#grimspace

[june-again]

i still need to read the sequel to the book i read last year (grimspace) the story is haunting me and i need to go spend time with those characters again

[beingsuneone]

ok here comes a book ramble because you asked for it. so i literally went into the library last summer and was like hm i want a book i want a sci fi book. the first book on the top left of the sci fi section had an interesting title, so i picked it off the shelf. beautiful & badass-looking woman on the cover. flipped it over read the description, went, oh damn fast paced sci fi enemies to lovers adventure? yes please? AND I WAS SO RIGHT THIS BOOK CHANGED ME FR.

(i proceeded to forget about it for a year after reading it because school but i'm about to go get the third book from the library tmrw because i am invested in this silly sci fi series. ramble over. book is grimspace by ann aguirre btw)

isn't it awesome when you just get a book for the cover or the title or whatever and you're NOT disappointed? do you have any books where that's happened to you?

OH MY GOD YES!!! THATS LITERALLY THE BEST FEELING.

It wasn’t because of the cover but I remember, one time, I bought a book because it had fallen to the floor behind me randomly.

The book was This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp and like it wasn’t even on a super full shelf, no breeze or anything. It somehow fell and I was the only person in the aisle. I bought simply because of that and it ended up being such an amazing book.

But like one that I DID buy for the cover was Crave - Tracy Wolff and, you know despite the fact that it was a little wattpadish is was so fun to read and I had a good time. Sjmsmsmsmsn I like bought the second book the next day.

Anyways, I know I could just look at your post history but what was the series called and what’s it about?

[just0nemorepage]

Wanderlust || Ann Aguirre|| Sirantha Jax #2 || 312 pages Top 3 Genres: Science Fiction / Romance / Space

Synopsis: Sirantha Jax is a “Jumper,” a woman who possesses the unique genetic makeup needed to navigate faster than light ships through grimspace. Jax has worked for the Farwan Corporation her entire career. But now the word’s out that the Corp deliberately crashed a passenger ship, and their stranglehold on intergalactic commerce has crumbled—which means that Jax is out of a job.

She’s also broke, due to being declared dead a little prematurely. So when the government asks her to head up a vital diplomatic mission, Jax takes it. Her mandate: journey to the planet Ithiss-Tor and convince them to join the Conglomerate.

But Jax’s payday is light years away. First, she’ll have to contend with Syndicate criminals, a stormy relationship with her pilot, man-eating aliens, and her own grimspace-weakened body. She’ll be lucky just to make it to Ithiss-Tor alive…

Started: October 9th, 2022.

[oneshallop]

First Drift | AO3

Their first drift was born out of fear and desperation.

Shepard watched him tread up the cockpit. Vakarian was big, even for a turian, and the convex swell of his armor seemed to enlarge as he stepped further into her space. He touched a hand to the side of his visor. The glass filmed, then retracted.

“What do you think?” he said. Shepard couldn’t read his face but she understood the words. There was grim acceptance in that tone. 

It was the first time that he’d looked at her, and she’d looked at him, and they’d known with complete synchronicity what the other was thinking.

Shepard wanted Vakarian’s three-pronged hand away from the cockpit.

Another blow to the ship, this time so bad that Shepard actually lurched with the impact. Vakarian was braced against the console. He didn’t budge.

Shepard pressed her lips together into a hard line. Kicking the chair around, she unclasped the helmet and slid it free. The curve of polyplystic was cool in her hand.

She threw the helmet at Vakarian, jerking her head towards the empty console. “Come on.”

Shepard hadn’t piloted a ship in some time. While flying was much like the proverbial bicycle, the complex set up was not. Scanning the dashboard, she decided to ignore everything apart from the basics and hooked the cable into the shunt in her wrist. The helmet’s hydraulics hissed as they engaged somewhere near her jawbone. She was breathing a dead man’s air.

The AI flickered to life. “Configuration unknown. Procedure not recommended. Do you wish to continue?”

