When space hauler Daphne Blazefire arrives at Novis Terminal with a cargo hold full of spare parts, she expects the usual grumpy dockmaster and a quick turnaround. Instead, the station is dead quiet—and completely abandoned.
Before she can figure out what's going on, she's ambushed by a gang of thugs who steal her ship’s most valuable RUSTY, her loyal, slightly sarcastic, robot sidekick and best friend.
But all isn’t lost. Daphne discovers Ashley, a sharp-witted technician who managed to escape the same crew that kidnapped the rest of the station’s personnel. Together, they hatch a rescue plan... which immediately goes sideways in spectacular fashion.
With a half-baked strategy, a pair of borrowed stun pistols, and a ship held together by duct tape and determination, Daphne must outsmart a shadowy criminal ring, rescue the missing crew, and get RUSTY back before he ends up as scrap.
The female main character isn't the most intelligent young woman, but she tries her best. Rusty shows potential as a sidekick. The story is an enjoyable fast read.
Definitely a series book 1. Daphne and RUSTY vs. Space Pirates. The pirates apparently smell bad. The author over emphasizes this - to the point of annoyance. A little too much time spent on said pirates in the narrative for my taste. And, of course, we'll apparently encounter them again in following books. There is some humor, but it's marginal. I'll probably get book two, but am not in a rush to do so.
2.5 stars. Not bad, but it kind of reads like an okay episode of a Syfy Original Series - fun with lots of action and sassy dialog, but also kind of superficial and not overly deep. However it is pretty well written and a good distraction if you want the book version of a popcorn flick