What do you think?
Rate this book
Girl from the Stars #1
Daybreak
She Was A Hardened Survivor Who Had Learned Not To Trust Humans
Life had never been easy for Liora Day - a half-human, half “mess-with-her-and-you’ll-die” Damaclan. She had been thrown onto a rough path at a very early age, and she didn’t get along with others. That all changes when she is broken out of a cage by Devren, a young captain of the SS Kratos. He shows her that not all humans are heartless.
He Was Different, And He Offered Her The Chance For Adventure
When the Kratos is sent on a mission to rescue fallen surveyors from the Revolutionaries faction, Liora must decide whether she will follow her Damaclan instincts, or trust Devren’s dark eyes and captivating smile and embark on an adventure unlike anything she has ever experienced.
Life had never been easy for Liora Day - a half-human, half “mess-with-her-and-you’ll-die” Damaclan. She had been thrown onto a rough path at a very early age, and she didn’t get along with others. That all changes when she is broken out of a cage by Devren, a young captain of the SS Kratos. He shows her that not all humans are heartless.
He Was Different, And He Offered Her The Chance For Adventure
When the Kratos is sent on a mission to rescue fallen surveyors from the Revolutionaries faction, Liora must decide whether she will follow her Damaclan instincts, or trust Devren’s dark eyes and captivating smile and embark on an adventure unlike anything she has ever experienced.
277 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 17, 2015
1419 people are currently reading
1517 people want to read
About the author
Cheree Alsop
171 books492 followersCheree Alsop is an award-winning, best-selling author and the mother of a beautiful, talented daughter and amazing twin sons who fill every day with joy and laughter. She is married to her best friend, Michael, the light of her life and her soulmate who shares her dreams and inspires her by reading the first drafts of each book. Cheree is a fulltime author and mother, which is much more fun than work! She enjoys reading, riding her motorcycle on warm nights, and playing with her twins while planning her next book. She is also a bass player for their rock band, Alien Landslide.
Cheree and Michael live in Utah where they rock out, enjoy the outdoors, plan great adventures, and never stop dreaming.
Check out Cheree’s other books at www.chereealsop.com
Cheree and Michael live in Utah where they rock out, enjoy the outdoors, plan great adventures, and never stop dreaming.
Check out Cheree’s other books at www.chereealsop.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews
June 23, 2019
Fastpaced and fairly entertaining if you ignore the science inconsistencies. Major con though is who is set up as the love interest: . Probably won't read the rest of the series because of that.
September 10, 2019
Gets better as it goes
I almost gave up on finishing this book for several reasons. First, there is a lack of sci-fi tech. Too many old-school gadgets and ordinary ways of doing things that science has already surpassed are mentioned, which indicates the author is lazy in researching tech developments. Especially in the medical field. Second, there are LOTS of errors (missing commas, misspellings, grammar mistakes, etc.), which tells me there needs to be better editing. Third, the initial character development is very shallow, as in, I often couldn’t tell one crew member from another. They are often just names on the page. Fourth, there are references to alien expressions mixed with cliche earth expressions, which muddles the feeling of being in a new world or galaxy. Fifth, the plot seems to unfold like a video game, instead of events happening because the characters have motives or reasons to do what they do.
However, the fight scenes are intense and kept me turning the pages. Later in the second half, two of the characters become more dimensional and intriguing. If not for the battle scenes and escape scenes, I might have quit and gone on to read something else. Surprisingly, I might read the second book now that there’s a bit of emotional buy-in for me.
I almost gave up on finishing this book for several reasons. First, there is a lack of sci-fi tech. Too many old-school gadgets and ordinary ways of doing things that science has already surpassed are mentioned, which indicates the author is lazy in researching tech developments. Especially in the medical field. Second, there are LOTS of errors (missing commas, misspellings, grammar mistakes, etc.), which tells me there needs to be better editing. Third, the initial character development is very shallow, as in, I often couldn’t tell one crew member from another. They are often just names on the page. Fourth, there are references to alien expressions mixed with cliche earth expressions, which muddles the feeling of being in a new world or galaxy. Fifth, the plot seems to unfold like a video game, instead of events happening because the characters have motives or reasons to do what they do.
However, the fight scenes are intense and kept me turning the pages. Later in the second half, two of the characters become more dimensional and intriguing. If not for the battle scenes and escape scenes, I might have quit and gone on to read something else. Surprisingly, I might read the second book now that there’s a bit of emotional buy-in for me.
November 26, 2015
Amazing new series in the Sci Fi genre- action, adventure, romance- it has it all. I finished this book in one day. I literally could not put it down. The characters drew me in and the narration was tight and kept me reading. Liora Day is no damsel in distress. She is strong and skilled in fighting, and when ghosts from her past surface, she’s not afraid to face them head-on. The men in this series are created with a level of realism that I found myself wanting to meet them in the streets. I don’t know which one captured my heart more- the dashing young captain, or the brooding best friend with an excellent reason as to why he cannot stand Liora’s Damaclan race. This book takes many twists and turns I didn’t see coming; even if it wasn’t for the excellent writing, I would keep reading this series just to see where Ms. Alsop takes it.
