Zenith: A Young Adult Science Fiction Thriller of Galactic Intrigue and Steamy Romance (The Androma Saga Book 1)

INCOHERENT SCREAMING. Y’ALL. ZENITH WAS AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGG. I’ve been waiting for Zenith since the serialized-novella was introduced and MAN, Alsberg, and Cummings DID NOT DISAPPOINT. The Mirabel Galaxy was wonderfully thought out and constructed and added so much richness to the story. All of the characters were well-crafted, three-dimensional and totally BADASS. THERE MAY BE SPOILERS BELOW! SCROLL AT YOUR OWN RISK! Okay, let’s talk about allllllll the thingsss….. The Marauder– An all-glass starship with all the bells and whistles, including a really handy AI. Need I say more?! The Crew– Andi, Lira, Breck & Gilly are an amazing kick-ass group and their dynamic made so many parts of the book incredibly enjoyable. Androma Raccella— Also known as Andi & The Bloody Baroness. An extremely complex character. I loved getting to learn more about Andi as the novel progressed. She was so well developed and it was really easy to experience her emotions during specific scenes. Dextro– Not going to lie I didn’t love Dex. Okay, that’s not true. I just didn’t love Dex with Andi. I loved his character, and think that he was well developed. I really enjoyed seeing him go through all of his inner-struggles. & I definitely commend him for realizing that he and Andi don’t work anymore. Lira– As the book starts gearing up for the ending we get to know more about Lira. Especially after the crew has to stop on her former home planet. Lira is the perfect right-hand to Andi and their dynamic was sooooo good. Breck & Gilly — I’m putting these two together because they just have the best relationship! Breck & Gilly are seriously friendship goals, but really they are so much more than that. It’s really easy to see that they both adore each other and definitely veer more towards family (like a sister relationship). All I’m saying is NOTHING better happen to either of them in the next books. Gilly’s (Cat?!)– Havoc was such a wonderful small addition. I loved seeing the characters (mainly Gilly & Andi) interacting with him. He definitely helped to show both Gilly & Andi’s soft sides (at least once he won over Andi, that is) Alfie— An amazing, funny AI. One of my favourite characters. Sasha & Lindsay are terrible humans. I cried during that scene. The World– The Mirabel Galaxy was such a phenomenal world. You can tell that Sasha and Lindsay spent a lot of time creating the various planets and all the things that connect them. I loved learning about the politics and customs of the various planets. The technology, languages, developments, wars, and everything else that played into the world building was so excellent and immersive and I cannot wait to be back in this world in book two! The POV’s— I’ll admit when I first started Zenith I was totally overwhelmed by the amount of different POV chapters we get. However, by the end they totally all make sense and you get why Sasha and Lindsay felt it important to include them all. The impact that the plot twist has at the end is, in large part, because we’ve been getting perspectives from so many different people! The Prose– There were sooo many lines of dialogue and description that blew me away. I absolutely loved the way Sasha and Lindsay wrote this book and even more, I found it fascinating that you couldn’t really tell that there were two people crafting the story! Their voices melded together perfectly and created a masterpiece. Kalee— The story about Kallee just broke my heart. Not going to lie, I was convinced that she was going to come back and that she wasn’t actually dead. A little sad that I was not right. Also, I still don’t believe that the accident was, in fact, an accident. All Things NOR– Let me just tell you that the entire plot surrounding Nor was freaking amazing. By the end of the book I was literally at the edge of my seat. She’s an amazingly dark character and I am stoked to learn more about her in book two #ZENITH– I literally cheered when I read Zenith in the book for the first time! Now we know what “Zenith” is and damn— it ain’t good! I’m so scared for book two now that “Zenith” has been released! Andi’s whole crew is down, blindly worshipping Nor and I am not prepared for what is coming next! Valen– I saved Valen for last because he DESTROYED me! Not gonna lie, I ship Andi & Valen together SO MUCH! I literally SCREAMED when the plot twist came into play and we learned that he was actually Nor’s Brother?!?! Why you gotta play me like that? Valen pt.2– Oh, and let’s not forget that he kills his father and SHOOTS ANDI!!!! Seriously, Valen. You are making it harder for me to profess my love for you! Nevertheless, I am sure that he will be redeemed and my ship will sail through the Galaxy for the rest of time. In summation: I freaking LOVED Zenith. I went in expecting a high caliber novel and I was definitely satisfied. The world was so incredibly complex and developed. I loved all of the characters. The romance was wonderful. The friendships were wonderful. The badassery (is that a word?) was amazing. I loved it.

