Mini review: Aftermath (Sirantha Jax 05) by Ann Aguirre

Book form: mobi (Kindle) format ebook
Author: Ann Aguirre
Title: Aftermath
Genre: sci-fi/fantasy/romance/space opera
Target audience: adults

Synopsis 
(if you haven't read the previous parts you might be spoiled, it is a series after all, sorry):

Sirantha Jax went AWOL and managed to rearrange the beacons, making the Grimspace quite unrecognizable to anybody but herself. She saved her whole civilization from the invasion of murderous, flesh-eating Morguts but also over 600 innocent people died, stranded in Grimspace because of her intervention. Now she has to undergo a trial for it - and her life might be at stake.

March and Velith are helping her find a good lawyer but ultimately it's her personal fight to stay sane and to tackle the survivor's guilt which matters the most. March leaves before the trial begins; he has to look for his orphaned nephew. It is evident he and Jax are growning apart almost despite their best efforts to stay close to each other. After Sirantha's release she and Velith Il- Nok travel to Gehenna where they say their good-byes to Adele, a friend of both. We get to know more about Vel's past romance with Adele. After some time of rest Sirantha wants to do something positive to counter-balance all the deaths, caused by her. She has two concrete projects on her mind.

The first one concerns a little Mareq creature called Baby-Z. It was another casualty, killed accidentally by Sirantha, but his DNA sample was preserved. Now it is being cloned in order to return it to its home. The other project concern Loras - a La'hern so a kind of elf who comes from a race which doesn't have a will of his own anymore due to human intervention. Sirantha promised to help him and now is financing the whole research which might lead to finding a cure for all La'hern.

All nice and good but will it be enough?

What I liked:

This one was truly a character-driven adventure. Yes, you got it right and yes, it is possible; at least Ann Aguirre can make it happen. Almost all her characters are fully-fledged and seem completely alive and still they get plenty of action! Easy? Well, not exactly...

We  finally get more information about March, Hit, Adele, Doc and March's nephew, but most of all Vel. Sirantha’s path from an anti-heroine and a boobs-flashing rebel to a self-aware, courageous, mature woman is very impressive. The best thing is she owes a lot of her newfound dedication and maturity to the strong, loyal bounty hunter, Velith, who looks like a big bug in a chitin body but is one of the best aliens I've encountered in sci-fi books - really the more you know about him the more you cherish him. He is wise, supportive, undemanding, able to defend himself, full of good ideas and loyal - could you wish anything more in a prospective partner? So what he isn't exactly human-handsome?


What's more, Ann Aguirre is an amazing story teller - she can keep you occupied all the time. She started with this crazy sci-fi Grimspace world but what she really has given us are unforgettable characters, a fantastic, very original vision and a gripping story. It can appeal to lovers of different genres.

What I didn't like:

Well, the book seemed to me divided artificially into two parts: the trial of Sirantha and her trip to planet Mareeq, to deliver Baby-Z2 to his parents. I wish both parts were longer and more developped; that way Jax's story arc was just too extended. Also sometimes I was a tiny bit annoyed by all these messages and letters.

The cover: cheeesy...definitely worse than the content, believe me.

Final verdict:

If you don't have anything terribly against this mix of genres do read this series, it is worth it! I just hope the final part will be as good as the frist five!

Aguirre says that Jax is going to get her HEA (happily ever after) in the last book (Endgame) that's going to be published next year - that seems clearly to indicate some sort of resolution with March. I'm very interested to see how this one works out and how other mysteries will be solved like the real identity of Edun or the fate of Jael (no, I don't think he died in prison, b*****d).

Mini summer review: Shady Lady (Corine Solomon 03) by Ann Aguirre.

Book info:
Form: e-book, pdf format
Genre: urban fantasy
Target audience: adults


Synopsis:

Because of her previous troubles Corine finds herself caught in the war between two powerful Latino druglords – Escobar and Montoya. A very dangerous position for her and everybody close to her heart. What’s more she must pay off a certain demon called Maury who saved her life in Kilmer. Not enough trouble? The little pawnshop, her pride and her only source of a stable income, has been blown up by a bomb planted by one of Montoya’s henchmen, killing an innocent man in the process. Plenty of grief, I know. Good thing is that Corine can always count on her friends, even those she knows very little about – Kel Ferguson saves her life right at the beginning of the novel and then assists her in more than one way. Shannon, Jesse, Chuch and Eva never fail to help her when she needs it the most. Apart from that plenty of things are explained in this one – Kel’s real identity, Corine’s dark secrets from her past and why she never felt exactly worth of Chance’s attention and company.

