Genre: YA/SCI-FI Adventure
Disclaimer: Reading is all about exploring, but this Book Review does not shy away from spoiling specific scenes as this is more of a look inside the good and bad of a book.
The Analysis:
My favorite sci-fi TV show that has long since been canceled was, Dark Matter. As my first sci book since Enders Game. I felt thoroughly immersed in the world from page one. Let’s book review it!
Heres the Blurb:
But when her dying uncle announces a crownchase—a search for the royal seal hidden in the empire that will determine the next ruler—Alyssa is thrust into her greatest, most dangerous adventure yet.
A deadly race across 1,001 planets will determine more than just the fate of the empire.
Now The Story:
Book Info:
Pages: 384
Author: Rebecca Coffindaffer
Available: On Google Play Books
Romance:
Let’s talk romance first, as a resident romance author. It was so light, it wasn’t worth thinking about. The couple already had an established relationship of friends with benefits. There is not much movement in this regard in any meaningful way. At least I wasn’t moved by it. However, its written well and does not take away from the story.
My immediate thought is that most sci-fi readers hate reading romance, but its still a ya. So she injected a little and kept it light. I’ll low score this portion below, but it won’t affect my overall ranking.
Villains:
Edgar cheating by hooking up a specialty robot gave me a toothache. Even if it is too be expected from a story of this sort. However, I instantly disliked the turn it was taking. I’d much prefer to read a clean race that has its own snags along the way. Versus ones thrown like bombs from the characters.
But maybe that’s just me. It gives me too much anxiety waiting for the person to be found out. Versus enjoying the twists and turns for what they are in the games themselves.
A second enemy is introduced in the middle and I find him more interesting than Edgar and the trivial, no one loved me explanation and now I get to be a total ass to everyone. Personally, I would prefer reading more about him than Edgar. Some people just want to watch the world burn (in the name of Joker) and I’m okay with that.
Side note: I give myself short reading goals like read 3 chapters today or 5. It keeps me motivated and away from DNF’ing stories. Anyway, this book arrangement was kind of disruptive to that process. Flashbacks, newspaper like articles and the villan’s pov, are interjected in between the chapters. I actually love this arrangement. My brain just had to play catch up lol. I did skip one or two flashbacks. Just to be truthful.
Main Character:
Our primary character, Alyssa, makes a decision to drop out of the race and I’m just left disappointed. Again, this takes away from the over all enjoyment of the chase itself. However, its to be expected at this point in the game.
Now, I could be inferring the wrong thing here. But there’s a point in this where responsibility goes looking for Alyssa. And her boo, kind of comes up to protect her from a perceived slight or what could be a slight from the leader of Shisso. I hate an unreasonable man or woman. Alyssa is breaking all sorts of rules and if her safe haven chose to turn her back on her, it would suck, but it would be well within their right. So down boy.
But there was too many chapters left to be a happy ending. My heart broke when my favorite character, much preferred to even Alyssa died.
Adventure:
I need to stop and say that I thoroughly enjoyed this part of the book. Which was 90% of it. The last six chapters, kept me up past my bed time reading to see what would happen. This book is also included in my items to love, category because I would absolutely recommend this to sci-fi readers. However, I probably wouldn’t loan out my personal copy that’s how much I like it. But the above gripes are just gripes for discussion purposes.
Ending: First, I got pissed when yet another chapter was interrupted by a flashback late in the game. Like sorry, I love Coy, I don’t need to know why I should love her. For one thing, unlike Alyssa she never quit. She also displayed a true understanding of ruling with kindness when she brought up a specific alien people that had been forgotten. She was my preferred queen, but Alyssa is the Queen we need after everything that went down. I know she’ll rise to the occasion.
The ending sets up nicely for part 2. A part of me said almost instantly, I don’t want to keep reading. I think that’s less to do with the writing, characters, or ending and my penchant not to want to get sucked into series. Much like a pirate, id prefer to discover more worlds.
So, I think I will read on.
Reader question: Since the villain in part two is Edgar, does that have something to do with your reluctance to read on?
No, because the way it played out still fit within genre expectations. My initial reaction was solely what I said it was. I’m a book pirate (as everyone knows from my reviews), I’d just prefer to plunder new worlds then revisit an old one. But as series endings go. This set up nicely for me to want to read on.
Story At A Glance:
Recommendation: 5 out of 5*
The Ratings:
Book Cover Appeal:
🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓
Story & Narration:
🍓🍓🍓🍓
Romance:
🍓🍓
Character/(s) Personality:
🍓🍓🍓🍓
*P.S. My gripes were so reader specific to me that I didn’t feel like it was fair to low score it when I know my views wouldn’t necessarily represent a wide range of people. Plus, I did enjoy reading this book. I loved the adventure. Which was why I picked it up.