Zenith has a super cool, action-packed, girls-kicking-butt-in-space premise that had me really excited to read it. I was a little worried by some of the reviews I saw; but I really have a soft spot for space operas, and I still hoped this might be everything it promised. Unfortunately I found myself supremely bored for a little over half the book before I felt like things really picked up. That said, I really did enjoy that final section of Zenith; but I truly struggled to get through the majority of the book, and I think it would be helpful to anyone still on the fence about Zenith to explain why without real plot spoilers. The main issue, which if you’ve been reading the reviews you are aware of, is that Zenith is told in many many many different points of view, and it doesn’t work very well. What I think I would really have loved is a more focused version of this plot, alternating between Ani and Nor (to make some exposition of Mirabel’s political landscape easier). Switching between characters and plot lines is very hard to do in a way that doesn’t slow down the story, and unfortunately Zenith succumbs to that. As mentioned, Zenith’s problem is that it’s very slow. For the first 60% of the book Andi’s POV chapters honestly feel like she only has like three thoughts that she cycles through on a day to day basis— “I’m a cold-blooded murderer, but I remember all my victims,” “Dex saved me but he’s horrible,” and “I can never forgive myself for my ~mysterious~ past wrongs”. Additionally, as we hop between POVs and abandon developing plot points, it begins to feel like nothing is happening even though multiple storylines are playing out. Despite all the switching around we don’t really get a lot of characterization for the rest of Andi’s crew apart from like one chapter from Lira which could (and should) have been cut and we could have just gotten the information needed by having another character overhear the one important conversation she has. Honestly, by the end of the book Gilly and Breck have so little individualized characterization they probably should have just been condensed into one comic relief character, which is the role they are relegated to more often than not. Nor’s chapters are one of Zenith’s biggest redeeming qualities during that tough to get through first half. They’re intriguing and dark, and typically follow through with her storyline’s promised plot points a little more than the chapters from our characters who are all on the Marauder together; so the tension being created has time to build and be followed through with rather than just built and abandoned. As mentioned, once you reach the latter half of the book things do pick up and the action gets going—the last few chapters especially deliver the ride Zenith promised. If you’re willing to trudge through I did end up enjoying myself. Side note: I found it truly miserable to trudge through Dex’s chapters; he is just all around really unlikeable until like maybe the last ten percent of the book, and even then I don’t like him very much. I feel like that was definitely not the intent but I honestly cannot stand him.

Ok, this review is going to have the good the bad, and the ugly in it so hang on for this review! Sorry for this being choppy and kind of all over the place. I am doing this review from notes I made as I was reading and am just going with it. First off this book started out being very confusing. I was lost in the world at large and some characters it had. This one has many POVs some of which if you ask me it did not really need. However, over time those extra POVs became necessary as the story starts to wrap up. This one has elements of Firefly as well as Divergent. Andie, I can see as a cross between Four and that beautiful River and the captain guy in Serenity. (sorry his name has entirely just left the building, its gone) Which was great. As for the multi POVs being an issue, they turned out pretty easy to keep track of. I did have two problems off the bat, on who was who but after you get into it the story really just gets going and you figure out who everyone is, and it sticks with you. As for the backstory that was also slightly confusing. I wish that I had the time to sit here and read this book part by part. Instead of finishing it in just three days. Becuase this is a book that you are going to want to take your time reading. There is so much that these two authors have poured into these pages. From an entirely formed backstory to this beautiful plot and twists at the end. These characters you can tell are their heart and soul and how much they have poured into them. Some of the descriptions I thought were kind of unneeded. If by chance this gets picked up as a series or movie. Which I could totally see that happening, these will be an integral part of making these characters come to life. They did not really slow the story down or take away from it. I just thought that some of them we just didn't need. The flow in this worked one out well in most parts. I cannot wait to get my hands on a finished copy to see if anything was changed. One transition that I thought was weird was when they are making their plans. One minute they are planning and the next they are in a new space system hiding out where they needed to be. There really wasn't any transition between the two so that was a little weird. A simple fix to this could be a chapter ending and beginning. Another thing that I thought that was going to piss me off when it started was the timeline jump. We get alternating chapters of Andie, Nor, and Klaren telling us about things that happened in the past. However, once you get into the story I wanted another book that occurred before all of this. I want one where Andie is in school and befriends Kalee and leading up to the event that made her who she is. I think with all this backstory to this one a lot of you readers out there will feel the same. At least I hope so. Becuase, I really want it!! The characters in this were just beyond amazing. Everyone was well formed and I just couldn't get enough. I hope that in the following books we get to know Gilly more because I just love her as well as Breck. We don't get as much page time with these two as we do the other characters so I hope that changes. The book as a whole was one **LL of a journey that I couldn't put down. I know I will be reading this one again when I get it in hardback and I will read it for years to come. It is an epic sci-fi fantasy that will knock your socks off and take you on the ride of your life. Favorite Quotes: Toppling her opponents like stars falling from the sky She was an angel of darkness, come to him in the pits of hell. When she looked down at him, her smile was as bright as fire. Death is a simple thing. It's pirates I'll never understand She rose, snarling, as a lock of her hair tumbled to the floor. These Lunamere batards were going to die. My soldiers its time to darken the stars. I don't want the title. I don't want the job. I don't want the responsibility. I want to soar through the stars. I want to navigate through nebulous. I want to find my self so close to a black hole that it nearly shakes the bones from my body and then I want to overcome it. (this one might be messed up a little. I used Siri to write it down and of course, it messed up. And I couldn't find it again in the book)

