet Helix Rime keeps attacking, and I think it's part of the system Kitty refers to as the Cradle of Life. Ixtha is the one who contacts Kitty through the DreamScape, terrified that her system is in a galaxy-ending situation.
The Cover and Title
The background of the cover is a range of teals with an abstract mountain range and a full moon above. From the roll-up in the bottom right, it appears to be a poster for one of the Code Name movies. In front of it is the blonde, long-haired Kitty in a pale gray Chanel-like jacket and tight fitting gray dress with thigh-high gray boots. She's facing us but looking up to the right and holding a formidable rifle. At the very top is the title in turquoise and yellow. The author's name is right-justified just below the title and in white.
The title refers to all those Aliens Abroad our earthlings encounter on their journey to find Ixtha.
My Take
A chunk of the start is spent in catching us up in the series: the number of aliens who are refugees on Earth from various galactic wars, Jeff is president of the US, ACE resides in Jamie, Lizzie's parents and current "parent", all the other multi-verses with their own Jamies, Kittys, etc.
Koch uses first-person protagonist point-of-view from Kitty's perspective, which exposes us to Kitty's superpowers, as she confronts pride, revenge, and greed as she goes about saving various planets and their peoples with Kitty making friends everywhere she goes. It's all that acceptance she's got going on, seeing everyone as people. Wouldn't it be great if we could see everyone that way. It's also why Mother put Kitty on Communications.
I love that Kitty is so ticked off with the superconsciousnesses and gets a really amazing bargain.
Action Girl Kitty is all about sentient beings being people no matter what they look like, moves to music, and gets plenty of hints about what to do (or not) from Algar. She's not the only action however. Her core group sees plenty, and Mother keeps everyone on board hopping as well.
Yep, it's still funny, but omigod, Koch has really leapt into fantasy-sci fi land on this one. And her glee about her FLOTUS super power started to become annoying, even if it was fun!
That about-face from Mephistopheles is hard to wrap my brain around.
Kitty is practical, requiring ten times the number of bathrooms the guys think are necessary for the spaceship. Good thing, since there are way more passengers than anyone ever expected — thanks to a couple of young'uns!
Ooh, I love that power source for the Distant Voyager! If only we could get it to work on our cars, lol.
It's a tour of parts of the galaxy and a long voyage of encountering hostile planets with violent populations, rescuing others, and gathering allies. SuperBun's planet is quite the oddity, although Helix Prime does give it a run for its money. I like the idea of it being a tourist destination, lol.
The prose is running with plenty of slang, and positive Kitty is mother, superpower, and snark fest, lol. The politicians along for the ride are not positive with lots of whining. The kids are gleeful. Mother is dictatorial until Kitty has had a chance to work her wiles on her.
What can I say, it's fun, humorous, and has lots of gadgets — the way to my heart, lol
The Story
The Distant Voyager is a huge achievement for the US, for the world, a ship that can explore the galaxy. It's at the ship's christening that everything goes wrong.
That'll teach Kitty to promise Jamie and Charlie a vacation! Especially when Ixtha tells everyone the fate of the galaxy is at stake.
The Characters
This isn't the complete of characters. For that you'll need to check out the review on my blog.
Katherine "Kitty" Katt is married to Jeff Martini, a gorgeous alien from the Alpha Centauri system. She's also the First Lady of the United States, Queen Regent of Earth for the Annocusal Royal Empire, the Galactic Delegate representing Earth on the Galactic Council, and known as the Warrior Queen Shealla on Beta Eight. She also has Dr Doolittle skills. Harlie and Poofikins are two of her Poofs. Duchess is Kitty's pet pit bull. Charles Reynolds has been Kitty's best friend since ninth grade, is the smartest guy in the room, and is the current director of the CIA.
Jeff, an American citizen, is now the president of the United States. Their gifted children include the six-year-old Jamie who is the host for Fairy Godfather ACE, a superconsciousness returned to Kitty and the A-Cs. Mous-Mous is Jamie's Poof. Their two-year-old Charlie is also telekinetic. Mine is his Poof, lol, although Murphy also signs on.