Girl from the Stars is an entirely new take on the space opera genre. It’s refreshing to read about a strong heroine and genuine villains who feel real and mutli-dimensional. I liked the new races she has created, and the planets, battles, and space travel keep it fresh and exciting. I am very much looking forward to the rest of the books in this series. If they’re anything like this one, I’ll be up all night thinking about the delightful storyline and the heartbreaking path of the heroine.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good action-adventure story with a well-developed heroine and places you have yet to see and explore. Enjoy!
Girl from the Stars is an entirely new take on the space opera genre. It’s refreshing to read about a strong heroine and genuine villains who feel real and mutli-dimensional. I liked the new races she has created, and the planets, battles, and space travel keep it fresh and exciting. I am very much looking forward to the rest of the books in this series. If they’re anything like this one, I’ll be up all night thinking about the delightful storyline and the heartbreaking path of the heroine.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good action-adventure story with a well-developed heroine and places you have yet to see and explore. Enjoy!
October 17, 2015
She has done it again!!!
I have to say I don't usually jump to read 'space' themed novels but the authors note on this had me reading it straight away. I managed to read this in one afternoon, not putting it down! A fiercely strong heroine with vulnerabilities that you can really relate to, not to mention to male characters that your not quite sure which one to love more!! The story was fast paced and a joy to read, so many ideas for where this story will lead us and I can't wait to find out and explore this new world and galaxies with all the characters.
I have to say I don't usually jump to read 'space' themed novels but the authors note on this had me reading it straight away. I managed to read this in one afternoon, not putting it down! A fiercely strong heroine with vulnerabilities that you can really relate to, not to mention to male characters that your not quite sure which one to love more!! The story was fast paced and a joy to read, so many ideas for where this story will lead us and I can't wait to find out and explore this new world and galaxies with all the characters.
July 28, 2021
I enjoyed the book but when I'm given an abrupt non-ending I'm left hating the author and not wanting to read the rest of the series on principal. So there's a series I will not be reading. Thanks for a total waste of my time, Cheree Alsop.
August 8, 2021
This is far more romance than SCI-FI, which is fine. I’m a big sci-fi fan, but I’m not one for cardboard characters. Do a decent job with the story and create some really interesting characters, and I’m interested. Tell a really SMART story with interesting characters, and I’m completely on board.
Unfortunately, this novel is neither. We get conflicting indications that Liora’s interested in the captain who saves her, or possibly interested interested in his best friend, who hates her. She goes for the one who physically abused her and is willing to leave her in prison? Yeah, this is just bad storytelling. There are some interesting back stories, and the general plot isn’t atrocious, it’s just very badly set up, and the protagonist continues to make stupid decisions with absolutely no effort to justify them.
It just adds insult to injury, when the author doesn’t know a damn thing about science. I mean, the sort of stuff my 13 year old knows: explosions and raging fires in space? No, you need oxygen for a fire. Planets are two klicks away? A klick is a kilometer, moron. The average distance to the moon is about 385,000 kilometers… Let’s not even get into why I said ‘average’. Way too far beyond the level of science in this book (and the following one). We’re jumping Galaxy to galaxy, when the context pretty clearly suggests it’s a star system that she’s referring to…
And yes, I was hoping maybe the quality would improve, so I picked the sequel up on Amazon (free, or I wouldn’t have bothered). No. No, it gets at least five times worse. The science in that book is absolutely horrible, to the point that a real editor would have insisted that some kind of explanation or correction be included. And, it ends with one of the worst deus ex machina reveals I’ve read in YEARS! It was so bad, it was all I could do not to throw my Kindle across the room!
It’s a shame, really, because people are rating this thing highly, and they’re both garbage. I will say that if you can get past the stupid decisions, the characters are pretty interesting. I was hoping this was a new author, and I’d just read some of her later stuff, when her craft had improved. No. No such luck. It looks like she’s published 15 novels, and very few people are saying how bad they are.
I guess that’s why I don’t read romance novels?
Unfortunately, this novel is neither. We get conflicting indications that Liora’s interested in the captain who saves her, or possibly interested interested in his best friend, who hates her. She goes for the one who physically abused her and is willing to leave her in prison? Yeah, this is just bad storytelling. There are some interesting back stories, and the general plot isn’t atrocious, it’s just very badly set up, and the protagonist continues to make stupid decisions with absolutely no effort to justify them.
It just adds insult to injury, when the author doesn’t know a damn thing about science. I mean, the sort of stuff my 13 year old knows: explosions and raging fires in space? No, you need oxygen for a fire. Planets are two klicks away? A klick is a kilometer, moron. The average distance to the moon is about 385,000 kilometers… Let’s not even get into why I said ‘average’. Way too far beyond the level of science in this book (and the following one). We’re jumping Galaxy to galaxy, when the context pretty clearly suggests it’s a star system that she’s referring to…
And yes, I was hoping maybe the quality would improve, so I picked the sequel up on Amazon (free, or I wouldn’t have bothered). No. No, it gets at least five times worse. The science in that book is absolutely horrible, to the point that a real editor would have insisted that some kind of explanation or correction be included. And, it ends with one of the worst deus ex machina reveals I’ve read in YEARS! It was so bad, it was all I could do not to throw my Kindle across the room!
