Sunday 27 March 2011

ARC Book Review - The Flight of The Silver Vixen

Title: The Flight of the Silver Vixen
Author: Annalinde Matichei
Publisher: Sun Daughter Press


This book was sent to me as an ARC, it is currently only available on e-reader, but as I don't own one, I received the pdf file. This e-book is available to buy on amazon and is going to be released in paperback in the near future. My review will be totally honest, but I thank the author for offering me the chance to read her work.

Synopsis
The Flight of the Silver Vixen is an all-girl space adventure that is at once an action-packed thriller and an exploration of philosophical themes.
It begins with a group of wild teenagers from an all-girl planet hijacking a spacecraft and accidentally warping to the other side of the galaxy.
It proceeds through deadly battles with space pirates to a landing on another all-girl world where we rapidly discover that something much darker than mere pirates is threatening civilization on many planets.

 
My Review
This was my first offered ARC and I was so excited when I received the email asking little old me if I wanted a chance to read a new book. I did have some reservations as I am not really a sci-fi fan, but I didn't want to miss out on something good. I read Beth Revis' Across the Universe and loved that, and so thought I would try this book too, maybe I will become a Sci-Fi fan.
A group of Teens decide to steal a new, state of the art space ship and take it for a joy ride, to avoid capture they enter a crease in the ether and end up travelling to the other side of the universe. Landing in an unknown environment, they have to decide whether to try and head home or to explore. What they find is a planet full of danger.
This book is like no other I have ever read. For one thing, men do not exist and never have existed. There are just different types of females, I have to admit here that I was slightly confused by the different terms separating the different types of women, blondes are one type and I think seen as the lower form, a bit simple at times, Brunettes are seen as the warriors or the thinkers, more intelligent. But then there are also 'mascul's' which are beings with fur on their faces and a tendency for aggression and fights to the death, they are seen as monsters.  There are also others but I'm afraid I got a little bit lost with it. 
The team on the stolen ship 'The Silver Vixen' consists of the Royal Princess Mela a young blonde who has turned rebel, a young Captain named Antala who turned rogue and struck out for adventure, brunette Chinchi and some blondes who seem to be there to serve drinks and refreshments but end up being more useful that planned, and some other brunettes.  They each play their parts well and become a great team working together through whatever is thrown at them.
I was very intrigued by this book, it starts with the spaceship being stolen and so throws you straight into the action. Once on the other side of the universe they end up in more trouble and adventure than they ever imagined. 
I loved Captain Antala, she is so strong willed and full of the joy of life and what mischief she can get up to, but she is also very intelligent and a real quick thinker, very strategical and logical. She has some great action moments and I would love to own her hover bike, it sounds awesome.
Hunted by 'Space Pirates' the team end up getting split up and they meet a whole host of other characters and end up in some troublesome situations. The Princess Mela was also a great character, thrown back into the role of leader she stands strong for her team but also shows the young vulnerable side to her.
The book has some amazing technology I would love to have, the hover bikes as I mentioned before, they also have little ear piece communicators that can translate any language so they can understand what is being said and can then translate their language back, therefore allowing conversations with foreigners - This would make holidays and trips so much easier, don't you think.
The writing style flows well and the plot is great, but I did get confused as to who was what throughout the book. There is an index of characters at the end which I found useful and also of words used that is specific to the language in the story. This did help a lot.
The story also doesn't come to a full conclusion, I felt myself really getting into the book when it was over and clearly set for a sequel, I don't mind when books do this, but I felt slightly that this book was working it's way to something big and then just ended - left me hanging and feeling slightly annoyed, I wanted more, I ws now a part of these people's lives and I want to know what happens to them.
I think if you are a fan of Sci-Fi, space travel adventures then you would love this book. It is a thrilling tale of how a prank gone wrong can set off a whole new series of events with some life changing consequences.
I hope I haven't been too negative here, because it was a good book, and I did enjoy it, I just think it wasn't entirely my sort of read.
I am grateful for having the chance to read and review this up-coming novel and wish the author every success, clearly one to look out for if you like the genre.


My Rating
I would give this book 7/10, a certainly different sort of read, one that I think many will enjoy, I liked parts and was confused by others. So overall an interesting story with some great characters.
 


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