Review: Shadow Warrior by Michelle Diener

Title: Shadow Warrior
Author: Michelle Diener
Series: Sky Raiders #3
Publication: January 22nd 2018 by Eclipse
Genre: Science Fiction
Purchase Links: Amazon 
Rating: 4/5★

Taya and Garek have survived the worst of what the sky raiders and their own fellow Illians have thrown at them. But now, they’ll have to deal with both their enemies working together.

As three of the Illian states close in on what they see as the weakness of West Lathor, Garek and Taya have to shore up their defences, call in favors, and forge friendships with whoever they can to protect their friends and family. When the signs that there is an alliance between an Illian liege and the sky raiders becomes harder to ignore, they have to face the fact that they may be defeated.

The arrival of a new group of sky raiders, looking for information and help, opens up a new possibility. Garek sees no choice but to make a deal with the devil, but the gamble is, will the enemy of their enemy help them, or betray them?

Oh my gosh, this was such an amazing ending to an equally amazing trilogy! I can't believe how totally absorbed I was with Shadow Warrior. I even stayed up late because I just needed to finish this book. And that's not something that happens to me a lot anymore. The action is what made this a huge page-turner but the varied characters and their final battle against the sky raiders is what really made this book special. I was more than hooked!

Shadow Warrior was easily my favorite book out of all three, which is another thing that doesn't happen a lot to me because usually I'm not the biggest one of last books in a trilogy or series so it's a pretty huge deal that this one was my favorite. The cover is also a big contender for my favorite book cover of 2018. I just love it so much.

The first book was a little bit of a rocky start but the characters in the books, especially Taya, have grown on me so much. I also thought Garek was beyond amazing in the story but Taya definitely stole the spotlight. The character developement of her was so incredible, you could just see her growing through the three books. She was absolutely badass and fearless in this book. I adore her!

As the last book of the Sky Raiders trilogy, Shadow Warrior was an excellent conclusion. If you're looking for an action-packed sci-fi adventure with a strong heroine an swoonworthy hero in the lead, this is the trilogy to start!

Author bio:
Michelle Diener writes historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction. Having worked in publishing and IT, she’s now very happy crafting new worlds and interesting characters and wondering which part of the world she can travel to next.
Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.

When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her blogging at Magical Musings, or online at Twitter, at Google+and Facebook.

Check out my reviews of Michelle's other books:

{Science Fiction)

Sky Raiders (Sky Raiders #1) — 3/5★ 

Calling the Chance (Sky Raiders #2) — 4/5★ 

COMING SOON: Shadow Warrior (Sky Raiders #3) 

{Science Fiction}

Dark Horse (Class 5 #1) — 5/5★ 

Dark Deeds (Class 5 #2) — 5/5★ 

Dark Minds (Class 5 #3) — 4/5★ 

{Science Fiction}

Interference & Insurgency (Verdant String) — 4.5/5★ 

{Paranormal}

Breaking Out Part I (part of Entranced Halloween Box Set — 4/5★ 

Breaking Out Part II — 4/5★ 

{Fantasy}

The Golden Apple (The Dark Forest #1) — 4/5★ 

The Silver Pear (The Dark Forest #2) — 5/5★ 

{Fantasy}

Mistress of the Wind — 3/5★

{Historical Fiction}

The Emperor's Conspiracy (Regency London #1) —5/5★

Banquet of Lies (Regency London #2) —5/5★ 

A Dangerous Madness (Regency London #3) —5/5★ 

 {Historical Fiction}

Daughter of the Sky —5/5★

 {Historical Fiction}

In a Treacherous Court (Susanna Horenbout and John Parker #1) —5/5★

Dangerous Sanctuary (Susanna Horenbout and John Parker #1.5) —5/5★

Keeper of the King's Secrets (Susanna Horenbout and John Parker #2) —5/5★

In Defense of the Queen (Susanna Horenbout and John Parker) —5/5★

Review: Interference & Insurgency by Michelle Diener

Title: Interference & Insurgency
Author: Michelle Diener
Series: Verdant String
Genre: Science Fiction
Publication: January 14th 2018 by Eclipse
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Rating: 4.5/5★

The Verdant String Series

The seven planets of the Verdant String, the green, fecund sources of life spanning five solar systems, comprise the Verdant String Coalition. This is the setting for a new science fiction romance series from award-winning science fiction romance novelist Michelle Diener. While the people of the Verdant String know they have a common ancestor, a group of explorers who colonised the planets at the same time a thousand or more years ago, the mysteries of who they were, and where they came from, persist.

