Review: Perdition - Ann Aguirre

Welcome to hell.

The prison ship Perdition, a floating city where the Conglomerate's most dangerous criminals are confined for life, orbits endlessly around a barren asteroid.

Life inside is even more bleak. Hailed as the Dread Queen, inmate Dresdemona "Dred" Devos controls one of Perdition's six territories, bordered on both sides by would-be kings eager to challenge her claim. Keeping them at bay requires constant vigilance as well as a steady influx of recruits to replace the fallen. Survival is a continual battle, and death is the only escape.

Of the newest convicts, only one is worth Dred's attention. The mercenary Jael, with his deadly gaze and attitude, may be the most dangerous criminal on board. His combat skills could give her the edge she needs, if he doesn't betray her first. Unfortunately, that's what he does best. Winning Jael's allegiance will be a challenge, but failure could be worse than death . . .

Sirantha Jax Series:
Grimspace
Wanderlust
Doubleblind
Killbox
Aftermath
Endgame

Dred Chronicles:
Perdition
Havoc
Breakout

Visit Ann Aguirre's website for more information

Review:
Set in the same world as Ann Aguirre's Sirantha Jax series Perdition takes place on a prison space ship that is the dumping ground for the galaxy's most dangerous criminals. Everyone sent to Perdition has been given a death sentence and the ship has been set up with is no chance of escape so the authorities don't even bother to provide guards to keep the prisoners under control. With limited resources and full of the most violent and terrifying prisoners the ship isn't exactly a safe place to be, separated into territories and run by different gangs its a constant battle to protect what is yours and even within the sectors you have to be careful not to end up with a knife in your back.

Dred is the leader of one of the six territories inside of Perdition and its a role she takes very seriously. She has to constantly be on her guard and must never show any sign of weakness because there are always people looking to steal her crown and take the reins. With the latest influx of new prisoners Dred  ends up recruiting mercenary Jael to her gang, he's an incredible fighter who can heal from practically any wound so he's the perfect person to have on her team but can she trust him not to betray her?

I absolutely loved Jael when he was first introduced to the Sirantha Jax series but understandably went off him after certain events in Doubleblind so I was wary of his character going into this. I'm actually glad he's being given the chance to redeem himself though and I really enjoyed getting to see some of the story from his point of view. Getting inside his head helped put previous events in a different light, it doesn't excuse Jael's actions but it makes it easier to understand where he was coming from and why he chose to do what he did. Because we get Jael's point of view we see see a softer more vulnerable side to him which made him easier to connect to, he's still his badass self though and there is plenty of his jokey banter to add a bit of levity to what is essentially quite a dark story.

Dred is a brilliant character too, as the one in charge she can never show even a hint of weakness or she'd be eaten alive by the people around her. No matter how respected she is these are hardened criminals and there is a reason they all ended up on Perdition in the first place. Dred is as ruthless as she needs to be and she can certainly hold her own in a fight but when she's alone with Jael she is able to show a side of herself that she has to keep hidden around everyone else. I'm totally shipping them as a couple but what remains to be seen is how they can build a better life for themselves in such a toxic environment.

Ann Aguirre writes about life on the ship brilliantly, she shows just how desperate people are thanks to the lack of resources and she's definitely captured the sense of hopelessness that everyone feels knowing they're stuck there. The only one who still has hope is Jael because he is determined to find a way to escape but everyone who has been there longer knows its an impossible dream. This book is dark, life on board is ruthless and nobody is safe so be prepared to have your heart ripped into tiny little pieces, life is dangerous and not everyone is going to survive in such a horrific environment. This was a great introduction to the series and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what else Dred and Jael can achieve working together, I may end up enjoying this even more than Sirantha's series!

Source: Purchased

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Review: Endgame - Ann Aguirre

Regret nothing.

Sirantha Jax has the J-gene, which permits her to "jump" faster-than-light ships through grimspace. She loves nothing more than that rush, but the star roads have to wait . . .

Her final mission takes her to La'heng, a planet subjugated during first contact. Sine then, the La'hengrin homeworld has been occupied by foreign conquerors.

All that's about to change.

Now, as part of a grassroots resistance, Tax means to liberate the La'hengrin. But political intrigue and guerrilla warfare are new to her, and this will be the most dangerous game she's ever played - involving spies and conspiracies, a war of weapons and hearts. And not everyone is guaranteed to make it out alive . . .