Sixteen-year-old Lizzie (Alien in Chief, 12) is their ward; Fofo is Lizzie's Poof. Benjamin Siler, a highly trained assassin with his own gifts, is Lizzie's adoptive father and the current American Centaurion Defense Attaché.
Nadine Alexis is their live-in nanny. Francis Alexis, Nadine's sister, is Kitty's double; Craig Rossi, an A-C, is Jeff's double. Colette Alexis, another sister, is Kitty's press secretary. All three Alexises and Craig are Troubadours. "Uncle" Pierre is the White House majordomo and Kitty's fashion consultant. Rajnish Singh is the chief of staff and an A-C troubadour. Vance Beaumont is Kitty's chief of staff. Akiko is the fashion designer who makes all of Kitty's clothes.
Walter Ward, an A-C, is the head of White House Security and Malcom Buchanan, a.k.a. Dr Strange, is Walter's boss, the head of Team Tough Guys, and assigned to protect Kitty and Jamie (Alien Diplomacy, 5). Colonel John Butler and Cameron Maurer are part of Team Tough Guys. Len Parker, Kyle Constantine, Evalyne, and Phoebe are part of Kitty's Secret Service detail. Keith is the head of Jamie's Secret Service detail that includes Joseph and Rob?? Dr Tito Hernandez is the inventive White House Physician (Alien in the Family, 3).
Mom, Angela Katt, former Mossad, is the head of the Presidential Terrorism Control Unit (PTCU); Sol Katt is Kitty's dad. Uncle Mort is the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Brigadier General Marvin Hamlin is good at spotting conspiracies.
Kevin, Mom's right-hand, and Denise Lewis have two children: twelve-year-old Raymond and Rachel. Denise is in charge of the embassy daycare. Doreen, an A-C, and Irving (a total science nerd) Coleman-Weisman have a son, Ezra. Nancy Maurer is caring for her grandchildren thirteen-year-old Chase/Chance and Cassidy.
Most of Jeff's cabinet are along for the ride.
These Alpha Centaurions were . . .
. . . exiled to Earth for their religious beliefs. Christopher White is Jeff's cousin and married to Amy. They have two kids: Becky and Jeffrey (JR) Richard. Toby is Christopher's Poof. Twelve-year-old Kimberly Price is another of the kids. Paul Gower, Jeff's cousin, was a dream reader and the A-C Head of Recruitment, although he's now the A-C's Supreme Pontifex. Richard White is the former Pontifex and is Kitty's partner. Serene Dwyer, a closet troubadour, is the A-C Head of Imageering and the head of the secret A-C version of the CIA. She's married to a human, Brian Dwyer, an astronaut and an old boyfriend of Kitty's. William Ward, Walter's older brother and an imageer, is the Head of Security for all of American Centaurion and is based at the Dulce Science Center in New Mexico. The late Gladys Gower had been the original head of security. Melissa "Missy" Gunnels does security at Sydney Base. Viola, Carmine, and Romeo are the head of security? at Caliente Base. Camilla is a rare A-C who can lie naturally; she's married to Rhee.
Abigail Gower-Tucker and Mahin Sherazi are Embassy Cultural attachées.
The critters include . . .
. . . Peregrines can blend and protect the A-C royal family on Alpha Centauri and on Earth. Bruno and his mate, Lola, are Kitty's peregrines. George and Gracie are Walter's peregrines; Teddy is Walter's Poof. The Poofs, brought by Algar, are cute, cuddly furballs who can get large and in-charge. Ginger is an ocellar and Wilbur is a pig-dog from Beta Eight (Alien Research, 8). The least weasels, the royal mascots of Algarria, are the newest addition.
Hacker International is . . .