Interference (A 25,000 word novella introducing the world of the Verdant String)

Interference can go either way . . .

The tiny moon of Cepi is on a countdown to destruction, and while Nyha Bartali has been persuaded to take her four wards for a final look at the archaeological wonder, now she's eager to leave. The only problem is, someone has other plans--plans to exploit Nyha and her girls' status as the betrayed orphans of the Verdant String in order to give them time to steal Cepi's secrets.

Nyha and her wards' value as survivors of the destruction of Halatia means it would be political suicide for any leader of the Verdant String to endanger them again--something the hostage-takers know very well. What the hostage-takers don't know is that Nyha and her girls have more help than they realize.

Mak Carep knows his team's presence on Cepi is the last flex of Arkhor's muscle before the moon is blown to bits. Arkhor has interfered on Cepi since it discovered the ruins four hundred years ago, but sometimes, interference can have unexpected consequences. When Nyha and her girls are taken hostage, Mak and the rest of his special forces team are the only ones who have any hope of rescuing them, and they're ready and willing to do what Arkhor does best . . . Interfere.

Interference was first published in the Orphans in the Black Anthology in July 2017.

Insurgency (Insurgency is a 45,000 word short novel set in the Verdant String series)

The Parnian city of Var is under siege. Buildings are being targeted by insurgents whose only aim seems to be destruction. Nick Bartega is part of the Protection Unit team investigating the explosions, but with no discernible pattern, and no one taking responsibility, he and his colleagues have hit a blank wall.

That is until his neighbor, Tila, is caught up in the first real mistake the insurgents have made. Cornered, forced to take Tila's whole office hostage, the insurgents are surrounded and out of options, until they use Tila as their shield.

Tila sees herself as Parnian first, Halatian second, but her dark blue hair, and the strong emotions her very existence provokes in others means the insurgents see her as the perfect hostage. No one on Par wants to give the order that might catch her in the crossfire. They'd rather let the insurgents get away.

But Nick, and his commander, Drake, see the first glimpse of a pattern in the insurgents behavior. Not that long ago, Halatians were used as hostages in another incident on the tiny moon of Cepi, and the parallels are hard to ignore. So is this attack on Var an isolated incident, or is there a bigger conspiracy at play?

Whatever the truth, Nick isn't prepared to leave Tila in the insurgents hands. And he's prepared to break any rule, and disregard any order to do it.

Interference: 4/5★
Insurgency: 4.5/5★

Interference:

Interference was a really great introduction to the world of the Verdant String. I'm always looking forward to Michelle Diener's next science fiction book because it always has a great cast of characters, especially her main characters. It obviously was no different with this novella. I adored Nyha and Mak and loved their chemistry together. I also have got to say that even though it was only a 25,000 word novella I still thought the story has really great world building. It was very well-written and also action packed, with a little bit of romance that definitely makes the reader want more. Nyha even ended up being one of my favorite characters that I've read about from this author. I just loved how although she knew Mak could help her in the bad situation she ended up in, she also was determined to save herself and the ones she loves. "He was a lifeline, the only one she had, but she needed to work on a way out of this without him, too. She couldn't depend on being saved."
It was just a really good story and a huge page-turner!


Insurgency:

Insurgency was in one word: unputdownable! I loved it even more than Interference and I already thought that story was really amazing. 

Insurgency features two new characters named Tila and her new neighbour Nick, whom she connects right away. Nick is part of the Protection Unit team investigating explosions that have been going around in the city of Var. Tila is a Halatian (I already knew a lot about the Halantians from Interference so I was really glad this book was also about one). Unfortunately being Halatian causes her to be abducted by insurgents. Of course Nick doesn't hesitate to go after her along with his commander Drake. 

Needless to say this story was pretty action-packed, which I loved. There was never ever a dull moment and I just kept wanting to read the next page and the next and the next until I had finished the book. I adored the two main characters. I loved the "tension" that surrounded them and their blossoming actraction towards on another. This book isn't heavy on the romance but I love the subtlety that the author created between these two. 


Overall, Interference as well as Insurgency were two really good stories and a fantastic introduction to the Verdant String series. The worldbuilding was really incredible so I can't wait to read more of this world and the people in it.  

