(An Anomaly Novel, #1)
By Sandy Williams
Blurb:
By Sandy Williams
Blurb:
Ash would have given her life to save her teammates.
Instead, they gave their lives to save
hers.
Lieutenant Ramie Ashdyn is an anomaly, a person whose genetic
makeup makes her stronger and smarter than the average human. She’s pledged her
life to protect the Coalition, an alliance of thirteen planetary systems, but
when a top secret operation turns bloody, she’s charged with treason and the
brutal executions of her teammates.
The Coalition needs the information Ash’s team stole on their last
mission, so they send in Commander Rhys “Rest in Peace” Rykus to get it. He’s
the man who’s responsible for turning Ash into an elite soldier... and he’s a
man who isn’t, never was, and never will be in love with the woman he trained.
Or so he tells himself.
Ash wants nothing more than to clear her name and be the woman her
former instructor wants her to be, but the enemy who killed her teammates did
more than frame her for treason and murder: they telepathically silenced her
mind, preventing her from saying anything that might point to the truth about
what happened.
Now Ash is trapped and set to be executed, the truth dying with
her. Unless she can prove her innocence. But taking that path could destroy the
Coalition she’s sworn to preserve and protect...
Review:
Sandy Williams' Shadow Reader series is one of my favorite urban fantasies out there, so when I heard she had an upcoming sci-fi romance I jumped up and down with glee! I was not at all disappointed. Shades of Treason has non-stop action and is riddled with great characters, terrific twists and turns, and a promising romance.
Let's start with the obvious...this is sci-fi. Some of you might lean more toward fantasy and paranormal, as I tend to do. Make no mistake, this is definitely a science fiction story. However, it is not at all overwrought with science-y terms or so futuristic that you can't enjoy the story. Readers who enjoy UF will really be able to get into this story and not get hung up on the science. I was fully engrossed, and there were only a few times that I had to back up and reread to fully understand. A large part of the story takes place on a ship (think outer space, not the sea) and a few of the descriptions of things on this futuristic ship were the only times I found myself really needing to read again.
Now, the characters. This story is told from the alternating POVs of Ashdyn and Rhys Rykus. Ash is the only female "anomaly" to be a part of a loyalty training program that makes her a stronger and better soldier but attaches her mind's loyalty to a commander. She is a bit feisty and bucks against authority, despite her loyalty to the Coalition and her job as a soldier. She is a complex character, balancing logic with impulsiveness, indoctrination with rebelliousness. Sometimes her attitude reminded me of a grown up Rose from Vampire Academy. She wavers back and forth between admirable and infuriating. Its a purposeful waver, as it gives her character a lot of layers. Sometimes you love her and feel for her and sometimes you want to jump through your book and shake her! She has the added challenge of not being able to actually speak about the events that took place on her previous mission, the events that led to her entire team being murdered and her being named a traitor. This challenge causes a lot of the action and conflict in the story that I both loved and bit my nails while reading.
Rhys Rykus is is beloved and decorated Commander is the Coalition's military. He is also the Commander to whom Ash's loyalty is attached. With a certain voice and intent, he can give her a direction that she almost always has to follow. He's the strong and silent type for sure, more action than words. It was good that we got to read from his POV because I don't know that I would have really understood him as well if the entire story had been from Ash's POV. He is constantly having an internal battle with himself about roughly five different things at any given time. One of those battles is over his feelings for Ash...first because everyone thinks she is a traitor and later because he is her Commander. Their romance is sure to be complicated over however many more books we can expect in this series.
The last thing I MUST talk about is all the action in this book! There was something exciting happening nonstop. I tore through this book in a very short period of time, which is reminiscent of Williams' other series. This is why I suggest this book to lovers of UF. Those readers will greatly appreciate all of the action: multiple mysteries, never knowing exactly who to trust, well thought out fight scenes, a kick-ass heroine, etc.
I highly recommend this start to the new Anomaly series! I was totally absorbed in Shades of Treason the entire time I was reading it. I look forward to what happens to Ash and Rykus next!
This review is based on an advance copy of the book, provided by the book tour.
Let's start with the obvious...this is sci-fi. Some of you might lean more toward fantasy and paranormal, as I tend to do. Make no mistake, this is definitely a science fiction story. However, it is not at all overwrought with science-y terms or so futuristic that you can't enjoy the story. Readers who enjoy UF will really be able to get into this story and not get hung up on the science. I was fully engrossed, and there were only a few times that I had to back up and reread to fully understand. A large part of the story takes place on a ship (think outer space, not the sea) and a few of the descriptions of things on this futuristic ship were the only times I found myself really needing to read again.
Now, the characters. This story is told from the alternating POVs of Ashdyn and Rhys Rykus. Ash is the only female "anomaly" to be a part of a loyalty training program that makes her a stronger and better soldier but attaches her mind's loyalty to a commander. She is a bit feisty and bucks against authority, despite her loyalty to the Coalition and her job as a soldier. She is a complex character, balancing logic with impulsiveness, indoctrination with rebelliousness. Sometimes her attitude reminded me of a grown up Rose from Vampire Academy. She wavers back and forth between admirable and infuriating. Its a purposeful waver, as it gives her character a lot of layers. Sometimes you love her and feel for her and sometimes you want to jump through your book and shake her! She has the added challenge of not being able to actually speak about the events that took place on her previous mission, the events that led to her entire team being murdered and her being named a traitor. This challenge causes a lot of the action and conflict in the story that I both loved and bit my nails while reading.
Rhys Rykus is is beloved and decorated Commander is the Coalition's military. He is also the Commander to whom Ash's loyalty is attached. With a certain voice and intent, he can give her a direction that she almost always has to follow. He's the strong and silent type for sure, more action than words. It was good that we got to read from his POV because I don't know that I would have really understood him as well if the entire story had been from Ash's POV. He is constantly having an internal battle with himself about roughly five different things at any given time. One of those battles is over his feelings for Ash...first because everyone thinks she is a traitor and later because he is her Commander. Their romance is sure to be complicated over however many more books we can expect in this series.
The last thing I MUST talk about is all the action in this book! There was something exciting happening nonstop. I tore through this book in a very short period of time, which is reminiscent of Williams' other series. This is why I suggest this book to lovers of UF. Those readers will greatly appreciate all of the action: multiple mysteries, never knowing exactly who to trust, well thought out fight scenes, a kick-ass heroine, etc.
I highly recommend this start to the new Anomaly series! I was totally absorbed in Shades of Treason the entire time I was reading it. I look forward to what happens to Ash and Rykus next!
This review is based on an advance copy of the book, provided by the book tour.
5 / 5 Stars
About The Author:
Sandy Williams has lived and breathed books all her life. When she
was a teen, she was always the first to finish her class assignments so that
she could read as much as possible before the bell rang. Her grades didn't
suffer (much), and she was able to enroll in Texas A&M University. She
didn't sneak in novels there, but her college lecture notes are filled with
snippets of stories. After she graduated, she decided to turn those snippets
into novels.
Sandy writes books with high-octane action adventure infused with
a strong romantic element. She is best known for The Shadow Reader novels, an
urban fantasy romance series about a human who can both see and track the fae.
When she’s not reading or corralling her twin boys, she enjoys playing
EuroGames like Dominion, 7 Wonders, and Agricola.
You can find Sandy at
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Ramie sounds like a cool character. Love the cover. Thanks for the giveaway.
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