It’s a shame, really, because people are rating this thing highly, and they’re both garbage. I will say that if you can get past the stupid decisions, the characters are pretty interesting. I was hoping this was a new author, and I’d just read some of her later stuff, when her craft had improved. No. No such luck. It looks like she’s published 15 novels, and very few people are saying how bad they are.
I guess that’s why I don’t read romance novels?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2017
I suppose I have this book to thank for my current trend of reading trashy space operas. So that's a good thing. Other than that, if I didn't hate to leave books (and by extension, series) unfinished, I'd have dropped it pretty quickly.
If you want something with decent world building, an interesting, if unfinished, lead, an abusive maniac for a love interest, and little to no actual understanding of science, this is the story for you.
(The next few books are better, but you've got to really want to slog through this one to get there.)
If you want something with decent world building, an interesting, if unfinished, lead, an abusive maniac for a love interest, and little to no actual understanding of science, this is the story for you.
(The next few books are better, but you've got to really want to slog through this one to get there.)
November 3, 2019
Fun, quick read
I've read this book quickly and I enjoyed the ride. Alien 👽 species, travels through space, kick ass heroine, a fun book. Thanks for this Amazon freebie 😊
I've read this book quickly and I enjoyed the ride. Alien 👽 species, travels through space, kick ass heroine, a fun book. Thanks for this Amazon freebie 😊
May 16, 2020
I really enjoyed this book until the cliffhanger ending. I hate cliffhanger endings.
January 26, 2021
Fair to Middling 3.5 stars rounded down
A universe filled with 100s of inhabited galaxies and a diverse set of inhabitants in many colorful configurations and degrees of fearsomeness. Miss Day the protagonist is a half breed. Dispised nd feared by all. A woman of agency and a warrior extraordinary, she has been a circus exhibit for the best part of her life.
What else?
Cliffhanger.
Clean so far.
Not enough world building.
Lots of peril resolved by weapons. As opposed to tactics.
Nascent romance. Two male contenders but I doubt a menage will follow.
Did I mentioned a CLIFFHANGER?
Miss Day has enough naïve agency that I've "purchased" the next book on kindle unlimited.
A universe filled with 100s of inhabited galaxies and a diverse set of inhabitants in many colorful configurations and degrees of fearsomeness. Miss Day the protagonist is a half breed. Dispised nd feared by all. A woman of agency and a warrior extraordinary, she has been a circus exhibit for the best part of her life.
What else?
Cliffhanger.
Clean so far.
Not enough world building.
Lots of peril resolved by weapons. As opposed to tactics.
Nascent romance. Two male contenders but I doubt a menage will follow.
Did I mentioned a CLIFFHANGER?
Miss Day has enough naïve agency that I've "purchased" the next book on kindle unlimited.
June 24, 2020
Good SciFi
This is a goodscifi read all the way to the end. Oh wait a minute it doesn't end! It just stops all of a sudden and then you will need to buy the next book to find out if there is an ending.
This is a goodscifi read all the way to the end. Oh wait a minute it doesn't end! It just stops all of a sudden and then you will need to buy the next book to find out if there is an ending.
July 1, 2020
Intriguing
Very good, but ends on an abrupt cliffhanger. If that annoys you, not the book to pickup. If not, you’ll enjoy it.
Very good, but ends on an abrupt cliffhanger. If that annoys you, not the book to pickup. If not, you’ll enjoy it.
January 14, 2021
Finding Her Destiny💃🔪
ADULT Space Adventure 🚀
Liora💃, a beautiful, half human, half Damaclan warrior🔪 and assassin, is rescued from the reptilian Malivian's🐍 damaged circus freak show ship🚀 by human coalition officers, Tariq🐕 and Devren🐺.
When the coalition ship, Kratos is attacked by rebels and the captain killed, Devren🐺 and Tariq🐕 take over the ship🚀 and the dangerous Liora💃🔪 joins the crew.
This book ends in a cliffhanger.....
This is a typical good quality sci-fi novel with much better than expected 🌎world building. Recommend!
ADULT Space Adventure 🚀
Liora💃, a beautiful, half human, half Damaclan warrior🔪 and assassin, is rescued from the reptilian Malivian's🐍 damaged circus freak show ship🚀 by human coalition officers, Tariq🐕 and Devren🐺.
When the coalition ship, Kratos is attacked by rebels and the captain killed, Devren🐺 and Tariq🐕 take over the ship🚀 and the dangerous Liora💃🔪 joins the crew.
This book ends in a cliffhanger.....
This is a typical good quality sci-fi novel with much better than expected 🌎world building. Recommend!
September 7, 2019
Liora can't believe that she is free but what do the humans want from her? She can't be kept in a cage anymore so she will take her chances with them for now. Tariq hates her on sight as he wants to find the Damaclan that killed his family and she is one of them and he will need to do whatever he can to make sure that she doesn't stick around too long. But they are drawn to each other and even though Tariq says awful things about her she now understands why and she vows to find the monster that killed them. She thought that he was dead but he is coming for her and he will stop at nothing to make sure that she dies a slow death. But can Liora be part of the crew even though the new captain Devren accepts her with no questions asked? Where will she land up after this is all done will she continue on with ship to parts unknown or will she lose herself altogether? A good read.