The Areto was a Human warship. Shepard dredged her initiation sequence from the recesses of her memory and rattled it off accordingly. “Shepard: verify.”

Although she’d been expecting it, she still started when his voice came through. “Vakarian: verify.”

“Crew members verified. Please hold as we initiate the neural connection.”

Shepard closed her eyes. The fluid flowed cool around her neck, pooling up her cheeks. She fought the panic and forced herself to breathe it in. There was that strange dissonance: the cool caress of the gel against the numb burn on her brain. Then, like a switch flipped, Shepard dropped.

Lightning flashes: twenty, thirty years of memories—strings flying over the edges of the consciousness. Shepard was brushing by a life that was as infinitely complex as her own. She even had it easier: Vakarian had more experience than she did in the pilot’s chair. Years of contact in the bridge had callused him. He packaged his life better.

Shepard learned many things about her partner in that split-second. Garrus Vakarian was a soldier through and through. He had enlisted because that had been expected of him; he had excelled because that, too, had been expected of him. He felt solid to Shepard, stable somehow—he believed that, in the end, wrongs would right themselves and that friends would come through. But if Vakarian was over-trusting, there was also a grit that ran to the bone: something stark and determined and maybe even grim.

An alkaline soup rolled around the caverns of her mouth. Wind rushed across hard-backed carapaces, the sensation both strange and familiar to her.

But the bind was reciprocal. Millions of threads were flying out from Shepard too, and it had been three years since she had last jumped. Here, the first cigarette she’d shared with a mate: the grimy paper salty on her lips, the smoke catching at her lungs with the first inhalation. Then, a dull pull at her side, and she knew that wasn’t good, but she needed to get to her next point—

There was a big hand cradling her face. It was as gentle as Shepard had never known. She turned her face into it, the long line of her nose tucking into the curve of the palm—

Enough.

Shepard didn’t have Vakarian’s finesse. She couldn’t pinpoint the exact thread that she wanted to cut. Instead her ringing word froze all hundred thousand threads in the void between them.

The silence echoed with the absence of energy. Shepard felt like she had run a thousand miles. Her chest was heaving up and down, and her heart hammering fast as a rabbit’s. There was a hard burn across her cheeks.

At least buy me dinner first, she thought inanely.

To her great surprise, there was a response: A drink? Assuming we get through this alive, of course. The words were tentative. They were a far cry from the rapid-fire dialogue Vakarian had thrown at her earlier in the cockpit. If he were human, he would’ve nodded at her: an awkward chuck of the head. His awkwardness made him 3D, and that made her uncomfortable.

Shepard cleared her throat. Alright Vakarian. You’ve got a pilot’s mind, am I getting that right?

Vakarian had been military since his age of majority. Comparing potatoes to carrots, he outranked her human qualifications by about a rank and a half. Shepard had no plans to defer to him—he had been on a human ship as a consultant—but he had more experience in the cockpit than she did. She wasn’t so proud that she wouldn’t use this.

Vakarian didn’t respond with words. Shepard felt rather than saw him engage with the wetgear: a cold wave that rippled down her body. Clink-clink-clink.

Tough guy, she thought, raising her eyebrows. She plugged in.

Grimspace bloomed before her.

Shepard had been asked what Grimspace looked like. She could never describe it. Grimspace was like a thousand colors flying by, wrapping around in an impossible three-sixty panorama. The implacable cosmos.

You good? Shepard asked him. Only she wasn’t asking him anymore—they were with each other now. She could feel his thoughts like her own.

Vakarian was considering the situation at hand. They were on a tiny foot-fighter, marooned off the side of the Eos system. Their pursuer had caught them by surprise. While Shepard’s previous pilot had been good enough to evade the first missile, the second had grazed the starboard side, taking off one of the back fins. The third—a bio-missile—had been fatal. The blue wave had short-circuited the electromagnetic signals of the bridge crew, killing all twelve of them almost instantly.

We won't outrun them in a straight chase, Vakarian concluded grimly.

An image came to Shepard. A ship moving in Grimspace, producing splintered and ghostly after-images.