Sirantha Jax Series:
Grimspace
Wanderlust
Doubleblind
Killbox
Aftermath
Endgame

Dred Chronicles:
Perdition
Havoc
Breakout

Visit Ann Aguirre's website for more information

Review:
After Aftermath I was a little nervous about reading Endgame, I was worried about the direction certain things went and I wasn't happy at what seemed to be turning into a love triangle between Sirantha, March and Vel. As it turns out I'm actually quite glad that I did read it, if nothing else it means I have closure on the series and there were things I really enjoyed about the story.

To start with the positives I was really pleased to see Sirantha follow through on her promise to Loras to help him free the La'hengrin. They had been treated horrendously by humanity and have been suffering ever since we decided to meddle in their biology so it was great to see Sirantha step up to do something about it. I enjoyed watching Loras lead the rebellion, they're in the middle of an all out war so things aren't easy for any of them but Loras has come a long way from the beginning of the series. Vel as always stands out as a brilliant character and I love the humour that Baby Z always brings to the show.

I'd been really angry with the way things ended between Sirantha and March in the previous book so I was pleased that they manage to turn things around here. At the same time though I do think the way things were resolved just made the drama from the last book feel even more forced and just a cheap way to tug at readers heart strings. If there is one thing I really think ruined this series it's the constant issues between the main couple. They were absolutely fantastic in the first couple of books but from there onwards it's been one thing after another keeping them apart and putting blocks between them. Vel has been one of my favourite characters since the moment he was introduced but I love him as a friend for Sirantha and I think their relationship got far too complicated and blurred a few too many lines for me. I know they've never actually crossed the line completely but I'd have enjoyed it much more if they'd been firm friends and allies all the way through. I just reached the point where I struggled to believe Sirantha's proclamations of undying love for March because she always treated him badly. He wasn't much better at times but at least he usually had better reasons.

I also missed the wider scope of the earlier books, it was so much fun to see them travelling through space and visiting different planets so I got a little bored when they spent the entire book in one place. They had an important mission but I'd have liked it to tie up a little faster and for us to actually see them start their next adventure. Especially because that would have given us a chance to catch up with characters like Dina and Hit who were completely absent from this book. Considering what major characters they were early on it was disappointing that we didn't get the chance to catch up with them one last time in the final book of the series.

Overall for me this series started out amazingly strong and fizzled out a bit in the last couple of books. I still think it was well worth reading, particularly for the AMAZING early books though and I'm looking forward to trying the spin off series too.

Source: Purchased

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Review: Aftermath - Ann Aguirre

Dead heroes get monuments. Live ones get trials.

Sirantha Jax has the right genes - ones that enable her to "jump" faster-than-light ships through grimspace. But it's also in her genetic makeup to go it alone. It's a character trait that has gotten her into - and out of - hot water time and time again, but now she's caused one of the most horrific events in military history . . .

During the war against murderous, flesh-eating aliens, Sirantha went AWOL and shifted grimspace beacons to keep the enemy from invading humanity's homeworld. The cost of her actions: the destruction of modern interstellar travel - and the lives of six hundred Conglomerate soldiers.

Accused of dereliction of duty, desertion, mass murder, and high treason, Sirantha is on trial for her life. And only time will tell if she's one of the Conglomerate's greatest heroes - or most infamous criminals . . .

Sirantha Jax Series:
Grimspace
Wanderlust
Doubleblind
Killbox
Aftermath
Endgame

Dred Chronicles:
Perdition
Havoc
Breakout

Visit Ann Aguirre's website for more information

Review:
It's taken me a long time to write a review of Aftermath, probably because I still can't quite decide what I think of everything that happened in it and I'm kind of torn at this point over whether I even want to read the final book in the series. On one hand I want to know how it ends but on the other I'm pretty nervous because I'm not sure I like where the series is going. Anyway, let's focus on Aftermath for now and leave fears of Endgame until this review is finished!

I knew that the aftermath of Sirantha's actions at the end of the previous book were going to be catastrophic and I wasn't wrong, changing the Grimspace beacons has made interstellar travel practically impossible to anyone but Jax and until she trains a new wave of Jumpers the entire galaxy is going to pay the price for her actions. Even worse is the number of ships that were lost mid-jump due to her actions. So I get why she did what she did but I'm so angry for her that she didn't think things through and at least try to get a warning out, she was so determined to avoid March so that he wouldn't know what she was up to that she didn't bother to warn anyone of the consequences. Just a little more thought and she could have saved hundreds of lives so I'm angry with her reckless behaviour. Yes she did the right thing and yes she feels guilty about the people who died as a result but it wasn't quite enough for me.

