Zenith

October 1, 2017

Gr 10 Up-From a beginning that draws heavily on elements of the early "Star Wars" movies, with characters whose over-the-top shtick would fit right into Guardians of the Galaxy, this series opener morphs unexpectedly into a dark and complex sci-fi drama. Androma Racella has been on the run for four years since escaping a death sentence for the purported murder of her best friend. She stole her former boyfriend's star ship and, along with three other teen runaways, became a space pirate. Known throughout the galaxy as the Bloody Baroness, Androma has managed to keep ahead of would-be captors. But to former boyfriend, Dex, who taught her how to evade capture, Androma is easy prey. Dex is hired to bring her in, then blackmailed into joining forces with her to find and return Valen, the kidnapped son of the leader of the Arcardian system. The tortured and imprisoned Valen is barely hanging onto life when Dex and Androma finally rescue him. Shortly after their harrowing escape from the prison planet, what at first appear to be devastating but isolated coincidences are discovered to be part of a well-planned plot to take over the galaxy that only Dex and Androma may be able to stop. An action-packed, semi-romantic sci-fi adventure/drama that will have broad appeal. VERDICT Purchase where sci-fi romps are popular.-Cary Frostick, formerly at Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Falls Church, VA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 30, 2017
Androma “Andi” Racella was a rising star in the Arcadian military until she accidentally crashed General Cortas’s personal transport vessel, killing his daughter, Kalee. Andi fled Arcadius to avoid execution, becoming one of the most notorious criminals in the Unified Systems of Mirabel. Now dubbed the “Bloody Baroness,” Andi and her all-female crew of space pirates are planning their next heist when bounty hunter Dex Arez, Andi’s traitorous ex, captures the women and delivers them to Cortas. The general offers to pardon Andi if she rescues his son, Valen, from an impenetrable Xen Pterran prison. But Dex must accompany her, and if they are caught, the Xen Pterrans will likely kill them and declare war on the Unified Systems. First in a trilogy, this sprawling space opera from Alsberg and Cummings (the Balance Keepers trilogy) features plentiful action, complex politics, and a rich mythology. Regrettably, these assets can’t overcome the drag created by clichéd characters, manufactured drama, and an overstuffed and largely predictable plot. Ages 14–up. Agent: (for Alsberg) Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary; (for Cummings) Pete Knapp, New Leaf Literary.

November 1, 2017
A wanted space mercenary is offered clemency in return for executing a dangerous mission with the ex who betrayed her.Andi is the outlaw Bloody Baroness, a ruthless mercenary who's quick to kill and yet haunted by her dead. She's close only with her all-female crew: Second-in-Command Lira, a leadership-averse ace pilot with scales that change color and heat up with her emotions, and a package-deal pair of gunners, 7-foot-tall amnesiac Breck and adorable 13-year-old Gilly. (The gunners are sadly underdeveloped and underutilized.) When they're apprehended by bounty hunter Dex (Andi's ex), who's working for her home planet Arcardius' Gen. Cortas (who also has history with Andi), they're offered amnesty if they can rescue Cortas' kidnapped son, Valen, from a notorious Xen Pterran prison. Meanwhile, Xen Ptera's Queen Nor is a vague, lurking menace who is prone to melodramatic vows of vengeance against her planet's enemies and who, unsurprisingly, plots a devious scheme to achieve it. Vengeance, forgiveness, and family ties are big themes for Nor and the heroes alike--as, of course, Andi and Dex must work through their own predictable, thematically related issues. Plot twists are heavily forecasted, right up to the cliffhanger ending. Background nonhumans are very diverse (spikes, extra limbs), but the romantic leads appear to be human; Andi is white (as are most Arcardians) and Dex, brown-skinned.Trope-filled mediocrity. (Science fiction. 13-18)

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October 15, 2017
Grades 7-10 Captain Androma, Andi (aka the Bloody Baroness), and her all-girl Marauder crew are tricked into a deal with Arcardian General Cortas, father of the girl whose death is on Andi's head and that is complicated by the involvement of Dextros Arez, the man who broke Andi's heart. If successful, the general will pardon the pirate girls' crimes, so Andi takes the deal, landing herself and her friends in the middle of an unforeseen multiplanet war that threatens all Andi holds dear. Some content in this first book of the Androma Saga may be familiar if readers caught the previously self-published Zenith, Part 1, but no one will mind reacquainting themselves with the tortured, dynamic pirate queen and her small band of skillful female warriors. Dex and Andi's uneasy ongoing attraction and the (unrelated) looming galactic retribution share center stage, but this entry is more adventure than romance, and it will be interesting to see which gets developed next. An omniscient narrator switches focus between characters, at times describing flashbacks to provide explanations for current events.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)