Review- Doubleblind

Ann Aguirre
Science Fiction/Fantasy
310 pages
Sirantha Jax Series #3
Excerpt
ACE/Penguin Usa


Synopsis:
Sirantha Jax isn't known for diplomatic finesse. As a "jumper" who navigates ships through grimspace, she's used to kicking ass first and taking names later-much later.  She's not exactly the obvious choice to sell the Conglomerate to the Ithtorians, a people whose opinions of humans are as hard as their exoskeletons.


And Ithtorian council meetings aren't the only place where Ambassador Jax needs to maneuver carefully.  Her lover is frozen in permanent kill mode, and his hair trigger threatens to sabotage the talks -not to mention their relationship.


But Jax won't give up on the man or the mission.  With the Outskirts beleaguered by raiders, pirates, and flesh-eating aliens, an alliance with the Ithtorians may be humanity's only hope.  Which has Jax wondering why a notorious troublemaker like her was given the job...


Review:
If executed properly a great piece of fiction can transport you to a foreign environment, maybe even a different place in time, but the thing I absolutely love about this series is that it becomes a completely new identity for me.  It's no secret than Sirantha Jax has become one of my all-time favorite leading ladies.  It's a treat to slip beneath her skin and watch the story through her eyes. In this edition, Jax proves to the reader {while proving to herself} why you stick by her. She's changed so much from the first book, but not in a way that I've forgotten why I identified with her in the first place.  She's evolved into this hero who is far from perfect, but has honor and integrity enough that you always believe she'll make the right decision. The range of emotions Jax expresses in this book, made this reader fully engaged and kept my own emotions on high-alert the entire book. 


No question, Doubleblind has brought new life back into the Sirantha Jax series.  The characters have morphed into new versions of themselves, and so has everything in the world they live in.  The story almost reads like a whole new start to the series.  Subtly, the series has shifted from the adventures of a cast of shipmates and has really turned into the tale of this far off world and the struggles it has to function.   Sirantha, March and their crew are on the cusp of an inner-stellar war of the worlds, and I can envision how the rest of the series will look. {There are 3 more books left in the series} The story-line was complex, fast-paced, and original. The twists and shocks will even creep up on the most clever reader. There's also new depth in the way Aguirre relays the story that I really enjoyed. She laces the story with various bits of news and information from all the different worlds, and it helps bring the rest of the universe into play.  Doubleblind has become my favorite of the series so far, without question.


Bottom Line:  Ann Aguirre proves to me again why I fell in LOVE with this series and the characters within her pages.  


5 stars