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jackiijackii's review against another edition
4.0
Who knew that keeping Sirantha out of grimspace would create the best story of the series so far? She travels to Ithiss-Tor as a goodwill ambassador, to open the doors for an alliance that may prevent the previously unstoppable Morgut from destroying all of humanity. The only species they respect and fear are the Ithtorians, so it'd be pretty great if Vel's homeworld could jump on board. Unfortunately, the Ithtorians have deliberately kept to themselves because humans are little more than filthy animals, and Sirantha basically has her work cut out for her. Throw in a little intrigue, a few assassination attempts, betrayal, and thrilling heroics, and you've got yourself an entertaining installment of the Grimspace series, without the actual grimspace.
Sirantha is one of my favorite characters, yeah, because she can kick ass, but also because she learns, she grows, she adapts. She reminds me of Maxine from Marjorie Liu's "Hunter Kiss" series, but with more space and fewer demons. She surprises me sometimes, and that's what I need if I'm going to follow someone's story through to the end. In this book, it's the turning away from grimspace and focusing on the cultural details that keep things new and interesting. And, I'm pretty sure Aguirre meant for this to happen, but I have a major crush on Vel. If anything ever happens to March, I'm totally Team Vel. Three books left in the series, and I'll be rationing them so it's not over too quickly.
Sirantha is one of my favorite characters, yeah, because she can kick ass, but also because she learns, she grows, she adapts. She reminds me of Maxine from Marjorie Liu's "Hunter Kiss" series, but with more space and fewer demons. She surprises me sometimes, and that's what I need if I'm going to follow someone's story through to the end. In this book, it's the turning away from grimspace and focusing on the cultural details that keep things new and interesting. And, I'm pretty sure Aguirre meant for this to happen, but I have a major crush on Vel. If anything ever happens to March, I'm totally Team Vel. Three books left in the series, and I'll be rationing them so it's not over too quickly.
greymalkin's review against another edition
5.0
Really loving the character development in this one. I enjoyed seeing Sirantha "growing up" and learning to be more responsible and considerate of other people. I also liked the way March's issues were handled. But most of all still crushing on Velith and enjoying his story and learning more about his people. Can't wait to read the next one!
karend's review against another edition
3.0
I don’t know. I really like a lot of these characters, and I was intrigued by the new planet, but overall it left me feeling sad and tired. I’ll keep reading the series, though, because I do like the characters so much. I’m hoping for spin off series for some of them.
panxa's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked all the time spent on Ithiss-Tor, the exploration of the Ithiss as a species and a culture, and Jax's slowly morphing character.
gauvvaine's review against another edition
4.0
I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS BETRAYAL IN THE WAKE OF THE LAST BOOK, WHEREIN WE INTRODUCE A CHARACTER WHO HAD SIRANTHA'S BACK AT ALL POINTS & THEN TURNED AROUND AND BETRAYED HER WHEN SOMEONE PAID THEM ENOUGH MONEY
I'M SO UPSET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
anyway no offense but the greatest romance in this book continues to be sirantha & velith, march is okay enough i GUESS?????? but velith is his superior in every & all ways.
i love ithtorians a whole lot y'all, wow. what a cool alien race. i lost my mind literally every time the narrative translated the meanings behind sirantha & velith's bows to each other, oh my GOD. the emotion they managed to pack into them fuckign kills me.
i gave this book 4 stars instead of the 5 the previous two received because a)the bs with jael that i'm so mad about, i liked him a lot?????? he & sirantha actually had a rly gr8 thing going???????? why did we change this, aguirre, what did i ever do to u to deserve this!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOPEFULLY THIS IS FIXED IN THE NEXT COUPLE BOOKS but i doubt it also b) once we passed the climax the book just ended lmao, like, there was virtually no follow up. idk it felt too fast & too neat for me to rly be happy with it.
anyway i'm gonna go crack open my copy of wanderlust & reread all the bits with jael bc i'm mad
(i'd have marked this as prominent queer characters but dinah & hit didn't feature as much in this one as in the last book, tragically)
I'M SO UPSET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
anyway no offense but the greatest romance in this book continues to be sirantha & velith, march is okay enough i GUESS?????? but velith is his superior in every & all ways.
i love ithtorians a whole lot y'all, wow. what a cool alien race. i lost my mind literally every time the narrative translated the meanings behind sirantha & velith's bows to each other, oh my GOD. the emotion they managed to pack into them fuckign kills me.
i gave this book 4 stars instead of the 5 the previous two received because a)
anyway i'm gonna go crack open my copy of wanderlust & reread all the bits with jael bc i'm mad
(i'd have marked this as prominent queer characters but dinah & hit didn't feature as much in this one as in the last book, tragically)
kimberlybea's review against another edition
4.0
Please note; this review is likely to contain spoilers for the first two books of the series. So if you haven't read them, you might want to hold off on reading this as well!
