Recent Reads - Paradise 21

Paradise 21, by Aubrie Dionne

  4 of 5 Stars

Genre:   SciFi Romance

Pages:   227

Published:   7/27/2011, Entangled Publishing

Why I Chose It:   As part of Aubrie's blog tour, I was given an e-ARC, but I love this cover. I think it captures the heat of the desert planet Aries crash landed upon and the heat of her relationship with Striker.

Synopsis (from Good Reads):    Aries has lived her entire life aboard mankind's last hope, the New Dawn, a spaceship traveling toward a planet where mankind can begin anew- a planet that won't be reached in Aries' lifetime. As one of the last genetically desirable women in the universe, she must marry her designated genetic match and produce the next generation for this centuries long voyage.

But Aries has other plans.

When her desperate escape from the New Dawn strands her on a desert planet, Aries discovers rumors about pirates - humans who had escaped Earth her before its demise - are true. Handsome, genetically imperfect Striker possess the freedom Aries' envies, and the two connect on a level she never thought possible. But pursued by her match from above and hunted by the planet's native inhabitants, Aries quickly learns freedom will come at a hefty price.

The life of the man she loves.

My Review:  Aubrie Dionne's writing is phenomenal. The book never left me wanting or tempted to skim through in an effort to get to the good stuff. The entire novel is the good stuff. She revved up the action when I needed her to and slowed the pace at just the right moment.

Aries isn't your run-of-the-mill kick-ass heroine. She's spent her entire life aboard the New Dawn, a colonial ship heading for a planet where mankind can start over. She's vulnerable and complex. She's not sure what she's going to do or how she's going to survive, but she's brave enough to try. Brave enough to believe that there's a better life in the universe than the confines of the ship, an assigned job, and an arranged marriage to a man she can hardly stand, let alone love.

Striker is majorly swoon-worthy, tough and resilient yet gentle and caring. I've read some complaints that Aries fell in love too quickly, but I never felt this to be the case. I look at it as first love. Something Aries had never felt before and if you remember your first taste of love, you remember that it's always fast and intense.

The secondary characters were equally as well-developed and intriguing. Barliss in particular demands your attention when he's on the page. I found myself despising him but at the same time wanting to see more of him. 

My only complaint is that it ended. I wanted more. There were a few things left dangling. Not enough to affect the storyline, but enough to give me hope that we're not completely done with Aries, Striker, Tiff or Barliss yet. The novel is labeled as A New Dawn #1, so I'm assuming a sequel is in the works. If this is the case, I can't wait for the next one.

I loved this book and would recommended it to anyone who likes SciFi or romance.




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