Avalon by Mindee Arnett

Avalon by Mindee Arnett
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Expected Publication: January 17th, 2014
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Page Count: 432
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A ragtag group of teenage mercenaries who crew the spaceship Avalon stumble upon a conspiracy that could threaten the entire galaxy in this fascinating and fast-paced sci-fi adventure from author Mindee Arnett.

Of the various star systems that make up the Confederation, most lie thousands of light-years from First Earth-and out here, no one is free. The agencies that govern the Confederation are as corrupt as the crime bosses who patrol it, and power is held by anyone with enough greed and ruthlessness to claim it. That power is derived from one thing: metatech, the devices that allow people to travel great distances faster than the speed of light.

Jeth Seagrave and his crew of teenage mercenaries have survived in this world by stealing unsecured metatech, and they're damn good at it. Jeth doesn't care about the politics or the law; all he cares about is earning enough money to buy back his parents' ship, Avalon, from his crime-boss employer and getting himself and his sister, Lizzie, the heck out of Dodge. But when Jeth finds himself in possession of information that both the crime bosses and the government are willing to kill for, he is going to have to ask himself how far he'll go to get the freedom he's wanted for so long.

Avalon is the perfect fit for teens new to sci-fi as well as seasoned sci-fi readers looking for more books in the YA space-and a great match for fans of Joss Whedon's cult hit show Firefly.

 *A review copy was provided from the publisher*

So this book just so happened to appear when I needed it most. I absolutely love everything sci-fi. I harbor so much love for anything that involves space. And I've been thinking lately to myself "Where's a new and different sci-fi novel out there?" And then this one was like "Heeeeyyy". So, yes, this novel came at a very convenient time.

I didn't absolutely love Jeb, but he was a pretty cool guy. Even though he was technically some delinquent and thief and stuff, he was a good guy that would do anything for his family, friends, and his ship, Avalon. But still, I didn't connect with him on any level. I also didn't find him to be that much of a dynamic character, but he wasn't intolerable. He was just kind of there as the story was told and I can't help but think that the disconnection was caused by the novel being written in third person.

Another little bone to pick was the insta-romance. Okay, it wasn't more of an instant romance than it was instant random crush. I don't know about you, but I don't randomly start crushing on a person whom I barely know about. I just didn't buy it, especially in the situation that they were all in. Every time said crush feels would be mentioned, I'd just groan internally because I found it to be a wee bit on the rushed side.

But I did enjoy the book a lot! If you don't focus on the characters but stay into the plot and all the shit that's going down, this novel was pretty darn cool! Like, unexplainable things are happening and plots are getting twisty before you even know it and none of it was in the least (in my opinion) that predictable and once you got into that, the book's pages flew by. It is very original, from the repertoire of books I've read, and I was a content reader.

Avalon was the perfect mix of Firefly and total coolness and I recommend that everyone pick up this book sometime. The pace was quick and those four hundred or so pages flew by. I cannot wait to read the next installment! There's so much I want to know about this world still!

4 Splashes