Disbelief from Vakarian. You’re not serious.

The alien ship was coming up; Shepard could feel the burn at the back of her throat. She asked him: Are you in?

They waited until their pursuer had flitted into their periphery once more. Shepard fumbled for the dullness betwixt dimensions and latched upon it: she charted the way and Vakarian guided them out. They stumbled back into the greyness of normal time-space.

Next one, Shepard said to him.

Again, she felt for that notch in the fabric of reality; again, Vakarian pushed into the sliding crevasse of technicolor. They were making little jumps in and out of Grimspace. For their pursuer, it would look like they were jittering—instantaneous flashes that existed in past, present, and future.

They were losing their pursuer, but jumpers weren’t meant to navigate Grimspace like this. Shepard was tiring. Her physical body was panting in the cockpit. A blood vessel burst in her eye, a florid patch of red over pupil.

We have to move on, said Vakarian.

He plotted a path ahead. Distantly, Shepard felt their final location burning ahead of her like a tiny star. She moved through a tide as thick as molasses—faltered, froze, and then fell to her hands and knees.

Hands looped underneath her arms. Startled, Shepard looked up: Vakarian had come back for her. Half-supporting her, they stumbled together out into normspace.

In the cockpit, Shepard flipped the clasp under her chin and dragged the helmet off. The ozone stench shot painfully to the back of her skull. She massaged her temples as she checked their bearings.

And checked them again. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Vakarian looked up. The neural link was still on: Shepard could feel the astonishment radiating off him in waves. It was strange to think that even two hours ago she had thought his expressions unreadable.

They had come out somewhere in the Belt of Astaria. It would still take them some time to reach a Council world, but Astaria was a destination that should have taken a day of staggered jumping to reach. Neither of them could believe what they had just accomplished.

And this had only been their first drift.

[roguetimebot]

“March.”            “That a name or an order?” “Take your pick.”

-- Grimspace (Sirantha Jax Book 1) by Ann Aguirre

[jordanjacksonwrites]

Check out my review of Grimspace by Ann Aguire below! (New favorite sci-fi novel!)

Grimspace by Ann Aguirre My rating: 5 of 5 stars Grimspace was a book that I'd been hoping for for awhile before I finally came across it at my local library. It's a sci-fi novel with a significant romance subplot that improves and supports the story, and doesn't get too bogged down in sci-fi lore-speak that distracts from the characters and emotion. The characters are familiar and refreshing all at once, so I could feel like I knew everyone without feeling like I'd seen them a million times before. It also avoids some beats I'm particularly averse to, such as the "I am in perilous danger at feel very threatened by Love Interest Male, but cannot help but notice that he is hot and I am distracted." Instead, the protagonist has a reasonably tense and un-erotic first meeting, and later reflects (maybe in the second book?) that both she and her love interest are not particularly attractive. But you know what, that's dope. I was almost hesitant to start the next book, because I'd been left with such a positive impression of the first one, and liked how things turned out, that I almost didn't want to alter or change the experience I'd already had. Went out and bought the next book anyway. I'm stoked to see where it goes. View all my reviews

[lakecountylibrary]

Books (and one anime) for Browncoats

Love Firefly? You’ll love these too.

Falcon by Emma Bull

An 80s sci-fi novel following the adventures (and misadventures) of a pilot as he fights the government that’s stolen his planet - and the drug that gives him that power.

Old Man's War by John Scalzi

The Colonial Defense Force doesn’t want young people to fight its war for land out in the far reaches of space. It wants people with the knowledge and skills of a life long-lived, and it wants young Earth shielded from the knowledge of what’s really going on out there.

My Life, After Berserker by Steven Jordan

The Berserker virus, if activated, turns anyone infected into a deadly weapon. Carolyn Kestral is infected, but she’s also done with the Rangers. As a freighter captain, she’s highly unlikely to ever have to worry about it again...