Oh, how I love Sirantha Jax. . .and in fact, her companions, too. In the third book in the series, Jax finally begins her diplomatic career on the planet of Ithiss-Tor, whose insectoid inhabitants lead an isolationist existence beneath the surface. The Ithtorians are wary of---and some of them hostile to---"the soft-bodied" humans, but the Conglomerate needs them as allies against the dangerous Morgut. Jax is fortunate enough to have the outcast Ithtorian Vel on her side; but her beloved March, turned into a killing machine by the events that took place on Lachion, is distant and damaged inside. Jax is no diplomat, and recent events don't bode well for a Human-Ithtorian alliance, but for the humans on the Outskirts of the galaxy, the successful completion of her task may be their only hope. . .
I really like where Aguirre is going with this series. Jax is still the narrator, and I love her smart-alecky voice, but Aguirre has added interludes such as news dispatches and interviews to show how desperate things on the Outskirts have become, and how important it is that Jax's mission succeed. It's also really nice to see Jax, not only healthy again, but also maturing as a person, and there are scenes in this book that offer previously unseen glimpses into both Jax's and March's pasts. I really find March and Jax's relationship to be one of the most realistic I've read. These are two people who have flaws and histories, pasts and past lovers, and whose relationship develops and changes as much as they do. There have always been challenges to Jax and March's romance, but the fact they have overcome them reassures the reader that they can do so again, even while s/he is wringing his/her hands over their current struggles. And I really like that, however many obstacles have been thrown in jax and March's past, Aguirre never resorts to jealousy being one of them, or my personal bugaboo, "The Big Misunderstanding." She is much too clever for that.
Another thing I really like about the Jax series (and I've noticed this in general about Aguirre's books) is the fact that the romance, while important, doesn't overshadow Jax's relationships with the other characters. Of course, the emphasis here is on Jax's relationship with Vel, since they are on his home planet (and you also learn a bit about his background as well), but I also really like her prickly banter with the mechanic Dina and her growing friendship with the pilot Hit. Especially fun was the PA (electronic Personal Assistant) newly dubbed Constance, who not only offers Jax her invaluable assistance, but seems to be growing a sense of humor and personality as well.
In sum, I continue to recommend the Sirantha Jax series for anyone who loves character driven science fiction, filled with humor, intrigue, and mystery, and definitely a lot of heart.
Oh, how I love Sirantha Jax. . .and in fact, her companions, too. In the third book in the series, Jax finally begins her diplomatic career on the planet of Ithiss-Tor, whose insectoid inhabitants lead an isolationist existence beneath the surface. The Ithtorians are wary of---and some of them hostile to---"the soft-bodied" humans, but the Conglomerate needs them as allies against the dangerous Morgut. Jax is fortunate enough to have the outcast Ithtorian Vel on her side; but her beloved March, turned into a killing machine by the events that took place on Lachion, is distant and damaged inside. Jax is no diplomat, and recent events don't bode well for a Human-Ithtorian alliance, but for the humans on the Outskirts of the galaxy, the successful completion of her task may be their only hope. . .
I really like where Aguirre is going with this series. Jax is still the narrator, and I love her smart-alecky voice, but Aguirre has added interludes such as news dispatches and interviews to show how desperate things on the Outskirts have become, and how important it is that Jax's mission succeed. It's also really nice to see Jax, not only healthy again, but also maturing as a person, and there are scenes in this book that offer previously unseen glimpses into both Jax's and March's pasts. I really find March and Jax's relationship to be one of the most realistic I've read. These are two people who have flaws and histories, pasts and past lovers, and whose relationship develops and changes as much as they do. There have always been challenges to Jax and March's romance, but the fact they have overcome them reassures the reader that they can do so again, even while s/he is wringing his/her hands over their current struggles. And I really like that, however many obstacles have been thrown in jax and March's past, Aguirre never resorts to jealousy being one of them, or my personal bugaboo, "The Big Misunderstanding." She is much too clever for that.
Another thing I really like about the Jax series (and I've noticed this in general about Aguirre's books) is the fact that the romance, while important, doesn't overshadow Jax's relationships with the other characters. Of course, the emphasis here is on Jax's relationship with Vel, since they are on his home planet (and you also learn a bit about his background as well), but I also really like her prickly banter with the mechanic Dina and her growing friendship with the pilot Hit. Especially fun was the PA (electronic Personal Assistant) newly dubbed Constance, who not only offers Jax her invaluable assistance, but seems to be growing a sense of humor and personality as well.
In sum, I continue to recommend the Sirantha Jax series for anyone who loves character driven science fiction, filled with humor, intrigue, and mystery, and definitely a lot of heart.
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