Of course now she has to pay the price for her actions so the first part of the book is Sirantha on trial for  dereliction of duty and mass murder. This gives the author a good excuse to send our favourite couple in opposite directions again as March leaves to search for his nephew while Sirantha is stuck in a prison cell. At this point I just don't understand why these two ever became a couple, what was the point of creating this epic romance between them when they spend so much of their lives apart? I had such high hopes for them at the beginning of the series but now it just feels like I'm being emotionally manipulated by the drama that constantly occurs to keep them apart. Events at the end of Aftermath were both heartbreaking and utterly infuriating and I'm honestly not sure that I care about them as a couple anymore. Sirantha is too selfish to ever put March first and March is just wasting his life sitting around waiting for her.

Vel has been one of my favourite characters since he was introduced and he continues to be his awesome self. He's the saving grace of this series and I loved that we saw so much more of him in this book. I've always loved the friendship between him and Sirantha but I have to admit I'm worried at the hints of love-triangle developing here. That's not what I was expecting and I'm not happy about it. I did love the scenes with Baby Z though and events when they visited his planet were really interesting. I really enjoy exploring this world and I love Sirantha when she's on top form exploring new territory. I just hope the next book focuses more on their discovery than on doomed relationships and potential love triangles.

Source: Purchased

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Review: Killbox - Ann Aguirre

Talk is cheap when lives are in jeopardy.

Sirantha Jax is a "jumper," a woman who possesses the unique genetic makeup needed to navigate faster-than-light ships through grimspace. With no tolerance for political diplomacy, she quits her ambassador post so she can get back to saving the universe the way she does best - by mouthing off and kicking butt.

And her tactics are needed more than ever. Flesh-eating aliens are attacking stations on the outskirts of space, and for many people, the Conglomerate's forces are arriving too late to serve and protect them.

Now Jax must take matters into her own hands by recruiting a militia to defend the frontiers - out of the worst criminals, mercenaries, and raiders who ever travelled through grimspace . . .

Sirantha Jax Series:
Grimspace
Wanderlust
Doubleblind
Killbox
Aftermath
Endgame

Dred Chronicles:
Perdition
Havoc
Breakout

Visit Ann Aguirre's website for more information

Review:
Diplomacy has never been Jax's biggest strength so she's relieved to have resigned from her role as Ambassador and trying to figure out what to do with her life next. Then March gets an offer from the Conglomerate that he can't refuse, they want him to recruit a military fleet for them and marshal their forces against the human-eating Morgut who are currently plaguing the most vulnerable human outposts in the far reaches of space. Jax jumps at the chance of being in the action again and is more than willing to start training the next generation of jumpers on navigating Grimspace. It's time for humanity to come out fighting and show the Morgut that we're not a race to be messed with.

After the slower pace of Doubleblind I was thrilled to be back in the thick of the action for Killbox. The universe has been in disarray since Jax helped bring down Farwan, as much as the corporation committed terrible atrocities they did have the manpower and ships required to keep the peace and protect the humans spread across the galaxy. Now pirates and privateers are making life difficult for honest traders and it's up to March and Jax to try and convince the mercenaries to join with them and fight for the conglomerate rather than against them. There is definitely a lot going on in this book and I flew through the pages desperately trying to figure out what would happen next.

I have to admit I was slightly disappointed by a few things though. Firstly I wasn't happy with the new barriers put in the way of Jax and March's relationship, I love them best when they're working together for a common goal and it's getting a little tired that in pretty much every book something comes between them and forces them apart. I was also upset that the core crew ended up spending much of their time apart from each other and I particularly missed Vel's character. I understand why he was needed elsewhere but I love him so much and I didn't like how isolated Jax became as her friends all went off in their own directions. I was extremely upset at Doc's actions too, I think his story could have been handled in a hundred other ways that wouldn't have annoyed me as much as what actually happened and it's going to take a lot to make me interested in forgiving him.

I don't want to sound too negative though because this was still a brilliant book and there was so much to love about it. Jax is her awesome self, I still love March in spite of his stupid choices, Dina and Hit are brilliant together, Constance is really coming into her own and I adore Vel. Throw in some familiar faces from the past and we really do have a brilliant central cast of characters. We get loads of action, plenty of danger and Jax sticking her neck out for the people she loves. I'm a little worried about what she did at the very end of the story and the book ends on a killer cliffhanger but that's okay because the entire series has been published so I'm not going to have to wait around for the next instalment. This is such a fun series and I can't wait to continue reading it!

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Review: Doubleblind - Ann Aguirre

It's not easy to tread lightly wearing steel-toed boots.