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

The mismatched crew of the Wayfarer has landed a lucrative government job in a distant region of space. During the long journey to the site, the crew - from the new clerk looking for distance from her past, to the doctor/chef whose species destroyed itself, to the prickly fuel tech no one likes - will develop a new appreciation of what it means to choose your family.

Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

Sirantha Jax’s ability to take a ship through grimspace makes her a highly valued navigator - right up until an accident steals her memory and the lives of an entire crew. Now the Corp just wants her in a jail cell - and a group of rogue fighters want her for the resistance.

Consider Phlebas by Iain Banks

The war between the Idirans and the Culture has been long and bloody - but there’s something that could end it, buried deep in a labyrinth on an a planet of the dead. It’s up to an Idiran shapeshifter and his crew to find it.

Cowboy Bebop

The classic anime following the perpetually-broke bounty-hunting crew of the Bebop as they try to make ends meet (and cope with their various pasts)

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King

Part western, part sci-fi, part fantasy. Roland the gunslinger chases the Man in Black across the desert, confronting madness, demons, and a kid from New York along the way.

See more of Sean’s recs

[tamsynspeaks]

I was, long ago, someone strange

((D&D story. As some explanation, Grace grew up in a space cult and was given emotion-suppressing drugs her whole life. Now those drugs are out of her system.))

The first time, Grace didn’t know what was happening. “My stomach feels odd,” she had said. Lieutenant Mercier, ever vigilant about the state of her crew, had asked if she was ill. “No,” Grace had replied. “I am not ill. It is like my stomach has tightened.” It was Luli who had figured it out. “You’re worried about your friends,” she told Grace. “That’s worry you’re feeling.”

Yes. That was it. Grace had been worried. Strange.

Other feelings had followed: fear when confronted by the mutated cultists. Curiosity about her companions. A sense of wonder, tinged with panic, as her psi powers grew.

But the most surprising emotion of all came during the personnel meeting. Grace finally asked the question that had been niggling at her. “If Hewatch is destroyed, where will I live?” she asked.

“Here,” Mercier answered promptly. “Your home is with us.”

“Of course you’ll stay with us, Starchild,” Luli said. “You’re one of us.” Even Rada, usually wary, nodded her agreement.

Their sentiment had startled Grace---and introduced a new emotion. Joy. It felt like something bubbling inside of her, something light and fluttery. For the first time in her life, Grace smiled.

@mcsars @lordcaliginous @mystictheurge @pink-is-the-only-choice @wicked-chivalrous

[gimmeromance]

Ask from a user who wants to remain anonymous:

Can you make this anon?

Lately I've been reading a bunch of romance and it's always with alpha males. I'd really love to read more romance like The Rakess with an alpha heroine where the woman is the dominant personality and the man is not. BDSM is fine so long as it is actually romance and not just erotica. I want to see women in heterosexual relationships being awesome and dominant and the dude totally being okay with it. (Like Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff.)

` 

Please help! It feels like romance tends to forget that het/bi/pan women with alpha personalities need love too.

Alpha females are definitely not the norm in most romance, you’re quite correct. We’re glad you already discovered The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham; that author has written a couple of submissive males in her BDSM historicals. Also weirdly enough, some old school historical romance totally gets into this trope - probably because Elizabeth Bennet/Mr. Darcy is the original Alpha Heroine/Beta Hero (unless you count the Taming of the Shrew which depending on the production and interpretation is viable.) And as you likely already know, OP, having an alpha personality doesn’t mean that the woman has to be unfeminine. It just means that in the relationship the woman is the dominant partner.

We’ve scoured around and found a few more you might enjoy!

Historical

The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan - M/F, Victorian Romance, Asian Romance (heroine is Chinese, hero is half-Chinese), alpha female, Open Door

Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt - M/F, Regency Romance, Open Door, heroine is a masked vigilante

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - M/F - Regency Romance, No Sex, Heroine is Gentry. Classic Romance.

Desire in Disguise by Rebecca Brandywine - M/F - French Revolution, Open door, heroine is a pirate, Old School Romance.