. . . a group of computer hackers hired to do the government's dirty work. Their leader is Stryker Dane, a.k.a. Eddy Simms, Big George Lecroix, Dr Henry Wu, Ravi "the Geek" Gaekwad (he's married to Jennifer Barone, an A-C), and Yuri Stansilav, a.k.a. Omega Red. Chernobog is the world's top hacker, and while part of the group, is actually under house arrest. Jeremy Barone is Jennifer's brother.
The Distant Voyager is . . .
. . . Earth's first inter-galactic spaceship and designed by Gustav Drax (Alien in Chief), a self-exiled Prince of Vatusus. The crew includes Commander Daniel Chee, Brian, and Airborne, which includes Tim Crawford, the head of Airborne, who's married to Alicia; Matt Hughes; Chip Walker; Randy Muir (he's married to Claudia); Joe Billings (he's married to Lorraine); and, Jerry Tucker (he's married to Abigail Gower). Lorraine and Claude are captains on Alpha Team. Commander James Reader, a former model, gay, and Kitty's other best guy friend, is married to Paul Gower. The ship IA is Mother, the HAL computer who takes over the ship. Mossy is one of the people who have hidden on the ship; he's a brigadier general in the Turleen Air Force on the planet Tur, although in Alien Nation, 14, Mossy was one of the leaders of the Mykali with Muddy the general.
Bahrain
Prince Wasim is eighteen and a senior at Skidwell (Alien Education, 15); he's the grandson of King Raheem. Naveed Murad is his personal bodyguard.
Ali Baba Gadhavi is/had been a notorious crime lord and is now an ally.
The journalists
Adam Johnson, a retired baseball player, is a co-host along with Kristie Rodriguez on Good Day USA (Alien Education). Both of them have roles in Code Name: First Lady, that was made by Jürgen Cologne. Bruce Jenkins is the Tastemaker (Alien Collective, 9). Mister Joel Oliver is now a top investigative journalist who is always accompanied by Belli, an African grey. Dion Callen France is the photographer/cameraman both Jenkins and Oliver use.
The Anciannas, a.k.a. the Ancients
John Wruck is a shapeshifting Ancient.
The Free Women of Beta Twelve are . . .
. . . Amazonian shapeshifters ruled by Queen Renata. Princesses Rahmi and Rhee are warriors and Renata's daughters.
Alpha Four is . . .
. . . the Alpha Centaurion planet where Alexander, the emperor of Alpha Four and Jeff's cousin, rules. Leonidas is a councilor.
The Sovereign Nation of Algarria is . . .
. . . a micronation. Al Garrison is their emissary meant to end the war between the United States and Algarria.
Ignotforsta is . . .
. . . a planet of apes — Kitty names them the Real Naked Apes — and are part of the Apatan system. Wheatles Kreaving is aboard the Eknara, a science vessel, investigating a disastrous neutron wave. Setah Momac is the ship's doctor. Bremelos Merplon is the ship's navigator. Grentix Wheekus is the science officer.
Cradus is . . .
. . . a moon made entirely of metal and the Cradi are under attack. Its uninhabited planet is Sephidon — both moon and planet are sentient. Crion is their sun. Their first contact is Fathade, and her mate is Feoren. Serion and Sciea, a C-3PO person, are siblings. Cavus "the Terminator" identifies as asexual. Pheo is their spaceport. It's the Orange Scourge that is so dangerous to them.
Other Superconsciousnesses . . .
. . . are the builders of galaxies. Sandy and the others have been laying down rules for ACE and Naomi Gower (Alien Research). Lilith had been an evil superconsciousness, but appears to have turned over a new leaf. Space Lucinda is another turned-superconsciousness that allies with Kitty.
The DreamScape is a realm that connects all beings through their dreams. Gates are an A-C technology that allows for instant transport. Algar, the Ard Ri, is a being from the Black Hole Universe who is on the run because he’s a Free Will Fanatic. The A-Cs don't know he's the Operations Team, a.k.a. the Elves.
Nazez is a planet where . . .