Between a 3 and 3.5. **Huge thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.** TL;DR: There were some parts I really liked and other parts that were more meh. REVIEW: So I'm going to preface this review saying that I can separate the book from the author. That being said, this book was....interesting. It wasn't as bad as early reviews lead me to believe but it's not a new favorite. This book was fine, though the audiobook was fantastic and is definitely one of the reasons I finished the book as quickly as I did. Oh and while this is a spoiler-free book review, I did vaguely talk about things that happen later in the story. If you're worried about anything that may be considered a spoiler (I don't think I included any, but you never know), just skip down to my final thoughts section. Okay, so the book. It felt like a mish-mash of interesting ideas sprinkled in with some YA tropes and yeah, it was a bit all over the place. In the first 35% of the book (so like the first 200 pages) the Marauder's get captured, Andi and love interest reveal they are ex-love interests, a quest is given AND completed, we read in 4 POVs, and go to like 3 different locations. Basically, think of the first half of Guardians of the Galaxy up to the prison escape scene. I have no problem with that. Let the book be fast-paced, let the book keep us going from one scene to the next. This book decided not to be fast-paced, rather get a lot of stuff done really quickly then slow it down for the remained 65% of the book. One of the weakest parts of this book was how repetitive it was. Numerous times we had to hear about how Andi was mourning the death of her friend or how she and Dex were ex-lovers who still lusted after each other and engaged in an anticlimactic will they won't they romance. There were several times where the plot was put on hold to relive one of these moments. The flashback scenes were identical (or gave us the identical information) numerous times that by the time we actually learned what happened, I personally didn't care. That being said, one of the strengths of this book were the side characters. They had interesting personalities, the Maurder's didn't get enough page time in my opinion, but when they did take over the scenes it was enjoyable. Though one character that had no purpose in this book was the "main villain." I put this in quotes because until the last 50 or so pages of the book you have no clue who this character is or what the motivations are. Honestly, I'm still not sure what the motivations were. I joked with Audris that our villain needs to hang out with the other wasted Marvel villains, because wow what a letdown. Because we had so many pages dedicated to the Andi/Dex stuff described above, we actually didn't any time to fully understand what the threat was and what the significance of the threat taking over was. Also, there was a particular weapon introduced that sounded pretty important and for the life of me, I cannot tell you what this item was or what it did. It's a shame because it played a pretty big role in the climax. There is a twist in this book and wow it was anticlimactic. You'll either be scratching your head to figure out where the hell it came from or figure it out about 50 pages before the reveal. Yeah, it was clearly setting up the threat for the sequel, but it could have been done better. Oh and the POVs were fine. Having more than one really worked during some parts of the book were didn't add much in other parts. There are also some flashback scenes noted by italicized text. Listening to the audiobook, it was hard to figure out what was and wasn't flashback without following along, but that's just a small nitpick. FINAL THOUGHTS: Okay, I shat on this book a bit (without going into spoilers), but this book was meh. It has some interesting ideas but it felt cluttered. There was too much going on and far too many repetitive sections that could have been shaved out to allow for a more comprehensive story. I didn't hate this book, but it's not one I'm going to be recommending and will probably fade from my memory by the end of the year. If you're dying to read this book, check it out from your library and give it a shot. You might like it. I do highly recommend the audiobook, it made some parts easier to enjoy and allowed me to fly through the story. When reading it on my e-reader, it took me a while to read it. Yeah, not worth the hate but not worth the hype. While the space pirates came through, I didn't feel like we got the epic space story we were promised. There were traces of it hiding in the pages, but it didn't quite come through. More reviews like this one are available on my blog: coffeecocktailsandbooks[dot]com

