March came to bring Jax to Lachion, a place where him and many others wish to create an alternative to the Corp, and they need Jax if this is going to work. He might not like her, probably even blames her for the death of someone he cared about, but the purpose that drives him is bigger than his pain, and Jax's wishes.

March and his motley companions are not the only ones who want Jax, dead or alive, and soon they are engaged in battle and fighting to survive dangers much stronger than they are. Lives are lost, and things are just beginning to get ugly. But amongst all the fighting and the death and the frustration, there is always a speck of hope for something better, something worth fighting for, and even dying for....

I read this book on my flight to D.C., and it made me forget my nervousness at take-off. I re-read parts of it again after I finished it because in a book with all the different worlds and cultures, I tend to get it a bit mixed up so going back, knowing how it ends, helped tremendously, and I liked it even better then 2nd time around.

Probably one of the most interesting things about Jax is that she's a warrior who's lost much, but she's not the perfect, beautiful, intelligent, sacrificial heroine you'd imagine in a story like this. Instead, she could be quite selfish, and rather ignorant of the world around her. She truly was only good at grimspace, and not much else. Sometimes I really disliked her, but then she would do something that made me like her albeit reluctantly. She wasn't always heroic, or clever, but that worked for me. I think I can be so tough on the heroines in my book, expecting them to be a certain way, so it took longer for Jax to worm her way past my defenses and earn my respect. She was slightly crazy, and broken, and...human. She did things I hate to admit that I would probably end up doing but don't want to acknowledge that part of myself.

March was a solid leader, but at the same time he fought his own personal demons. He kept his promises, but he also had a strong primitive side that he couldn't quite conceal. He's been hurt, but he's not afraid to put himself out there. It's who he is, no pretense. Jax hurts him, but he keeps his promise to always come back for her. The two have an unusual connection, not only as jumper and pilot, but in a way that at first freaks out Jax, but soon becomes a way to taunt him, and eventually it's as necessary as breathing to her.

If there were any complaints I had about the book, it's that sometimes good people die, too many, imo. And the other thing is that it ended rather too abruptly for my tastes, quite possibly because there is going to be a series ("Wanderlust" coming out in August). But these opinions do not take away from the story, and in the first point actually do drive the story. It just broke my heart, that's all. Still, I've got this writer on my tbb list.

Rating: ****1/3 out of *****

Labels: Ann Aguirre, reviews