Sirantha Jax isn't known for diplomatic finesse. As a "jumper" who navigates ships through grimspace, she's used to kicking ass first and taking names later - much later. She's not exactly the obvious choice to sell the Conglomerate to the Ithtorians, a people whose opinions of humans are as hard as their exoskeletons.

And Ithtorian council meetings aren't the only place where Ambassador Jax needs to manoeuvre carefully. Her lover is frozen in permanent kill mode, and his hair trigger threatens to sabotage the talks - not to mention their relationship.

But Jax won't give up on the man or the mission. With the Outskirts beleaguered by raiders, pirates and flesh-eating aliens, an alliance with the Ithtorians may be humanity's only hope. Which has Jax wondering why a notorious troublemaker like her was given the job . . .

Sirantha Jax Series:
Grimspace
Wanderlust
Doubleblind
Killbox
Aftermath
Endgame

Dred Chronicles:
Perdition
Havoc
Breakout

Visit Ann Aguirre's website for more information

Review:
Doublebind is quite different to the previous books in the series, there's less action and more politics as Jax and her crew have finally arrived on Ithiss-Tor and she has to put her diplomatic skills to the test. We all know Jax as someone who speaks first and thinks later but she has to completely put her impulsive nature to one side and make nice with the locals if she wants any chance of building an alliance between humans and the Ithtorians. Although some of the Ithtorians are open to the alliance and hoping to profit from new potential trade routes the old guard is dead set against having anything to do with beings as primitive as humans.

In some ways I really like the new side we see to Jax here, I like the fact that she isn't just out for herself like she used to be and I appreciated that she was trying her best to make the alliance work but I have to admit she's more fun when she's being her impulsive normal self and you can't tell what she'll do next. Luckily we see a bit more of that side of her towards the end of the book and it led to a very interesting adventure. I enjoyed learning more about the Ithtorian culture but I think certain things could have been expanded upon. One thing I definitely missed was seeing more of the crew. Jael, Dina, Hit and Doc all have fairly minor appearances but they're fairly absent for much of the story and I missed the usual camaraderie we see between them.

March is like a completely different man to the person we met in the first book, events in Wanderlust have changed him and it's not a change for the better. I spent much of the book wondering why I fell in love with him in the first place and hoping that things wouldn't be dragged out for too long but luckily Jax finds a very clever way to make a breakthrough and that was one of my favourite moments in the story. The character who is on top form throughout is Vel, he's been a favourite of mine for a while now but this book just made me love him even more. I adore the friendship between him and Jax, he always has her back even though they're on his homeworld and he's going against cultural norms.

There was a certain event that completely shocked me and kind of broke my heart a little. I don't want to say too much but I was gutted by the way one character behaved, especially because of the reasoning behind their actions. I really hope that they are given the chance to redeem themselves in the future but it's not going to be easy to trust them again. Things are getting very tense in the outside world too as the Syndicate do their best to undermine the Conglomerate and I think it's going to be interesting how the Conglomerate deals with this and other threats. I'm definitely looking forward to picking up Killbox to see how Jax and her crew deal with the aftermath of this mission.

Source: Purchased

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Review: Wanderlust - Ann Aguirre

Sirantha Jax doesn't take chances . . . she jumps at them.

Sirantha Jax is a "jumper," a woman who possesses the unique genetic makeup needed to navigate the faster-than-light ships through grimspace. Jax has worked for Farwan Corporation her entire career. But now word's out that the Corp deliberately crashed a passenger ship, and its stranglehold on intergalactic commerce has crumbled - which means Jax is out of a job.

She's also broke due to being declared dead a little prematurely. So when the government asks her to head up a vital diplomatic mission, Jax agrees to do it. Her mandate: journey to the planet Ithis-Tor and convince its inhabitants to join the Conglomerate.

But Jax's payday is light-years away. First she'll have to contend with Syndicate criminals, a stormy relationship with her pilot, man-eating aliens, and her own grimspace-weakened body. She'll be lucky just to make it to Ithis-Tor alive . . .

Sirantha Jax Series:
Grimspace
Wanderlust
Doubleblind
Killbox
Aftermath
Endgame

Dred Chronicles:
Perdition
Havoc
Breakout

Visit Ann Aguirre's website for more information

Review:
After absolutely falling in love with this world and these characters when I read Grimspace I couldn't wait to dive into Wanderlust. It's not often I find a series as addictive as this one and I'm happy that the second book continued that trend, I wouldn't say this was quite as good as the first book but it wasn't far off it and I'm still incredibly excited about reading the rest of the series. Where Grimspace was full of action and humour Wanderlust takes a darker turn, it still had it's humorous moments but there was some relationship drama that made it a little more angsty. The side characters and the amount of action pulled me through that though, there was enough going on that I could easily ignore the things that irritated me and I still love this world.