Author bio:
Michelle Diener writes historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction. Having worked in publishing and IT, she’s now very happy crafting new worlds and interesting characters and wondering which part of the world she can travel to next.
Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.

When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her blogging at Magical Musings, or online at Twitter, at Google+ and Facebook.

Check out my reviews of Michelle's other books:

{Science Fiction)

Sky Raiders (Sky Raiders #1) — 3/5★ 

Calling the Chance (Sky Raiders #2) — 4/5★ 

COMING SOON: Shadow Warrior (Sky Raiders #3) 

{Science Fiction}

Dark Horse (Class 5 #1) — 5/5★ 

Dark Deeds (Class 5 #2) — 5/5★ 

Dark Minds (Class 5 #3) — 4/5★ 

{Paranormal}

Breaking Out Part I (part of Entranced Halloween Box Set — 4/5★ 

Breaking Out Part II — 4/5★ 

{Fantasy}

The Golden Apple (The Dark Forest #1) — 4/5★ 

The Silver Pear (The Dark Forest #2) — 5/5★ 

{Fantasy}

Mistress of the Wind — 3/5★

{Historical Fiction}

The Emperor's Conspiracy (Regency London #1) —5/5★

Banquet of Lies (Regency London #2) —5/5★ 

A Dangerous Madness (Regency London #3) —5/5★ 

 {Historical Fiction}

Daughter of the Sky —5/5★

 {Historical Fiction}

In a Treacherous Court (Susanna Horenbout and John Parker #1) —5/5★

Dangerous Sanctuary (Susanna Horenbout and John Parker #1.5) —5/5★

Keeper of the King's Secrets (Susanna Horenbout and John Parker #2) —5/5★

In Defense of the Queen (Susanna Horenbout and John Parker) —5/5★

Review: Calling The Change by Michelle Diener

Title: Calling the Change
Author: Michelle Diener
Series: Sky Raiders #2
Publication: July 17th 2017 by Eclipse
Genre: Science Fiction
Purchase: Amazon 
Rating: 4/5

He rescued her despite impossible odds—Garek has rescued Taya and the rest of his village from the sky raiders, but their return home doesn't bring easier times. The sky raiders aren't simply going to go away—they still need the shadow ore they came for, and they want the ships Garek stole from them back. But they aren't the only threat . . .
First she was in danger from the aliens who abducted her, now she's in danger from her own people—Taya's been rescued, but she isn't home a week before she's taken again, this time by men who walked the walls with Garek. They've taken her as a consolation prize of sorts, having failed to get hold of Garek himself. They think Taya's value to the people they're working for is her relationship to Garek, but they are wrong . . .

Garek and Taya never gave up on each other before, even when the distance between them was impossibly far, and they aren't giving up on each other now. As Garek searches for her, and Taya engineers her escape, they discover the motivations behind the new attacks on them are darker than the endless reaches of space they've just escaped from.

I'm not sure exactly why but I enjoyed Calling the Change a lot more than the previous book, Sky Raiders. Don't get me wrong, the first book wasn't bad or anything, I just didn't love it as much as I would've wanted. Now back to Calling the Change... I was really into it right from the start and I had a hard time putting the book down. It was a great read!

The story was really action-packed (just as I like it.) so there was actually never a boring moment. The story pretty much revolves around Garek having yet again to try and find Taya who's been abducted by men who walked the walls with Garek as the synopsis says. So obviously they don't have just the sky raiders to fear this time even though they're still a dangerous foe they face.

I really enjoyed reading about Taya and Garek again. They were seperated for a part of this book but it's so worth it in the end, I thought. I especially liked Taya this time because she is not some damsel in distress that needs rescuing even though Garek does go after her. Taya definitely can take care of her own, that's for sure. 

As always with a book by Michelle Diener, I thought it was written in a really great way. The romance isn't a major part of the book, although there are a couple of very swoonworthy moments between Taya and Garek, which I loved.

The ending left me super excited for the third and final book. I have so many questions. Will they find Aidan? Will Taya learn to control her change better? It sounds like the next book will be just as thrilling as this one. I can't wait!

Read my review of Sky Raiders #1 here

Michelle Diener writes historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction. Having worked in publishing and IT, she’s now very happy crafting new worlds and interesting characters and wondering which part of the world she can travel to next.
Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.

When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her blogging at Magical Musings, or online at Twitter, at Google+ and Facebook.