Skye O’Malley by Bertrice Small - M/F - Elizabethan England, Open Door, Interracial Romance, Old School Romance, CW: Rape, Domestic Abuse, and Sexual Slavery. Book 1 of a two book series. Heroine is Irish and head of her Clan and Captain of a fleet of ships.

An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole - M/F - Civil War America, Open Door, Interracial Romance, CW: Slavery, Rape, Racism (all the racism). Heroine is a Spy

A Duke Will Never Do by Darcy Burke - M/F - Regency Romance, Open Door, CW: Alcohol Abuse, Withdrawal, Sexual Assault. Heroine is a Spinster.

An Eye for an Earl by Jean Wilde - M/F - Regency Romance, Open Door, CW: Rape, Sexual Assault, Heroine is a Courtesan.

---

Fantasy

Tinker by Wen Spencer - M/F, Fantasy Romance, Mechanic Heroine, Elf Hero, Near-Future, Unknown Heat Level - book 1 of 4, HFN in Book 1.

The Stormbringer by Isabel Cooper - M/F. Fantasy Romance, Warrior Heroine, Epic Fantasy, Open Door. Book 1 of 3, each featuring a different couple, heroines are all warriors.

The Edge of the Woods by Jules Kelley - M/F Bisexual (MFC referenced having past relationships with women), Shifter Romance. Open Door - heroine is alpha wolf of her pack, hero is not a shifter

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs - M/F, Shifter Romance, Urban Fantasy Romance, Native American heroine, Interracial romance, Love Triangle, Open Door - book 1 of 13 (and counting) in the Mercy Thompson series

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse - M/F, Post Apocalyptic Romance, Urban Fantasy (Magic User), Native American Heroine, book 1 of 2 and likely more.

Alpha Night by Nalini Singh - M/F - Urban Fantasy (Shifter, Psychic), Book 19 of a 20 book and counting series, Heroine is the Alpha of her Pack.

Men Are Frogs by Saranna DeWylde - M/F - Contemporary Fantasy - Fairy Tale Retelling, Interracial Romance, Heroine is a Wedding Planner, Book 2 of a 3 book and counting series.

----

Science Fiction

Finders Keepers by Linnea Sinclair - M/F, SciFi Romance, Smuggler Heroine, Open Door - you cannot go wrong with Linnea Sinclair. Her entire catalogue fits your ask. Try Gabriel’s Ghost or Games of Command or An Accidental Goddess, too.

Grimspace by Ann Aguirre - M/F, SciFi Romance, Pilot Heroine, Closed Door - book 1/6 in the Sirantha Jax series. Each book has an HFN and book 6 Jax and March get their HEA.

----

YA Romance

You’ll actually find quite a lot of kickass heroines (and the heroes who adore them) in the YA genre. From Katniss in The Hunger Games to Celaena in Throne of Glass and Jaenelle in the Black Jewels trilogy. However, these are not always romance, in that they don’t always fulfill the promise of the HEA or even HFN (Jaenelle doesn’t get either, in particular). It’s very common for the HEA not to come until the end of the series, so bear that in mind when looking at the recommendations below (and any other YA series).

Graceling by Kristin Cashore - M/F. YA Fantasy Romance, Unknown Heat Level, Assassin Heroine - book 1 in a series of 4.

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers - M/F, YA Fantasy Romance, Open Door, Assassin Heroine - book 1 of a trilogy.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer - M/F, YA Science Fiction Romance, Open Door, Cyborg Heroine. Book 1 of a series of 4; each featuring a different strong heroine.

Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena - M/F, YA Fantasy Romance, No Sex, Magic User Heroine, Book 1 in a Duology.

