Review: Polaris (Avalon #2) by Mindee Arnett

I received this book for free from Balzer + Bray in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Jeth Seagrave and his crew of mercenaries are pulled into one last high-stakes mission in this breathtaking sequel to Mindee Arnett’s fascinating and fast-paced sci-fi thriller Avalon.

Jeth Seagrave and his crew are on the run. The ITA, still holding Jeth’s mother in a remote research lab, is now intent on acquiring the metatech secrets Jeth’s sister Cora carries inside her DNA, and Jeth is desperate to find the resources he needs to rescue his mother and start a new life outside the Confederation. But the ITA is just as desperate, and Jeth soon finds himself pursued by a mysterious figure hell-bent on capturing him and his crew—dead or alive.

With nowhere to run and only one play left, Jeth enters into a bargain with the last person he ever thought he’d see again: Daxton Price, the galaxy’s newest and most fearsome crime lord. Dax promises to help Jeth, but his help will only come at a price—a price that could mean sacrificing everything Jeth has fought for until now.

The conclusion to the story Mindee Arnett began in her acclaimed novel Avalon, Polaris is a dangerous journey into the spaces between power and corruption, life and death, the parts of ourselves we leave behind, and the parts we struggle to hold on to.

First I have to say that I almost gave up on this book. I liked the first book, so I really wanted to see where things went in this so I continued on. It took a while, but when I finally got into it, I was hooked. It was very action packed and adventure filled. I still didn’t really care too much for the characters, but there was so much going on that I guess I was distracted from them a lot. Speaking of a lot going on, there is conspiracy, after conspiracy and betrayals galore. I really liked the story and how things all led from one thing to another in a shit storm though. I didn’t love it, but it was still enjoyable.

Jeth just doesn’t do much for me as a character. I thought that maybe in this book we would get a bit more from him, but with everything else going on, he was even more detached than ever. He is one determined dude, that’s for sure. He will do anything to get his mother back and keep his sister safe. Even if it means giving in and doing some other really horrible things. He is fighting against more than he knows and he isn’t really in control of himself. He does some really shitty things, and hurts people that he loves. It’s really hard to talk about a character when you feel no real connection to, so I will move on.

The secondary characters weren’t developed any better, so instead of talking about them, I will talk about what is done great. First, the plot is fantastic. I mean, there is so much going on, but it is never confusing. It’s just one big rush from one adrenaline rush to the next. And then the vivid imagery of everything was amazing. I could see what was being described so clearly in my head. From the beautiful scenery, to the more disturbing dark images. I felt like I was immersed in the world around me.

So clearly, I am middle ground on this book. There was a lot of good, but also much that just didn’t do it for me. I am a very character driven reader, so the lack of connection to them really had a big impact on me really getting into this book. I am all about fantastic storyline and great world building, but it’s not enough. Also, I am not super science girl or anything, so I loved that this didn’t totally confuse me like a lot of Sci-Fi books can. I really wanted to love this book. It was so full of action and twisted games, but unfortunately the slow start and lack of character connection really took it down a few notches for me. It was still enjoyable and I am glad that I read this sequel.

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Amy

I'm no good at this, but I'm a mom of one little girl who really thinks she is a princess. I love reading all sorts of books (horror being a favorite genre of mine), love meeting new people, drinking lots of coffee, and eating chocolate. If you want to know anything else about me, just ask.

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