If you were to combine the complex characters of Joss Whedon's Firefly/Serenity series with the phenomenal world and galaxy building of the Mass Effect franchise and threw in a YA twist, you'd find yourself falling in love with authors Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cumming's novel Zenith. The first in what is being called The Androma Saga, the amazing new YA science fiction series finds a story filled with strong, complex and intriguing female characters fighting to survive in a hostile galaxy. Here is the synopsis: Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness, a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her glass starship, Marauder, however, she's just Andi, their friend and fearless leader. But when a routine mission goes awry, the Marauder's all-girl crew is tested as they find themselves in a treacherous situation and at the mercy of a sadistic bounty hunter from Andi's past. Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a ruthless ruler waits in the shadows of the planet Xen Ptera, biding her time to exact revenge for the destruction of her people. The pieces of her deadly plan are about to fall into place, unleashing a plot that will tear Mirabel in two. Andi and her crew embark on a dangerous, soul-testing journey that could restore order to their ship or just as easily start a war that will devour worlds. As the Marauder hurtles toward the unknown, and Mirabel hangs in the balance, the only certainty is that in a galaxy run on lies and illusion, no one can be trusted. This book has definitely set the bar very high for the YA genre in 2018. I absolutely loved this complex world the authors built together. It tests the boundaries of the classic tale of good and evil by showing the "heroes" of the story taking some shocking actions to achieve their goals, while the "villains" actions are horrifying yet you see the heartbreaking backstory that set them on this dangerous path, and at times you'll find yourself empathizing with them. Androma, or Andi, is an incredible new female protagonist, bringing the emotional performance of Clary Fray from Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series with the ruthless heroism of Zoe from the Firefly series. It's refreshing to see a story explore the many sides of a female protagonist, not just the "kick-ass" side or the "emotional" side, but rather all of it put together, making a well rounded and fantastic character you as a reader will fall in love with throughout the course of the novel. In a time where projects like Guardians of the Galaxy are taking a hold in pop culture, this story of an all-female crew having to fight and survive in a male dominated world of piracy and politics is a fun twist on the genre, and something we need more of in both books and entertainment as a whole. The setting and imagery used throughout the story is breathtaking as you can instantly picture the scenes in your mind as your reading. The time and creativity the authors took to bring this galaxy and the many planets and races together is evident in every page, and the writing was well done, keeping an even pace while still making you hungry to get to the next chapter with every page of the novel. Overall I loved this book. It's a great first book in what I hope will be an incredible series, introducing the Mirabel Galaxy and all of the fun, dangerous and vast elements that drive the characters of this story. I couldn't find one fault with this story, and with a huge twist and cliff hanger ending leaving room for a second book, I am eager to delve into this powerful universe that was beautifully written by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings. If you haven't yet, be sure to pick up your copies of Zenith (The Androma Saga #1) today!

I loved Zenith!!! The characters captured me from the very start. I have always loved Doctor Who, but I’ve never read much Sci-Fi and Zenith has made me completely fall in love with the genre. The world in Zenith is so vast and amazing I especially would love to visit Adhira. the landscape sounds so beautiful. I really loved that friendship was at the centre of the story. I would love to have friends like the Marauder crew. Androma was such a great character and strong leader who really cared about her crew. However, I did find it hard to connect to her at times. I loved Lira, I could really relate to her and she loved books! Lira’s library sounded amazing. Breck and Gilly were honestly the best, they brought so much laughter and lightness to the team. The romance was another highlight in Zenith, as Dex and Androma had their ups and downs, but both really care about each other. I loved that the chapters were so short in this 512 page novel, it made me feel like I was getting through the story quicker. I found the writing to be engaging and I really can’t wait for the next book in the series. Overall, If you love the sound of a crew of female space pirates, going on dangerous adventures in space, then this is the book for you. Thank you to Harlequin Australia for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF 52% I just don't see myself finishing this book, at least not any time soon and I would rather focus on books I want to read. This was starting to put me into a bit of a reading slump; reading it felt more like a chore than something to do for pleasure. Once I started skimming massive amounts of text I knew there was no point in continuing. As for my thoughts on specific aspects of this book. I don't have much to say that hasn't been said already. I wasn't a fan of all the points of view because they just felt unnecessary. The world building and the character development were underwhelming and relied on tropes. I didn't feel much chemistry between Dex and Andi, but it was clear they were on a romantic collision course. Even the technology felt rushed, and the descriptions of characters didn't serve much a purpose other than to make them sound cooler. Alright, I guess I do have one thing to say. I don't know how something could be so saturated with descriptions and still leave me feeling lost. It was clear the authors had a vivid imagination for the galaxy and wanted to share it with me, but they spent so much time describing inconsequential settings, physical character traits, and dialogue tone, that some of the more necessary descriptions (and for that matter world building) was overlooked.

