Honor Bound: An Action-Packed YA Sci-Fi Adventure About a Leviathan Pilot and a Covert War

The Honors #2

by Rachel Caine, Ann Aguirre

Savvy criminal turned skilled Leviathan pilot Zara Cole finds new friends and clashes with bitter enemies in the second book of this action-packed series from New York Times bestselling authors Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre that’s perfect for fans of The 100 and The Fifth Wave. Zara Cole was a thief back on Earth, but she’s been recently upgraded to intergalactic fugitive. On the run after a bloody battle in a covert war that she never expected to be fighting, Zara, her co-pilot Beatriz, and their Leviathan ship Nadim barely escaped the carnage with their lives. Now Zara and her crew of Honors need a safe haven, far from the creatures who want to annihilate them. But they’ll have to settle for the a wild, dangerous warren of alien criminals. The secrets of the Sliver may have the power to turn the tide of the war they left behind—but in the wrong direction. Soon Zara will have to make a run from the ultimate evil—or stand and fight.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Aliens, Fiction, Space Opera, Dystopia

496 pages, Paperback

First published February 19, 2019

About the author

Rachel Caine was a pen name of Roxanne Longstreet Conrad.

She has also published as:
Roxanne Longstreet
Roxanne Conrad
Julie Fortune
Ian Hammell

Her Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/rachelcainef...

Her Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/rachelcaine...

Reviews

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buddy read with friends at For Love Of A Book 💕

I love this series so much!!



This was so freaking good!! That ending though!! I need the next book and I’m nervous for them all!



Happy Reading!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Sophie "Beware Of The Reader" · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 “favorite series” stars!

 

They did it again! Won my heart and made me swoon and fear and cheer and ….

 

This book was one of my most awaited for 2019. I read Honor Among Thieves after having read fantastic reviews by Shanah, Raven and Dani.

I didn’t know what to expect as I am (or rather was) not a scifi or space adventure fan.

I ended being swept off my feet by that book. It was totally unique, unexpected, emotional, right …well you get it I just loved it.

 

Honor Bound landed in my mailbox on Friday. I began reading on Friday night and ended on Saturday afternoon! If I did not have to sleep and do several chores I would have read all night long!

That’s how gripping it was!

I was also enormously relieved because I had such high expectation that I really feared being disappointed. But no I am still enamored with this series and I can’t wait for the third book!

 

Now let’s get to what makes this book so dear to my heart:

 

First you have “Zadim”. Nadim and Zara are just fantastic together! And even if a leviathan is a huge living spaceship and of course you can’t have a traditional “relationship” with it (because size and …just well hell no!) their bond is still the most beautiful kind of love that I’ve read about.

I was deeply touched by this bonding aspect in the first book and also totally caught off guard. I did not expect it!

Now the element of surprise is of course absent but they are maturing and adjusting in their bond. This is really how honors and leviathan should be as it made Nadim incredibly stronger. He was at his best when they bonded.

“Yet I have done what no leviathan has before me, chosen my own partners for the journey. It feels like freedom all others ought to be afforded. How can any Elder know my private heart or understand what I need?”

 

And this is kind of a totally unexpected metaphor about “love makes us better, stronger”.

“It came to me with clarity right then that I loved Nadim. Alien ship that he was in the flesh, I loved the bright, perfect core of him. Mind loving Mind.”

 

Second you have Zara Cole. She has matured and came a long way from the time she had to survive in the Zone! Now she is a very capable honor. She is still badass and will kick some butts in this book! With Chao Xing (C-X) they will have to win fights if they want to bargain some advanced repairs for Typhon and Nadim. I so loved the fighting scenes!!!!

Many of you are science fiction fans and it won’t probably be new to you but the “gladiator” thing in a space context with “no rules” in the arena was just an adrenaline shot! I cheered each time Zara won!

Zara is the epitome of a survivor. Not only does she have a gift to adapt fast to new environment and new circumstances she can also always pinpoint her opponent’s weakness. Handy in a fight!

She has sass and is not frightened easily even by alien mobster boss!

 

Third you have the Adventure and the Action with a big “A”.

So many things are happening that you’ll never have a dull moment. Honestly these two authors work wonderfully together to make the plot run smoothly, efficiently and quickly! There is a saying in French that you have more ideas in two (several) brains than in one and that’s so true!

You will have desperate actions in dire situation. You will have unexpected moves pulled at the last second and all along these intense passages you will forget to breathe!

 

Fourth all characters have a purpose and really add to the story!

We got some new characters by the end of the last book: Yusuf and Starcurrent will complete the crews and come handy in many circumstances. This all feel like a small honor army ready to face a huge threat to the world! They may be sometimes vastly different but some recurring themes like slavery are not exclusive to one race. There is so much diversity in the book but really what the authors show us is that diversity is only superficial. At the end of the day we all dream, hope, despair, suffer and love the same, human or aliens alike. I think this is a lesson to be learned here.

 

Fifth the world building is flawless! You have all kind of alien creatures: phages, …. You have ancient civilizations long gone but still posing a threat. Intergalactic “outlaw cities” kind of like a Las Vegas stranded in space where everything is allowed. You have mortal and unexpected enemies. You have songs as currency, you have ….

 

Sixth you have heroes and sacrifices.

All honors were ready to sacrifice themselves to save the leviathan race. They were collateral damage in the grand scheme of things and were ready to die for their ship and for the universe.

 

By now I hope you are convinced that this series is just the next best thing!!

 

There is only a slight problem: I thought we had two books but there is more to come! It’s a good thing as I’ll have more of Zadim but it’s a bad thing as this ends on a double cliffy and I doubt I’ll be lucky to get an ARC. Long wait ahead!!!

 
Have you read this series? What do you think of it? Are you ready to try now?
Thanks for reading
Sophie

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[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Source* Library
*Genre* Young Adult, Science Fiction
*Rating* 3.5-4

*Thoughts*

Honor Bound is the second installment in co-authors Rachel Caine & Anne Aguirre's The Honors series. This book picks up right where Honor Among Thieves left off. After their dangerous encounter with the Phage, a terrifying alien race capable of devouring their beloved Leviathan which are sentient beings, Zara Cole, Beatrix Teixeira, Leviathan Nadim, along with Leviathan Typhon, Starcurrent, Yusuf, Marko, and Chao Xing (C-X) need to make a pit stop to the Sliver for supplies and better weapons.

*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*

https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...

[Brittany McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope Ann Aguirre and Rachel Caine write something together forever because it is so much fun to see the spectacular weaving of both of their abilities to make such a masterful story. I am coming off of the book high and knowing that I have to wait until January of next year when it gave me somewhat of a serious cliffhanger ending eek!. Given how things played out, I think there are high hopes for this series to continue past a trilogy, especially when both authors tend to write more extended series than that, so I'm crossing my fingers for more to come.

I loved the Silver, and I especially loved the glee of seeing it through Zara's eyes. I loved getting a tiny bit past the CX exterior to get to know her a bit more, and I love the new characters and the additional greatness that they have brought to the book. I especially loved the alien races and their characterization. I love the emphasis on music and the color scheme of the Abyin Dommas.

The excerpts, documents, and transmissions in between chapters give added layers of depth to the overall picture, and I am ALWAYS a fan of that! I feel like this is a book you just need to read; I don't want to spoil any intricate subplots :)

Star Ocean must win....

SideNote: I am fangirl pushing you to check out the awesome website that needs more but still provides the first look at Book 3.... and some Honors head-shots as well as awesome alien art for a better visual :)

Absolutely 5/5 for me

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

wowzers.

Honor Bound was a pretty good book. I will admit that at the beginning I was a bit bored with what was going on. Thankfully, it got better.

Now we are still with the same characters from the first book. Yet, Zara and the gang are still wandering into trouble. I absolutely love her and Nadim. Especially when they were both trying to figure out a solution to the same problem. Even if they viewed it differently these two worked really well together.

This book did always deliver some good twists and turns. Just like the book before, at a certain point - I was hooked. Couldn't put the book down no matter how hard I tried. What is sleep anyways?

Without spoiling anything, trust me it is way hard not to, I am so freaking happy that this series is going to have another book. Especially with the ending in this one - I would've been so freaking pissed if it just ended like that.

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out more reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...


The Buzz

After reading Honor Among Thieves I knew I had to read Honor Bound. I totally fell for Nadim, the living ship, and wanted to learn more about his fight with the enemies of his kind. When my writing partner decided to jump into the sequel I decided i should just go for it too and I managed to squeeze it into my reading schedule!! I was really excited...

Understand that since this is a sequel I will lightly mention details that you learn at the end of Honor Among Thieves. There was a HUGE reveal in the later part of the book so know that while limited there are spoilers. (If you've read the premise for this book then you're good.)


My Experience

Just so you know, I didn't love Zara in the first book... I liked her more by the end of Honor Among Thieves but I still strummed against some of her beliefs. I had high hopes that our relationship would improve in Honor Bound and I am sad to announce that I liked her less. She is even more arrogant and self centered in this book even to the point that she makes stupid decisions that will not only harm others but also Nadim and Beatriz whom she loves.

It was made worse by the fact that we have 4 other characters, all who are equally as smart and talented (remember the Honors are tested for knowledge and ability) and yet Zara is almost exclusively the only one who EVER has the answers. She has them almost instantaneously and everyone else is used as a counterpoint to what she thinks/decides. This is the height of arrogance. It's insulting!! Why have so many characters then?! It makes me shake my head... But it gets worse...

Zara the champion of freedom... this is ALL she talked about in the first book... STEAL THE OTHERS FREEDOM TO CHOOSE! This is the classic "character does something stupid and has to fix it" kind of story and she doesn't give the other crew an opportunity to weigh in on a MAJOR decision. She wasn't backed into a corner. There were other options. This was the EASY WAY. I'm not saying it isn't human nature to take the easy path but she with all her vaunted protests of freedom should have given the crew their own opportunity to choose.

TBH I didn't even realize until I wrote this review how upset Zara made me feel in Honor Bound. I HATE hypocrites and while we all can be one at times, in this case she goes against something that she thinks and talks about ALL. THE. TIME. We as people don't TRY to be hypocrites, most of the time its because we haven't decided what we believe. It just didn't work for me. However... I read Honor Among Thieves without liking Zara and I think my love of Nadim may cause me to read the last book just to see what happens with the phage, Nadim and Typhon.


The Premise

We've read storylines like what we find in the Sliver so many times I feel we can easily call it a stereotype. Still events were fun if a little boring. Details are what make this portion of the story interesting enough for you to keep reading. I can't say these two authors lack plotting ability because they don't, the Sliver just felt like extremely long setup of stuff we've seen plenty of times before.

Once we moved onto the meat of the story in Honor Bound, the heist, I was a lot more excited. I really loved this aspect... I love exploring people-less places, solving puzzles and being in danger. Zara was a know it all but at least one of the other crew members played a pivotal role. This excellent part of the story was almost instantly burst and we passed into the "stupidity rampant" part of the story. Still even though I object to the choices Zara makes for everyone (and actually what happens is quite contrived) at least this was really exciting.

I ADORE a new character, Xyll. He is my absolute favorite and I lay it at his and Nadim's feet that I want to continue into the next book!! I love when villains aren't as evil as what we see from the surface. Actually another thing these authors are quite talented at is making alien races that read as totally believable. Who would think a living space ship would be a race I would champion?! And Starcurrent a tentacled alien certainly found a soft spot in my heart from his role in Honor Bound. I won't ruin it to talk about Xyll but again he's my favorite and an alien too. Incidentally the leader on the Sliver is another alien that I adored!! (Oh, oh and the lizard mafia mercenaries too!)

While the premise was hit or miss I did find myself enjoying the read (even when I was screaming at the book because bad choices). The F/F romance with the bi-sexual character was quite well done, a real slow burn romance. There is also this three-way relationship that was explored in a way that worked well with the idea of honors and leviathans. If you enjoy diversity then that will work well for you.


Cover & Title grade -> A-

Since the cover design stayed right in line with the Honor Among Thieves cover I went with the same rating. I actually couldn't remember if we were on book #2 or #3 in the Honors series and that is confusing! Shouldn't the covers indicate a growth or advancement? Anyway I am not adverse to getting more, Nadim, living ship shapes... or is that the Sliver?! Okay now I've confused my self looking at the cover so deeply. Either way it does let you know this is another in the Honors series and that's what counts! I do like that the colors changed otherwise it would have been reallllllly confusing.


Why should you read Honor Bound?

-The Aliens (sooooo many cool ones it could be a game)!!
-Action filled plot (with battles, puzzles, and heart thumping events)!
-The Zadim bond (it grows)!!
-The phage swarm (we learn more about them)!
-A heist plot (+ a star wars twist)!
-Mental health in a leviathan (it happens in war A LOT)!
-A med robot with sass (we certainly need that levity)!


The Writing

What I'd like to see in the final book of the Honor series...

-Very quick wrap up of the earth drama. Don't like the idea of it and feel its even more contrived than the whole Sliver storyline.

-More multiple POVs. Beatriz and Nadim would make great POVs and give us a break from Zara. Also we could see how they view Zara and not just see them giving Zara her way all the time. I think it would be really neat to have Xyll's POV in the last book... actually ALL the aliens if I were truthful.

-More leviathans. Typhon is a great foil to Nadim but I would love to see Nadim meet one of his own kind and reproduce! That would be really neat to see the more logical side of another race.

-Less contrivance. When characters make really poor decisions that the reader finds hard to believe or seem to have ALL the answers this is contrivance. When you have other options but go the easy route its also contrivance, especially when it puts your own future in jeopardy. A solid ending with the whole team working together would be a great way to end the series!

Honor Bound has many of the faults found in sequels... boring, brand new setup, contrived choices, and a rushed ending. It also has some really great, fun strengths... a cast of aliens that will make you believe they are out there, villains that make you feel like the universe is in danger and some great details that even make stereotype readable. It's worth it to hang in there just to meet Xyll (I kid you not!)


⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐ Authenticity
⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐⭐ Writing Style
⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐⭐ Plot & Pacing
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ World Building

______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my special perspective at the bottom of my reviews under the typewriter...

Please like this review if you enjoyed it! *bow* *bow* It helps me out a ton!!

[Chelsies Reading Escape · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Trillion Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 No I Give This Series All The Stars in The Universe 😍 I havent even finished the second book yet and I know Ive found my all time favorite series and I want everyone to read it while at the same time not wanting anyone to get 10 feet from it because its all mine. Lol 😆 Ive never felt this way before.

Since I write over half a dozen ARC reviews every month I rarely review books I picked up on my own, but I just love this series so much I needed to gush about it. The style of this review is a bit different than my usual, but its the only way I can put my thoughts it order and convince you to read it.

Reasons Why You Need to Read It

1. The Main Character Zara is Extremely Relatable.

"... the universe kept teaching me how little I knew, even if I thought I’d seen some shit."

2. Nadim is The Best Thing Ever

"Leviathan navigated space the way whales swam the oceans on Earth, though they were vastly larger creatures. They ate starlight and bathed in it to accelerate healing."

3. Nadim and Zaras Relationship was Freaking Precious

"You are as you should be. It was the kindest thing anyone had ever said to me, and it felt . . . pure."

“I do, though,” Nadim said then. “Love you. As I do starlight.” That was what kept him alive, literally, no big deal."

4. Zaras Piloting Partner Bea is Amazing

"Beatriz Teixeira was my partner aboard Nadim, but she was also a nice girl who’d never stolen or slept rough in her life. Core of steel, though. At first glance, we weren’t much alike . . . but underneath? I could see Bea surviving some shit."

5. The Beautiful Friendships

"I’d never been this close to another human who didn’t have a history of hurting me. Beatriz, she was just . . . good, like getting an icy gulp of water on the hottest day."

"His dark gaze held mine, sharp as grief even through the comm screen. “It’s a fatal wound that somehow doesn’t kill you.”“I’m here, all right?”

"Bea looked so fiercely beautiful that she kind of took my breath away."

6. The Diversity Was on Point.

"Starcurrent had said that the pronoun ze fit best. Starcurrent’s species had nine gender identities, a complex spectrum of sexual preferences,..."

"I’d been with people before, but never like this. I stared down at her sleeping face. This was . . . different, and deliciously complicated, and some part of me wondered what it would be like, kissing Bea and letting Nadim feel it, and-"

Zara: "...there was a certain comfort in having another black person on board. In his eyes, I felt seen."

"Bea reached out, wrapping her fingers around mine, warm brown on brown."

"... Bea had a lot of hair, probably type 3B, but I didn’t hesitate. “Sure. What’d you have in mind?”

7. The Awesome Outlaw Colony

"Tell me why we risk fita to sponsor such ... small creatures. The (fighting) Pit is no place for weakness.”“Small doesn’t mean weak,” C-X said. That got a grunt in agreement. “True, true, I know fierce opponents smaller than you. But they have poison and more legs than two."

8. The Fascinating Alien Species

"“Not good,” ze said. “Such beings ...” Here, Starcurrent hesitated, as if there was a story ze didn’t want to tell. “They acted as gods,” ze finally said. “Once, such ruled far-spanning galaxies. Many wars between them. Many worlds gone in fighting."

9. The Action and High Stakes

“We’ve worshipped lots of gods in our history,” she said. “We’ve killed most of them. You might want to be wary.”

“We’re lucky. If we had run into another swarm, they would have surrounded us and closed.” I hadn’t thought of that, and the cold possibility of it tensed up my muscles."

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent follow-up to the first book. More is revealed about the Honors universe and it’s a dark and twisty place. Perfect for an adventure for a girl from the mean streets of Earth, like Zara Cole. I am glad that there will be a third volume, as this is a great fantasy world and it would be a shame not to explore it fully. Keep on writing, Ms. Caine and Ms. Aguirre!

I would maybe rate it at 4.25 or 4.33 stars, when I gave the first book the full 5 star treatment. Some of this is undoubtedly due to my mental state these days, whirling with many different priorities. Plus I had some books for my real-life book club that needed attention right while I was in the middle of reading this. Distractions!

If you feel strongly about cliff-hangers, you may wish to wait until this series is complete, because I would have to call the ending to this volume a cliff-hanger. However, I would strongly recommend the series to readers of fantasy and science fiction--it may be classified as Young Adult, but trust me there is enough substance here to please an older adult as well. (Caine is particularly good at that, I find).

I do find myself wondering about the tendency in the science fiction genre to portray humanity as the street fighters in the universe, looked down on by extraterrestrial species for our aggression and general dangerousness. I’ve encountered this idea repeatedly, including in this series and I think that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I guess we need to be optimistic that we could hold our own in the universe.

At any rate, this was an excellent book, with a great set-up for the next and I can hardly wait to get my hands on volume 3.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*

In the amazing sequel of the phenomenal writing duo, Zara Cole, Bea, and their living spaceship/space whale Nadim will embark on a journey full of mysteries, adventure, and unstoppable action.

After the ending of the first book Honor Bound begins with Zara, Bea Nadim and the fellow Elder Typhon traveling to the Sliver where they hope to help their ships and also escape the Phage. A space-station full of aliens, different cultures, countless of different cultures, sexual preferences and behaviors, Zara and crew will have to fight through aliens, scams, a mysterious mafia-like boss and travel deep into space.

I enjoyed thoroughly the story! I love Zara and her POV. She is almost unstoppable with strength, sass and deep sensitivity, especially towards Nadim. I love that space whale so much! Also, the action didn't let me put the book down not to mention that the book ended on a cliffhanger! How am I supposed to wait now?

Still, trouble is brewing on Earth too and I fear that the problems which will be caused will be far greater than the danger I left Zara to face in that planet. I WANT MY SWEETS TO BE SAFE!
Totally recommended along with the first book if you love Star Trek with a twist!

[Lisa (A Life Bound By Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!!! AHHHHHHHHH! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again... I FLOVE these books and characters!!! I’ve become so invested in these characters that I just can’t get enough!!! Seriously GREAT Sci-fi!!

The story picks up right where we were left in the first book. Zara, Nadim and the rest of the crew have a rough road,... er,... space ahead of them as they try to tackle issues that they found themselves in from Honor Among Thieves. But that’s not all! There’s more twists and turns that kept me gripped, on the edge of my seat from page one right through until the last!

One thing I can say is that the story’s set up where you know there’s something much bigger lurking under the surface of it all. You can just feel it ticking away like a time bomb. Authors @rachelcainewriter & @ann_aguirre_author set something in motion in this book that I have no idea what’s going to come next, and I have a feeling there might be tears. I can already tell you my heart might not make it after the next book! Im so worried.

The overall story and plots are vast, thrilling and more often than not extremely unexpected. The characters are all so interesting and layered,... some more lovable than others. Put it all together with two talented authors writing the story and everyone wins!!!

I can’t wait for the third book. I’ll be waiting with bated breath to see what’ll happen next, who’ll survive.

If you love sci-fi, pick up these books. If you love amazing characters, pick up these books. If you’re looking to dip your toes into the sci-fi genre,... pick up these books. What’re you waiting for?

Thank you SO much for @rachelcainewriter @ann_aguirre_author & @mighty_mouse118 for sending me a copy of this book. You are all amazing humans and I can’t thank you enough for your kindness.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barely escaping a Phage attack, Zara and the other Honors must find a place for the Leviathan to heal. They end up at an outpost called the Sliver, run by crimelord, Bacia. In order to pay for the repairs to Nadim and Typhon, the crewmates find some interesting ways to make money. They attract the notice of Bacia himself who has a bigger job for them that would allow the crew to buy upgrades that will protect the Leviathan from future Phage attacks; however, the job may prove that there are some things out there even worse than the Phage.

I am totally invested in these characters but I have to say that the plot has varied from what I expected - in a good way. Like the characters, I thought the Phage were going to be the main villains in this series. But as Zara's knowledge of the universe grows, so does the reader's. The Honors now have a host of problems to deal with out in space! This book served to introduce some new characters to help and some to harm. Warning! It ends on a cliffhanger that leaves you drooling in anticipation of what is to come. The author also sprinkled in a few hints to a new plot thread for the next book - one that I am actually not that interested in. I think there is already enough going on.....but I thought that at the beginning of this book too and I am not disappointed with what ended up happening. I wish we didn't have to wait until 2020 to get the next installment.

[Linaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is criminally under-read.

After the explosive revelations at the end of Honor Among Thieves, Honor Bound picks up the frantic pace. Zara, Nadim and crew head to Sliver to recover and refuel before continuing to figure out what to do about the Phage. Things there get...complicated, especially when they get involved with Bacia.

The book is just everything I wanted. Diversity. Aliens that aren't just hot space elves. Complex relationships and I think it's confirmed that we have a girlxshipxgirl relationship now that is the most adorable thing that I have ever read. The plot is top-notch and, the cliffhanger is killing me. I need the third book now.

[Andra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no idea where to even begin, so confused am I by what I've just read. I haven't finished the whole book yet, but I have some very strong opinions about what I've read so far that a review really couldn't wait.

Let's try starting with the pronouns. I understand that pronouns are important to many people, and that directly using incorrect pronouns is disrespectful. However, Zara and her crew are constantly thinking of pronouns for each new species they meet even before they meet it, acting as if it's so important for a species whose culture, history, and present they know nothing of. They're forcing gender pronouns--a vastly human-declared concept--onto alien species. Which is ridiculous, because no matter how far-removed Caine and Aguirre attempt to make the alien species from humanity, they still impose human concepts and rules onto these aliens and act as if it's normal for them, which in turn humanizes them and makes them even less alien.

This bothers me as I feel as though Caine and Aguirre have absolutely no idea how different any lifeforms we'd possibly encounter would be from us. They're all based on some kind of human concept; a lizard (Bruqvisq) or a whale (Leviathan) or an insect (the weird shit Zara and C-X fought) or a squid (Starcurrent) or a jellyfish (the jellies). But these are all Terran concepts, because of Earth's evolution and climate and geology. If we were ever to intercept alien life, it would be in the form of something so incredibly unrecognizable to us. Other places in the universe also have different laws of physics than we do on Earth. Simply put, nothing alien in this book is alien enough, as though there is just a lack of sufficient comprehension of the known universe. I understand that it is difficult to describe something alien when readers would have no idea how to visually interpret something we have no way of imaging, but at the same time, the authors also could have benefited from cooling it with all the animal references in relation to the aliens (see above, an extensive list of aliens attributed to very HUMAN animals). It just speaks of lack of creativity, which is obviously a huge detriment to any novel.

Circling back to the pronouns - the pronouns assigned to Starcurrent are ridiculous. Again, it speaks of lack of creativity. "Zim" and "ze" read as though Zara is using a stupid southern drawl only on special occasions. Not to mention, they are both clearly direct variations of "him" and "he" but simply made into an "alien" concept by replacing H with the letter Z. This is so clearly a human concept, founded in human pronouns, created by HUMANS, that again, imposing it into an alien species, and assuming the alien species always and automatically knows what a "pronoun" is, is both ridiculous and counter intuitive. I spent the entire book thinking of Starcurrent as a him, which I think is the exact opposite result of the authors' intent. At the very, very least, to spark a little creative originality, the pronoun could have been some funky new word that wasn't a transparent appropriation of masculine pronouns.

Branching off of this, I noticed that none of the lead characters are actually trans or use pronouns that differ from he/she. It's all just in passing inclusion, tossed in at literally every 20-page interval just in case the reader forgets that two middle-aged white women in a racist, bigoted world are TOTALLY on board with anyone's preference of pronoun, no matter age, size, or alien species. The whole concept is just...ridiculous. Imposing pronouns on alien species honestly just belittles people who actually do use pronouns other than he/she; it reads like a bad joke, especially considering that, again, pronouns are a vastly human concept, and imposing them on alien species we know literally nothing of is so unrealistic and oppressive and downright ridiculous in its surrealism. This whole pronoun business just reads as a cry for these women to make their books more inclusive and appealing to a larger audience based simply on the fact that more inclusive and accepting books sell better for the larger audience appeal, and it will win points with people within the LGBTQ+ community for the diversity and not the quality of writing.

I also have a bone to pick with our lead heroine, Zara. She's a stuck up asshole who thinks so highly of herself and considers herself such a special snowflake. But the fact of the matter is, if you have to constantly proclaim and remind people that you are, in fact, a badass, then in reality you are NOT, in fact, a real badass. You're just an arrogant try-hard. Her every remark is NOT snarky and cunning; it's all rude, annoying, juvenile, and shortsighted. Also, the whole crap with Zara being such a special snowflake: "Zara's the only one who has created such a deep bond", "Zara can spot all these flaws in battle", "Zara knows all these incredibly cool combat tricks PLUS what is apparently parkour after literally ZERO training just because she grew up in a rough area"? So unrealistic. She's that one bitch who struts into an interview and when asked what her greatest professional weaknesses are, spouts some bullshit about working too hard, being too detail oriented, and prioritizing her job too much over anything else beloved in her life. Her every flaw is written as a strength; as bravery and cunning, to be admired and revered. Her biggest flaw is clearly her risk taking in battle, which is always written off as, "I'm the best in combat", "I will sacrifice myself for my friends", "I just enjoy the thrill, because, DON'T YOU DARE FORGET, I grew up in a rough area, pity me but don't or I'll smite you." She's just such an inherently unlikable, unrealistic character with 0% depth, just like every other character in this book. Everyone is a big cliche, and Zara is the special snowflake heroine with one thousand other skills that nobody in the entire universe but her possesses, and she's capable of helping everybody with every problem just because she is the lead. Not to mention, her swearing is ridiculous. It is realistic that most people her age swear as frequently and as colourfully as she does, but the way it's written makes it seem like another special-snowflake bit; like she thinks she's so badass and cool and hardcore for swearing, because she's tough and that's what tough people do. I don't have a problem with swearing in books, but if overdone, it again gives the impression of a juvenile character and a juvenile writing style, as if neither the character nor the author can conjure a different reaction for emotions and falls short of being able to record surprise or anger or victory in anything but sloppy curse words. Curse words can be so powerful when inserted into the right place and handled tastefully. An example: From the Kite Runner, Baba's speech in the bar, I believe shortly after Amir's graduation, when he lifted his glass and shouted, "Fuck the Russia!" That was a powerful scene, an iconic scene, which stirred a lot of emotion. Not a single swear in this book has anywhere near the same effect, except to make Zara seem like a pretween who's found power and ill-placed arrogance in learning to swear behind his parents' backs.

Another bone to pick - Zara and Nadim's relationship (and a little bit Beatrix). For anyone who doesn't know, Nadim is the whale-likened alien called a Leviathan who offers passage (like, inside of himself.............) to other species. Leviathan have mutualistic relationships with their host passengers, but of course Nadim and Zara's bond is one of a kind and stronger than anyone has ever seen (because the most special person in the universe, Zara, is involved). First of all, they have a "bond name" for when they deep bond, and they coined it Zadim. Ever since this was introduced in the first book, it rang like a ship name, and I knew some freaky alien emotional/physical/mental affair was imminent. And I was..........not wrong. Their whole relationship is so ridiculous and "perfect" that it makes me hate it. And every single thing they say, and how they say it, carries undertones of repressed sexual tension, which is so vastly uncomfortable, when you remember that Nadim is a sentient alien spaceship and Zara is a teeny tiny human in comparison. At least the creature in The Shape of Water was humanoid. Zara wants to fuck an extraterrestrial whale. And check out this one line from when Zara, Bea, and Nadim all simultaneously bonded for the first time: "This was...different, and deliciously complicated, and some part of me wondered what it would be like, kissing Bea and letting Nadim feel it, and-- / Maybe no Honor ever entertained such thoughts until now. Whatever, it wasn't like I planned on acting on them. Well, not yet, anyway."

Girl, can't you just accept a normal relationship with a beautiful Brazilian woman and NOT involve an extraterrestrial spectator who wasn't even remotely the same kind of species...Which brings into account how unrealistic it is that all Leviathan have similar thoughts and concepts and interpretations of every single human emotion, when, again, a billion different circumstances meant they would have evolved to share maybe 6% emotional similarities.

Another problem with Nadim and Zara's relationship, aside from Zara being an absolute dipshit of a 2-D, cliche character, is Nadim's personality resonating equally flat. He has NO personality. He's perpetually kind and concerned and spends the whole book pining after and being afraid for Zara, like some reverse-gender Mary Sue, just to show F E M I N I S M and how female figures can be the "badass" who takes care of the man in a relationship. While this is true, this is such an extreme case of this condition, and handled so distastefully, that it just comes off as, again, a cis white woman trying to reach out to broader audiences by including a harsh interpretation of feminism that is unnecessary to get across the point that feminism is a good thing.

And speaking of good--Nadim has no other personality trait other than GOOD; that's it. He never does anything unexpected, he has no personality flaws, he and Zara never argue because he never says anything that isn't worshipful or in awe of Zara. He's the most bland character, who does nothing but stand there and worry. This may be another reason I'm so disturbed by his and Zara's relationship; he clucks worriedly after Zara like a mother hen. His words carry the consoling, concerned message of a loving mother, but twisted with undertones of sexual lust.

Now, before I get into berating other aspects of this book, let me just share some true gems regarding the sexual undertones I'm referring to:

"Are you touching him?" (Zara to Bea, about Nadim)
...
"Nadim? Can you feel us?"
"Yes, Zara. You are Beatriz are together."
"Can we, all three of us...?"
"I would like that. As long as you're both willing." (Have to throw creepy alien consent in to top off the over-exaggerated point of FEMINISM)
...
"He was, and she was, and I--oh, we were, together" (Alien/human/human orgasm)
...And then this gem again: "This was...different, and deliciously complicated, and some part of me wondered what it would be like, kissing Bea and letting Nadim feel it, and-- / Maybe no Honor ever entertained such thoughts until now. Whatever, it wasn't like I planned on acting on them. Well, not yet, anyway."
...
"Too bad Nadim can't really appreciate how fine I am."
...
And I'm sure this continues. I may edit this review and upload more snippets when I get the chance, because even if you're reading this review and not actually planning on reading the book, I just really want to share this alien porno.

One of my last complaints is in regards to the Leviathan species as a whole. They carry all this advanced biotech, supposedly having created it, when they don't even have HANDS to craft any of it...they can literally do absolutely nothing but swim in space. They're giant whales, and even if whales were sentient and intelligent in the same way, or superior to the way, that humans are, it still would have been physiologically impossible for them to craft and create technology because...well, where the fuck are their tiny hands to create this tech? Or a surface on which to create it? Or RESOURCES from which to gather materials to create it? It's all just so far-fetched with so many plot holes, where things in the universe just exist for the sole reason that each species is different, and we're meant to not question it. It's ridiculous.

A few good things I will pepper in amidst the rest of the bullshit that is this book; the racial representation, of a Brazilian woman, a black man and woman, and C-X, who I believe is some Eastern-Asian but whose exact heritage I forget from the first novel. I also really appreciated the different hair representations, of Beatriz's being 3B, and Zara's being likely 4C based on the description of care and maintenance. It's far more realistic than an all-white cast of leading characters. I also did appreciate the pace of the book; it was fast, and there were no lulls in the happening of events. Things moved along nicely, and there was always something new to learn or discover.

Some of the quotes in this book are also well-written. I do believe that the writing has potential to be great, if it was taken more seriously and in the perspective of a character who didn't act like an arrogant child. There just simply aren't enough descriptions, aside from the likening of aliens to modern-known animals, to make what could have been excellent world-building come to life. Everything rushed by and was sometimes ill-explained that I flipped back and forth between pages, unsure if I'd accidentally skipped a page due to the lack of proper elaboration in certain areas. There is definitely so much potential, but the world was simply not flushed out properly, in terms of appropriate description, and I was often left confused in action sequences, as to how Zara had managed to get from one place to another.

In summary - read this book if you'd like. It wasn't awful as books go; just juvenile and unrealistic for what genre it was. It's manageable to get through, but picking through what actually makes a good novel made me realize how unfortunately short this book falls from anything but a passable read on slow, boring summer evenings. I don't mean to totally shit on this book; it is an original, creative read. But these things caught my attention and bothered me enough that I couldn't really enjoy that which was good about the book.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aaaaaah this was such a strong follow up and excellent middle book that actually had it's own story as well as setting up the finale.

I loved how it involved more of the characters, brought in new ones, and formed new bonds between them all. It also expanded the worlds so much, exploring more of space and new civilisations.

I particularly loved the Sliver. There was so much accessible detail, from the currency to the bars, to the descriptions of different aliens. The fights in the pit were some of my fave scenes, and I loved how Zara and C-X became closer and understood each other more than they did in the first book. I also loved Bea's character development, particularly watching her confidence grow and how she learned to trust Zara and Nadim more to make this cute little trio thrive. Starcurrent was also such a sweetie, and the Starocean moments were adorable and strong.

I love that there are so many adversaries. I love the hints of Derry coming back. I think this next book is going to be so complex and wonderful and I really can't wait to see where this hint at romance is going. The plot in this book was absolutely packed full, so I have high hopes for the next!

[Gem (The Creepy Geek) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was everything. I loved book one but I think this was even better! I adore the characters and the bonds/friendships/relationships that are coming together. I enjoy the writing and the sass, I am here for the weird and wonderful, and I CANNOT wait for book three.

[Anabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Puntuación: 4.5

Menudo enganche de libro, desde las primeras páginas me he visto envuelta en toda la trama, el tiempo no ha pasado por mi mente para olvidar todo de Zara y Nadim y sus compañeros, nuevos y no tanto. No he podido soltarlo en todo el fin de semana y me ha resultado un libro increíble para ser un libro de transición, no me ha dado para nada esa sensación. Mi problema viene ahora en esperar para la tercera parte, porque madre mía como se queda.

[Jaye Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rachel and Ann be like when writing this book:


This series is SO underrated but so good, it's a shame.

Honor Bound takes place not that long after the first book, Honor Among Thieves. Zara, her crew, and the rest of the newly teamed up fleet are in need of repairs and upgrades before heading into battle against the hungry swarm that hunt Leviathan. As they end up on an outlaw run outpost called the Silver, they come across all different types of aliens and have to make a deal with the boss of the post to get what they need. In turn they end up on a dangerous journey that has terrible consequences.

This book and series is exactly what Aurora Rising promised but didn't deliver. We have actual LGBT rep of all kinds. Human AND alien diversity, action and a plot that is super interesting and unique. And seriously, the girl x ship x girl hint of an unconventional romance that you didn't know you needed. GIRL X SHIP X GIRL IS CONFIRMED CANON AND NO ONE CAN CHANGE MY MIND AHHH. It also has such a great cast of interesting characters too.

I love Zara and Nadim SO much and when Bea gets added into that pile? It's everything to me. The first half of the plot was pretty slow and I can't say I enjoyed it all that much. They were grounded and just going about earning money to get their upgrades and I was bored. The only thing that kept me going during that before it picked up was my attachment to these characters. Their connection and character development really kept progressing the entire time and I loved it.

This book got hit with a middle book syndrome hard and a lot of it felt like a sidequest before the final fight. But eventually the plot does get better and things start moving forward, setting up the third book with a cliffhanger and I'm really excited to see where they go from this. The stakes really went hard and it was wild. A sci-fi set in space that is actually super cool with all different kinds of aliens and neat space stuff? Sounds fake but it isn't

Y'all really sleeping on this series and it shows.

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!
This was a great read! It picked up right after the first book and I was engaged from the beginning. I love the characters, especially Zara and Nadim and their bond. It's such an interesting idea and The Sliver planet was so much fun to experience. In this book we got to see different aliens and their characteristics, especially the Phage. There's so much going on and when the Honors bind with the Levithan and become one, they're so powerful and I wonder what that would be like.
There are also little reports in between the chapters of information and secret deals that furthered the plot and made it even more interesting. The ending!!! I can't wait for book 3, ah!

[V Myers · Rating 2 out of 5]

What happened??!!!

This is the 2nd book in the series and it doesn't read like it was even written by the same authors as the 1st. I really enjoyed the first book but this one is jam packed with sass to the point of annoying. Suddenly I feel like every current PC hot button is being shoved in my face - gender and race diversity is great but I don't need repeated play by plays of hair washing and slang to figure out that Zara is not Caucasian. I get it - I am a minority and it's nice to have more diversity in books but this feels forced and gimmicky. Who is talking braids and co-wash when trying to stay alive???!!! Same with all the gender inclusion. Zim and ze and them, the busting out of sassy fresh and super cool slang.... Okay - good for you, you are totally hip  with the  kids. It's like the school guidance counselor (or me) trying to hang with the 14 year olds. The Leviathans have gone from cool alien living spacecrafts to needy, whiny, angsty teens following Zara, who is a fighting prodigy (of course) and now my least favorite character. The worst for me is the bond between Zara and  Nadim which is overly intimate to the point of awkwardly creepy and totally eye-roll worthy. I love Ann Aguirre and her sci fi series and love Rachel Caine's mysteries but this feels like a really awkward attempt at taking the Sarntha Jax adult series and dumbing it down to teen fluff to jump on the YA bandwagon. So disappointed. 2.5 stars for just okay.

[Yels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honor Bound started off a little slow for me but it really picks up when Zara and company start making money to help Nadim and Typhoon. Zara and C-X have to fight gladiator style to make money and end up attracting the attention of Bacia, the main baddy of the satellite station they are at. He sends them to get something from what the gang find out is a gravesite. Once they think they are on their way out, Bacia like the dummy they are, awake/lose the god-king.

First thing first, ZADIM and Bea!!! Come on, Caine and Aguirre confirmed it and some of y'all still doubt it?? Sure it is unconventional but I am so here for it and cannot wait for book 3 to see what happens. I was surprised that mt favorite character was Suncross and company. I love the lizard aliens with 4 arms who take a chance on Zara and C-X. They end up being ride or die and I love it so much. Their weapon being glued on their ship had me cracking up and I hope that they are an integral part of book 3.

I find the god-king so intriguing with the army that had been let loose and how planets are devoured. It's 100% genocide and I was screaming that a peaceful race is being eradicated and that ending did not give me good vibes.

[Jo]

Super excited for this! Zadim all the way!!

[Aleya · Rating 5 out of 5]

So freaking good. I need the next book.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well the stakes just went up big time in this one. Zara, Beatriz, and Nadim barely escaped their first encounter with the phage. Now Nadim and Typhon are both injured and the only spot near enough to get them some help is a space station with a not so honest reputation. But it's their only hope.

I enjoyed this one a lot. There was a lot more really great world building and some wonderful new characters. Of course Sliver is just as bad as it's disreputable reputation would expect and everyone finds themselves struggling to find their balance. Zara grows up a lot in this story, she's coming into her own and trusting in her relationship with Nadim and also with Beatriz. She gets to be quite the badass at times in this one.

I liked the way the story developed. We met new friends that add another dimension to the story and I thought Yusuf and Starcurrent added to the story. CX and Zara in the ring was great, I thought the development of their relationship was strong point for how Zara was developing. They go out on a snatch and grab that leads them to even more craziness. Now the stakes are even more dire. This developed really well and kept me on the edge of my seat through the whole thing. Can't wait for the next story.

[iva · Rating 4 out of 5]

so different
but i absolutely loved it

[Ashley (gotbookcitement) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am so confused and mixed on this series. There are some things that I just can't, nope, ugh, why?? Does it have its good parts? Yes, but the parts that I don't like are so glaring that they kind of take over, and it's all I can think about when I think about this series.
Now, you might be asking, if you don't like this series, then why did you read the sequel? Was it just to hate on it? But that's the thing, I don't hate it. I really like the sci-fi aspects to it. Honor Bound had a lot of fun, sci-fi adventure in its pages. We had a bunch of alien species, a somewhat shady space establishment called the Sliver, (which I read as the Silver for maybe over half the time they were there without noticing ha) and a lot of spacey space adventures. It was a very fast read too, I could get sucked in and just read big chunks at a time. The writing is also really good. Aguirre and Caine make a good team.
So my issues with this book center strictly on the relationship bonding crap pile. I think it is the most dumb, weird, cringe thing I have ever read. I just can't. I'm never going to buy into this relationship between a gigantic alien whale ship and the human that rides inside him. I think it's made even weirder by how sexual the authors' write it. I roll my eyes everytime they join and become Zadim *barf*. And then they decide to include a threesome of some weird kind. It's stupid.
I'm also not the biggest fan of Zara as a character. I think she has a lot of swagger and cockiness, and it just seems so forced. I don't buy it. She's too cool for school and she doesn't feel like an authentic character to me. It's like someone putting on a bad act.
I was also a little irritated by how Honor Bound ended, in that it DIDN'T. It wasn't even a cliffhanger, it was an end right in the middle of a scene. That's annoying. And I'm also not sure of how I feel of the clues they were giving out of who might come to play in the next one. Seems like a problem that should have just stayed on Earth and been forgotten.
It's also very overdramatic in a lot of its scenes, which can make it like a baaaad soap opera.
I am so perplexed about this series. I'll probably read the next book just because I'm curious as to how everything will turn out. If this book hadn't had that stupid relationship, I probably would really like it, but the sexual bonding makes it dumb and I can't.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.4/5
I am so confused by this series. What is this??

[Shealea · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am confused, baffled, and flabbergasted by what I just read. And I suspect that the absurd cliffhanger ending is a strategic ploy to force readers into buying the last book.

But y'all can't fool me. I am DONE with this series, and I will happily pretend that I never read the first two books.

Final impressions:
• Honor Among Thieves was weird in a fun, compelling way. But this sequel? Plain weirdness all around.

• The beginning was sluggish and boring, the middle was unexpectedly convoluted, and the ending was frustratingly abrupt since it literally ends in the middle of a big battle scene.

• Beginning - Admittedly, my interest started dwindling during the pit fights where, shocker of all shockers, it was discovered that Zara Cole has an unparalleled talent for fighting and a superpower for identifying her opponents' weaknesses.

• Middle - From fighting against a godlike Big Bad to making life-threatening deals with an organized crime boss to engaging in multiple skirmishes against the phage, this sequel threw so many elements into its plot that if it were a meal, I'd spit it out. There were so many add-ons to the original threat (i.e. the phage) that the plot was absurdly messy and insufferably redundant, jumping from one battle to another.

• Ending - Since majority of the story was spent fighting baddies and running away, the final battle scene came across as anticlimactic and unsatisfying.

• I adored all the character relationships and found family energy in the first book, so I was disappointed to see Zara Cole's crewmates becoming hollowed husks whose sole purpose is to hype her up.

• In line with this, the bizarre sexual undertones of Zara and Nadim and Beatriz's relationship were not for me.

• On top of all my complaints, the biggest shortcoming of Honor Bound lies in its protagonist, Zara Cole. Cementing her status as special snowflake with superpowers early on in the sequel, her self-serving, impulsive behavior and presumed self-importance (enabled by the other characters) quickly grew irritating.

Not recommended.

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[Vorágine (ig:voragineblog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vínculo de honor mantiene el gran nivel de Honor entre ladrones y nos deja, tras un final de infarto, con muchas ganas de leer su tercer y último libro, que si sigue el camino de estos, cerrará de forma perfecta el círculo de esta trilogía.

Reseña: http://voragineinterna.blogspot.com/2...

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

So weird but not entirely unpleasant. Some major scene skipping and seemed to try too hard in places but overall a quick, easy read. Might as well finish the series at this point.

[Shanna Matheo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whoah... what a roller coaster ride! The sayings "No rest for the wicked." and "No good deed goes unpunished." come to mind. There was no reprieve, no rest, no peace for Zara and her not-so-merry band.

This book felt longer than the first and to be honest, it really tested my patience and how much adrenaline my body could take at the end. I mean... Can we catch a break?

[Alba Amor por los libros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maravilloso. 530 páginas de acción y tensión. Me ha encantado. No dejan de ocurrir cosas. La ambientación me tiene enamorada y la evolución de las relaciones de los personajes también. Pero ¿ESE FINAL? ¿Como sobrevivo yo hasta la tercera parte?