. . . SuperBun is the head bunny. Peter is the snuggly bunny. Lord Dupay, a.k.a. Dopey, wants to save the universe. Harvey will be the combined Dopey-Grumpy. Neela is the leader of the Dawar, the tree people, on the planet Tropea, a.k.a. Night World and Planet Black. Hixxx is the sea serpent, the leader of the Ezkot on Nazez.
Helix Rime is . . .
. . . the planet ruled by the Sheep Man, a.k.a. Mad Lord Johpunnt. Luhgremn is the capital city. Roanach is a sheep and part of the Outer Guard. Clorence is a possum. Telzor is the Captain of the Guard.
Helix Noblora is . . .
. . . Ixtha's planet?? It's the planet Helix Rime keeps attacking, and I think it's part of the system Kitty refers to as the Cradle of Life. Ixtha is the one who contacts Kitty through the DreamScape, terrified that her system is in a galaxy-ending situation.
The Cover and Title
The background of the cover is a range of teals with an abstract mountain range and a full moon above. From the roll-up in the bottom right, it appears to be a poster for one of the Code Name movies. In front of it is the blonde, long-haired Kitty in a pale gray Chanel-like jacket and tight fitting gray dress with thigh-high gray boots. She's facing us but looking up to the right and holding a formidable rifle. At the very top is the title in turquoise and yellow. The author's name is right-justified just below the title and in white.
The title refers to all those Aliens Abroad our earthlings encounter on their journey to find Ixtha.
katyanaish's review
4.0
I enjoyed it, like always. I think I especially enjoyed this one, because we got away from the political world and immersed in sci-fi. Those books are always the best one of this series, imo.
However, I still do not like the uber-powered deus ex machina children, and they were particularly annoying in this book. Because, I'm sorry, Jamie is SIX YEARS OLD. It is intolerable for her to just do all of this with no consequences. Because firstly, she may be a gifted child, but she is in fact a child, and a 6 year old (much less a 2 year old, when Charlie gets in on the decision-making) can't be put in charge of the decisions. Children can be misled, fooled, taken advantage of. I hate having her be the wise Jesus-child, as if her every decision and impulse is unquestionable and should be followed. And I feel like it makes Jeff and Kitty particularly shitty parents when they just go along with whatever Jamie says and does. Are they trying to raise a little LeRue or Stephanie? Someone who believes they are always right, about everything, and the world better just conform to their wishes? Because that's who they are raising right now. At some point, this is going to backfire, and Jamie is going to do something - because why wouldn't she, mommy and daddy are always fine with whatever shit she pulls - that gets someone killed. What happens then?
But despite being seriously aggravated at the above bullshit, I had a lot of fun with it. Nearly crapped my pants when Algar showed up. Heh.
Sadly, this is the last book that has been released in this series, so now I have to wait. I can't believe I blitzed through all 16 of them in a month or so. Oh well, what can I say? I really enjoy the world, the pacing, the humor, and most of the characters.
However, I still do not like the uber-powered deus ex machina children, and they were particularly annoying in this book. Because, I'm sorry, Jamie is SIX YEARS OLD. It is intolerable for her to just do all of this with no consequences. Because firstly, she may be a gifted child, but she is in fact a child, and a 6 year old (much less a 2 year old, when Charlie gets in on the decision-making) can't be put in charge of the decisions. Children can be misled, fooled, taken advantage of. I hate having her be the wise Jesus-child, as if her every decision and impulse is unquestionable and should be followed. And I feel like it makes Jeff and Kitty particularly shitty parents when they just go along with whatever Jamie says and does. Are they trying to raise a little LeRue or Stephanie? Someone who believes they are always right, about everything, and the world better just conform to their wishes? Because that's who they are raising right now. At some point, this is going to backfire, and Jamie is going to do something - because why wouldn't she, mommy and daddy are always fine with whatever shit she pulls - that gets someone killed. What happens then?
But despite being seriously aggravated at the above bullshit, I had a lot of fun with it. Nearly crapped my pants when Algar showed up. Heh.
