Review: I would have loved it but...
Rating: 1 out of 5
Date: 03 19, 2013
Like book one this one paints a grand picture of many stories told while exploring more of the galactic picture. The author maintains a fine cast of characters that I grew to like and follow through just like from book one. I really applaude the author for inclusion of families in this future. Often its ignored or only used in the context of a broken home, someone's past or worst detailed right before they die or the character in question dies. Not only are family regularly mentioned, but generations of them are. The politics also were a joy to read with the various factions trying to advance their own goals, or survive others.My one star rating was entirely due to how my enjoyment of the series, and I bought books one and two within days of each other, was ruined by what I'll warn you now as spoilers, although since they don't seem to impact the overall story in the grand way the other subplots do, its not a major spoiler.This is probably more a rant or getting this out of my system as it really bothered me how the author's segued into a captured humans by one alien faction subpot. It was entirely a personal taste and not due to the author's writing ability or how it flowed with the rest of the story save for one point.For book one, most of book two, it was a profanity free story. I would have written family friendly, but the f-bomb was regularly dropped near the end of the captured humans subplot.However that's just a point of 'where did that come from' after book one and most of book two. It was more the whole captured humans subplot that didn't seem to be a point to it. The author had already established how these aliens were committing atrocities. I didn't see the need to make it as personal as this subplot made it.At first I thought it was going to be a rescue story, and I confess to speed reading through passages that no longer held my interest just to get to what I hoped was the rescue. I had planned on going back to read the other skipped passages after the rescue that never came. Even with several factions that knew of the captured humans, and to me the raised hopes with so many knowing, I fully expected a rescue. Instead, the author went with the 'timed honored' method of detailing characters only to see them die. I hate, loathe, dashed hopes in a story.I know I read to bond with characters and go with them through a story, which books one and two had plenty of opportunities to do that. I will miss them as I will not journey to book three as I had fully expected to.Overall, if you like a large tapestry of characters and situations, politics and plans, this series is a good one. My one star is entirely due to personal taste, which is outdated in this modern world that wants plenty of character deaths it seems.It is a very interesting universe, with extremely interesting characters to enjoy. Give it a try, personal taste aside, you should hopefully enjoy it.