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Fortune’s Pawn by Rachel Bach

I finished reading this and was excited to read more. I’m requesting the next two books in the trilogy from the library, but would be content with this as a stand alone.

The book is well written; Devi is an engaging protagonist, but also one with work and a background. In contrast to the YA novels I’ve been reading, it’s nice to have a hero who has been around. The story starts off with her asking an ex (kind of) about her plan for advancement and getting a reality check.

That she takes on the crazy, high risk mission as a step in her career advancement tells us a lot about her. And, as she reacts to the “things are stranger than they seemed”, her reactions reflect experience and realistic calculation.

In the background is a universe that seems plenty plausible. There are some aliens, but there’s not the casual acceptance of a Star Trek or Star Wars universe. There are a few human empires: their relationship seems mostly political, very important if you’re a planetary homebody, but companies and ships travel and trade between them.

As I said, this book is well written, and has a nice mix of action and character development. There’s also an interesting romance angle, but even the romance reflects an experienced woman–not a lovestruck teenager blindsided by feelings for the first time. Her determination to buckle down and concentrate on what’s important is great… and reflects women I’ve known.

Books 2 and 3 here.