Author: Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Source: Katherine Tegen via Edelweiss
Goodreads
Petty criminal Zara Cole has a painful past that’s made her stronger than most, which is why she chose life in New Detroit instead moving with her family to Mars. In her eyes, living inside a dome isn’t much better than a prison cell.Review by Nara
Still, when Zara commits a crime that has her running scared, jail might be exactly where she’s headed. Instead Zara is recruited into the Honors, an elite team of humans selected by the Leviathan—a race of sentient alien ships—to explore the outer reaches of the universe as their passengers.
Zara seizes the chance to flee Earth’s dangers, but when she meets Nadim, the alien ship she’s assigned, Zara starts to feel at home for the first time. But nothing could have prepared her for the dark, ominous truths that lurk behind the alluring glitter of starlight.
I'd added this book even before there was any sort of description or cover, solely based on the fact that it was a collaboration between Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre. Both are great authors, and I felt like their writing styles would complement each other. And after reading the book, I can say that my expectations were not wrong. Honor Among Thieves was an excellently written novel with characters easy to like and a mystery filled plot.
The premise of the book is very creative. I haven't really come across the concept of a living alien ship before (although I'm sure they've been brought up somewhere in existing science fiction). The mysteries surrounding the Elder ships was incredibly compelling, and I'm kind of disappointed that we didn't get more information about the Leviathan race in this book. But then again, that does leave a whole ton of things to be properly explored in the sequels, so I probably shouldn't complain too much.
I really liked the characters, especially the main alien ship Nadim. His connection with Zara was wonderful to watch, with there being a coming-of-age arc for both of them throughout the novel which I'm sure will be developed throughout the entire series. I'm not sure how the initial events in the book may come back to bite Zara- it seems like she's left the issues behind on Earth, but it seemed to be tied up a little to neatly. I suppose we'll have to wait to know for sure.
I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in this series. There are so many mysteries to be unravelled, and I can't wait to see how the authors will show us the world they have created.
Really liked it
RatingsOverall: 8/10
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
World Building: 3.5/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 3/5