I am so glad I didn't let the negative reviews stop me from getting this book! I thought the story line was a great start to a series. I found my self falling in love with the characters, and wanting to know more of their story. Great start and can't wait for more. Btw, this is my first review, I couldn't not say how much I liked it, especially if others are hesitant liks I was.

It's been a long time since I've devoured a book in just under three days, but as soon as I read the first few lines of Zenith I knew I was hooked. It's truly the characters of this book that make it so amazing (of course, the plot, world and pacing is there too!). Andi is a MC that is so beautifully broken that she broke me with every scene. Her strength despite all she's been through is truly admirable, and I found myself completely invested in her journey. I wanted her to find the forgiveness she damn well deserves. Dex, our other MC, was everything I love in the devilish rogue type. Charming, dangerous, but actually a total sweetheart. I'm going into some spoilers now, so be warned... I love the relationship between Dex and Andi and I SHIP THEM SO HARD. They both hurt each other, something you think they can never come back from...but when you discover their reasons, you realise just how much they had no other choice, and how much they still care for one another. The tension between them was incredible, and their banter over who the Marauder belonged to was a wonderful touch of lightness to an otherwise dark story. The relationship between Andi and her crew was one of my favourite things about the novel. Their bond and the way they were always there for each other had me tearing up on multiple occasions. I loved seeing it develop - and I loved seeing Dex slowly being brought into it. I'll talk briefly about the 'villain', Nor. She's actually a villain I found myself rooting for on occasion; her history is awful, and it's no surprise she is how she is. Her chapters were some of my favourites, and I'm especially keen to see how her relationship with Valen develops. Because OH MY GOD, THAT ENDING. That brings me onto Valen. DUDE. I kind of sensed something was wrong, but the authors did an INCREDIBLE job of making you forget all the little seeds they planted, because, like Andi, we WANT to believe he's forgiven her. That he's home safe. It's only in the final chapters leading up to the climax that you start to feel that niggling that something is /wrong/. And boy, is it. That ending was incredible, and I now have the biggest book hangover ever. Thanks, Sasha & Lindsay. I could go on and on about this book. I'm more of a fantasy girl, so I was surprised by how much I loved it. The different planets, the ships, the body mods...it was all so COOL. Sasha & Lindsay have created an immersive, unforgetable world that I'm eager to explore more of. TL;DR this book is epic beyond measure. I need the next one like I need air.

Ho acquistato la versione del libro con la copertina rigida come regalo per un'amica e non sono stati riscontrati problemi di alcun tipo.

I have been waiting for this book for a long time. I first came across the small few-chapters edition when the authors first released it. An now it has grown so much! I love all things space which makes this book an obvious choice for me. Although I've been in a bad reading slump when I started this book, which may be the reason I found the first half quite slow. For some reason Zenith and I had a bad start, even tough I've already read the first few chapters way back and I loved it so much! Anyway, when the second half came around it had me back in its grip again. Have I mentioned that I love space?! It also has loads of epic adventure and snarky character. I loved the women power and independence of Andi and her crew. I feel like this is a good read after a breakup. Strong women are awesome! Also I would have wished for more romance. I was always on my toes for the scenes with Andi and Dex but nothing really happened. I wish they would've resolved their relationship sooner. All in all I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good adventure story, strong female characters with lots of wit and funny/snarky comments.

Não tenho comentários a fazer sobre o conteúdo já que ainda nao li o livro, mas veio em ótimas condições

Because everyone have a different taste at reading.