RunningOutOf_Ink reviewed Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet
Review of 'Nightchaser' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I binged this book in a single day. I've been on a kick with sci-fi romances (just finished basically everything by Jessie Mihalik) and this definitely fell into that category. This is the first book I've read by Amanda Bouchet, and I think she's a fairly strong writer, although not the strongest. There were some phrases of hers that I really loved; I really enjoyed her writing style.
My name was a bomb. It blew people away.
The main character, Tess Bailey, started off very strong. She's a badass ship captain, she and her crew steal from the rich and give to the poor. They've just stolen something very important from the government and are at the end of their endurance, having been chased from one end of the universe to the other. They're out of fuel and getting desperate. Tess would rather die than hand over what she's stolen. …
I binged this book in a single day. I've been on a kick with sci-fi romances (just finished basically everything by Jessie Mihalik) and this definitely fell into that category. This is the first book I've read by Amanda Bouchet, and I think she's a fairly strong writer, although not the strongest. There were some phrases of hers that I really loved; I really enjoyed her writing style.
My name was a bomb. It blew people away.
The main character, Tess Bailey, started off very strong. She's a badass ship captain, she and her crew steal from the rich and give to the poor. They've just stolen something very important from the government and are at the end of their endurance, having been chased from one end of the universe to the other. They're out of fuel and getting desperate. Tess would rather die than hand over what she's stolen. She gives her crew a choice; they choose to stay with her. She drops a major bomb (metaphorically) on them, and then takes them to their deaths...
I was really drawn in by the beginning of this story. Obviously Tess has a bit of history that she's not fully sharing. As you continue reading, you begin to piece together her life. She's gone through a hell of a lot, and she's only 26. I love piecing together a history instead of getting a big info-dump all at once. I thought the author did a great job with that.
I also really enjoyed getting Shade's point of view, surprisingly. I don't usually like books that swap POVs, but I thought this book did a good job of giving you just enough of his POV without making you feel like you were missing out on the main character's POV. I think it also added some great tension to the interactions between Tess and Shade, because you know what Shade is struggling with, and Tess is pretty oblivious.
Speaking of Tess' obliviousness...there were times when I found it pretty hard to believe that she was so easy-going, laidback, carefree with Shade (and Susan). She's literally had the worst things imaginable happen to her in the last 7 years. She's on the run from the tyrant government, has been on the run from them for years...but she's not as gritty as I would expect her to be, I guess. Shade remarks on that too, so maybe that's just what makes her so special, but it was really hard to believe and I found it hard to suspend my disbelief occasionally.
Also, what is it with sci-fi romances; every single one I've read, the characters are having these intense discussions/interactions during a time where they need to get somewhere as quickly as possible or risk getting captured/killed? Maybe now's not the time!
Overall, I enjoyed the story. It does feel a little naive at times, for a character who has been through so much. But there were also scenes that made me laugh out loud. Definitely worth a read!
