Review: Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

Title: Grimspace
Author: Ann Aguirre
Series: Sirantha Jax #1
Genre: Sci Fi
Release Date: February 26, 2008
Edition: Paperback
Blurb:

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…

After seeing how many people loved this book, I decided to give it a try, even though I've never read a sci fi book before. This book was amazing, I loved every bit of it and now I can't wait to read the sequels.

Jax has been through a great trauma and doesn't remember most of it. Just when she was going to abandon all hope, March, a stranger, releases her from her prison and they escape on his ship. I really liked how the relationship between Jax and March was developed. They went from hating each other to finally trusting and loving one another in a very gradual way. I also liked how Jax deals with her past and that at the end she usually ends up doing the right thing.

March is the captain of the ship and has some isues with his ablities and also some hidden fears. He's strong, arrogant but at the end he would risk anything for those he loves.
I don't know if I'm the only one, but I loved what March did at the end. I found it so romantic! (You'll know what I'm talking about if you've read the book).

I though I was going to have problems with this book because sometimes is hard to relate to the environment & technology on a sci fi world, but the worldbuilding was amazing and at the end I had no problem whatsoever.
The plot moved along nicely and almost all questions were answered at the end of the book.

This was an incredible book and now I can't wait to read what happens next to Jax and the rest of the crew!


Memorable Lines:

For the first time during a jump I'm aware of fierce physical pain, and the outward tug grows stronger, I'm not sure I can resist it, and what's more, I don't want to; I want to see. I want to know. I've spend my whole life preparing for this final journey, and maybe through the door-that-isn't-a-door lie the people I've lost. Maybe Kai is waiting for me with a kiss and a smile.

Don't you dare leave me, Jax. Don't you dare.

And then I feel stronger somehow. March wraps himself around me in ways I didn't know were possible. Everything I am is filled with him. Every cold and shadowed place, he kindles with light, warmth, cluthing me tighter, until he's all I know, and I can't hear the siren song anymore.

Stay with me. Stay.


Next Book:
Wanderlust - Sirantha Jax #2


Rating:

ARC Review: Hell Fire by Ann Aguirre

Hell Fire
Corine Solomon #2

As a handler, Corine Solomon can touch any object and know its history. It's too bad she can't seem to forget her own. With her ex-boyfriend Chance in tow-lending his own supernatural brand of luck-Corine journeys back home to Kilmer, Georgia, in order to discover the truth behind her mother's death and the origins of "gift".

But while trying to uncover the secrets in her past, Corine and Chance find that something is rotten in the state of Georgia. Inside Kilmer's borders there are signs of a dark curse affecting the town and all its residents-and it can only be satisfied with death...


At the start of this book we have Corine and Chance on their way to Kilmer to find out what happened to Corine's mother. When they arrive, they notice that it seems like nothing has changed in the little town, and that is very weird ( they don't even have ATM machines!). Soon they discover that Chance's "luck" doesn't work there, and neither do cell phones or internet. It looks like they are stuck in town without any help from the outside.

When someone tries to kill Corine and the sheriff arrests Chance for the strange death of the library caretaker, it seems like things couldn't get worse but then Jesse Saldana comes into town to try to help them. What is the secret the town is keeping? And are they willing to risk their lives to find out?

I found this book a little slow and sometimes I wished the mystery could advance faster. The relationship between Corine and Chance was a big plot point, but I didn't like how Corine ended up playing with both Chance and Jesse. I know she had to choose, but I would have prefered if she had done it without yanking the chains of both of them. Also, I didn't like how she didn't take into consideration Chance's feelings. It seemed like only hers mattered.
I loved Shannon, the new character that was introduced in this book. Also loved Butch, the little chihuahua, he's very funny and I liked his danger detector abilities.

In short, this novel felt like a transition book to me. It ties up looses ends but I didn't feel like it made the series go forward. I liked Blue Diablo better, and I can't wait to see if in Shady Lady we finally get to know what happened to Montoya and what kind of retribution he's seeking.



Rating: 1/2