Review: Deliverance - Pippa DaCosta

"You can't say no to a pistol in the face." ~ Caleb

Bren's missing with a bounty on his head, which isn't Caleb's problem, until Turner Candelario makes it Caleb's problem. But why does a pirate with an ax to grind suddenly want to work with the down-and-out captain who killed his sister?

Coded messages. Abandoned mining outposts. And Fran's keeping secrets.

The mission stinks worse than the iron mines, but what else is there to do in the Nine systems now Caleb's trying to fly-right? Besides, Bren's bounty looks mighty tempting.

One should be dead, but death didn't stop her before. Chitec is gone, the Nine systems left in disarray, and in the chaos, One moves among them like a ghost, seeing what others cannot: a new malevolent force rises. A force One has encountered before. And caught in the middle of it all? Brendan Shepperd.

Chitec was just the beginning. The true 1000 Revolution begins now...

The 1000 Revolution:
Falling (Short Story)
Betrayal
Escape
Trapped
Trust
Deliverance

Visit Pippa DaCosta's website for more information

Review:
I absolutely love Pippa DaCosta's 1000 Revolution series so I was thrilled when she announced she was writing a whole new series of books about these characters. Think of Deliverance as the first book in season two of the 1000 Revolution, it's the beginning of a whole new overarching plot but because it draws heavily on events that have gone before it's not really the best place to start if you're new to this world so I'd strongly recommend starting with the first book, Betrayal.

Anyway, this story picks up a few months on from the end of Trust. Caleb believes that One is dead and blames himself, he's been staying on planet running a bar but when Fran and the pirate Turner Candelario steal his ship to go hunting for his brother Caleb is forced to shake himself off and get back into the game. Brendan has been missing for weeks and there's a huge bounty on his head but just what did he do to deserve that? Meanwhile One has found herself a new body but she's also uncovered some very dark and dangerous secrets that she's uniquely qualified to deal with. There are reasons that she's not contacted Caleb to tell him she survived but it won't be too long before their paths cross as they're both thrown right back into another deadly fight for survival.

It was so much fun being back in this world. I'm glad I chose to reread the previous books first because I'd forgotten so much in the three years since the last release. These characters all have such complex histories and all love hoarding secrets so every time you think you have something worked out a new twist comes along and changes everything. Deliverance was just as action packed as I hoped it would be, there is danger around every corner and you never know what will happen next. I'm so glad we've got another 3 books to look forward to and I can't wait to spend more time in this world.

Source: Purchased

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Review: Falling - Pippa DaCosta

Caleb Shepperd is a fixer. He'll do anything for credits.

When he's hired to track and kill a woman who's muscled in on a dangerous smuggler's territory, he figures it's just another day in the black...Until he's trapped in a silo with his mark.

'Just another day in the black' could turn out to be his last day alive.

A short story prequel to the bestselling science fiction series 'Girl From Above ~ The 1000 Revolution'.

Can be read at any time before, during, or after any of the main books in the series.

NOTE: This is a short story of approximately 35 pages.

*Originally published in The Galaxy Chronicles 2015 (since modified for re-release).

The 1000 Revolution:
Falling (Short Story)
Betrayal
Escape
Trapped
Trust
Deliverance

Visit Pippa DaCosta's website for more information

Review:
I absolutely love Pippa DaCosta's 1000 Revolution series so of course I was excited when I found out she had released this prequel short story. If you've ever wondered how Caleb and Fran met and ended up working together then Girl From Above: Falling is a must read.

This is only a short story but it packs a lot in and I think it's a fabulous introduction to the series so if you've been unsure whether to read it or not this free read should help you make up your mind. The series is so much fun to read, the characters are a completely morally ambiguous bunch who are just as likely to stab each other in the back as they are to offer everlasting friendship but that makes them all the more fascinating. You really never can tell what to expect next, tentative truces can be destroyed in a moment and then you'll see enemies working together against an even greater foe but as soon as the threat is dealt with then all bets are off again.

My only disappointment with this story was that we didn't get to see #1001 since she's one of my favourite characters but I loved finding out a bit more about Caleb and Fran's history together and it's left me wanting to reread the rest of the series.

