Name: Grimspace
ISBN: 9780441015993

Ann Aguirre

When he is accused of murder, Jax's job as a jumper for the Corp seems in jeopardy until March offers her an escape from prison in exchange for establishing a new kind of jumper and ending the Corp's monopoly on outer space travel.

Grimspace

*A SciFi story whose potential crashed and burned catastrophically*

 promised a SciFi adventure full of rebels and action. In a futuristic world, certain people have the ability to jump ships through space (basically opening wormholes), but it requires psychically linking with a pilot who navigates while the jumper holds the portal open. This leads to an intimate connection between the two. Sirantha Jax is a jumper currently in prison under investigation after she survives a crash that killed everyone else aboard including her pilot/lover. Until a mysterious agent breaks her out of jail to try to recruit her to the rebel cause trying to overthrow the corrupt corporation that controls all space travel.

The story is told in first person, present tense from Sirantha Jax’s POV. I didn’t particularly like Sirantha, so being stuck in her head was not that fun. The writing style felt like it was trying to be quirky and was full of weird analogies. I also could not get invested in her romance with March initially, because it felt way too soon considering the man she loved died just a couple of weeks before. And it was too much instalove. But they did grow on me. And when they adopt (cough: 

) an adorable frog-like sentient alien baby my enjoyment significantly increased. Frogs make everything better.

“Mother Mary of Anabolic Grace, we got Teras incoming?” He levels angry blue eyes on me. “You’re a hex, lady, dark luck, powerful bad juju, ken?”

“Only to people who try to kidnap me,” I tell him sweetly, and March snorts, so I feel obliged to add, “Or rescue me…” And then Dina makes a pfft sound. “Or who travel with me…” My gaze sweeps around the darkened interior, trying to find an ally, but nobody will hold my eyes more than two seconds, it seems. “Fine, frag you all, I’m dark juju, bad luck, and you’re all doomed.”

 tried to feature a motely found family crew. I say 

 because in the end, none of the characters’ actions made sense. And Aguirre totally forgot about character development – or consistency.

Everything was going fine until a little over halfway. I am not ok with what happened to Baby Z, the way it happened, and how the characters didn't give a shit – particularly Sirantha. She turned out to be a complete POS. There were hints before that that she was xenophobic and egotistical. But boy did she drive the nails into her coffin. In turn, that made it even more unbelievable that she spent most of her life essentially as an ambassador since her jumping ability meant she was often the first human contact to new worlds and species. Anyway, that was the beginning of the end. All of the characters started acting extremely inconsistently and the story floundered pathetically. The plot pacing just died, and by the time it tried to get back on track, I had lost all interest. I only finished the book because I'm terrible at DNFing

Despite multiple enemies and a variety of danger, the stakes never felt high enough. And as I mentioned, the characters acted so inconsistently.

As stated I had qualms about the romance, and not just the speed of it. The involuntary mind-reading should have been a much bigger issue. Instead Sirantha seems to see it as entertaining since she can taunt March without saying anything out loud. It still was uncomfortable. Then they both started acting so asinine and irritating. Also, I hate anything with infidelity. Don’t try to dress it up as anything else. Just don’t.

“No matter how interminable something feels, there is always, always an ending. Sometimes that's good, and sometimes it's bad; sometimes it's a matter of indifference, and sometimes it's heartbreaking.”

It’s great when I can use a quote out of context to describe my feelings. I have zero interest in continuing with this series. I have reached the end of this disappointing journey.

Characters and Character Development: 1 Star

Colleen

2 Stars

*A SciFi story whose potential crashed and burned catastrophically*


Grimspace promised a SciFi adventure full of rebels and action. In a futuristic world, certain people have the ability to jump ships through space (basically opening wormholes), but it requires psychically linking with a pilot who navigates while the jumper holds the portal open. This leads to an intimate connection between the two. Sirantha Jax is a jumper currently in prison under investigation after she survives a crash that killed everyone else aboard including her pilot/lover. Until a mysterious agent breaks her out of jail to try to recruit her to the rebel cause trying to overthrow the corrupt corporation that controls all space travel.

The story is told in first person, present tense from Sirantha Jax’s POV. I didn’t particularly like Sirantha, so being stuck in her head was not that fun. The writing style felt like it was trying to be quirky and was full of weird analogies. I also could not get invested in her romance with March initially, because it felt way too soon considering the man she loved died just a couple of weeks before. And it was too much instalove. But they did grow on me. And when they adopt (cough: kidnap) an adorable frog-like sentient alien baby my enjoyment significantly increased. Frogs make everything better.

“Mother Mary of Anabolic Grace, we got Teras incoming?” He levels angry blue eyes on me. “You’re a hex, lady, dark luck, powerful bad juju, ken?”

“Only to people who try to kidnap me,” I tell him sweetly, and March snorts, so I feel obliged to add, “Or rescue me…” And then Dina makes a pfft sound. “Or who travel with me…” My gaze sweeps around the darkened interior, trying to find an ally, but nobody will hold my eyes more than two seconds, it seems. “Fine, frag you all, I’m dark juju, bad luck, and you’re all doomed.”


