Review of INDIE Ebook First Flyght – Book 1 of The Flyght series by S.J. Pajonas #Brainfluffbookreview #FirstFlyghtbookreview #SciFiMonth2019

I’ve read one of Pajonas’s books before – see my review of Removed – and enjoyed the quality of the writing, so while the cover on this one caught my eye, I wasn’t too sure about the reverse harem dynamic. However when it was part of a Book Funnel promo I’d joined, I decided to give it a go. I am also including this one in the @SciFiMonth2019 fun and frolics, here.

BLURB: Vivian Kawabata can’t wait to claim her privileged destiny. But when the heir to the family agricultural empire finds her bank account empty while shopping for expensive shoes, she’s horrified to discover that her own brother has financially stabbed her in the back. To stand a chance of restoring her rightful place in the universe, the honest and rule-following Vivian may have to break a few intergalactic laws…

I’ve cut short the rather chatty blurb, as I think it provides way too many spoilers. I really enjoyed Vivian’s character which pings off the page. Hardworking and focused on pleasing her family, she has been a model daughter – to the extent that she has put her own wishes for her future on hold in order to become an heiress worthy of the family farm. I really felt for her when the rug is pulled from under her feet and I think Pajonas manages to tread the fine line between fully depicting the devastation she feels and having her lapse too much into victim mode. By this time, I should have put the book down and got some much-needed sleep, but that wasn’t happening – I gulped this one down in a single sitting, as the pages kept turning themselves.

I also liked the supporting characters in this entertaining, bouncy story which, despite Vivian’s travails, has a nicely upbeat vibe in the humorous asides amongst the crew. As for the developing reverse harem storyline, it clearly isn’t going to be anything too graphic or sleazy for my taste. These days, while I appreciate a well-written romantic plotline, I generally don’t pick up any book for the romantic content alone – and I liked the fact that while I think I can predict at least one of Vivian’s future partners, there is going to be plenty of feelings and affection displayed in these relationships.

I am definitely going to be looking for more of these books – I need to find out how Vivian is going to prevail, whether she catches up with that shifty brother of hers and how the hilarious ship AI is going to cope with a cargo of pigs…

Highly recommended for fans of entertaining, character-led space opera with a strong romantic element involving a reverse harem story.
8/10