Lots of buzz about this book, which is why I got it... I had a feeling though about that book and turns out I was right. Sometimes, I should just trust my feeling ^_^; There's also been a lot of mixed reviews, so here I am, adding my two cents :)
Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
published by Berkley in March 2008
Genre: romantic sci-fi
Series: The Jax Series, book #1
The Story: The book blurb is a good summary.
My Opinion: This book didn't work for me. I had two problems with it: the heroine and the world building.
Let's start with the lesser problem. The world building. I found that the readers were just propelled in the world and given information as we read; however, it wasn't enough. The world in this book is very complex... it's not just the spaceship/planets, but also lots of different races and the politics... and I felt lost. I was trying to figure it out, imagine it and I just couldn't. Same thing about background information. For example, the hero, March... what is he? Is there more like him? What's all his motives? I find we were given just the strict minimum. Perhaps it's because this story is a series and those issues will be addressed later...
Biggest problem for me? The heroine, Sirantha Jax. Sorry, but I didn't like her. My favorite kind of characters are the ones that are selfless, that will sacrifice themselves for others. It wasn't the case with Jax. I'm not saying that she's selfish... but she's not selfless either. Some thought it made her more human and real, but it just didn't work for me. I didn't like how she was sleeping with her pilots when she's still married. Okay, she's not in love with her husband anymore and it's been years she hasn't seen him. How hard is it then to just ask for a divorce or something? I didn't like that there was little camaraderie and loyalty between her and the rest of the crew. I understand why... it's not like they wanted her on board, but still... little efforts were made. I didn't like how she thought of abandoning March. Least you can do is check whether he really is dead or not. I know that she has her own demons and she just lost her pilot and etc. Still, the way she acted, I wouldn't want to have her own my team.
Aside from that, *sigh* the romance didn't work too well for me. I can't see when they'd feel attracted or could fall in love with each other. As for the story, it was okay... except for the last part. I thought the bounty hunter was unnecessary and the hostage situation, ridiculous. Especially the way it ended. I'm wondering whether or not there'll be repercussions on March. I sure hope so, because otherwise, it doesn't make any sense.
Any positive? Lots of action. The 1st POV didn't bother me, neither did the present tense. Writing style is okay. The whole storyline, it was okay, but a bit cliche...
My Grade: D. I originally graded it as a C+, but now that I'm writing the review... I see little that I liked ^_^; so I'm down-grading it.
Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
published by Berkley in March 2008
By all accounts, Sirantha Jax should have burned out years ago…
As the carrier of a rare gene, Jax has the ability to jump ships through grimspace—a talent which cuts into her life expectancy, but makes her a highly prized navigator for the Corp. But then the ship she’s navigating crash-lands, and she’s accused of killing everyone on board. It’s hard for Jax to defend herself: she has no memory of the crash.
Now imprisoned and the subject of a ruthless interrogation, Jax is on the verge of madness. Then a mysterious man breaks into her cell, offering her freedom—for a price. March needs Jax to help his small band of rogue fighters break the Corp monopoly on interstellar travel—and establish a new breed of jumper.
Jax is only good at one thing—grimspace—and it will eventually kill her. So she may as well have some fun in the meantime…
Genre: romantic sci-fi
Series: The Jax Series, book #1
The Story: The book blurb is a good summary.
My Opinion: This book didn't work for me. I had two problems with it: the heroine and the world building.
Let's start with the lesser problem. The world building. I found that the readers were just propelled in the world and given information as we read; however, it wasn't enough. The world in this book is very complex... it's not just the spaceship/planets, but also lots of different races and the politics... and I felt lost. I was trying to figure it out, imagine it and I just couldn't. Same thing about background information. For example, the hero, March... what is he? Is there more like him? What's all his motives? I find we were given just the strict minimum. Perhaps it's because this story is a series and those issues will be addressed later...
Biggest problem for me? The heroine, Sirantha Jax. Sorry, but I didn't like her. My favorite kind of characters are the ones that are selfless, that will sacrifice themselves for others. It wasn't the case with Jax. I'm not saying that she's selfish... but she's not selfless either. Some thought it made her more human and real, but it just didn't work for me. I didn't like how she was sleeping with her pilots when she's still married. Okay, she's not in love with her husband anymore and it's been years she hasn't seen him. How hard is it then to just ask for a divorce or something? I didn't like that there was little camaraderie and loyalty between her and the rest of the crew. I understand why... it's not like they wanted her on board, but still... little efforts were made. I didn't like how she thought of abandoning March. Least you can do is check whether he really is dead or not. I know that she has her own demons and she just lost her pilot and etc. Still, the way she acted, I wouldn't want to have her own my team.
Aside from that, *sigh* the romance didn't work too well for me. I can't see when they'd feel attracted or could fall in love with each other. As for the story, it was okay... except for the last part. I thought the bounty hunter was unnecessary and the hostage situation, ridiculous. Especially the way it ended. I'm wondering whether or not there'll be repercussions on March. I sure hope so, because otherwise, it doesn't make any sense.
Any positive? Lots of action. The 1st POV didn't bother me, neither did the present tense. Writing style is okay. The whole storyline, it was okay, but a bit cliche...
My Grade: D. I originally graded it as a C+, but now that I'm writing the review... I see little that I liked ^_^; so I'm down-grading it.