September 30, 2017
Hmm. Feels more like a part 1, not book 1
Good: the action sequences were fantastic and I enjoyed the world. I really love Liora.
And I liked the use of jump points in addition to warp. It made sense given that they're hopping between galaxies not just through one galaxy.
Meh:
* it felt very much like Star Trek from a non-Federation point of view. But maybe that's me.
* I felt a bit misled and disappointed in the love interest. Well, it may not even be a love interest, but it feels like it's supposed to be.
*the ending felt like the middle of the novel, not the end. It was long enough of a book that it could have had a much clearer resolution to one of the problems. The one issue that was dealt with wasn't even handled by the heroine or the... partner (?? What would you call him? )
Personally, even though I really love Liora, her back story, her personality, etc, I do not love the writing enough to get any more of the books. Nor do I trust that the next installment won't just be another 'chapter' instead of a full story.
Good: the action sequences were fantastic and I enjoyed the world. I really love Liora.
And I liked the use of jump points in addition to warp. It made sense given that they're hopping between galaxies not just through one galaxy.
Meh:
* it felt very much like Star Trek from a non-Federation point of view. But maybe that's me.
* I felt a bit misled and disappointed in the love interest. Well, it may not even be a love interest, but it feels like it's supposed to be.
*the ending felt like the middle of the novel, not the end. It was long enough of a book that it could have had a much clearer resolution to one of the problems. The one issue that was dealt with wasn't even handled by the heroine or the... partner (?? What would you call him? )
Personally, even though I really love Liora, her back story, her personality, etc, I do not love the writing enough to get any more of the books. Nor do I trust that the next installment won't just be another 'chapter' instead of a full story.
February 26, 2017
I really enjoyed this it's the first of Cheree Alsop's book that I've come across but it won't be the last.
Intriguing heroine, terrific storyline which concludes satisfactorily in this the first book - but leaves plenty of places to go with the future ones.
It reminded me a little of the Nathan Lowell Ishmael Wong series - perhaps because our heroine's life has been so strange that although she is not that young (around 25 i think) it has coming of age overtones along with the space opera. Fun supporting characters, no romance to speak of which was a refreshing change and a very cool plot.
Liora Day (and how could I not love her with a name so close to my own :) is a Damaclan with some interesting powers and it made for a gripping story.
The audio was very nicely narrated - I only wish the others of the series were available on audio.
Intriguing heroine, terrific storyline which concludes satisfactorily in this the first book - but leaves plenty of places to go with the future ones.
It reminded me a little of the Nathan Lowell Ishmael Wong series - perhaps because our heroine's life has been so strange that although she is not that young (around 25 i think) it has coming of age overtones along with the space opera. Fun supporting characters, no romance to speak of which was a refreshing change and a very cool plot.
Liora Day (and how could I not love her with a name so close to my own :) is a Damaclan with some interesting powers and it made for a gripping story.
The audio was very nicely narrated - I only wish the others of the series were available on audio.
June 4, 2016
I won this book in a giveaway, and I am glad I did. I really liked this book, it had striking characters and a good story. The main character Liora was fierce and had a heartbreaking past, so you really feel for her character. I loved the feel of the crew, and how they were a tight knit family. The story would be dark at times when Liora revisited her memories, and lighthearted when she was with the crew. Her blossoming affection for one of the other characters was odd at times, but love is unpredictable. The book leaves you off on a cliffhanger, so be prepared. I thought this book was entertaining and enjoyable.
January 18, 2022
I downloaded Daybreak as a free book from Amazon quite awhile ago, but it got lost in my e-library and I forgot about it. Thankfully, I came across it the other day and took a peek inside, and a few hours later, finished the story. I was pulled right in and enjoyed the characters quite a bit. Good blend of personalities.
August 7, 2018
Inconsistent
Very inconsistent. The medical officer's attitude towards the main character is most inconsistent. Didn't make any sense at all. Especially him being a medical officer.
Very inconsistent. The medical officer's attitude towards the main character is most inconsistent. Didn't make any sense at all. Especially him being a medical officer.
March 7, 2021
This eBook from 2015 is apparently self-published, as the author Cheree Alsop is also listed as the publisher. According to her bio, Alsop has published 40 books, plays bass in a band, and likes riding motorcycles. Dang! I wish I had time to write and publish 40 books, rear children, keep a hubby happy, and ride motorcycles.
Daybreak is not a bad read, but as some other reviewers mentioned, it stretches the reader’s disbelief from time to time. The main character, Liora Day is a Damaclan, actually only half Damaclan, but she’s had all of the training and has some empathy/ mind reading abilities thrown in for good measure. Apparently, Damaclans are trained killers from childhood, and by gosh they are not to be messed with. Only, some how, all her clan got slaughtered, so she’s languishing in cage in a starship, the star of the “circus” when the ship docks, but otherwise she is tortured by her owner.
Early on, Liora is freed by a young officer from the Coalition ship Kratos, but she’s far from home free, in that her savior is in big trouble for his efforts, and his best friend doesn’t like her one bit. Lots of action and quite a bit of suspense ensue. Liora is grateful to have been freed, but doesn’t trust anyone, including her new “family” of Coalition soldiers.