----

Contemporary Romance

Vanessa’s Winter Romance by Christina Rose Andrews - M/F - Open Door - Interracial Romance, Law School Heroine, Black Heroine, Hispanic Hero, Beta Hero. (Bood 2 of a 3 book series)

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert - M/F - Open Door, Interracial romance, College Professor Heroine, Black Heroine, Muslim Hero, Bisexual Heroine, Beta Hero (Book 2 of a 3 book series)

Dirty Sweet Wild by Julie Kriss - M/F - Open Door, Disabled Hero (Amputee and PTSD), Sex Worker Heroine, Veteran Romance, Billionaire Romance (Book 2 of a 4 book series)

Tramps Like Us/Kimi wa Pet/You’re My Pet by Yayoi Ogawa - M/F - Open Door - MANGA Series, CW: Homelessness, Love Triangle. Heroine is a successful Business woman.

*These suggestions are not endorsements. Please read the description and the reviews to decide whether you want to read the books!

[prettydjarinsoloinspires]

Finally doing this now that it’s the weekend and I have time lol. Thank you to @giurochedadomani and @work-your-loki for tagging me <3

Rules: Tag 9 people you want to know better.

Three ships: Currently shipping Lokius like it’s my job. I’ve loved a few ships in my time, but few have meant as much to me as Lokius.

The other ship that I go back to occasionally and still love is Victuuri from Yuri on Ice. And my third ship often changes, but I’m gonna go with Yoonmin (Yoongi and Jimin) from BTS. Yes, they’re real people, but it’s just for funnsies.

Last song: All of BANNERS discography. They are like Imagine Dragons and Coldplay had a baby and I’ve been listening to them on repeat. I recently got a position at work that is night shift and I always have them on. Also, almost all their songs are Lokius songs. The vibe is perfect, in my opinion. I love them.

Last movie: The last movie I rewatched was The Darjeeling Limited, but the last new movie I saw was Bliss with Owen Wilson. It was SO GOOD and he was so good in it. I really want to rewatch it soon.

Currently reading: Lots of fanfic? That’s really all I read anymore these days. The last book I picked up though was Grimspace by Anne Aguirre. It’s a sci-fi series and it’s one of my all-time favorites.

Currently watching: Right this second? Let’s Game It Out on Twitch. He’s so funny. I’m in between TV shows right now. I think What If..? is next on my list.

Currently consuming: Homemade pumpkin spice iced coffee. :) Is it fall yet?

Currently craving: Pizza rolls and Owen Wilson.

Tagging some of my new mutuals <3 if you wanna

@evilphrog @coffee-and-contemplation1983 @kaleidoscope-vol2 @ladynodrinette @ihearthemcallingforyou @greymantledlady @loboselina @righteous-scamp @dreamronans 

[june-again]

"Vel sits on my left. He leans over as much as he can within the harness and says, 'You will experience some pressure, but it is not unpleasant. Electrical sometimes destabilizes while we pass through grimspace, so the lights may go off or flicker uncontrollably.'

"He's trying to make it easier. The raw place inside me eases a little. 'Anything else I should know?'

"'It helps to hold onto something.' The bounty hunter offers his hand."

p.230, Wanderlust, Ann Aguirre

[nevinslibrary]

Weird & Wonderful Wednesday

By 2950 Earth has survived climate changes not to mention four world wars. There is now a single world government, an advanced technology is widely available. Enter Felicia Sevigny. She is a card reader who reads the futures of people. Alexei Petriv is a Russian crime box who comes to Felicia’s shop, and, they find that they are connected and will be connected.

It was a fun read, a little bit of supernatural, lots and lots of delightful sci fi, and a bit of thriller too. I mean, it’s an all seeing all knowing government against two people. That’s always going to be thrilling.

You may like this book If you Liked: The Cold Between by Elizabeth Bonesteel, Grimspace by Ann Aguirre, or A Brother's Price by Wen Spencer

The Rule of Luck by Catherine Cerveny

[literaryescapis]

#BMMHJulyPics: The beginning of two fabulous series - #GRIMSPACE by #AnnAguirre & THE DEVIL INSIDE by #JennaBlack

[gmiller777]

The Dead Space vectorized version is officially complete. This is meant to be a one color shirt design, all the white is what will print. The background color will be the color of whatever it's printed on, like a shirt. #atx #512art #austinart #austinartists #texasartists #austintx #instaart #instaartistic #instartist #austintexas #austin #art #instagram #texasart #austinite #skull #skullart #skulladdict #skullcrazy #deadspace #conversion #grimspace

