It boggles my mind how few people know of this author. She is one of the most talented authors I've come across, every single book is just as phenomenal as the one before. Her vivid imagination is descriptive, alluring and an all round emotionally charged read, with the "inner workings" of her characters, alive, real, raw. This series gets more exciting and expansive with every book! Following on seamlessly from the previous book, Lenna and Mac are put through the ringer. Now that the Emperor is no more, now that Dolenta is the Empress, now that the rebels wanted her gone... permanently, had serious repercussions. It forced Lenna's hand and they barely escaped with their lives, and a whole can of worms spills out. But ...the biggest consequence is, now Ravi KNOWS! OMG! Lenna's biggest secret....he knows! And Ravi's reaction? Hells bells awesome! I sighed, I ooo'd, I coo'd, I mew'd in delight! Their lives are still in major danger, the planet Krozalia is in major danger, the rebels aren't the only ones putting the planet in danger, the very planet itself is, well, you'll have to read it to find out what!
Just when I thought, "aha, I know where this is going", blow me down if the author didn't throw a spanner in the works, oh yes, she DID! The twist, THAT twist was so unexpected! I cannot express how magnificent her creativity and imagination is, she has me enthralled, under her spell, the entire time. When the entire backstory of the failed mission 10 years prior surfaces, when she was still Captain Clara Coderaro, that led to Lenna's abduction, is replayed frame by frame, my appreciation of Baltsar rocketed into the stratosphere! But...yes, this incredible author churned it up again, I was reeling! I understood Lenna with every fibre of my being. Who to trust? Who not to trust? Where this story went to, where the plot veered off to, I may as well have been on a spaceship myself! Jina navigated the ship like the pro she is, taking the reader on a certain collision path, just to expertly steer away at the last minute.
As much as Ms Bazzar's characters are fictional, be they aliens, shifters, magic users, they are completely realistic in their approach to, well anything they undertake. I get the privilege of feeling them, seeing them, experiencing everything they do and heck did I go through a rollercoaster with these characters! Lenna and Mac, two sides of the same coin, have a gorgeous bond of love and understanding. Neither can exist without the other but neither pushes boundaries. Next is the absolute hunk, Ravi, who doesn't push boundaries. He must be the deadliest sweetheart in existence. I loved everything about him, although he knows what he wants, namely Lenna, he gives her space, he gives her comfort, he gives her protection. Not that she really needs protection, she has Mac and she's one lean, mean, fighting machine. Ok, half machine.
I can't really express all the nuances of this book, I'd have to give too much away, but shoot, this intricately woven tale surpassed any expectations I might have had, all I knew was that I was about to embark on an amazing Jina Bazzar book, but I had no idea HOW amazing it would be! Intergalactic politics, civil war, agencies that dabbled in illicit behaviour, incredible mouth drying action and a romance so sweet yet complex, just divine! This series is just divine! The culmination of the plot, the characters, the immensely riveting storytelling, the amazing pace and heck, just the whole enchilada, had me entranced, as I too, a passenger in this series, avoided astroids, and enemy fire! The bestest conclusion to a series! Outstanding once again!