story craft

Genre: Sci-Fi

Format: eArc

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Cautions:

Main themes: 

Main characters: “Basing choices on emotion is not sound, but choosing to set oneself aside for the ones who are loved, that is beautiful in its sometimes pain.”

Favorite quote: 

Review:

This year, I unintentionally embarked on a space opera, sci-fi rich reading voyage—and I can’t say that I regret it, not one little bit. The only regret I have in this moment is that I didn’t read Recorder, the first book in the Children of the Consortium series before reading Aberration.

And, oh man is this one tough to write without spoilers! Simply put: I loved this book, and McCrumb’s writing is spacing amazing!

From the moment Recorder—who is also sometimes called Zeta and Izzy—steps onto the page, she has my heart. Quickly I see her compassion for others; her desire to protect life no matter the cost. Even with the rogue drones, we quickly see Recorder’s desire for a peaceful resolution no matter how violent the environment becomes.

And I don’t think I’m the only one who quickly felt a kinship with Recorder—almost every person she meets soon determines to follow her wherever she goes, to stand with her, to free her, and yes, even to give their lives for her.

Every character, especially once we get to Thalassa and Pallas, has a unique depth and mission that connects somehow with Recorder’s heart and mission—or dares to stand against it. The story’s fast pace and lively crew quickly move us through intricate themes like death and loss, compassion and forgiveness, loyalty and betrayal.

I can’t wait to keep walking through these stories—of course going back and starting with book one! Traveling through space with Nathaniel, James, the Talkative Recorder, Kyleigh, Zhen, Alec, Williams, Jordan, Max, Eric, Tia, and Cam has been epic so far, and I can’t wait to see where they take us next!

As a note, though it didn’t keep me from enjoying the book at all, I would definitely recommend reading book one first! (I know, duh!)

My take:

There’s always a choice, though sometimes it takes us a while to see it. And we can always choose compassion, love, and forgiveness despite how others treat us. It only takes one choice to make a difference. To spark a movement into something new and better.

*I was given a copy of this book for free. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.