The rest of the story owes much to space operas on the screen and in books (yeah!) but there is a distinct lack of precision in Alsop’s writing. For instance, during a multi faceted battle on a red planet, there’s a storm brewing. The storm puts forth acid rain that will eat through the outer layer of an atmosphere suit (ouch) but the inner layer remains intact. Also, there is some threatening “lighting”, which morphs into “lightning” a couple of paragraphs later. At one point the narrative reads “Apparently watching four Gaul get clobbered by one small woman was enough to rile the fight…” As “to rile” is to annoy or irritate, how, pray tell, does one “rile” a fight? Some of the sentences don’t quite make sense, such as: “Covering emotions felt almost the same as she had with the pain.”
Okay, such problems tend to be edited out of books that aren’t self published, and I have certainly read worse, but there are too many distractions. Beyond grammar and syntax, there are other problems with the novel. About two thirds of the way through, lots of groups converge on the planet where the crew of the Kratos has been sent, because there’s a weapon of mass destruction to be seized, a weapon which can destroy a whole galaxy. Yep, not a planet killer, like the “Death Star” in those films by George Lucus, not even a solar system killer, but by gosh this sucker can wipe out a whole galaxy. However, it is small enough that two humans can carry it. Yep, it packs quite a punch for such a small device.
Oh, and the ending is a cliff-hanger so readers will hopefully want to buy the next book. I never like those. That said, this book is creative. Sadly, professional publishing today tends to go for the sure thing, like a ghost written book for someone who’s been dead a while, or a newly titled backlist item for an established writer. So, new, creative writers must go it alone. Alsop clearly has a lot to say, with 40 published novels. Too bad she doesn’t have the editing and guidance that big time publishing used to offer newbies, because there is much to like about her vision.
Daybreak is not a bad read, but as some other reviewers mentioned, it stretches the reader’s disbelief from time to time. The main character, Liora Day is a Damaclan, actually only half Damaclan, but she’s had all of the training and has some empathy/ mind reading abilities thrown in for good measure. Apparently, Damaclans are trained killers from childhood, and by gosh they are not to be messed with. Only, some how, all her clan got slaughtered, so she’s languishing in cage in a starship, the star of the “circus” when the ship docks, but otherwise she is tortured by her owner.
Early on, Liora is freed by a young officer from the Coalition ship Kratos, but she’s far from home free, in that her savior is in big trouble for his efforts, and his best friend doesn’t like her one bit. Lots of action and quite a bit of suspense ensue. Liora is grateful to have been freed, but doesn’t trust anyone, including her new “family” of Coalition soldiers.
The rest of the story owes much to space operas on the screen and in books (yeah!) but there is a distinct lack of precision in Alsop’s writing. For instance, during a multi faceted battle on a red planet, there’s a storm brewing. The storm puts forth acid rain that will eat through the outer layer of an atmosphere suit (ouch) but the inner layer remains intact. Also, there is some threatening “lighting”, which morphs into “lightning” a couple of paragraphs later. At one point the narrative reads “Apparently watching four Gaul get clobbered by one small woman was enough to rile the fight…” As “to rile” is to annoy or irritate, how, pray tell, does one “rile” a fight? Some of the sentences don’t quite make sense, such as: “Covering emotions felt almost the same as she had with the pain.”
Okay, such problems tend to be edited out of books that aren’t self published, and I have certainly read worse, but there are too many distractions. Beyond grammar and syntax, there are other problems with the novel. About two thirds of the way through, lots of groups converge on the planet where the crew of the Kratos has been sent, because there’s a weapon of mass destruction to be seized, a weapon which can destroy a whole galaxy. Yep, not a planet killer, like the “Death Star” in those films by George Lucus, not even a solar system killer, but by gosh this sucker can wipe out a whole galaxy. However, it is small enough that two humans can carry it. Yep, it packs quite a punch for such a small device.
Oh, and the ending is a cliff-hanger so readers will hopefully want to buy the next book. I never like those. That said, this book is creative. Sadly, professional publishing today tends to go for the sure thing, like a ghost written book for someone who’s been dead a while, or a newly titled backlist item for an established writer. So, new, creative writers must go it alone. Alsop clearly has a lot to say, with 40 published novels. Too bad she doesn’t have the editing and guidance that big time publishing used to offer newbies, because there is much to like about her vision.
May 26, 2025
The start of this novel was brilliant. I was invested and, oh so hooked. Liora is such an interesting character and the slow reveal about her past and the found family elements with the crew of the SS Kratos had me fully invested within the first few chapters. I also really enjoyed the interactions with Devren and Tarim, which added nuances and depth to the interpersonal relationships.
Liora makes for an intriguing stabby FMC and I liked that she’s the alien, well half-alien, which was based on some interesting worldbuilding and highlighted the theme of “not belonging” really nicely, because as a “half-human” she didn’t belong in either world and that came across really well, and the author did ,are a good attempt to show that as a society it is the choices we make when it comes to acceptance and tolerance that can heal wounds or tear them open so badly we create our own villains from those we vehemently reject. I think if the author had actually focused more on this message rather than throwing one action scene out after another, I could have LOVED this story.