Like many SciFi space stories, Grimspace tried to feature a motely found family crew. I say tried because in the end, none of the characters’ actions made sense. And Aguirre totally forgot about character development – or consistency.

Everything was going fine until a little over halfway. I am not ok with what happened to Baby Z, the way it happened, and how the characters didn't give a shit – particularly Sirantha. She turned out to be a complete POS. There were hints before that that she was xenophobic and egotistical. But boy did she drive the nails into her coffin. In turn, that made it even more unbelievable that she spent most of her life essentially as an ambassador since her jumping ability meant she was often the first human contact to new worlds and species. Anyway, that was the beginning of the end. All of the characters started acting extremely inconsistently and the story floundered pathetically. The plot pacing just died, and by the time it tried to get back on track, I had lost all interest. I only finished the book because I'm terrible at DNFing

Despite multiple enemies and a variety of danger, the stakes never felt high enough. And as I mentioned, the characters acted so inconsistently.

As stated I had qualms about the romance, and not just the speed of it. The involuntary mind-reading should have been a much bigger issue. Instead Sirantha seems to see it as entertaining since she can taunt March without saying anything out loud. It still was uncomfortable. Then they both started acting so asinine and irritating. Also, I hate anything with infidelity. Don’t try to dress it up as anything else. Just don’t.

“No matter how interminable something feels, there is always, always an ending. Sometimes that's good, and sometimes it's bad; sometimes it's a matter of indifference, and sometimes it's heartbreaking.”


It’s great when I can use a quote out of context to describe my feelings. I have zero interest in continuing with this series. I have reached the end of this disappointing journey.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 2 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 1 Star
Plot Structure and Development: 2 Stars
Level of Captivation: 2 Stars
Originality: 2 Stars

Sarah Escorsa

⚠️ Warning: I know most of you already have the popcorn handy but now would be a good time to grab a drink as well. And clear your schedule. This should take a while. 

Actual rating: 4.5 stars. Oh, who am I kidding?! Let's try this again shall we?
Actual rating: 5.5 stars. Now that's more like it!

First, let's get something out of the way real quick:



There. That should take care of most of the problem. Then again maybe not. Oh well. Are you ready? Let's do this.

💣 Irritating list of the Potentially Irritating Things I should have found Irritating but didn't find Irritating at all 💣

(view spoiler)[If you're unsure of what usually irritates me, just ask Shelly, she'll be happy to give you the full list. Of what doesn't irritate me. It's shorter. Much shorter. (hide spoiler)]

💀 Potentially Irritating fact #1: first person/present tense narrative.
Oh dear. Can't stand them. One of the last times I read one of those? Red Rising. As some of you might remember, this didn't go particularly well. I rest my case.

💀 Potentially Irritating fact #2: space setting.
Meh. I don't like space. I don't like galaxies. I don't like distant planets. I don't like moons. I don't like suns. I don't like aliens. I don't like scapeships. And I don't give a damn about the fate of the universe. You get the idea: space things are not me. (view spoiler)[Oh will you space opera freaks just calm down for a second?! I'm not totally and irrevocably unredeemable you know. I love Star Wars. And Star Trek. And Alien. Sheesh people, no need to be so aggressive. (hide spoiler)]



💀 Potentially EXTREMELY Irritating fact #3: luurrve insta-luurrve.
😱😱 {insert collective scream here} 😱😱
Yes. This. Let's see. Jax & March. First we have insta-hate. And we all know what usually ensues right? Right. So this is the part where I go: "Mother Mary of Anabolic Grace! Brace yourself you cold-hearted cynic, one insta-luurrve-induced sugar-shock coming right up!" So I shudder and wait for it to happen. But it doesn't. So I wait some more. Still nothing. Houston we have a problem. Oh wait. No we don't. It's all perfectly normal. It's not really insta-luurrve you see. It's pairing [Now if you expect me to explain what pairing is, think again. You'll just have to read the book to figure it out. Because YES you are going to read this book. Whether you want to or not. Because I said so. It's not like you have a choice or anything. Whoever said this was a democracy?.]



Oops, sorry about that. Where was I? Oh yes. It's not really insta-luurrve. It's pairing. BIG DIFFERENCE. Oh will you stop snickering back there. Pairing is a perfectly acceptable, scientifically proven fact. Nothing to do with that silly lovey-dovey stuff. No wonder the sugar shock never came. What? Snickering again? I don't believe this. Okay I get it. The ugly truth, that's what you want don't you? Fine. I don't think you can handle it but here goes:

YES THERE IS INSTA-LUURRVE IN THIS BOOK AND YES I LUUURVES IT ANYWAY.

OMG. Someone please call 911, I think half of my friends are hyperventilating. Come on people, breathe. You can do this. Breathing in. Breathing out. Breathing in. Breathing out. There. Feel better? Good. You scared me for a second there you know.

(view spoiler)[Yes, I know, this is kind of getting out of hand. Sorry about that. Can't say I didn't warn you though. Now let me unleash the crazy for a bit, maybe it will help release some of the pressure in my head. (hide spoiler)]



Still with me? Wow, I'm impressed. But I'm not finished yet. Sorry.

💕 Awesome list of the Potentially Awesome Things I should have found Awesome and did actually find Absolutely Awesome 💕

✔ Potentially Awesome fact #1: Awesome writing.
Okay so this should have been one of the potentially irritating facts I should have found irritating but didn't. But I'm cheating here. My review, my kingdom. I can do anything I like {this is me virtually sticking my tongue out at you}. Anyway, the writing: it seems a bit clunky and chaotic at first. The story is told from Jax' POV, with lots of short paragraphs *and* short sentences. But wait, it gets worse! Not only do we have Jax' inner dialogues here, we also have her italicized asides. Yeah I hear you, recipe for disaster and all that. Ha! You can be so naive sometimes! The writing here? It's fantastic FANTASTIC. It sucks you right into the story. Read one chapter and you're doomed. And let's not forget the twists. And the turns. And the revelations. SHOCK! DISMAY! EXCITEMENT! (view spoiler)[Shhhhh hysterical fangirl, shhhhhhh. It'll be fine. Just calm down. You're scaring people away. GR is showing a dramatic drop in membership right now. (hide spoiler)]



✔ Potentially Awesome fact #2: the Awesome cast of Awesome secondary characters.
Bitch-this, bitch-that Dina, deadpan humour Doc, Loras and his attentive-slave impression, Baby Z!!!!!!!!, yummy yummy Hon, 245 the non-pedantic little fuck/AI, Velith the bounty hunter with the poisonous body chemistry… I even love the freaking aliens here! The Teras! The Morguts (hahaha the Morguts)! All of them! So awesome even grumpy cats want to go to outer space!



✔ Potentially Awesome fact #3: the Awesome humour.
Mother Mary of Anabolic Grace. I have a confession to make. I have more highlights for this book than for any of the Edge instalments I just read. More highlights than an IA book! I feel like an unfaithful wife who just cheated on her husband of 20 years *gasps* But the fact remains. This book has some of the funniest lines ever. Jax' inner dialogue & asides. The banter. Chapter 23 with Baby Z... It never stops. So much awesome. So much funny. Now you probably expect me to unleash some of my favourite quotes on you. Not going to happen. I assume you have a life, a family, things to do, places to be. I wouldn't want to keep you away from all that. You've been here long enough as it is. Please don't thank me. I'm thoughtful like that.



✔ Potentially Awesome fact #4: March *sighs*
Introducing book boyfriend #2458. He might be the latest addition to my harem but he just made it to the top 10 5 list. Bam! I'm in love. Just like that. And before any of you ladies start getting weird ideas into your little heads, let me tell you something: he is mine. YES, HIM TOO. I've already jazzed up his DNA with a GPS tracker. Don't try to steal him from me. I'll know where he is at all times. But I digress. March. He might not be an aggravating asshole BUT: the infamous glare, the saturnine smile, the silent conversations. He's obnoxious, he's obstreperous and he's a reformed homicidal maniac. Hold on. I think I'm forgetting something *headslap* THE THETA WAVES. Oh my. 



Oh wait. He's got THETA WAVES you silly. Anything physical is so overrated. No hands! No hands! Muahahahahaha.

✔ Potentially Awesome fact #5: Jax
Introducing KD's cousin from outer space. Oh yes, the girl is *that* cool. She's snarky. She's tough. She kicks butt. She's stubborn. She's got paranoid delusions. She's bad juju. She's a nutcase. She's dreadfully honest. She doesn't give shit about the greater good. She's a survivor. She's a rocket in bed. She's a model captive. She's suicidal. She's got peegasms. She never lets go. She's got the J-gene. She puts the weakness away. Sometimes. And there's a 5-year-old inside of her who wants to kick shins. Now that's my kind of girl.



Sorry, just felt like dancing around like a maniac in celebration of so much Awesomeness.

Oh dear. I haven't said a thing about the story have I? Oh well. Here's a crash summary for you:

① This book is cool. 
② This book is awesome. 
③ You need this book in your life. 

Oh I know exactly what you're thinking at this point. Sarah LOVED this so I'll probably hate it. Because ☍☍ twisted Sarah logic☍☍ and all that. Ha! You fools. Every single one of the 
  MacHalo Freaks
 who read Grimspace LOVED it too. Just ask them, you'll see. Now I'll let that sink in for a while. 

· Book 2: Wanderlust ★★★★★
· Book 3: Doubleblind ★★★★★
· Book 4:Killbox ★★★★★
· Book 5: Aftermath ★
· Book 6: Endgame ★ (DNF at 20%)