#Review - Honor Bound by Rachel Caine, Ann Aguirre #SyFy #YALit

Series: The Honors #2
Format: Hardcover, 480 pages
Release Date: February 19, 2019
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Library
Genre: YA / Science Fiction / Alien Contact

In the second book of this action-packed series from New York Times bestselling authors Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre, savvy criminal turned skilled Honor Zara builds new alliances and clashes with bitter enemies in the Leviathans’ interstellar war.

Zara Cole was a thief back on Earth, but she’s been recently upgraded to intergalactic fugitive. On the run after a bloody battle in a covert war that she never expected to be fighting, Zara, her copilot, Beatriz, and their Leviathan ship, Nadim, barely escaped the carnage with their lives.

Now Zara and her crew of Honors need a safe haven, far from the creatures who want to annihilate them. But with two wounded Leviathan to treat, plus human and nonhuman refugees to help, they’ll have to settle for the nearest outpost, called the Sliver: a wild, dangerous warren of alien criminals.

Zara’s skills from the Zone may be invaluable.

However, Zara discovers that the secrets of the Sliver may have the power to turn the tide of the war they left behind—but in the wrong direction.
Soon Zara will have to make a choice: Stand against the ultimate evil or run from it. But she’s never walked away from a fight.

 

Honor Bound is the second installment in co-authors Rachel Caine & Anne Aguirre's The Honors series. This book picks up right where Honor Among Thieves left off. After their dangerous encounter with the Phage, a terrifying alien race capable of devouring their beloved Leviathan which are sentient beings, Zara Cole, Beatrix Teixeira, Leviathan Nadim, along with Leviathan Typhon, Starcurrent, Yusuf, Marko, and Chao Xing (C-X) need to make a pit stop to the Sliver for supplies and better weapons.

The Silver reminds me of scenes in a Star Wars movie where anything and everything goes. If you need a part, you can barter for it with music, or fight in a gladiator type setting to earn enough credits to get what you want for your ships. It is a space-station full of aliens, different cultures, countless of different cultures, sexual preferences and behaviors. Here we see Zara at her best, which shouldn't come to anyone's surprise if you know where she's came from, and how she ended up as part of the Honor's program.

Since arriving on Nadim, Zara and Bea have merged with their Leviathan ship on what was supposed to be a one year journey, but has turned into a fight for their lives. Zara's bond is a whole lot stronger than the one with Bea, but I don't see that being an issue for long. I loved that Zara, Bea, as well as the rest of the Typhon crew work seamlessly together to get what they need to fix their ships. 

C-X understands Zara a whole lot better than she did in the first installment. She understands that Zara has a whole new way of looking at things, including knowing where the weaknesses are in their enemies. But, not everything is smooth in this book. Especially when they catch the attention of the Silvers alien in charge Bacia Annont, and ally themselves with another alien race in order to protect the Silver from the Phage, and a recently awakened God with horrible powers.   

Why you should be reading this series:

Zara is a complex heroine that readers will love to root for as she fights for her one chance at safety. She's also strong and unreservedly rebellious and her relationship with Bea and Nadim is worth reading about. Zara herself has really grown so much since she left earth and been awakened by how large and strange and dangerous the universe really is.

This is an action filled Intergalactic adventure with a fast-paced prose, sparkling characters, and unique details that bring the imagined futuristic world to life make for a gripping adventure that will appeal to both avid sci-fi fans and readers new to the genre.

I would have liked this book a bit better had the author(s) not thrown in a particular character who intends to make life even more difficult for Zara in the next installment. I will also be honest. It's not like she has to face a GOD who wants to destroy entire planets! It's not like there are massive quantities of Leviathan's around to help Zara and her allies fight against what is to come. Lastly, the use of certain pronouns is absolutely confusing and took away from the enjoyment of the story.

 

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