Source: You can get this short story for free by signing up to the author's newsletter

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Review: Trust - Pippa DaCosta

“I didn’t sign up to die a hero.” ~ Caleb.

Chen Hung closes in.
The nine systems hang perilously close to a second fatal Blackout.
Billions of lives are at stake.
Does Captain Caleb Shepperd have what it takes to save the nine systems, or just himself?

Caleb never wanted to be a hero. That was his brother’s dream. Keep it simple, get away clean. Flying a ship packed with explosives into Janus orbit station isn’t simple, and there ain’t no way he’s getting away clean.

He knows the Fenrir Nine have sent him on a suicide mission, but he’s not about to lay down his life for them. He’s not a hero, and he sure ain’t no fool despite what the Nine must think. There’s another way, he just has to figure it out before the bomb he’s carrying ticks down to zero.

One survived; against the odds, the brutality, and the betrayal, she survived, but inside, in the part of her that’s real, she’s broken. Broken in ways that cannot be fixed.

She’s going back to where it all began, to Janus—to Chitec, to the ‘man’ who made her. It will take all that she is, all that she was, and all that she could be, to save the nine systems from the synthetics.

She will not fail.

“I am One, and I cannot be stopped.”

The 1000 Revolution:
Falling (Short Story)
Betrayal
Escape
Trapped
Trust
Deliverance

Visit Pippa DaCosta's website for more information

Review:
Once again I am at a loss for words, I mean, how am I possibly supposed to tell you how fantastic this series actually is? Anyone who has already read the first three books will already be desperately waiting to find out how things turn out for our favourite anti-heroes Caleb and #1001 but what about those of you who haven't discovered these books before? What can I tell you that will make you go out and grab a copy of Girl From Above: Betrayal?

If I tell you that this quickly became one of my favourite sci-fi series would that help? What about if I told you that Pippa DaCosta is at the top of my auto-buy authors list for her amazing world building and fantastic characters? Perhaps I should point you in the direction of my friend Sarah who has notoriously high standards but who fan girls over this author's work even more than I do? I'm not afraid to play dirty to get people reading these books so perhaps I should tell you about the free prequel: Girl From Above: Falling (this is already free on Amazon.com and from various other ebook sellers so I'm hoping the discount will be applied to Amazon.co.uk soon). There is absolutely nothing to lose from trying a freebie and I honestly don't think you'll regret it!

Anyway, now that I've finished begging all the newbies to take a chance on this series let's get back to talking about the current book Girl From Above: Trust. I still haven't come up with the words to tell you how fantastic this story was, it was everything I'd hoped for and so much more but it's still left me desperately hoping that Pippa DaCosta has decided she's not quite ready to leave this world behind after all. Surely that ending means there's going to be more in the future? Please, please make my day and tell me we're not done with Caleb and #1001 yet!

I don't want to tell you anything about what happens in this book, instead I'm going to tell you to expect the unexpected. To watch out for betrayal around every corner, prepare to have your heart ripped from your chest and then torn into teeny tiny little pieces right before your eyes. You might want to have tissues on hand for that part and you should probably sit on plastic tarpaulin because all that blood is bound to get a little messy! You'll also probably be shocked and thrilled at the way some characters have turned their lives around, you'll laugh and smile about certain revelations and you'll likely end up with heart palpitations (if your heart recovers enough after the shredding and tearing that is) from the edge of your seat action you're about to witness. Nothing is ever going to be the same again after events in this book, these characters, as flawed and terrible as they can be one moment can also be some of the bravest and wonderful people you'd ever want to meet. They are so incredibly three dimensional I wouldn't have been surprised if Caleb, #1001 and even Fran had stepped out of my kindle to have a conversation with me. Love them or hate them they will definitely bring out strong emotions and if you're like me you'll end up rooting for all of them to find happiness in any way possible.

Pippa DaCosta you have outdone yourself and I salute you, please let me be the first to jump onto whatever crazy train ride you come up with next!

Source: Received from Pippa DaCosta in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Trapped - Pippa DaCosta

"When are you going to stop running, Caleb?"

Taking the synth to the casino capital of the nine systems seemed like a great idea at the time, but as Caleb Shepperd's many enemies close in, he only has one way out. He must betray #1001.

Caleb can't make the same mistake twice. Can he?

