I saw this one on a recent Book Funnel promo and scooped it up, as I liked the idea of an android protagonist. I am linking this review to Sci Fi Month 2019.
BLURB: Be careful what you ask an android to do… Bellona Cardenas Scordina de Deluca, daughter of the primary Cardenas family, went missing ten years ago. Reynard Cardenas, Bellona’s father and head of the family, receives anonymous, unsubstantiated news that she has been found. He sends the most disposable person in the family to investigate—Sang, the family android. Sang’s investigation trips off chain reactions which shift the generations-old luke-warm war between Erium and Karassia into a 
galaxy-wide conflagration which will engulf the known worlds, including the neutral, fiercely independent free states…unless a hero can be found who will fight to hold the line against the two colossal forces.
I really enjoyed this one. Bellona disappears under peculiar circumstances ten years previously and when there is a tipoff that she may still be alive, Sang is sent off to track down the dodgy lead. I’m not saying more as the blurb is refreshingly spoiler-free and it would be a shame to give away any plotpoints in this action-packed space opera adventure.
I was initially drawn to this one by the quality of the writing. I have since discovered that Cameron Cooper is a pen-name for an experienced indie author with a number of books in other genres to her credit. And it shows. The twisting plot and quirky characters quickly pulled me into the action – no one is quite what they seem and I was genuinely shocked at some of the family dynamics within the Cardenas clan.
I liked all the protagonists and cared about what would happen to them – there is plenty of tension and a sense that not everyone would survive the book, which always tends to keep me turning the pages longer than I should. I didn’t see the final denouement coming and will be getting hold of the next slice in this entertaining series, as Cooper manages to keep it all about the main characters, while also successfully depicting the wider stakes if it all goes wrong.
Highly recommended for fans of adventure space opera featuring an interesting mix of human and not-so-human protagonists.
8/10
is doing just now… Sadly, I had to cancel because I felt too dire to drive over to Brighton. Fortunately Himself was here to drive Rob to the station to catch his train back to Cambridge. I was really fed up that I’d been unable to make the most of his visit AND miss out on Oscar’s birthday tea.
ago. Reynard Cardenas, Bellona’s father and head of the family, receives anonymous, unsubstantiated news that she has been found. He sends the most disposable person in the family to investigate—Sang, the family android.
Sanah would do anything to protect her little sister, even if it means taking refuge with ruthless pirates. But the psychically Talented pirates terrorizing Commonwealth space are not quite the monsters she has been led to believe. When Sanah’s empathic gift shows her the truth behind the stories, she is no longer certain who the villains are in her world.
an
HE’LL GO TO THE ENDS OF THE GALAXY TO SAVE HIS BROTHER AND SISTER.
and newly discovered alien species are invited to join a loose commonwealth of planets that now extends beyond the Orion spur of the Milky Way galaxy. However, not all species are peaceful. A hundred years of war to repel the Xathen invasion turned into an uneasy truce that has lasted for nearly thirty years. Exploration of systems has resumed, with the Zanzibar sent to complete the survey of a planet on the fringes of Xathen space. When the Xathen declared war over a hundred and thirty years ago, contact with the first survey ship was lost, and they never returned home.
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.
Ben Benjamin, psi-tech Navigator, and Cara Carlinni, Telepath, can never go home again. To the Trust and Alphacorp alike, they are wanted criminals. Murder, terrorism, armed insurrection, hijacking, grand theft, and kidnapping are just the top of a long list of charges they’ll face if they’re caught. So they better not get caught…
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.
Beth Ryder knows she’s different. In a tiny rural town, being an orphaned and perpetually single amateur photographer crippled by panic disorder is pretty much guaranteed to make you stick out like a sore thumb. But Beth doesn’t understand just how different she really is.
Brainfluff 