From around the halfway mark the pacing started to get haywire and things went downhill from there. More and more happens and it felt like the author was trying to cram in too many plot points and action scenes and stuff stopped making sense, Liora’s decisions became daft, and Tariq’s “hot-n-cold” bipolar act was like flipping a switch repeatedly with each subsequent chapter. It became impossible to anticipate how he would react to Liora’s actions or decisions, and he became irritating very quickly because it seemed like his behaviour was more based on what the author wanted (rejection or acceptance of Liora) in any given scene than his actions being based on his personality and rooted in his Liora’s.
There’s also a weird inconsistency with this potentially being a slow burn romance, but that was also all over the place with no discernible tropes and two potential interests, but honestly I’m not even sure I read that right. Maybe I was reading too much into Liora’s interactions with Devren at the start and Tariq at the end. Now with the rushed ending and the random cliffhanger, I’m more confused than anything else. I give this 3.5 stars for the great start and interesting concept.
Liora makes for an intriguing stabby FMC and I liked that she’s the alien, well half-alien, which was based on some interesting worldbuilding and highlighted the theme of “not belonging” really nicely, because as a “half-human” she didn’t belong in either world and that came across really well, and the author did ,are a good attempt to show that as a society it is the choices we make when it comes to acceptance and tolerance that can heal wounds or tear them open so badly we create our own villains from those we vehemently reject. I think if the author had actually focused more on this message rather than throwing one action scene out after another, I could have LOVED this story.
From around the halfway mark the pacing started to get haywire and things went downhill from there. More and more happens and it felt like the author was trying to cram in too many plot points and action scenes and stuff stopped making sense, Liora’s decisions became daft, and Tariq’s “hot-n-cold” bipolar act was like flipping a switch repeatedly with each subsequent chapter. It became impossible to anticipate how he would react to Liora’s actions or decisions, and he became irritating very quickly because it seemed like his behaviour was more based on what the author wanted (rejection or acceptance of Liora) in any given scene than his actions being based on his personality and rooted in his Liora’s.
There’s also a weird inconsistency with this potentially being a slow burn romance, but that was also all over the place with no discernible tropes and two potential interests, but honestly I’m not even sure I read that right. Maybe I was reading too much into Liora’s interactions with Devren at the start and Tariq at the end. Now with the rushed ending and the random cliffhanger, I’m more confused than anything else. I give this 3.5 stars for the great start and interesting concept.
June 1, 2020
This reads like sci-fi written by someone who regularly writes fantasy and is trying out a new genre. The writing is solid on a technical level but the writer does not seem to understand what they are writing about. The ship's doctor is a retread of Bones McCoy from Star Trek (as played by Carl Urban in the recent movies). When the James Kirk analog becomes captain it is treated like a knighting ceremony and all the crew is pulled together for it, despite the crew doing emergency repairs from an attack that nearly destroyed the ship. Also, he is a lieutenant (lowest officer rank) and is promoted over other Officers to replace his father, the previous captain, because somehow he's the highest ranking officer still alive (despite other Officers being in scene and named. That's not how a military organization works. On top of this, the writer treats galaxies like star systems - the lack of appreciation of the scale differences is breath taking. The primary character (a sort of female Spock analog) was a slave for years by a lizard guy, regularly tortured with a taser equivalent as conditioning and yet throws all that off in moments yet somehow retains a lack of trust for humans, the people who went out of their way to rescue her. Oh, and she still retains the muscle memory from her extensive combat training she completed when she was 12. Before puberty and the extensive body growth puberty brings. And she's a telepath.
I got 33% in on my Kindle version because I kept hoping the story would get better. I didn't and life is too short. The second star in my rating is because the book is written and edited well, even if the story is bad.
I got 33% in on my Kindle version because I kept hoping the story would get better. I didn't and life is too short. The second star in my rating is because the book is written and edited well, even if the story is bad.
May 3, 2020
Liora Day is rescued from a perverse circus where she is displayed as the last of her kind with extraordinary mind powers. She hooks up with her rescuers, finds herself torn between two men and goes on a series of adventures in a space ship. Lots of things are blown up and there is plenty of action.
Alsop writes great action, keeps things moving but the story was let down by not enough character development. Liora has no real purpose for three quarters of the book until she learns that her clan leader is still alive and has been her tormentor. Previous to that Liora has just been going with the flow without a strong motivating factor.
There are two men who circle around Liora being Devren, Captain of the ship and Tariq, medical officer and Devren's best friend. The relationship dynamics are somewhat confusing. Devren is accepting of her immediately and I would not be surprised if the two are related. Tariq, well talk about inconsistent. One moment he hates her with a passion, then he is her best friend, then hates her again and then besties. That would be okay if there was some reason behind his first switch to becoming friendly, as there does not seem to be any immediate reason. Later I can understand why, earlier on, there is no clear reason.
This is a fun read, plenty of action but Liora needed some better direction early on to give her a purpose.
Alsop writes great action, keeps things moving but the story was let down by not enough character development. Liora has no real purpose for three quarters of the book until she learns that her clan leader is still alive and has been her tormentor. Previous to that Liora has just been going with the flow without a strong motivating factor.
