Review: A series worth reading
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 18, 2014
The second book in the Loralynn Kennakris saga feels more like the middle section of a long book rather than a stand alone novel, but it still a fun ride that fans of the first book will not want to miss.The story picks up with Kris starting a military academy and beginning the process of integrating into the social mores of the society she lives in. While there are a few chapters discussing her training, this book is not a story about a girl going to school and finding out she is god's gift to warrior kind. The highlights of her time there are covered, and I really enjoyed the boggart scenario, but most of the action takes place outside the academy.Kris does a bit of traveling in this book, and finds herself once again working with Huron as he makes use of her specialized knowledge. A mix of space and ground force battles keep things from settling into any one track.The authors continue building the galactic setting and political issues as terrorism and potential wars build and come to a head. I didn't skip any paragraphs reading this as I did in the first one, but you will still find sections that drag you out of the flow.Slavery and the horrible impact it has had on Kris are still a major part of the story as Kris finds herself confronting her past as she becomes involved in military actions against the slavers. It is obvious that the authors intend for Kris to grow and handle her past in a more realistic fashion than magically finding the horrors she has suffered has just made her stronger. Kris is definitely a killer, but she has a long way to go before she has developed the judgment to make that a useful skill.Her special skills in navigating are highlighted and she demonstrates her abilities as a pilot during her training. The ending of this book hinted at the possibility of her future in this area, and I hope to see more sections like the battle scenarios.I found the editing and grammar to be very well done, and wish more new authors put this much effort into polishing their story.A good book in what I anticipate will be an excellent series. As I said at the beginning, it's not a stand alone novel, so while it's not a cliff hanger ending, it does leave you feeling like the book ended a little abruptly.Buy it, enjoy it, and look forward to the next one.