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thelibrarylady42's review
4.0
*ARC provided by Net-Galley*
What I Liked: Um well everything for the most part. I love Durango and his sarcastic wit. I love the play between Mimi and Durango and between Durango and Vienne. Although there was not enough Vienne here to hold me over for another year. In the first book I found it confusing when Durango spoke to Mimi because there was no indication that she wasn't in his head. This time he started most conversations with "I subvocalized." That helped a lot but so did knowing who Mimi was so I'm not sure which really helped the most. I love that Gill is able to bring the western into a new frontier. (Ha get it :) Durango is the John Wayne of space, seemingly indestructible, full of bravado, and compassionate too. If I had to have a space cowboy boyfriend it would be Durango...or Mal Reynolds.
What I Didn't Like: I'm too lazy to look up the swear words in other languages...that's more of a reflection on me than on the book though. Cliff hangers...ugh. I really did enjoy the book but sometimes it felt like a bridge to the third book. For this reason I am not a fan of trilogies. Also I have to wait ANOTHER year to find out how it all ends.
The Verdict: Would give to fans of the first. In my opinion not good as a stand alone and must be read with the first. Not for my library as it is too old for 5th and 6th grade but definitely for a high school or junior high library. Beware of the occasional 'asshole' or swear words in Chinese.
What I Liked: Um well everything for the most part. I love Durango and his sarcastic wit. I love the play between Mimi and Durango and between Durango and Vienne. Although there was not enough Vienne here to hold me over for another year. In the first book I found it confusing when Durango spoke to Mimi because there was no indication that she wasn't in his head. This time he started most conversations with "I subvocalized." That helped a lot but so did knowing who Mimi was so I'm not sure which really helped the most. I love that Gill is able to bring the western into a new frontier. (Ha get it :) Durango is the John Wayne of space, seemingly indestructible, full of bravado, and compassionate too. If I had to have a space cowboy boyfriend it would be Durango...or Mal Reynolds.
What I Didn't Like: I'm too lazy to look up the swear words in other languages...that's more of a reflection on me than on the book though. Cliff hangers...ugh. I really did enjoy the book but sometimes it felt like a bridge to the third book. For this reason I am not a fan of trilogies. Also I have to wait ANOTHER year to find out how it all ends.
The Verdict: Would give to fans of the first. In my opinion not good as a stand alone and must be read with the first. Not for my library as it is too old for 5th and 6th grade but definitely for a high school or junior high library. Beware of the occasional 'asshole' or swear words in Chinese.
nerfherder86's review
4.0
A great sequel to [b:Black Hole Sun|7031835|Black Hole Sun (Black Hole Sun, #1)|David Macinnis Gill|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316991541s/7031835.jpg|7279980]! More non-stop action on Mars as mercenary soldier Durango and his girlfriend, fellow soldier Vienne, get involved in high speed chases and shootouts while trying to steal top secret info that may explain why Durango was used in a secret experiment. I love these books for the funny snappy dialogue most of all.
chwaters's review against another edition
3.0
Here's another installment in the life of Durango, aka Jacob Stringfellow. He's been busy falling in love with Vienne, arguing with his delightfully sarcastic AI and attempting to find out the secrets behind his father's downfall. The same downfall that caused Durango to become "dalit". Durango and Vienne are on their way to steal some more information from a corporate military base when they make a stop-over at the monastery the Vienne grew up in. The time there is bittersweet. They move on to the military base only to have Vienne captured by bad-guy Archibald, who promptly begins messing with her head in order to create a perfect soldier.
There's so much destruction and chaos in this book that it's hard to imagine what will be left for the rest of the series. Seriously, tons of explosions and fights here. Plenty of folks die.
I had fun reading this one, but it would probably have helped if I had reread "Black Hole Sun". I had a lot of trouble remembering relationships between characters and the larger story arc. The tone is humorous and suspenseful, with tons of action to keep readers interested. The ending is an obvious cliff-hanger, leaving plenty of room for the next book.
There's so much destruction and chaos in this book that it's hard to imagine what will be left for the rest of the series. Seriously, tons of explosions and fights here. Plenty of folks die.
I had fun reading this one, but it would probably have helped if I had reread "Black Hole Sun". I had a lot of trouble remembering relationships between characters and the larger story arc. The tone is humorous and suspenseful, with tons of action to keep readers interested. The ending is an obvious cliff-hanger, leaving plenty of room for the next book.
jpmums's review against another edition
3.0
Loved Black Hole Sun and looked forward to reading the second. Invisible Sun was a good read but I still like the first book better. I lent the book to a few students and loved both of them.
Lots of adventure and humor keep the story moving. Great for science - fiction fans.
Lots of adventure and humor keep the story moving. Great for science - fiction fans.
pegahe's review against another edition
2.0
mini review.
I was so lost. I couldn't remember the first book and the explanation was extremely minimal. I liked the action but it was too much of a "go along with it" type thing. Probably my fault that I didn't get into it.
I was so lost. I couldn't remember the first book and the explanation was extremely minimal. I liked the action but it was too much of a "go along with it" type thing. Probably my fault that I didn't get into it.
reader_fictions's review
3.0
I read the first book Black Hole Sun after I got an ARC at ALA 2010. I liked it, but wasn't especially into it. Actually, I gave away my copy of that one. My memories of that one are very limited, as in I basically only remembered Mimi and that there was a ton of action. So, basically, I am starting over with a clean slate.
My first impressions of this were highly positive, except for the CW-style cover. Skeptical as I was going in, I'm really glad I gave this series another try. What I really like about Invisible Sun is how it defies gender norms. Durango may be a regulator, basically a mercenary badass, but he knows that his partner Vienne has so much more skills than he does. And he's totally cool with his female partner and girlfriend being more powerful than he is. Gotta love a guy that appreciates a strong woman.
Another thing I really enjoyed was that people swore largely in foreign languages. Why do I like this? Because of Firefly. That's really all I have to say on that, except that if you haven't seen that show, you should go watch it immediately.
The one recommendation I would make to improve this book is to better distinguish between Durango's conversations with Mimi and those with people. As is, it is very difficult to tell when he stops talking with Mimi and begins conversing with someone else. Also, I'm not really sure if he's talking out loud to Mimi or just thinking to her. I just think it would have been a lot more comprehensible if the exchanges with Mimi were in italics.
Invisible Sun is an action-packed read. I recommend it to anyone who is sick of the typical gender dynamics and gender roles in YA lit. This was refreshing and I look forward to the next installment!
My first impressions of this were highly positive, except for the CW-style cover. Skeptical as I was going in, I'm really glad I gave this series another try. What I really like about Invisible Sun is how it defies gender norms. Durango may be a regulator, basically a mercenary badass, but he knows that his partner Vienne has so much more skills than he does. And he's totally cool with his female partner and girlfriend being more powerful than he is. Gotta love a guy that appreciates a strong woman.
Another thing I really enjoyed was that people swore largely in foreign languages. Why do I like this? Because of Firefly. That's really all I have to say on that, except that if you haven't seen that show, you should go watch it immediately.
The one recommendation I would make to improve this book is to better distinguish between Durango's conversations with Mimi and those with people. As is, it is very difficult to tell when he stops talking with Mimi and begins conversing with someone else. Also, I'm not really sure if he's talking out loud to Mimi or just thinking to her. I just think it would have been a lot more comprehensible if the exchanges with Mimi were in italics.
Invisible Sun is an action-packed read. I recommend it to anyone who is sick of the typical gender dynamics and gender roles in YA lit. This was refreshing and I look forward to the next installment!
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