Review: Sky Raiders by Michelle Diener

Title: Sky Raiders
Author: Michelle Diener
Series: Sky Raiders #1
Publication: December 15th 2016 by Eclipse
Genre: Science Fiction
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Rating: 3/5

First they flew their mysterious sky craft through the skies of Barit. Then they started attacking. Finally, they began to raid.

Garek's one year of duty as a guard walking the walls of Garamundo was extended to two when the sky raiders appeared. Two long years away from home and his lover, Taya. When he finally returns, the town is empty. While Garek was protecting Garamundo, the sky raiders were taking their victims from his hometown.

Taya can't bear looking into the night sky. All she can see is Barit, her home planet. Impossibly, the sky raiders have brought her and their other victims to Shadow, the planet that shadows her own, and looking up makes her aware of everything she's lost. Garek is out there somewhere. She knows he'll look, but he'll never find her.

She and the other captives have to find a way to escape. Without the food and clothes the sky raiders bring them from their raids on Barit, they'll starve on the almost barren wastes of Shadow. And when they've given the sky raiders enough of what they want, that's exactly what the sky raiders will leave them to do.

She does have an idea of how she can break free--the sky raiders have brought them to Shadow to mine for ore. A very special ore which Taya has worked out is as dangerous to the sky raiders as it is valuable.

What she doesn't realize is she'll have some help with her plan. Because Garek isn't giving up. And he's even more resourceful than she could ever have imagined.

Nothing is going to keep him from Taya. Not even space itself.

At first I had a pretty hard to getting into Sky Raiders. I may also had a mini reading slump so that didn't really help things. After the first 50% I started getting more into the book and I was getting more invested in all the characters. I wish I had liked the story a little more since I absolutely loved Michelle Diener's other sci-fi trilogy, Class 5 but I'm still looking forward to the next two books to see where everything will be going.

Garek has been away for two years due to guard duty that had been extended to two years instead of one. When he finally gets back, he arrives at his home town only to find it empty because the sky raiders have taking everyone, including the woman he loves, Taya. Meanwhile Taya and the other people the sky raiders have taking have been brought to Shadow where they are forced to work in the mine. Garek is working on a plan to save Taya while Taya is working on a plan to get off Shadow and back to her home planet.

The story is written in dual point of view by Garek and Taya. I always felt myself drawn more to Garek's POV. Not that I didn't like Taya also but I loved him as one of the lead characters, especially when he was trying to get to Taya. Another favorite character of mine was Aidan Hansard who kind of had to go along with Garek to find Taya. I really liked how their friendship developed out of a sort of necessity.

I found myself almost not being able to wait until Garek and Taya finally would be reunited and once they did it was worth all the trouble they both had to go through. I loved them as a couple and how they both wouldn't stop until they would find each other. To me this book also had a certain fantasy element because some of the characters could call upon the change and basically control an element, which I thought was very cool.

Sky Raiders by Michelle Diener had a slow start for me. Like I said, I had a hard time getting into it.  There was loads of action in the story which was something I loved but I still missed a certain "oomph", to be honest. But I still thought it was a great sci-fi adventure and a good start of this new trilogy.

         About the Author:

                     Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Michelle Diener writes historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction. Having worked in publishing and IT, she’s now very happy crafting new worlds and interesting characters and wondering which part of the world she can travel to next. Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.

When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her blogging at Magical Musings, or online at Twitter, at Google+ and Facebook.

Review: Dark Minds by Michelle Diener

Title: Dark Minds
Author: Michelle Diener
Series: Class 5 #3
Publication: July 22nd 2016 by Eclipse
Genre: Science Fiction
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: 4/5

Review copy received in exchange for an honest review.

The mind is the most powerful weapon of all . . .

Imogen Peters knows she's a pawn. She's been abducted from Earth, held prisoner, and abducted again. So when she gets a chance at freedom, she takes it with both hands, not realizing that doing so will turn her from pawn to kingmaker.

Captain Camlar Kalor expected to meet an Earth woman on his current mission, he just thought he'd be meeting her on Larga Ways, under the protection of his Battle Center colleague. Instead, he and Imogen are thrown together as prisoners in the hold of a Class 5 battleship. When he works out she's not the woman who sparked his mission, but another abductee, Cam realizes his investigation just got a lot more complicated, and the nations of the United Council just took a step closer to war.

