Maren L

Maren LIt reads a bit like a Hallmark movie. Which is definitely not a bad thing, but it also depends on your mood. You want something fluffy you can read to your kids? This is definitely that. If you want an engrossing thriller full or plots and subplots? This will probably be a disappointment. The characters are moderately well rounded but come off a bit Disney-ish, and the villain is depressingly one dimensional.

Maren LThose reviews comparing it to Jane Yellowrock, Kate Daniels, and Mercy Thompson were pretty spot-on. Amber is an incredibly competent individual and she is extremely good at her job, but she is definitely not perfect. She was dealt a rough hand and she's doing her best to work within the limitations it presents, but it is not easy and there are certain bits that totally hit you right in the Feels. The world building is impressive, the all the characters are well developed and likeable, and the mystery around the Big Bad is well maintained - I am usually excellent at picking them out from the get go, but this one kept me guessing right until the Big Reveal. There were a few bits that kind of made me go "Ok, but was that part of the plan or was it just a convenient but not entirely natural Info Dump?", and I definitely see Love Triangles in the future, but for now - excellent story, the perfect amount of action, wonderful characters and character development! I definitely will be continuing the series!

Maren LThough Dark Life is flagged as a Young Adult novel, I found it refreshingly lacking in a lot of the ridiculous YA love triangle angry teenager tripe that seem to plague the genre these days - for the most part, at any rate. ;) While there are a few eye-rolling moments, over all I found it a rather fascinating and not too far-fetched example of what might become of the world should the ice caps melt and huge portions of the land masses sink beneath the ocean. The climatologist in me has trouble accepting that everything will be as perfect (minus the bureaucratic BS, which - like taxes and stupidity - is eternal) and beautiful as the underwater quasi-Utopia presented in the novel, but the theory of people finding a way to live beneath the ocean is fairly sound. If there is one thing that sets humans above our animal brethren, it is our ability to adapt.

Maren LI always approach new-for-me scifi series with fairly low expectations and a side of resignation because the ones that appeal to me are pretty rare. I want character-based action-dramas (in space. Or at least not on Earth) that don't get bogged down with military garble - which are surprisingly hard to find in my experience. Happily, this one did not disappoint! And as a true scifi/fantasy, it hit pretty much all my Happy Reading Place buttons. There are some very twisty politics, and the science is... a stretch to say the least. I also know Kira has a very long way to go before she gets to where she is supposed to be, and that the road to get there will be full of... a lot. But none the less, I look forward to watching her come into her own along the way

Maren LA quick, fun and entertaining read I found myself enjoying more than I expected to. Jackie's youthful inner monologue was almost always good for a smile, and it totally won me over before I even made it all the way through the first chapter. I will, however, add a few quick words of warning - for what what I initially thought was supposed to be a book aimed toward older children age 9-12 or so, Bloody Jack has a lot of detailed descriptions of dead bodies and gore. Granted, it's a book set in the mid 1700s not long before the French Revolution, starting in the disease-ridden streets of London and not long after moving on to a British navel war ship hunting - and eventually fighting and killing - pirates, so there are a lot of bodies to be had despite the main character being barely into her teens. With that in mind, I feel like it may pose a lot of nightmare fodder if a kid read it before the age of 12 or so.

Maren LThis was one of my longer reviews, so if you want moee detail you can see the full review in my Goodreads (Maren L, post date March 2017)

Maren LIf you go into the story expecting a stereotypical typical YA romantic adventure, you're going to be disappointed. For all that the main character is 16, it reads more like a juvenile fiction - dashing heroics, sea-tossed adventuring, a little character growth, and a lot of luck. Since I am not really a fan of stereotypical YAs - and I am a cynical old spinster with little patience for teenage melodramas to boot - this aspect didn't bother me in the least. Emilie is a little Mary Sueish, but that doesn't stop one from enjoying a heck of a fun ride. And true to Martha Wells literary style, the story itself is uniquely its own - a little bit Steam Punk, a little bit Jules Verne, a dash of swashbuckling, a pinch of scifi/fantasy, and a whole lot of adventure and discovery.

Maren L3.5 stars, pushing 4. Surprisingly enjoyable since I am not really a romance fan. Even if I am 80% sure the first half at least started life as a Pitch Black fan fiction, I enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing what they were capable of. I also appreciate a girl who knows her limits and is willing to admit them without shame.