#1001 has a price on her head. The Fenrir Nine and Chitec will stop at nothing to secure her secrets. The very same secrets that riddle her synthetic mind with faults.

Her systems are failing.

And the one man she's come to trust may prove to be her enemy.

The 1000 Revolution:
Falling (Short Story)
Betrayal
Escape
Trapped
Trust
Deliverance

Visit Pippa DaCosta's website for more information

Review:
I find it really, really difficult to write reviews for the books in this series because they're so amazingly good that I struggle to find the words to talk about them. I know there is no way to do Girl From Above: Trapped justice but I'll do my best to give you full sentences rather than just a whole page of "Read it! Read it! Read it! Read it!"

Every time I think things can't get worse for #1001 Pippa DaCosta proves me wrong, considering that nobody is supposed to know she even exists she's actually become the most wanted synth in the system. She's travelling with Caleb but they're out of luck and running low on credits. Caleb comes up with the idea to scam the casinos on planet Lyra hoping that with #1001's memory they'll be able to earn more than enough to make their escape. Unfortunately he didn't consider the possibility of running into old enemies and now he's in serious trouble. It looks like his only option is to betray #1001 and sell her off to the highest bidder. Caleb has made a lot of bad decisions in his life but can he bring himself to give #1001 to her enemies for a second time?

I want to talk about how much I love these characters, none of them are good guys - you'd see Caleb's picture next to the word anti-hero if you look it up in a dictionary - but they're all fascinating and so multidimensional. You may not always agree with the decisions that they make but you'll be able to understand why they made them and if you're anything like me you'll find yourself rooting for them almost against your own common sense. Throughout the series we've seen a lot of changes in Caleb, #1001 brings out the best side of him but even that may not be enough to save her. For her part #1001 is becoming more human in her reactions to things but at the same time she is still very "other" and her system is getting close to shut down thanks to the multitude of faults in her processor. It was really interesting to see her start to differentiate more between the memories that belonged to Haley and the ones that are part of her new programming, she is starting to mesh the two sides together and become something that is completely unique.

I'm not going to talk about the plot but if you've ever read anything by Pippa DaCosta you should know to expect the unexpected. If you're a fan of this series you'll also know to expect betrayal and deceit, lots of action, shocking twists and probably a little heartache. I honestly have no idea what to expect from the next, and final, instalment but I absolutely can't wait to get my hands on a copy of Girl From Above: Trust. This has become a favourite series and I'm desperate to see all my favourite characters get exactly what they deserve!

Source: Received from Pippa DaCosta in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Escape - Pippa DaCosta

"There’s no quicker way to get yourself killed than trusting someone in the black." ~ Caleb.

Caleb Shepperd knows Fran has her own motives for helping him escape prison, but he’s not about to let a little thing like past betrayal stand in the way of his next paycheck. Until he’s forced to meet with the sexy and psychotic pirate, Adelina Cande. They’ve met before. When he seduced her, cleared out her credit account, and left her for dead in-the-black.

Caleb figures Adelina holds a grudge when she plants a bomb on his ship and demands he steal a fleet freighter for her, that is, if he ever wants to fly again. Get him drunk enough and he’ll try anything once, but this time, he has to balance his own greed, with the needs of a vengeful pirate and the scheming of his dubious second-in-command, Fran. What could possibly go wrong?

In the heart of Chitec headquarters, #1001 enlists an eager young technician to aid in her escape. But it’s not freedom she wants. It’s revenge. The memories of a life that don’t belong to her demand she finishes what she started. She believes she killed Caleb, now she's targeting Chitec CEO Chen Hung, and not even the hopeful technician can dissuade her.

Synthetics don't make mistakes.

She thought she knew the truth.

She was wrong.

The 1000 Revolution:
Falling (Short Story)
Betrayal
Escape
Trapped
Trust
Deliverance

Visit Pippa DaCosta's website for more information

Review:
After thoroughly enjoying the first book in this series I couldn't wait to dive back into this world and spend more time with Caleb and #1001. The story picks up not long after the last one ended, #1001 has been caught by Chitec and is about to be decommissioned, she believes that she murdered Caleb and although she was only carrying out orders she feels very conflicted about what happened. When a lab technician agrees to help her escape #1001 knows this is her last chance to make her father suffer for what he did to her and she will do whatever it takes to get her revenge.

