Scan barcode
nematome's review against another edition
4.0
Well, all I have to say is, if you’ve stopped reading this series after book two (Wanderlust), then please give it another chance! This was the best installment so far. With the first two books my reviews were a bit like, “I loved it…except for…” and “if it weren’t for this then I would have loved it.” But this book needs no qualifiers. I loved it all the way through!
Sirantha has just arrived on Ithiss-Tor (finally), in an attempt to gain an alliance against the brutal, gluttonous Morgut. Everyone expects her to fail, and they have good reason. Sirantha Jax isn’t exactly known for her tact or diplomacy skills (more like her drinking and table-dancing skills), and the Ithtorians are notoriously xenophobic and insular. To complicate matters, March has retreated into his cold, volatile mercenary persona after leading a violent rebellion to victory. With so many lives resting on her shoulders, Jax may find herself having to choose between the love of her life and the welfare of the entire universe.
This book feels more mature than both of the others: the action and horror elements are toned down, and there is a wonderful mix of political intrigue, mystery, and moral dilemma in their place. This is the kind of book that I really love, where the action takes place in significant glances and intellectual maneuvering instead of hand to hand combat. Although, there’s a bit of the other too if that’s what you prefer.
For the majority of this book, the side characters that I’ve come to know and love (Dina, Hit, Dr. Solaith, Jael, Constance, even March) are largely absent. But I think that Aguirre accomplishes something extraordinary by making me not care. The Ithtorian characters are subtle but compelling; I love all of the nuance that fills their imaginative customs and communication. And Vel, the mysterious Ithtorian bounty hunter, really steps out of the shadows in this book. His ostracism and quiet faith in Sirantha are so moving.
And I was also completely reminded of why I fell in love with Sirantha Jax herself in the first place. She’s strong but in a vulnerable, lay-it-all-out-there kind of way. She has that self-acceptance and maturity that only comes with age. And she’s just about the antithesis of TSTL.
The romance felt more real and mature in this installment than ever before, and it also surprised me. I love how March somehow manages to fill the stereotype of every damaged, “rabid dog barely on a leash” alpha male hero out there, but also completely destroys that stereotype. Maybe because Aguirre seems to realize that having an inner core of controlled violence might actually be a bad thing.
For us voracious genre-fiction readers, originality is worth its weight in Book Depository gift cards. There are only so many ways that two people can fall in love, or the day can be saved, or the murderer unveiled. Well, you’ll find it here. At the same time, this series reminds me in a good way of so many fantasy and sci-fi shows that I’ve loved. If you’ve been mourning the loss of Firefly since 2003, then I don’t think you’ll find a better balm than this series.
Perfect Musical Pairing
Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell – Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
At around page 86, I really thought this book was going in a certain direction, which immediately brought to mind a Marvin Gaye hit that I love. But then Aguirre went in a completely different direction, and I can’t say that I was sorry about that. It’s hard to let go of Marvin once I’ve got him in mind though…. Luckily I am a huge fan and I could probably find a way to fit every book this month with a Marvin Gaye song. This one is just right. “Ain’t no Ithtorian mining prison secure enough…”
Sirantha has just arrived on Ithiss-Tor (finally), in an attempt to gain an alliance against the brutal, gluttonous Morgut. Everyone expects her to fail, and they have good reason. Sirantha Jax isn’t exactly known for her tact or diplomacy skills (more like her drinking and table-dancing skills), and the Ithtorians are notoriously xenophobic and insular. To complicate matters, March has retreated into his cold, volatile mercenary persona after leading a violent rebellion to victory. With so many lives resting on her shoulders, Jax may find herself having to choose between the love of her life and the welfare of the entire universe.
This book feels more mature than both of the others: the action and horror elements are toned down, and there is a wonderful mix of political intrigue, mystery, and moral dilemma in their place. This is the kind of book that I really love, where the action takes place in significant glances and intellectual maneuvering instead of hand to hand combat. Although, there’s a bit of the other too if that’s what you prefer.
For the majority of this book, the side characters that I’ve come to know and love (Dina, Hit, Dr. Solaith, Jael, Constance, even March) are largely absent. But I think that Aguirre accomplishes something extraordinary by making me not care. The Ithtorian characters are subtle but compelling; I love all of the nuance that fills their imaginative customs and communication. And Vel, the mysterious Ithtorian bounty hunter, really steps out of the shadows in this book. His ostracism and quiet faith in Sirantha are so moving.
And I was also completely reminded of why I fell in love with Sirantha Jax herself in the first place. She’s strong but in a vulnerable, lay-it-all-out-there kind of way. She has that self-acceptance and maturity that only comes with age. And she’s just about the antithesis of TSTL.
The romance felt more real and mature in this installment than ever before, and it also surprised me. I love how March somehow manages to fill the stereotype of every damaged, “rabid dog barely on a leash” alpha male hero out there, but also completely destroys that stereotype. Maybe because Aguirre seems to realize that having an inner core of controlled violence might actually be a bad thing.
For us voracious genre-fiction readers, originality is worth its weight in Book Depository gift cards. There are only so many ways that two people can fall in love, or the day can be saved, or the murderer unveiled. Well, you’ll find it here. At the same time, this series reminds me in a good way of so many fantasy and sci-fi shows that I’ve loved. If you’ve been mourning the loss of Firefly since 2003, then I don’t think you’ll find a better balm than this series.
