I got really deep into sci-fi with these two novels. After reading the first one I found the next one in the series available at the library so I just went ahead and read through it too.
There are a lot of good points about these books: an interesting sci-fi galaxy, with some engaging characters and space battles that felt visceral and exciting. The scope is huge, but it keeps the focus on two main characters which helps keep things moving. I liked all these good points enough to read the second book.
But during my reading I often came up on things that bothered me a little: the overly snarky dialogue between main characters, the overly detailed description of the science and physics (reminding me of the goofy science solutions they’d come up with in Star Trek), and an overall sort of juvenile feeling about the story. The author is sometimes constrained by keeping to just two main characters, resorting to dream sequences or straight info dumps to tell the backstory.
The good points apparently outnumbered the bad, but I’m not sure I’d recommend the series unless it was to a younger reader. I doubt that I’ll read the next book in the series when it comes out.
Next I’m reading The Appeal by Janice Hallett.