Titillating factor:

Yes, this time Corine goes all the way with one of her suitors (I won't reveal who), getting her short HFN. Then she makes some serious decisions concerning her private life. I wasn’t surprised by her choice but I couldn't help smiling at the cunning way Ms Aguirre plays with her readers. No mercy again. Oh and there is one rather disturbing scene of attempted rape. Well, if you deal with demons...

What I liked:

· The narration was chock-full with action – not even one boring moment. I love it!

· The glimpses of Corine’s sad past really made plenty of things we’d been told previously more logical, understandable and real – nice touch!

· No more ugly love triangles – finally!

· Kel has proven to be unique – I won’t say more in order not to spoil but somehow I tolerated his supernatural identity far better than usually.

· Corine becomes really though in this part and the more though she is the more compelling I find her.

· I wholeheartedly share the authoress’s take on bigger monkeys, dolls and clowns.

· The ending, although leaving plenty of leeway, was slickly done. No memories, no pain but is oblivion pernament? Somehow I don't think so.


What I didn’t like:

· Corine’s fight with a certain Knight of Hell was a bit…over the top? Too easy to be true? Unrealistic? I know, I know it’s a fantasy book but still…

· Montoya brothers…so powerful, so uncanny, so skilled…yet so stupid…give me more intellgent baddies, next time, please!

· Im general don’t like rape or attempted rape scenes. Perhaps this one was needed but it made me squirm.

· Chihuahua learned to write using Scrabbles tiles. Urgh. A veterinarian should examine it thoroughly. It is most certainly not a dog.

Finally the cover...meh and meh again!

Final verdict:

An almost-perfect summer read. I am looking forward to the next part, Devil’s Punch. Below you can see how  Shady Lady drink might look like:

Mini summer reviews: Blue Diablo (Corine Solomon 01), Hell Fire (Corine Solomon 02) by Ann Aguirre

Book info:

Form: e-book (pdf)

Genre: Urban fantasy/romance

Target group: adults (well, female adults to be honest)


Blue Diablo

Synopsis:

Corine Solomon is a lonely woman but it suits her. She has  broken up with her super-handsome but selfish boyfriend, Chance, who used and abused her for financial reasons (no, he wasn’t a pimp but close) making her sometimes even risk her life. Now she is living in Mexico as an illegal alien (no matter how silly it might seem but such things happen), earning a modest living in her own little pawn shop. If she thought that, by leaving the USA, she was able to escape her problems forever she couldn’t have been more wrong. Unexpectedly, one day  Chance darkens her door again. Why? Oh, business as usual – he wants Corine's help to find a missing person. The problem is this time it is his own mother.

We find out that Corine possesses a rare, supernatural gift – she is a ‘handler’. It means that touching different objects she is able to ‘see’ what has happened to their owners. Such a gift is frowned upon by the police and other officials but often it is also the last chance of discovering the truth about somebody who has disappeared without any trace. Corine used to be very successful with her gift, earning a lot, but it always came at a hefty price – every time she used it she felt pain and objects made of metal left her hands burning and scarred. Not to mention the fact that she often had to chase after very nasty, very angry criminals and she has never been exactly fit.

Corine decides to help Chance one more time. She liked his Korean mum very much and she is still not insensitive to her ex’s charm (although she would prefer to believe otherwise). Apparently Chance have been missing her, not her money (or so he says) and generally he seems to be really contrite. Finding his mum will be a problem, though – apparently she has had her own shadowy secrets, involving human traffickers, Mexican mafia and some local witches. The clock is ticking – will Chance and Corine succeed once again? Will they kiss and make up while doing so?


Titillating factor:


Plenty of kissing and some nice memories revived. You will be pleased and welll...titillated but not grossed out.

What I liked:

• The main heroine, Corine Solomon, is a very likeable girl - she has an unusual gift, wears grunge, hippie clothes, can run a business on a shoestring budget and never gives up, no matter what. She has also some flaws J I love flawed heroines. The book is told from her POV.

• The book is set in Mexico and then on the US- Mexican border which I found rather exotic.

• The pace of narration was quick enough to keep me interested

• The fact that Corine deals with an ex, not a prospective or current boyfriend, I found rather original

• Her ex, Chance was really portrayed in an intriguing way – he is Korean (ok, perhaps half Korean, we aren’t told much about his dad) and he is literally very lucky but his gift is presented from all possible angles – bad and good as well.