Sadly, this is the last book that has been released in this series, so now I have to wait. I can't believe I blitzed through all 16 of them in a month or so. Oh well, what can I say? I really enjoy the world, the pacing, the humor, and most of the characters.
jbrooxd's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! This was nonstop action. I felt like I read 4 books worth of story in this one volume. Old “friends” and new ones - lots of alien races and planets join the Kitty-universe. Fantastic addition to my favorite series.
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, wow, this book was so amazing! It was so epic-ly long, and so much happened, and it was such a great read! So many things happened, so many adventures! And that ending was just pure evil! I need the next book now!
mooncrepes's review against another edition
5.0
I have just four words for you: GO READ THIS BOOK.
Katherine Kitty-Katt is a force to reckon with and her determination to save the world is why I enjoyed her character so much. It's a lot like a superhero comic where the character themselves is so invested in their cause that you can't help but be invested in it too. Not to mention, the main character is married woman who makes matrimony sexy - proving that it's not the end of Independence for a woman. If anything, she and Jeff were a power couple and I love how well they worked together while maintaining separate identities.
I’m serious, people. Aliens Abroad brought fresh elements to the science-fiction novel and it drew me in like the gravitational pull of a black hole. It’s the kind of story that left me anxiously chewing the inside of my cheek as my heart raced and I couldn’t (much to my own disdain) read fast enough. From the first page, I was tangled in the story and invested in all the characters. Nothing is more important than that for me, and it’s why I recommend you launch yourself into this book.
Katherine Kitty-Katt is a force to reckon with and her determination to save the world is why I enjoyed her character so much. It's a lot like a superhero comic where the character themselves is so invested in their cause that you can't help but be invested in it too. Not to mention, the main character is married woman who makes matrimony sexy - proving that it's not the end of Independence for a woman. If anything, she and Jeff were a power couple and I love how well they worked together while maintaining separate identities.
I’m serious, people. Aliens Abroad brought fresh elements to the science-fiction novel and it drew me in like the gravitational pull of a black hole. It’s the kind of story that left me anxiously chewing the inside of my cheek as my heart raced and I couldn’t (much to my own disdain) read fast enough. From the first page, I was tangled in the story and invested in all the characters. Nothing is more important than that for me, and it’s why I recommend you launch yourself into this book.
ariaugustine's review
5.0
I have just four words for you: GO READ THIS BOOK.
Katherine Kitty-Katt is a force to reckon with and her determination to save the world is why I enjoyed her character so much. It's a lot like a superhero comic where the character themselves is so invested in their cause that you can't help but be invested in it too. Not to mention, the main character is married woman who makes matrimony sexy - proving that it's not the end of Independence for a woman. If anything, she and Jeff were a power couple and I love how well they worked together while maintaining separate identities.
I’m serious, people. Aliens Abroad brought fresh elements to the science-fiction novel and it drew me in like the gravitational pull of a black hole. It’s the kind of story that left me anxiously chewing the inside of my cheek as my heart raced and I couldn’t (much to my own disdain) read fast enough. From the first page, I was tangled in the story and invested in all the characters. Nothing is more important than that for me, and it’s why I recommend you launch yourself into this book.
Katherine Kitty-Katt is a force to reckon with and her determination to save the world is why I enjoyed her character so much. It's a lot like a superhero comic where the character themselves is so invested in their cause that you can't help but be invested in it too. Not to mention, the main character is married woman who makes matrimony sexy - proving that it's not the end of Independence for a woman. If anything, she and Jeff were a power couple and I love how well they worked together while maintaining separate identities.
I’m serious, people. Aliens Abroad brought fresh elements to the science-fiction novel and it drew me in like the gravitational pull of a black hole. It’s the kind of story that left me anxiously chewing the inside of my cheek as my heart raced and I couldn’t (much to my own disdain) read fast enough. From the first page, I was tangled in the story and invested in all the characters. Nothing is more important than that for me, and it’s why I recommend you launch yourself into this book.
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