Review: Enrapturing Contemporary Sci-Fi, 3rd in a Great Series
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 16, 2012
Reviewed for I luv tours blog tour5 Stars"Determinant" continues Author A. M. Hargrove's magically imaginative contemporary sci fi series "The Guardians of Vesturon." Vesturon is a planet in a distant galaxy, a peace-loving entity whose Guardians patrol other systems to keep peace and to prevent war-like species from ravaging other planets for resources and populace. One team of Guardians is based on Earth, in the Smoky Mountains. In this entry to the series, January St. Davis, a brilliant early high school graduate and valedictorian, escapes from a dismal home life to enter college in Western North Carolina. Although she makes close friends, the disappearance of one and the ongoing depression of the other add to her constant striving to keep ends meeting. An internship at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta starts out excellently, till suddenly her supervisor finds fault in everything she does. On her way home to North Carolina at the end of the summer, January becomes deathly ill-and wakes to find herself part of a beautiful dream-if science fiction really is true. But of course, happy endings never come in the middle of the story, and January will find herself battling to win her dreams."Determinant" can function as a stand-alone novel, as Ms. Hargrove weaves in sufficient background to clue new readers to the earlier books, but not enough to overwhelm by repetition. However, this reviewer recommends reading (and re-reading) all three. The fourth in the series will appear in 2013.I received an ebook copy in return for my fair and impartial review.