Grimspace- the review

When a book is so good, it is hard to find the right words to explain why you should run to your nearest bookstore or order it on line ASAP. So is the case with Ann Aguirre, a new author who has written an incredible Sci-Fi action packed book that will grab you by the throat and not let go. You know a book is this good because you will sit there and read it all in one sitting and want more. Grimspace is such a book

I really have to give a shot out to Dionne aka Bam and Jane over at Dear Author for introducing me to Grimspace. Without people like them, I would have no idea about Ann and what a true treasure she is. I for one am not a big fan of science fiction or space travel books. The only other author I enjoy who writes for this genre is Linnea Sinclair. And the fact that Linnea can’t stop raving about Ann really means something.

Why is this book so good? Well, first and foremost it is because of the heroine, Sirantha Jax, who just goes by Jax. If no other book comes along with such a wonderfully written heroine by the end of 2008, I am definitely making Jax my number one heroine for 2008. Jax is not your normal run of the mill heroine. She is the ultimate strong, kick ass type of woman who will give anyone a run for their money. The harsh reality about this character is that she assumes death will be coming for her at any moment. You could say she lives each day as if it is her last, because there is a good chance it will be her last.

Grimspace takes place somewhere in the future, in a distant universe. Jax is a woman who has a special gene that enables her to travel warp speed through space and time. The book opens where her “employer” is trying to break her down, make her go crazy. They believe that on her last jump, she killed a ship full of people, including her pilot Kai. When a person like Jax jumps into grimspace, her pilot becomes her lifeline and brings her back to reality. Jax had such an incredible relationship with Kai. He was her best friend and lover all rolled into one. That is, until she meets the mysterious March. March breaks her out of prison for his own means. Without any explanation he needs Jax to help him and his crew jump from planet to planet. If she doesn’t do what he wants, he will kill her. Yup, what a great start to their relationship!

But as with Kai, Jax becomes close with March because he becomes her new pilot and thus they have a bond, a very fragile one that Jax can hardly stand. This line caught my eye, because it explains what Jax and Kai had, and to do this with March is betrayal:

“My throat tightens, and I feel a fist curling around my intestines. It’s a cramp, rising nausea. It’s being told you have to remarry before your husband’s cold in the grave.”

Jax and Kai were as close as a husband and wife could ever be, and now she must move on and do the same with March. Most of the time, Jax can't stop the on slot of memories of Kai and their friendship. Even when she starts to feel something for March, Kai’s ghost is always there. But, March understands and when the time is right, he knows Jax will let go of what she had with Kai and turn to him. This is another incredible thing Ann has done. So many other authors will give a heroine a past relationship and it is always bad from their lover being abusive or just paling in comparison to the hero. Ann does not make excuses when it comes to Jax and what she had with Kai, she brings it front and center and it is a true to life. Why can’t a woman like Jax have a love with one man and then be with another, March, whose feeling she has for him are very different?

Even with the romance aside, Grimspace is a “Star Wars” type of book. There are aliens, battles and journeys to different worlds. Space is a harsh bitch, where people die horrible deaths and trusting someone may not be an option. Jax tries to grab some happiness where she can and hopefully that will be with March, who is one nice male specimen.

So, I urge you, if there is one book you must buy this year, Ann Aguirre’s Grimspace must be on your TBR list. I also have a feeling this will not be the last we see of Jax and March. Thank you Ann, for writing a book like Grimspace and allowing me to open my mind to other genres and books I normally wouldn’t read.

On the Kristie(J) ratings scale, I give Grimspace a perfect 5 out of 5!

**As for myself, I will be traveling this weekend to the wilds of Pennsylvania, gone for 3 days! So if you don't see me in blogland I am around, just not on-line. Please, no tears! I will be back. Your homework for this weekend is to come up with more heroes we must adopt or put in foster homes. When I come back I will find places for these men in your care**

Katiebabs