I love some of the changes we've seen in Jax, the way she wants to be a better person and how she tries to do the right thing is great but I do find it annoying that she tries to do everything on her own and doesn't ask her friends and crew for assistance even when she really needs their help. I also didn't like the way she tried to push Marsh away "for his own good", you don't get to make that kind of decision on someone else's behalf - especially not when you're hurting them in the process! I guess it was more realistic that their relationship wouldn't be plain sailing though, they both have difficult pasts and thats bound to effect the way they deal with things and lets face it they've not really had much time to get to know each other yet. I actually respected Marsh for his decision to stay behind to help Keri with her battle, she obviously needed his help and she's like a little sister to him so I think it's important that he didn't just abandon his family for Jax. It was still disappointing to see Jax and Marsh separated for so much of the story though and it's going to be interesting to see how their relationship proceeds now he's such a different man.

The side characters continue to be one of my favourite things about this series. I love that Ann Aguirre is happy to surround Jax with strong women as well as men, that's something we don't always see enough of. Dina and 245 remain favourites but we also have a new addition to the kickass women of the crew in Hit, a lethal assassin who luckily is on Jax's side (well for now anyway, let's hope she remains there!). The boys are still represented too and Vel is definitely one of my favourite characters in the series, for a shapeshifting giant praying mantis he's actually a pretty sweet character but he's always full of surprises and definitely a good person to be near in a fight. I love new addition Jael, what we've learned about his background is intriguing and definitely left me wanting more, he's a fun character but I'm a little nervous about the apology he made towards the end of the book so I'm going to be keeping a close eye on him in the future.

This series has quickly become one of my favourites and I can't wait to continue reading it.

Source: Purchased

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Review: Grimspace - Ann Aguirre

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...

Sirantha Jax Series:
Grimspace
Wanderlust
Doubleblind
Killbox
Aftermath
Endgame

Dred Chronicles:
Perdition
Havoc
Breakout

Visit Ann Aguirre's website for more information

Review:
Sirantha Jax has a rare genetic ability to navigate through Grimspace, her talent is highly sought after and she's always been considered a bit of a celebrity because of that. It all goes horribly wrong when a ship she is navigating crashes killing over 80 people, Jax is the only survivor but she has no memory of how the crash happened. The Corporation she works for seem to believe it was her fault though and she has been a prisoner ever since undergoing psych-evaluations and constant questioning. When a mysterious man breaks into her cell and offers her the chance at freedom it's a chance she has to take, even if it does come with a very high price and leave her with a price on her head.

It's been a long time since the first book in a series grabbed me quite as hard as Grimspace did. I was totally hooked from the very first page and if I'd had more time on my hands I could easily have devoured this in a day. As it was I was irritated that real life got in the way of my reading time and when I was busy doing other things I was constantly trying to find time to squeeze in just a couple more pages. The book wasn't quite perfect and there were a few points where I was a little confused but it gets the full five star rating for its pure addictiveness!

There is just so much to love about this world and particularly the characters. Jax is a mess, she's paranoid, suicidal and only one step away from a full on psychotic break but she's also a tough as nails survivor with a snarky sense of humour and a tendency to act before she thinks. She doesn't let people close easily but once she does she will fight to protect them and she's definitely the kind of person you want to have your back in a tough spot. Then we have Marsh (oh hello new book boyfriend!) who is just as as much of a smartarse as Jax and twice as messed up, he has a homicidal streak a mile wide but he has mad mind reading skills and the boy knows how to use his Theta waves! I love that he's not manipulative, he's pretty much a what you see is what you get kind of guy which means he'll tell you the truth even when you don't want to hear it. The romance between these two was pretty spot on, yes it starts happening very quickly but it never felt rushed and I loved every minute of it.

They're not the only great characters though and I also loved Dina for her sarcastic sense of humour, Doc for always being the peacemaker, Loras for his incredible act of bravery, Baby-Z for all round adorableness and adding so much humour to the story and Velith for being such a surprise. There are so many things to love about this story and the clever dialogue and interesting world building is only part of it. Grimspace has all the humour and action of Firefly, Jax is a space travelling, equally kickass version of Kate Daniels and the story will keep you gripped from beginning to end. I'm so glad I'm late discovering this series because that means I can devour all six books (and the spin off trilogy!) without having to wait between releases. Now I'm off to make a start on Wanderlust!

Source: Purchased

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