Review: Fabulous End to the Zin Arc
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 28, 2013
I remember the first book in this series so well, when the hero of this book, Kirek, was born in hyperspace. It's awesome to get to see him all grown up. I haven't gotten to read The Ultimatum, unfortunately, so I don't know about the whole incident of him being a sex slave, but I'm sure it was a great book. Strangely, I remember checking this book out from the library (different publisher, different cover, everything, but it was the same book). I couldn't get into it then, and now I understand why: I didn't know the series set up, nor the importance of Kirek. I'm definitely glad I decided to give it a go when I saw it on NetGalley, having now read 2 of the 3 books that lead to this one.Angel was a fabulous heroine. Strong, determined, and definitely with a past. I liked that she was neither a shy, retiring virginesque character or a slut. She was comfortable with her own sexuality, saw no problem in taking an occasional lover, with no intention of finding a permanent man. She was devoted to her crew and the ship she'd made her home since leaving earth.Kirek is, well, Kirek. Strong Rystani male, though with a surprising core toward non-violence/non-killing that I could truly understand. Given all he's gone through in his life (I remember him as a child in Dora's story), he is who he is and tries to balance that with what he sees as his ultimate mission: saving the galaxy from the dreaded Zin.This book I believe concludes the Zin arc, but I have no doubt there are other stories possible in this universe. It's certainly large enough. Unfortunately, the reason I couldn't give this book 5 stars is simply how the Zin threat was eliminated. While there was certainly a lot of tension and nerves leading up to the very end when Kirek and Angel find their way to the Zin core to stop their menace, the way they solved it just totally fell flat for me. I'm quite disappointed, though with Kirek as he was put together, given the options in front of him, his choice makes sense. I just don't like it personally and freely admit this is a subjective point of view.However, everything else in this book was absolutely fabulous and without a doubt Susan Kearney is one of my favorite authors (I love love LOVE her Pendragon series, especially Rion, heh). Totally recommend it to anyone who wants some space drama without an over emphasis on technology, yet no doubt that it is a futuristic-set book.Thank you NetGalley, BelleBooks, and Ms. Kearney for letting me share in this experience!Book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.