There are two men who circle around Liora being Devren, Captain of the ship and Tariq, medical officer and Devren's best friend. The relationship dynamics are somewhat confusing. Devren is accepting of her immediately and I would not be surprised if the two are related. Tariq, well talk about inconsistent. One moment he hates her with a passion, then he is her best friend, then hates her again and then besties. That would be okay if there was some reason behind his first switch to becoming friendly, as there does not seem to be any immediate reason. Later I can understand why, earlier on, there is no clear reason.
This is a fun read, plenty of action but Liora needed some better direction early on to give her a purpose.
June 22, 2020
Engaging space travel adventure and romance. The characters are appealing as well. A waif in distress is rescued, and helps out the ship crew. She has plenty of strange abilities and secrets.
What I did not like was the ship medic's attitude. One minute he hates her, then he's protecting her, later he hates her again, and after that he cares for her.
Also, the author does not get military ranks. A ship captain is the same rank as colonel, and there are five ship ranks below captain (ensign, lieutenant junior grade, lieutenant, lieutenant commander, commander), not merely lieutenant. In non-ship ranks, second and first lieutenants are the only ones below captain.
Also, the captain thinks he is oh so clever when he says none of his crew "has been aboard your ship since we landed," in front of a lie-detecting species. In the previous scene though, he added someone to his crew who HAS been aboard, so it's a lie.
Typos: sentence fragment, quiet for quite, misplaced punctuation, laid for lay, let's for lets, incorrect verb tense, on route for en route, with anxiously for with anxiety, peaked for peeked, way for away.
What I did not like was the ship medic's attitude. One minute he hates her, then he's protecting her, later he hates her again, and after that he cares for her.
Also, the author does not get military ranks. A ship captain is the same rank as colonel, and there are five ship ranks below captain (ensign, lieutenant junior grade, lieutenant, lieutenant commander, commander), not merely lieutenant. In non-ship ranks, second and first lieutenants are the only ones below captain.
Also, the captain thinks he is oh so clever when he says none of his crew "has been aboard your ship since we landed," in front of a lie-detecting species. In the previous scene though, he added someone to his crew who HAS been aboard, so it's a lie.
Typos: sentence fragment, quiet for quite, misplaced punctuation, laid for lay, let's for lets, incorrect verb tense, on route for en route, with anxiously for with anxiety, peaked for peeked, way for away.
November 16, 2021
Down-on-her-luck heroine and a Universe of exciting trouble!
I really enjoyed this story! The heroine, Liora, has many talents, but she's beaten down and literally locked in a cage when we get to meet her. At least there's only one way to go from there: up! I enjoyed the best friends who find her beyond words, especially when one clearly doesn't like her on sight. The dueling personalities of Devren and Tariq are so perfectly balanced, I couldn't believe it. Between the three of them, they have a huge amount of baggage, and the drama keeps going straight through the end of the book!
It's definitely book one in a series, but that's not a problem for me, since I'm going to keep reading. There is a cast of supporting characters that come in fairly quickly, but they're handled well and I enjoyed getting to know each of their personalities. I noticed others comment on the galaxy wording, and yes, it's unfortunate. I think there's going to need to be another editing pass through all of this series before it'll earn five stars from me, but otherwise I really enjoyed this sweeping space opera and I'll be reading the next book immediately!
I really enjoyed this story! The heroine, Liora, has many talents, but she's beaten down and literally locked in a cage when we get to meet her. At least there's only one way to go from there: up! I enjoyed the best friends who find her beyond words, especially when one clearly doesn't like her on sight. The dueling personalities of Devren and Tariq are so perfectly balanced, I couldn't believe it. Between the three of them, they have a huge amount of baggage, and the drama keeps going straight through the end of the book!
It's definitely book one in a series, but that's not a problem for me, since I'm going to keep reading. There is a cast of supporting characters that come in fairly quickly, but they're handled well and I enjoyed getting to know each of their personalities. I noticed others comment on the galaxy wording, and yes, it's unfortunate. I think there's going to need to be another editing pass through all of this series before it'll earn five stars from me, but otherwise I really enjoyed this sweeping space opera and I'll be reading the next book immediately!
December 26, 2025
I gave up at 100 pages in. I found no character sympathetic. The main point of view character I found a bit problematic. If she was this galaxy-wide known killer bloodline, why was she held in a zoo and tortured? Why did she not escape? And why was a zookeeper allowed to torture its charges in such a way? She cowered way too much, and even the one scene suggesting her past gave me no hope for the character.
Worse, this story lacks a lot of details. I know that authors are encouraged to drop a reader in medias res to draw them in, but even when that's done, world building must be done to ground the reader. This author seems to have missed that part of the memo. They also have been told Show Don't Tell so much that they have swung too far the other direction and trying to do everything with showing and lacking any explanation in their dialogue. HARD to understand the first 6 chapters of the book without some details.
If this is part of a larger universe where the world building is already done, I have not found it, so the questions are huge.
Worse, this story lacks a lot of details. I know that authors are encouraged to drop a reader in medias res to draw them in, but even when that's done, world building must be done to ground the reader. This author seems to have missed that part of the memo. They also have been told Show Don't Tell so much that they have swung too far the other direction and trying to do everything with showing and lacking any explanation in their dialogue. HARD to understand the first 6 chapters of the book without some details.