• Tex-Mex food…yummy! I love it! I was hungry almost all the time! Other necessities of life are presented in a very balanced way - we know the characters, being humans, have to bathe, change clothes, buy petrol and do the washing-up but we are not given any boring shopping lists or other step-by-step descriptions of daily routines. Well-done!

What I didn’t like:

• The main baddie, a certain ugly warlock…we are shown too little too late and his motivations are never fully exposed. Pity.

• The ‘magick’ in this book; I found it rather to be an unnecessary complication than an additional bonus – as if Mexico with its culture, food, coyotes and narcotrafficantes wasn’t enough.

• The plot was a bit predictable – I was able to decipher the identity of said bad warlock somewhere in the middle of the book without any problem and of course it was obvious how the book would end from the very beginning.

• I didn’t like the romance a lot in this one, especially the fact  that the authoress ALMOST decided to use a love triangle scheme. ALMOST. Fortunately she checked herself just in time to make book palatable to me.

• A talking, intelligent chihuahua? One bark means yes, two barks mean no...do me a favour (sigh). Legal Blonde, somebody has stolen your dog!

Final verdict:

If you like stories which can make you shiver even in the middle of a hot summer day this one is for you. It has zombies, witches, magic, a nice heroine, some romance. Just don’t expect a very original or very surprising plot which makes you think. HEA guaranteed, though and don’t forget to prepare some food beforehand - you might get hungry and thirsty!

Hell Fire (Corine Solomon 02)

Synopsis:

Corine and Chance, her ex boyfriend, visit Kilmer, a sleepy town where Corine used to live and where her mom died. Or rather was murdered. Corine wants to solve that mysterious death in order to move on with her life. It won’t be easy. Kilmer is truly a town straight from a horror movie and apparently nothing changed much there since 1950s – no internet, no ATMs, no public phones, no contact with the outside world.

When things get dangerous Corine is joined by her almost-love-interest-cum-mentor Jesse Saldana, an empath who feels she is in dire need of help. With the help of another gifted girl, Shannon, they will try to find out what it wrong with Kilmer and its sleepy, backward inhabitants. Evil magical powers will gather and fight back, defending their status quo.

Titillating factor:


There is more romance than in the first part. Still nothing substantial. By the way, be warned - Ms Aguirre, not unlike her heroine, Corine, is a woman after my own heart – to quote her former boyfriend (Corine's, not Ms Aguirre's of course ;) ) she has a mean streak as wide as Mississippi river. Those chicklit fair fans who like supporting different “teams” in their free time should be especially careful – no matter whether you take lovely Texan Jesse’s or smoldering and exotic Chance’s side, the author will make you suffer. Every kiss, every steamy bathroom scene must be paid heavily for afterwards.

So…we are back to the classic triangle – two hotties are vying for attention of a close-to-average but gifted gall…the one difference is that she is not so sure about either of them. After a while it can make you irritated. Well, don’t get me wrong - it’s really nice that our Corine learned to appreciate her own value and to make her own choices like an adult woman. I just wonder whether she isn’t overpricing her assets. Let’s face it – both guys are very interested in a long-term relationship with her and have already shown an uncommon degree of commitment. To no avail. Corine wants them constantly on their knees, begging and groveling time and again. In real life such a woman, be it even a supermodel with heavenly voice and brilliant career,  would wake up one day, look at her empty bed and sang after Cher: “If I could turn back time, if I could find a way…” (yes, I quote Cher deliberately in order not to disappoint a girl called Melissa…;) ).
Maybe the third book will do the charm. I would advise Corine to invest more in a certain Internet acquaintance...

What I liked:

• Corine is still a nice character I can relate to. Not fully but nobody is perfect.

• The mystery and horror atmosphere were well rendered indeed

• The book was very readable and the narration flowed seamlessly.

• I like the titles of this series - all names of interesting drinks :) which are featured in the plot. Nice touch!
• The ending was satisfactory to me.

What I didn’t like:

• Baddies were as usual a bit flat, a tad to dark and evil, without some deeper psychological portraits. One demon was strangely not scary...

• Chihuahua still alive…so Legal Blonde failed to collect it back? I understand…such an irritating animal.

• I preferred Mexican climates to Kilmer Georgia, with all due respect. You know, some like blondes, some like brunettes…
• both covers are a bit graceless...I would prefer the drinks.

Final verdict:

I liked the second one but I wasn’t overly excited about it. I am willing to give the next part a try, though, so it wasn’t totally bad. Typical summer chicklit with not very typical ending.

Summer review: Grimspace (Sirantha Jax 01) by Ann Aguirre

I’ve done soft chicklit reviews so to speak (Gini Koch) so now the time has come for something like more hardcore sci-fi chicklit or space opera.


Book info:

Cover of Grimspace (Sirantha Jax, Book 1)

Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Ace (February 26, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0441015999
ISBN-13: 978-0441015993
Genre: sci-fi/fantasy/romance/space opera
Target audience: adults (well, PG-13 will do too)



Synopsis:

A passenger spaceship “Sargasso” with over 80 important people on board, belonging to the Farwan Corporation, crashes. Only one person survives – the navigator Sirantha Jax. Navigators, also called jumpers, are the carriers of a special J-gene which enables them to see the outer space in a more profound manner and feel different navigating beacons around. Only Farwan trains them - quite a monopoly. Sirantha is one of the best navigators for more than one reason – not only she feels around the Grimspace like no other jumper but also she has survived  a bigger number of “jumps” so far. Usually navigators burn out very quickly so there is a constant demand for them – only their unique skills make the long-haul space travel possible.

After the crash Sirantha is transported and kept in a mental health hospital. As she heals her horrible burns different psychiatrists try to break her and make her confess to having caused the crash. The narration starts when she is kidnapped (or rather liberated) by an ex-mercenary called March who has his own agenda Jax knows nothing about. She is not sure about his intentions but she grabs at that straw as any fate is better than a forced breakdown in a mental hospital and a prison sentence. While they are pursued she has to “jump” into the Grimspace again (her version of the cosmos) with him as a pilot, no matter the costs. What follows is a journey through space as well as a journey through Jax's soul. Let only say it complicates the situation a lot.

Apparently the bond linking a pilot and a jumper must be really strong to make them succeed. Although Sirantha is still mourning the death of her previous pilot, friend, colleague and lover, Kai, soon enough she finds March more than an adequate substitute. It makes her very uncomfortable to say the least of it but she can’t help it. The man is a mind- reader (Psi) and it seems their theta-waves are very similar. As a result they can literally talk to each other into their own heads and March knows instantly what Sirantha is feeling. That’s only a beginning of a truly griping story about solving one mystery after another while asking many difficult questions.

What I liked:

How many female sci-fi writers do you know? I must admit I haven’t heard about one until I stumbled on a review of Grimspace. It made me interested so I decided to give the book a try and whoa, it was an exhilarating, although a bit scary roller coaster ride from the very beginning.

It is a character-driven, first-person narration novel and Sirantha Jax is one hell of a character too. She is damaged goods from the start – unstable after the accident, depressed, horribly scarred, being tortured mentally by those ugly shrinks to boot – but still she fights her way out no matter what. She has grit and determination of several men and women being an interesting protagonist with a lot of potential, I think. . Small wonder March, although grudgingly, falls for her after a while head over heels.

I must admit Ms. Aguirre has a touch for excellent characters and she can build very plausible relations between them. It’s her strong ground. I am not a big fan of romance and there’s a romance which is incredibly well-done and which I liked. In general the interactions of Jax, March, and the supporting cast are very interesting and funny to read. All of them are damaged to some extend but, unlike other novels, it works rather fine.

There’s also one unique character of Velith Il- Nok, an alien from a planet where big, intellgent mantis-like bugs live, which really got to me for more than one reason. Let me only tell you I’ve never liked creepy bug aliens before (especially after watching several sci-fi movies)  but also I’ve never met bug aliens with a sense of humor and propriety before. That was unexpected.

The plot is another big asset of the book. It flows very nicely, you don’t get any sudden illogical changes of direction (meaning most often that the author had no idea what to write next), there are no glaring inconsistency errors. The book ends where it should as soon as it should – you don’t have a feeling that the author ran out of steam or had an editor with a band of cruel mercenaries with AKs-47 banging on her door for not meeting the deadline.


What I didn’t like:

There were little quirks of writing style that drove me crazy after a while, like the incessant use of the word "frag" as a swear and Aguirre's habit of leaving off things like proper nouns from the start of a sentence. For example, you'd get "Could have seen it" rather than "I could have seen it". This became really frustrating fragg--er, but for all of that, I found it pretty easy to keep reading.

Final verdict:

Discovering authors like Aguirre is an absolute thrill. This is a grand space opera in the best tradition of Star Wars but without the false, pompous nobleness of the Jedi knights. I can’t wait to read the next installments only hoping they will be equally good. If you like kick-ass heroines and/or sci-fi it is the perfect series for you.