Perfect Musical Pairing
Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell – Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
At around page 86, I really thought this book was going in a certain direction, which immediately brought to mind a Marvin Gaye hit that I love. But then Aguirre went in a completely different direction, and I can’t say that I was sorry about that. It’s hard to let go of Marvin once I’ve got him in mind though…. Luckily I am a huge fan and I could probably find a way to fit every book this month with a Marvin Gaye song. This one is just right. “Ain’t no Ithtorian mining prison secure enough…”
shoelessgirl's review against another edition
3.0
This took forever for me to read, as I really struggled with aspects of the book. Why on earth was Jax in that role? I missed Dina and Doc. I was disappointed in the reveal. Saying that, I really liked Vel, and Jax finally maturing a bit.
gwynt's review against another edition
5.0
I really do love this series. Sure it isn't the best writing in the world, but I empathize with the characters, both their strong suits and their faults which makes up for anything and everything else. A perfect blend of Sci-Fi, action, and Romance.
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
Loved reading this book, loved all the developments, and I'm so excited to continue the series!
leesarpel's review against another edition
4.0
This is book three in the Sirantha Jax series. Sirantha Jax, a Jumper, is sent to Ithiss-Tor to broker an alliance between the Ithtorians and a human Conglomerate. The people-eating Morgut are attacking human outposts, and the Conglomerate thinks the Ithtorians can intimidate the Morgut out of attacking. However, not all Ithtorian leadership is on board. Meanwhile, the criminal Syndicate and the disgraced megacorp Farwan are trying to take advantage of the political situation. Jax also needs to win back her lover, March, who has detached himself from feeling anything.
For such vivid characters in earlier books, Doc Saul and Hit are given small roles that left me wondering if there could be more involvement with them.
I wasn't super stoked by the interludes from the press. Since we're cooped up on the planet, it's nice to know what's going on out there, but the articles felt a bit scattered to me. The end felt a bit cliffhanger and unexpected..
Jax, March, Constance, and especially Vel have come a long way since the first book. They have suffered and laughed together, and their trials have made their relationships deeper. Jax continues to process her grief regarding her lost love, Kai, and it’s good to see her less tangled up about it, even if she has to go through a lot of pain to do so. She also struggles to process her new responsibilities without going crazy or becoming someone she can’t bear to be around. She has to make some choices she feels awful about in which she would have decided differently one book ago or at the beginning of the saga.
There’s action with the politics, for those who would worry about a book about diplomacy dragging. We learn lots about the Ithtorian world, which feels richer than any other place we’ve been. The culture is sufficiently alien that I had to think about the customs, but civilized so I could keep track of secondary characters easily.
This is not a standalone book. Reading the previous books gave me a richer experience with the characters, not just the plot background. I'd advise reading Grimspace and Wanderlust first.
For such vivid characters in earlier books, Doc Saul and Hit are given small roles that left me wondering if there could be more involvement with them.
I wasn't super stoked by the interludes from the press. Since we're cooped up on the planet, it's nice to know what's going on out there, but the articles felt a bit scattered to me. The end felt a bit cliffhanger and unexpected..
Jax, March, Constance, and especially Vel have come a long way since the first book. They have suffered and laughed together, and their trials have made their relationships deeper. Jax continues to process her grief regarding her lost love, Kai, and it’s good to see her less tangled up about it, even if she has to go through a lot of pain to do so. She also struggles to process her new responsibilities without going crazy or becoming someone she can’t bear to be around. She has to make some choices she feels awful about in which she would have decided differently one book ago or at the beginning of the saga.
There’s action with the politics, for those who would worry about a book about diplomacy dragging. We learn lots about the Ithtorian world, which feels richer than any other place we’ve been. The culture is sufficiently alien that I had to think about the customs, but civilized so I could keep track of secondary characters easily.
This is not a standalone book. Reading the previous books gave me a richer experience with the characters, not just the plot background. I'd advise reading Grimspace and Wanderlust first.
mlejoy's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it, but I don't know that it's anything I'd ever re-read. These are just short fun books.
knewton7's review against another edition
4.0
I'm thrilled to have been introduced to this series! I love the characters and the setting, which is surprising for me given I've never been a space-fantasy fan. But Jax and her crew have won me over and I'm hurrying to get the next book in the series as soon as possible!
reginaexmachina's review against another edition
5.0
Yaaay! While this book is certainly an emotional read, it wasn't as dark a book as the previous in the series. At the end of the previous book Sirantha finally made it to the alien planet she was assigned to delegate negotiations for an alliance. The beginning of this book starts right where it left off. Things are much more complicated than they seem and Sirantha has to rely more on her crew than usual. She especially has to rely Vel, whom I love, since March is still in a state from events at the end of the previous book. I don't want to give away much since it seems like more people are finally picking up this series. This series is still awesome though and each book has been just as great as the others. So far it's been my favorite that I've read all year.
br1arrose's review against another edition
4.0
Book 3 of the Sirantha Jax books continues the saga on the "bug" planet where Jax must stifle her natural instincts to achieve diplomatic impossibilities under ever hostile circumstances. Plots to undermine her efforts come from all facets, her lover, her friends, her mother, her enemies and even herself, as Jax struggles to figure out who, and what, to trust in time to save face and her life.
lushr's review against another edition
3.0
At first I thought "oh no! Not a political saga" but that very paragraph, as I should gave known from Aguirre got exciting. Again this wasn't a perfect read - very obvious hints to a twist on a missing person made me want to slap Jax for dragging it out 60 pages. Also her relationship with March, and constant angst over it - I could handle for the first time, bug the second time, I just had to skip the "oh my aching feelings" bits. Definitely got repetitive at the end, even using the same metaphor from the previous book of 'prongs' for a complicated (and clever) plan.