Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:
Synopsis for A Chance of Light (from Goodreads):
Spaceships don’t just disappear…When an alien spaceship vanishes after crashing in the Mojave Desert, Ryan Cole and his team are tasked with finding the craft and securing its cache of advanced technology.
The investigation proves perilous as others are also hunting for the ship, including arms dealer Antoine Drake and his alien allies.
When Cole agrees to help a woman from his past, it leads to a dangerous encounter with Drake and startling revelations about the alien presence on the planet. He finds himself in a race against time to uncover the location of the spaceship and the nature of its mission.
But discovering the secrets of beings from other worlds comes with a price. Because when humans and aliens collide, the truth can be deadly.
Series: Ryan Cole Adventures
Author: Claudine Kapel
# of Books: 2 (A Darker Rain, A Chance of Light)
Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: Yes–as far as I can tell
Genre: Adult, Science Fiction, Adventure
Heat Rating: cool
Point of View: Third Person, Multiple
Publication Dates: A Chance of Light–June 2016
Source & Format: Publisher–eARC
Disclaimer: This review is only for A Chance of Light, which I stopped reading at 17%. Find out why below…
Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:
When I was asked if I wanted to read A Chance of Light, I was excited to dive into the world of Adult Science Fiction. I love Science Fiction (anything from Star Wars to Star Trek and the galaxies in between) but when it comes to reading, I mostly stick to the occasional YA series. And with the Lorien Legacies (aka I Am Number Four Series) ending this year, I needed a new Sci-Fi work in my life.
Now, I want to be clear that I never read the first Ryan Cole adventure, A Darker Rain. I was assured that I could read A Chance of Light without reading the previous novel. So this review is only about A Chance of Light and why I didn’t finish it.
What I Liked:
–The Danger of the Unknown–
I really enjoyed the premise of the novel: mysterious ship goes down and no one knows why or how. Add to that a mortal enemy to Ryan Cole in the form of an inter-galaxy arms dealer and I was intrigued. This captured my attention and I was curious to see what this could mean for Cole and his crew…but it just took too long to get anywhere with this plot.
What I Didn’t Like:
–Too Many Characters at Once–
While I don’t think it is truly necessary to read the first Ryan Cole adventure, A Darker Rain, I think it would help reduce the character overload that occurs in the first 7 chapters of this novel. I felt like I was on the outside looking in for the first few chapters, trying to orient who was who as they were introduced.
Is that their last name or their first name the other characters refer to them as?
Is that the IT guy or another ex-military personnel?
It was overwhelming and really threw off the pacing of the story. It seemed like the idea was to throw out all the potential plot conflicts in the first ten pages and then simultaneously uncoil them all. It just didn’t work for me.
–Slow Plot–
Like I said above, this story didn’t feel like it was going anywhere anytime fast despite the various character and plot introductions.
Will I Finish It?
At this time no. It just wasn’t my cup of tea when all is said and done.
A Chance of Light Rating: DNF
I don’t think I’m ready to make the leap into adult Science Fiction quite yet. If you enjoy slower stories with lots of characters, this is the Science Fiction novel for you!
Read if You Like: slow stories, lots of characters
Avoid if You: want a faster paced Sci-Fi novel
- I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (Lorien Legacies Series #1)
- Across the Universe by Beth Revis (Across the Universe Trilogy #1)
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