Meanwhile Caleb has also been captured and he is struggling to survive on an inhospitable prison planet. His second in command, Fran, may have come to his rescue but Caleb knows that she can't be trusted and the deal she made with a pirate family to save him has ended up dumping him out of the frying pan and into the fire.

If you thought these characters made questionable choices in the first instalment you've not seen anything yet, they all have their own agendas and loyalty is a word that most of them don't know the meaning of. Any alliances they make are fleeting and only last until a better offer comes along so no matter what kind of friendships you think they have you can never be quite sure that their bonds will last. It's just so much fun to read about characters who are so morally ambiguous, I may not always agree with their choices but Pippa DaCosta always does a good job of making their decisions believable.

Caleb is a loveable rogue and I just can't resist him. He's not a good guy, in fact he does some truly horrible things, but he does have his own code of honour and he never claims to be something he's not. #1001 is probably my favourite though, she thinks of herself as completely inhuman but from her thoughts and actions it's obvious that deep down inside her human side is still very much in control. She longs for revenge against the people who wronged her but she also craves friendship and wants something more from life.

I really don't want to say too much about this story apart from to warn you to expect the unexpected. Nothing is what it seems and there are plenty of twists to keep you guessing. I have absolutely no idea where the story will go from here but I do know that the next instalment will be jumping to the top of my to read pile the minute I can get my hands on it!

Source: Received from Pippa DaCosta in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Betrayal - Pippa DaCosta

"My name is #1001, and I am not ready to die." I’d only just begun to live.

When Captain Caleb Shepperd is released from prison, all he wants to do is keep his head down and earn a living smuggling illegal cargo through the nine systems. So when a synth stows away on his ship, and brings with her a crap-ton of problems, including guilt-ridden secrets he thought he’d escaped, he’d prefer to toss her out the airlock. The problem is, she’s priceless tech, and he’s fresh out of credit.

#1001 is not meant to exist. Created for a single purpose, she has one simple order: to kill. But not everything is as it seems. Buried deep inside, she remembers... Remembers when she was human. And she remembers what Shepperd did to her. She’s not ready to die, but she is ready to kill.

From the bestselling author of the Veil Series comes an action packed story of love, redemption, and revenge.

Pippa DaCosta captures the grit and realism of her urban fantasy stories and injects it, along with some down-and-dirty passion, into the sci-fi genre.

WARNING: 18+ only. Contains graphic adult content, including sex, drug use, violence, and a plethora of curse words. Not for the easily offended.

The 1000 Revolution:
Falling (Short Story)
Betrayal
Escape
Trapped
Trust
Deliverance

Visit Pippa DaCosta's website for more information

Review:
There are only 1000 synths in existence, these highly advanced synthetic humans can be purchased the super rich so that their memories and consciousness can be transferred to the synth when they die. But if only 1000 of them were created who is #1001, where did she come from and why is she so different to the others? #1001 wants to live, she's managed to escape captivity and she has a plan but is it a coincidence that it's Caleb's ship that she ends up on? Caleb makes a living smuggling cargo but a stowaway synth is too hot for him and he knows he'll be in all kinds of trouble if he's caught. All he wants to do is get rid of her fast and if he can make some money while he's at it then he'll be happy to take the bonus. What Caleb doesn't realise is that he and #1001 have history and now it's high time to pay for the mistakes of his past.

Oh what a fun read Girl From Above: Betrayal is and if you like your characters morally ambiguous you are going to love Caleb and his crew. None of these characters are what you'd call good guys, they're all willing to bend the rules if it benefits them and they're all out for themselves above anyone else even if that means betraying each other. Caleb is the worst of the lot but somehow I found myself loving him anyway. As soon as I picked this up I started getting Firefly vibes and I have to admit picturing Caleb as Captain Malcolm definitely didn't hurt my enjoyment of the story.

This world is dark, the characters are twisted and I was completely hooked. The blurb contains the following warning "Contains graphic adult content, including sex, drug use, violence, and a plethora of curse words. Not for the easily offended." and I definitely stand by that, it isn't going to be the right book for everyone but if you're like me that warning will just make you want to read it even more. I loved this story and can't wait to dive into the next instalment.

Source: Received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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