If this is part of a larger universe where the world building is already done, I have not found it, so the questions are huge.
July 2, 2020
While I did enjoy the story enough to finish the book, There were too many issues that kept pulling me out of the story. If it had been the book that it really wanted to be, it would have gotten 5 stars. A rewrite with the help of a hard nosed editor could do wonders for this book, there were lots of ideas worth salvaging.
While the characters had the potential to be interesting and enjoyable, not only were they a bit wooden and two dimensional, they were portrayed inconsistent bordering on psychotic.
The plot itself started out well but descended into silliness by the climax. The doomsday weapon made it clear that the author really does not have a grasp of how huge space is. There was plenty of other indications of this, but the weapon just about made me stop reading.
Finishing with a cliff hanger with absolutely no resolution to the current plot line certainly did not help things. Given the problems above, I don't think I can make it though the next book.
While the characters had the potential to be interesting and enjoyable, not only were they a bit wooden and two dimensional, they were portrayed inconsistent bordering on psychotic.
The plot itself started out well but descended into silliness by the climax. The doomsday weapon made it clear that the author really does not have a grasp of how huge space is. There was plenty of other indications of this, but the weapon just about made me stop reading.
Finishing with a cliff hanger with absolutely no resolution to the current plot line certainly did not help things. Given the problems above, I don't think I can make it though the next book.
July 25, 2024
Cheree Alsop writes some good characters and has a good ear for dialogue which I enjoy. Though her writing isn't without flaws, what I find is that she keeps the stories fast paced and short so that I enjoy the story without dwelling too long on the weak points. All save one.
If she has a weak point in her books, it's that they frequently don't end they stop and I'm expected to pick up the story in the next book. Now that said I will be reading the next just because I enjoyed them that much, but I wish she'd trust the reader a bit more. I really did enjoy it, and if I get a fairly conclusive ending I'll be more satisfied overall.
Anyhow, the universe presented here is interesting. There are various factions in space and all competing for certain things that our heroine is just scratching the surface of so far. So if you want a light, fun to read book and will read more, go ahead and get this one.
If she has a weak point in her books, it's that they frequently don't end they stop and I'm expected to pick up the story in the next book. Now that said I will be reading the next just because I enjoyed them that much, but I wish she'd trust the reader a bit more. I really did enjoy it, and if I get a fairly conclusive ending I'll be more satisfied overall.
Anyhow, the universe presented here is interesting. There are various factions in space and all competing for certain things that our heroine is just scratching the surface of so far. So if you want a light, fun to read book and will read more, go ahead and get this one.
July 11, 2020
I think I'm being a bit generous with 3 stars, bit I DID finish it, so...
The reviews for this book are somewhat divided. I am definitely in the 'needs a rewrite' camp. It had great potential, but ended up being a skim read. It took me less than 24 hours to read (OK it was a chill out day for me!) and I felt no real connection to any of the characters. I was almost there - but it just needed that little extra push. World building had a good premise, but again, no real depth. Was just skimmed from TOS Star Trek. Secondary characters nattered away and I didn't have a clue what race, gender or role they had. Didn't care. Story telling felt rushed to get to the action and fight scenes, which where extensive.
It was free to entice me into purchasing the rest of the series, but I'm honestly not that bothered, despite it ending on a rather crappy cliffhanger.
The reviews for this book are somewhat divided. I am definitely in the 'needs a rewrite' camp. It had great potential, but ended up being a skim read. It took me less than 24 hours to read (OK it was a chill out day for me!) and I felt no real connection to any of the characters. I was almost there - but it just needed that little extra push. World building had a good premise, but again, no real depth. Was just skimmed from TOS Star Trek. Secondary characters nattered away and I didn't have a clue what race, gender or role they had. Didn't care. Story telling felt rushed to get to the action and fight scenes, which where extensive.
It was free to entice me into purchasing the rest of the series, but I'm honestly not that bothered, despite it ending on a rather crappy cliffhanger.
March 15, 2021
DNF
This book was very raw. It couldn't seem to settle on a perspective and events were choppy. The dialogue was stiff and unemotional. Even the emotions and actions of the other characters feel stiff and rote. It felt fantastical in a way that didn't make sense. For example, she's clearly trained to fight but she doesn't fight her captor even when she could. She acts like a damsel in distress but then kicks butt after she's rescued. She holds on to a lock pick during a beating but doesn't have the sense to escape. She walks out onto a space station and is surprised her captor is there even though its implied its the nearest one from the skirmish. Why wouldn't she just hide on board during repairs? None of it makes sense and just feels like steps in the plot, very awkward steps.
This book was very raw. It couldn't seem to settle on a perspective and events were choppy. The dialogue was stiff and unemotional. Even the emotions and actions of the other characters feel stiff and rote. It felt fantastical in a way that didn't make sense. For example, she's clearly trained to fight but she doesn't fight her captor even when she could. She acts like a damsel in distress but then kicks butt after she's rescued. She holds on to a lock pick during a beating but doesn't have the sense to escape. She walks out onto a space station and is surprised her captor is there even though its implied its the nearest one from the skirmish. Why wouldn't she just hide on board during repairs? None of it makes sense and just feels like steps in the plot, very awkward steps.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews