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Adventures of Kristy Ryan #1
Spectors
Space pirate Captain Kristy Ryan grew up the only daughter of a notorious privateer in the Border Planet Region. She learned her trade the hard way – there were no free rides on her father’s ship. Now, she has her own ship, the Unicorn, and successfully works in the shadows, the fringes of legitimate trade. Her life is just how she wants it even on those days when her pilot and lover, Andrew Bennet, drives her crazy. But an unexpected visit from the Military Space Alliance changes everything. Her father disappeared while working a dangerous mission for the MSA. Now, she’s being blackmailed into finishing his mission.
- GenresScience Fiction
144 pages, Paperback
First published December 12, 2011
15 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
About the author
Angelia Almos
17 books66 followersWriting Young Adult, Space Opera, and Horsey Nonfiction as Angelia Almos. Writing Steamy Paranormal Romance and Romantic Suspense as Angie Derek.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 19, 2013
This Review was first published on my blog Lecture toute une Aventure
My opinion:
Angelia has been a fan of Star Wars and Star Trek and I must admit, for having read quite a share of them, that she does make them honor! Really this story could have fit in the other universes without problem and the quality of her writing is really good.
I really liked this book and the plot was well developed to keep me interested and curious. The romance is there, sweet and not predominant which works in favour of the story. However I’m really glad this book seems to be the first of a series because there are things I thought missing and I can hope to get answer in future books. From the beginning we learn than Kristy and her father are in a disagreement of sort to say the least…but we know nothing about it. The fact I couldn’t understand from where her resentment came made it a little more difficult for me to connect with the character. We see she has been hurt, she is even crying in her sleep but we don’t know about why… in fact we only discover that some events took place on one planet and that’s linked to that…. That’s all. It’s something I regret but since more books are possible we could get the bottom of this. (yes I do have hope^^ even better it was confirmed that book 2 was under work YEAH!)
I particularly enjoyed to see the interaction between the crew, Wilhelmina is quite funny, acting like a mother for the rest of them, we know she is a kind of cat humanoid and that she worked with Kristy’s father before but I wouldn’t mind learning more about the linguist ^^ , what are the specific of her species, how she came to be with the Ryan etc .She is also really resourceful. Andrews is the best pilot and I’m glad he does have some alpha trait to keep up with grumpy Kristy… now when we discover his family we understand him even better ( little Ashley is more than likely wanting to join his brother on the side than her sister in the military, never underestimate little sister^^)Then you add Glenn, ex military, and Felicity, courageous engineer and you have the crew… small but effective
It’s a good read but if you are not used to space opera novel, the ending could surprise you. It’s not a cliffhanger, not at all, but often in space opera you get the bottom of the investigation, you see who was behind the plot or who was the villain….but you don’t see how it’s resolved . It’s left to your imagination or occasionally in series you get a little more info in later books when the main characters talk about the past events. So here you understand, we see what they do about it but if you are the kind of reader who want to see the bad ones punished… you will be left hanging ( now I do admit I love to see the bad ones punished but after reading a lot of star trek and Star wars novel I’m used not to get immediately still it’s a little regret) Angelia Almos really found how to end her story keeping us happy and wanting more at the same time so I can only hope more books in the series are on schedule.
If you love space opera, classic one, without steamy scenes, this is the right book for you. If you want to discover the genre, it’s also a good approach thanks to the talent of the author who renders the story really accessible. Now to discover the author I would perhaps recommend to try some of other works first ( I loved some a lot more!)but keep this one on your list , it’s really worth it.
My opinion:
Angelia has been a fan of Star Wars and Star Trek and I must admit, for having read quite a share of them, that she does make them honor! Really this story could have fit in the other universes without problem and the quality of her writing is really good.
I really liked this book and the plot was well developed to keep me interested and curious. The romance is there, sweet and not predominant which works in favour of the story. However I’m really glad this book seems to be the first of a series because there are things I thought missing and I can hope to get answer in future books. From the beginning we learn than Kristy and her father are in a disagreement of sort to say the least…but we know nothing about it. The fact I couldn’t understand from where her resentment came made it a little more difficult for me to connect with the character. We see she has been hurt, she is even crying in her sleep but we don’t know about why… in fact we only discover that some events took place on one planet and that’s linked to that…. That’s all. It’s something I regret but since more books are possible we could get the bottom of this. (yes I do have hope^^ even better it was confirmed that book 2 was under work YEAH!)
I particularly enjoyed to see the interaction between the crew, Wilhelmina is quite funny, acting like a mother for the rest of them, we know she is a kind of cat humanoid and that she worked with Kristy’s father before but I wouldn’t mind learning more about the linguist ^^ , what are the specific of her species, how she came to be with the Ryan etc .She is also really resourceful. Andrews is the best pilot and I’m glad he does have some alpha trait to keep up with grumpy Kristy… now when we discover his family we understand him even better ( little Ashley is more than likely wanting to join his brother on the side than her sister in the military, never underestimate little sister^^)Then you add Glenn, ex military, and Felicity, courageous engineer and you have the crew… small but effective
It’s a good read but if you are not used to space opera novel, the ending could surprise you. It’s not a cliffhanger, not at all, but often in space opera you get the bottom of the investigation, you see who was behind the plot or who was the villain….but you don’t see how it’s resolved . It’s left to your imagination or occasionally in series you get a little more info in later books when the main characters talk about the past events. So here you understand, we see what they do about it but if you are the kind of reader who want to see the bad ones punished… you will be left hanging ( now I do admit I love to see the bad ones punished but after reading a lot of star trek and Star wars novel I’m used not to get immediately still it’s a little regret) Angelia Almos really found how to end her story keeping us happy and wanting more at the same time so I can only hope more books in the series are on schedule.
If you love space opera, classic one, without steamy scenes, this is the right book for you. If you want to discover the genre, it’s also a good approach thanks to the talent of the author who renders the story really accessible. Now to discover the author I would perhaps recommend to try some of other works first ( I loved some a lot more!)but keep this one on your list , it’s really worth it.
April 28, 2013
Before reading the book I had no idea what a space opera was. Needless to say, this is the first book I’ve read in the category, and I am mighty glad that I did. I really enjoyed it and found that I was able to get right into the space theme join in the adventure without any problems at all, and I’m not generally a space fan, or at least I didn’t think I was until now.
This book was fast paced and filled with action at every turn. The book starts out with one character, Luke, in a terrible position when his ship appears to be under attack, but the reader doesn’t know what is attacking or what is really going on, just that something bad is going on and that he is trying to contact a person named O’Neal. Later, this O’Neal contacts Captain Kristy Ryan, who is a space pirate and gets her to do a bit of a job for him. She discovers a lot more than she bargained for along the way and a mystery even she couldn’t have imagined begins to unfold. As per my usual review ways, I don’t want to give the story away because you really, really, really need to read this one!
The author did an excellent job with character development. It really feels like you know the characters personally and you begin to really care about what happens to them. At times you want to yell at them when to make the decisions you think they should make and you find yourself laughing with them and even shedding a tear with them. It was a great trip through space with these unique characters. The one thing I really liked a lot was there were not too many characters so you were able to “get to know” the main characters quickly and not get confused by them.
I truly enjoyed the length of this book as well. The paperback copy I read has 139 pages and it was perfect. This is one of those books that could have been longer but was great just as it was as well. The story was so good, it could have easily been made into a book double or triple the size because the author is just really that good with writing and storytelling. However, the author also did a splendid job of building up this book for a sequel should there be one written (which I am crossing my fingers that there will be!!). Everything in this book was answered and tied up neatly aside from one or two things but those things are the things that so cleanly built to a part two. I will be keeping an eye out for a second book in this series and really hoping there will be one because I think I might “need” one rather than “want” one because I really liked this book a lot.
I would recommend this book to just about anyone who likes to read a good story. It won’t take you long to read at all and it’s very much worth your time. I am really glad to have read this book and I hope that others will read it and enjoy it as much as I have.
This book was fast paced and filled with action at every turn. The book starts out with one character, Luke, in a terrible position when his ship appears to be under attack, but the reader doesn’t know what is attacking or what is really going on, just that something bad is going on and that he is trying to contact a person named O’Neal. Later, this O’Neal contacts Captain Kristy Ryan, who is a space pirate and gets her to do a bit of a job for him. She discovers a lot more than she bargained for along the way and a mystery even she couldn’t have imagined begins to unfold. As per my usual review ways, I don’t want to give the story away because you really, really, really need to read this one!
The author did an excellent job with character development. It really feels like you know the characters personally and you begin to really care about what happens to them. At times you want to yell at them when to make the decisions you think they should make and you find yourself laughing with them and even shedding a tear with them. It was a great trip through space with these unique characters. The one thing I really liked a lot was there were not too many characters so you were able to “get to know” the main characters quickly and not get confused by them.
I truly enjoyed the length of this book as well. The paperback copy I read has 139 pages and it was perfect. This is one of those books that could have been longer but was great just as it was as well. The story was so good, it could have easily been made into a book double or triple the size because the author is just really that good with writing and storytelling. However, the author also did a splendid job of building up this book for a sequel should there be one written (which I am crossing my fingers that there will be!!). Everything in this book was answered and tied up neatly aside from one or two things but those things are the things that so cleanly built to a part two. I will be keeping an eye out for a second book in this series and really hoping there will be one because I think I might “need” one rather than “want” one because I really liked this book a lot.
I would recommend this book to just about anyone who likes to read a good story. It won’t take you long to read at all and it’s very much worth your time. I am really glad to have read this book and I hope that others will read it and enjoy it as much as I have.
July 27, 2013
Quite the engaging story! Encounter at Shalana quickly drew me in and wouldn't let me go. Plenty of action and intrigue to keep you reading page after page, and you'll wonder where the time went. My only real complaint is that the story isn't long enough. Then again, that may be because I was so engrossed in it and lost track of time. Read this book!
December 29, 2011
Spectors is truly a Good read!
Great story, a real page turner. You will not want to put it down!
I'm looking forward to a sequel, hint, hint!
Scott
Great story, a real page turner. You will not want to put it down!
I'm looking forward to a sequel, hint, hint!
Scott
April 28, 2020
It reminds me of the Star Trek episode Operation-Annihilate.
But without the great writing. It is hard to believe that a 20 something could own her own pirate vessel and it gets worse from there. The MC and her boyfriend are constantly fighting and you just don't care after a while. None of the characters make you care about them. Don't waste your time.
But without the great writing. It is hard to believe that a 20 something could own her own pirate vessel and it gets worse from there. The MC and her boyfriend are constantly fighting and you just don't care after a while. None of the characters make you care about them. Don't waste your time.
October 15, 2018
Short and sweet with a nice plot.
May 3, 2015
This was an entertaining enough read. It's quite short and I read it in an evening, but it served it's diversionary purpose well.
Kristy Ryan finds herself having to save the universe and she does admirably. But it sure seems to me that there was a relatively well developed and advanced plot in play and that it would be unlikely to simply fall apart because of her small interventions. In fact the ending felt very much like Kristy thumbed her nose at one antagonist and simply escaped from the other, leaving both to continue as before. The galaxy would should still be endangered and though the book wrapped up I don't see that the challenge was duly overcome or story finished.
I really liked Andrew Bennet's character. (Such common names they have in the distant future and far flung reaches of the galaxy.) He was patient, loyal and talented. Honestly, Kristy hardly seemed to deserve him. She was just so cold to him throughout. I found that disappointing since the romance was a definite secondary theme here. I enjoyed the side characters too, but there wasn't much to them.
The book seemed to be well written and easily readable, but IMO it probably could have been fleshed out a little more. For example, the first half is spent moving from one mission to the next, with very little of importance happening. Andrew's family is introduced and then essentially shelved, his mother especially. None of the characters have much in the line of histories. At roughly 150 pages there is room for a little more filler and I think I would have enjoyed those back stories.
Finally, and I know it's stupid to point out, but it seems to me that whatever gun she's holding on the cover (I'm sure someone somewhere knows) is a revolver of some sort. Not once in the whole book does anyone use a projectile weapon, energy and lasers only. I'm just sayin'.
Kristy Ryan finds herself having to save the universe and she does admirably. But it sure seems to me that there was a relatively well developed and advanced plot in play and that it would be unlikely to simply fall apart because of her small interventions. In fact the ending felt very much like Kristy thumbed her nose at one antagonist and simply escaped from the other, leaving both to continue as before. The galaxy would should still be endangered and though the book wrapped up I don't see that the challenge was duly overcome or story finished.
I really liked Andrew Bennet's character. (Such common names they have in the distant future and far flung reaches of the galaxy.) He was patient, loyal and talented. Honestly, Kristy hardly seemed to deserve him. She was just so cold to him throughout. I found that disappointing since the romance was a definite secondary theme here. I enjoyed the side characters too, but there wasn't much to them.
The book seemed to be well written and easily readable, but IMO it probably could have been fleshed out a little more. For example, the first half is spent moving from one mission to the next, with very little of importance happening. Andrew's family is introduced and then essentially shelved, his mother especially. None of the characters have much in the line of histories. At roughly 150 pages there is room for a little more filler and I think I would have enjoyed those back stories.
Finally, and I know it's stupid to point out, but it seems to me that whatever gun she's holding on the cover (I'm sure someone somewhere knows) is a revolver of some sort. Not once in the whole book does anyone use a projectile weapon, energy and lasers only. I'm just sayin'.
May 14, 2012
Spectors by Angelia Almos is one of my first ventures into true sci-fi. Up until now, I've read more fantasy and finally decided it was time to broaden my horizons.
While a fairly short book, it has interesting characters as well as some character development. Descriptions are good and helped draw me into the story. I liked the relationship dynamics and feel that the characters are truly one of the best aspects of this book.
My biggest issue, however, is that this book feels too short. Yes, it does work at its current length and there is the conclusion of the story, and yet I think that in this case, longer would have been better. The ending was quite sudden, and while I did enjoy the witty ending, elaborating on some things would have filled in details that were left open.
Particularly in the last chapter, a lot of things are mentioned that could be elaborated on. Her father, her crew member, and a message she sent out. How do things go on from there, and what will happen now?
Joining that, I would have liked to see more of Kristy's relationship with her father, because it interested me.
The length in particular made me give Spectors three rather than four stars, but I still recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good read.
While a fairly short book, it has interesting characters as well as some character development. Descriptions are good and helped draw me into the story. I liked the relationship dynamics and feel that the characters are truly one of the best aspects of this book.
My biggest issue, however, is that this book feels too short. Yes, it does work at its current length and there is the conclusion of the story, and yet I think that in this case, longer would have been better. The ending was quite sudden, and while I did enjoy the witty ending, elaborating on some things would have filled in details that were left open.
Particularly in the last chapter, a lot of things are mentioned that could be elaborated on. Her father, her crew member, and a message she sent out. How do things go on from there, and what will happen now?
Joining that, I would have liked to see more of Kristy's relationship with her father, because it interested me.
The length in particular made me give Spectors three rather than four stars, but I still recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good read.
September 25, 2014
Encounter at Shalana got off to an amazing start. We have exciting characters, cool technology and spaceships, a mystery, and smugglers (gotta have smugglers). However, about a third of the way through it got very repetitive. Kristy breaks into several planets headquarters, and while each planet was very different (kudos to the imagination of the author), the way of piecing the scenes together was too much alike.
Kristy and Andrew seem to have quite the on again off again type of relationship, but they still obviously love each other - while also annoying the crap out of each other. At times I wanted to bash their heads together and tell them to kiss and make up, and others I wanted to gag because they were way to love dovey. This is how the book went for me. It was very I love it - I hate it - I love it.
This book was heavier on the science fiction than the romance, but there was still some love to be found between the pages.
- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/0...
Kristy and Andrew seem to have quite the on again off again type of relationship, but they still obviously love each other - while also annoying the crap out of each other. At times I wanted to bash their heads together and tell them to kiss and make up, and others I wanted to gag because they were way to love dovey. This is how the book went for me. It was very I love it - I hate it - I love it.
This book was heavier on the science fiction than the romance, but there was still some love to be found between the pages.
- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/0...
August 27, 2016
I'm not sure if I had a more recent edition of this book or not. My version says Encounter at Shalana on the cover, but when clicked on it changes to Spectors. A quick and interesting read with a good range of different settings and the Spectors intrigued me. But it was spoiled for me by poor editing - grammar and punctuation errors, plus a lot of repetition - not only of facts but words. For example, 'door' used four times in the space of three sentences, 'flow' three times in three consecutive sentences, five sentences in one paragraph all starting with 'she', etc. If not for those, I'd probably bump this up to four stars.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews