Review: Nexus by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings

Nexus by Sasha Alsberg (Goodreads Author), Lindsay Cummings (Goodreads Author), 

Stephen Dexter (Narrator), Caitlin Davies (Narrator), Nicol Zanzarella (Narrator), 

Jordan Claire Mccraw (Narrator)

, My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an advanced copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I received the ARC approval the day before this was published, so I opted to listen to the audiobook. My review is of the final audio version.

This was much stronger than Zenith, and I'm glad I revisited Zenith prior to jumping into Nexus. As I mentioned earlier, the plot is much more focused in this book where the plot was all over the place in Zenith. Andi and Dex are focused on getting the crew of the Marauder back and defeating Nor and Valen. The girls have fallen victim to the Zenith virus and are under the compulsion of Valen as are most of the citizens of the galaxy. Andi and Dex decide to find and team up with the resistance to fight Nor and Valen, only to find several unexpected allies. I did really enjoy the kind of twist at the end; I like how the story took a turn in a different direction. I overall enjoyed how this closed up the storyline and wrapped up things for the characters.

This doesn't really go into the science behind how the virus works and how the Nexus satellite works. It doesn't really go deep into the science. As a fan of harder sci-fi, I appreciate some explanation of how the science works, but this is one case where you just need to accept that it just works. There are also some fantasy elements that either felt out of place for me or needed more explanation like the ice dragon and the powers given to the Yielded and the Exonians. I’m good with genre blending, but some of it just didn’t work for me. As far as character development goes, the characters stay pretty true to who they were in Zenith.

I do think that having so many perspectives telling the story was unnecessary. I felt that way with the first book as well. I find that multiple perspectives often fall short for me, and that was certainly the case here. Part of the problem was the audio narration; the narrators were often monotone and lackluster. I didn't feel the excitement and emotion that should have been there in the action and emotional scenes.


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Review: Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings

Zenith by Lindsay Cummings
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.

I read the first part of Zenith a while back when it was going to be published as a set of serials. I was really into it, but it was short and left me wanting for more. I much prefer the longer version were get to see where the story goes instead of being left wanting after just a few chapters. I'm looking forward to where Sasha and Lindsey take the 2nd book. 

The story is told from the perspective of several different characters, I would have preferred just 2 characters, but I wasn't distracting or confusing.  There were times where it didn't make sense to read from one character's perspective, but knowing how the book ended it sets up book 2 to hear more from that character. Speaking of characters, I loved the banter between the crew on the Marauder and Dex. It was genuinely funny. I can't decide if I like Andi or not yet. She is a strong warrior one minute, then she is crying over something the next. Her sad story was repeated a few too many times for my liking, I would have liked a hint then a big reveal with all the info.  There is alot going on in Zenith, but I didn't think it was too much to keep up with.

Zenith follows the all female crew of the Maruader, captained by Androma or Andi, also known as the Bloody Baroness for her ruthlessness in a fight. Andi and her crew are almost always on the run for the unsavory jobs they take, but Andi is wanted for other crimes she has committed in her past. Dextros, Andi's former flame who also has become a bounty hunter must team up with the ladies of the Maurader on a near impossible mission to save the kidnapped son of a General. The General will wipe everyone's slates clean if they pull of the mission and save his son Valen. Everyone hates Dex for what he's done to Andi in their past, and the girls let him know it, especially Andi. Forced to be a team the agree to work together so they can clear their names and gain a chance at a decent life for themselves and their crew. Both Andi and Dex learn that neither of them know the whole truth about their past actions towards each other and make a pact to move on. Meanwhile, Valen is being brutally tortured to the brink of death in prison on Xen Ptera. The Queen of Xen Ptera, Nor, wants to eradicate everyone who has ever wronged her or her people and has been working on a secret weapon aptly named Zenith to make her revenge dreams come true. The queen will stop at nothing until her planet and her people have been avenged.

I'm anxious to see where the series goes from here.  I've read several negative review's that compared Zenith to other YA series and for it's lack of originality.  I've read some of them and I haven't read others, I see some of the similar themes but, you know what people read YA or any genre because they like that recipe.  The setting of Zenith is different, and there is some interesting and creative thought put into the development of the places and people presented in the various places the main characters encounter.

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