[nikihawkes]

Title: Polaris Rising

Author: Jessie Mihalik

Series: Consortium Rebellion #1

Genre: Science Fiction Romance

Rating: 2/5 stars

The Overview: A space princess on the run and a notorious outlaw soldier become unlikely allies in this imaginative, sexy space opera adventure—the first in an exciting science fiction trilogy. In the far distant future, the universe is officially ruled by the Royal Consortium, but the High Councillors, the heads of the three High Houses, wield the true power. As the fifth of six children, Ada von Hasenberg has no authority; her only value to her High House is as a pawn in a political marriage. When her father arranges for her to wed a noble from House Rockhurst, a man she neither wants nor loves, Ada seizes control of her own destiny. The spirited princess flees before the betrothal ceremony and disappears among the stars. Ada eluded her father’s forces for two years, but now her luck has run out. To ensure she cannot escape again, the fiery princess is thrown into a prison cell with Marcus Loch. Known as the Devil of Fornax Zero, Loch is rumored to have killed his entire chain of command during the Fornax Rebellion, and the Consortium wants his head.. -Goodreads

The Review:

I feel compelled to start with a disclaimer that I don’t normally pick up books with romance as the main draw, preferring instead stories that also include a mix of world-building, characters, plot, and external conflicts. Romances tend to just focus on the relationship, and I was hoping that one set in space would require a lot more attention paid to all the other elements I enjoy. Surprisingly, it actually had a good balance, and because of that I enjoyed it more than most from the genre, but overall I don’t think the type of story is my cup of tea, and my rating reflects that.

Don’t get me wrong – I love romance in books, but only when it’s not the sole focus. In this case, where the love story was front and center, I found myself not on board with how it played out. It was kind of insta-lovey. The declarations of love came without a satisfying series of events to back it for my personal tastes. I always want to be able to see why characters fell in love through some poignant moments, and that was missing for me. For a book mostly about the romance, the romance needs to have more substance to win me over.

Honestly though, I knew what I was getting myself into. And for what it was, it did have a nice balance of action and love scenes. The plot was even decent – bringing in an external conflict that at least kept my attention until the end, even if it was a tad repetitive. I can’t help but think other readers are going to enjoy it a lot more than I did because it definitely has some merit.

Series status: It’s currently planned as a series, but I don’t believe I will be reading on… it’s just not for me.

Recommendation: Although this might not be my genre, I think it was a decent story that fans of romantic sci-fi will gobble up. The banter between the main characters reminded me of Ilona Andrews’ writings, which is always a good thing. Venture in expecting a good mix of action and lovey-dovey moments.

Other books you might like… more:

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Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

Fortune’s Pawn by Rachel Bach

Stardoc by S.L. Viehl

Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

by Niki Hawkes

Book Review: Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik Title: Polaris Rising Author: Jessie Mihalik Series: Consortium Rebellion #1 Genre: Science Fiction Romance Rating: … 571 more words

[blackkatmagic]

So this might be out of the blue, but I got a barnes and noble gift card for Christmas, and wanted to know if you have any books you would like to recommend? Preferably with a style kinda like yours? I’m a sucker for lavish descriptions/purple prose/the way you use words to make me fall directly into the worlds you craft, and I just can’t seem to find anything that hits my brain correctly.

If you’re looking for realistic fiction, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett is amazing, as is anything by Richard Bach, though I particularly like Jonathan Livingston Seagull or Illusions: Journeys of a Reluctant Messiah. If you like sci-fi, Grimspace by Ann Aguire is utterly fantastic and one of my favorites. For fantasy, the Abarat series by Clive Baker is so incredible I don’t have words for it. The Lies of Locke Lamora is also really fun. 

Also! Melinda Lo has beautiful prose, and lots of queer characters - Huntress is a lesbian take on Cinderella, and one of my faves.