Imogen's out of her depth in this crazy mind game playing out all around her, and she begins to understand her actions will have a massive impact on all the players. But she's good at mind games. She's been playing them since she was abducted. Guess they should have left her minding her own business back on Earth…

Dark Minds by Michelle Diener in the third and final Class 5 book. I may have enjoyed the other two books slightly more, but I still think this was a fabulous book and a great way to end this trilogy. 

This book features Imogen Peter, another woman who was abducted from Earth and Captain Camlar Kalor. They are thrown together unexpectedly as prisoners on a Class 5 battleship. When Cam finds out she's another abductee from Earth things get complicated and closer to war.

I've always loved the characters of these books. Imogen and Cam are no different in that. Together they made a good team and had loads of chemistry. The book was such a fast read. I went through it in no time, which seems to be always the case with a book by this author. I can't help but want to keep reading.

The writing as always was flawless. As far as science fiction novels go, the Class 5 books are my favorites for sure. I think I've said it before but Michelle Diener is so good at writing in this genre. 

I also loved how Imogen actually found Rose and Fiona. I loved reading about them all together. The same goes for Dav, Hal and Cam as well as Sazo and Eazi. 

Overall, Dark Minds by Michelle Diener ended this trilogy very well. I loved how good everything was wrapped up in the end. I'll really miss reading about the world of the Class 5 books. It was a great ride and sci-fi at its best!

       About the Author:

              Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Michelle Diener writes historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction. Having worked in publishing and IT, she’s now very happy crafting new worlds and interesting characters and wondering which part of the world she can travel to next. Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.

When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her blogging at Magical Musings, or online at Twitter, at Google+ and Facebook.

Review: Dark Deeds by Michelle Diener

Title: Dark Deeds
Author: Michelle Diener
Series: Class 5 #2
Publication: January 4th 2016 by Eclipse
Genre: Science Fiction
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: 5/5

 

Far from home . . .

Fiona Russell has been snatched from Earth, imprisoned and used as slave labor, but nothing about her abduction makes sense. When she’s rescued by the Grih, she realizes there’s a much bigger game in play than she could ever have imagined, and she’s right in the middle of it.

Far from safe . . .

Battleship captain Hal Vakeri is chasing down pirates when he stumbles across a woman abducted from Earth. She’s the second one the Grih have found in two months, and her presence is potentially explosive in the Grih’s ongoing negotiations with their enemies, the Tecran. The Tecran and the Grih are on the cusp of war, and Fiona might just tip the balance.

Far from done . . .

Fiona has had to bide her time while she’s been a prisoner, pretending to be less than she is, but when the chance comes for her to forge her own destiny in this new world, she grabs it with both hands. After all, actions speak louder than words.

I want to start this review with saying that the first book, Dark Horse, was one of my favorite books last year and it also got me more into reading sc-fi. With that said, I also want to say that Dark Deeds definitely was a worthy sequel. I loved it just as much as the first book if not a little more. 

This book is about another human woman, Fiona, who has been abducted from Earth but unlike Rose who was used to experiment on in the first book, Fee has been used as slave labor so she hasn't had it easy either. When she is rescued by the Grih and brought on Hal Vakeri's ship, things still don't go easy for Fee.

I'm actually not sure why I loved this book more. It gave another glimpse into this intriguing world of battleships and thinking systems. I also really enjoyed reading about Fee and Hal. I loved their chemistry but their budding romance didn't feel rushed or anything at all that I usually dislike with romances. Their attraction was build up nicely. It was perfect.

There also was a lot of action, which is a must in a science-fiction story. And just like the first book where I really liked Sazo, I loved Eazi, the thinking system that was intriduced and who Fee teamed up with.

Rose, Dav and Sazo from the first book did make an appearance, which I loved. I really enjoyed reading about Fee and Rose meeting because they're both from earth and were both abducted so naturally they had a lot to discuss. I also wonder if the next story, if there come one, will be about Imogen who was mentioned. I'm really curious where she disappeared to and everything. 

So overall, another hit for Michelle Diener. It's not a secret that I love her historical novels but I do also think she's doing an amazing job with her sci-fi ones. She's really great at it. So trust me when I say you want to read this book (and Dark Horse too, if you haven't read it yet)!

       About the Author:

       Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Michelle Diener writes historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction. Having worked in publishing and IT, she’s now very happy crafting new worlds and interesting characters and wondering which part of the world she can travel to next. Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.

When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her blogging at Magical Musings, or online at Twitter, at Google+ and Facebook.