I had read the 2nd book without realizing until most of the way through that it was part of a series. I bought this one expecting more of the same feel as the second book and to fill in some gaps about the main characters.

Instead, this is repetitive and bland. Dace in this book is somewhat dull-witted and unable to fully process the relationships around her, her ruminations involving half-thoughts repeated every few chapters. She does very little herself, being carried from one incident to the next (I was going to mention how many times she gets captured in this book, but I actually did lose count about halfway through). Learning nothing, she stumbles into the next situation, getting captured and being rescued either by one of the stronger male characters or simple coincidence. The plot happens nearby as she wanders dully through this world.

If I had started with this book, I would never have checked out the much better second in the series. If you haven't read this one yet I'd suggest you skip on to the second and pretend it starts there. You get enough explanation of previous events to not feel as if you're missing anything, and honestly, you're really not missing much. ( )

Book Info: Genre: Space Opera
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of space opera

Disclosure: I received the 2nd book in this series, Priestess of the Eggstone from the LibraryThing Early Reviewer’s program in exchange for an honest review. I was not aware of the fact it was a 2nd book when I started reading, and when I discovered there was a previous book, I purchased it for myself so I could read it. As a result I’m under no obligation, but am always happy to provide an honest review.

Synopsis: Dace's wants are simple - a trading ship and the freedom to fly where she chooses. But on her first trip, her crew betrays her, her ship explodes, and she finds herself stranded on Dadilan, a planet locked in a feudal age. Survival is hard enough when you have no technology or resources. It's even harder when you have drug smugglers hunting you. Dadilan is the source of shara, a drug that enhances psychic abilities, a commodity so rare and precious people will kill for it.

Trapped between rival smugglers and the Patrol undercover investigation, Dace has one hope of rescue: convincing Tayvis, the undercover agent, she's an innocent bystander. But those don't exist on Dadilan. No one lands without authorization, unless they are smuggling.

Her ignorance may cost her life.

My Thoughts: So yeah, as I say in my disclaimer, I read the 2nd book, Priestess of the Eggstone, first because I wasn’t aware of this book. That will teach me to pay closer attention to these things! Since I loved the 2nd book, I knew I had to read this one.

This book is much more serious than the 2nd book. While I spent a lot of time while reading Priestess of the Eggstone laughing, this one was much more character oriented and had heavier themes. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, mind you – it was just a very different type of book. I’m impressed at the breadth of Clegg’s writing abilities. It seemed to me as though this book was a commentary on societies similar to those countries being overtaken by religious extremists – full of primitivism, and pushing women into becoming less than human.

There was some humor more toward the end of the book, and the subplot with the researcher who thought he was Robin Hood was pretty funny. Overall I enjoyed this book almost as much as the second one, and I think most fans of space opera should enjoy it as well. Check it out. ( )

Captain Dace is one of those people who just can't help getting in trouble. ( )

When I started reading Clegg's second book, Priestess of the Eggstone, it was so good that after a few pages I went and ordered Nexus Point, which is its prequel. I must admit my feelings after reading it were mixed. The opening is excellent -- the heroine Dace goes through a very tense spaceship explosion. However, she then lands on a planet with a very conventional pseudo-medieval culture where she is captured and rescued again and again and again and --I really lost count. For most of the book, though she is
reasonably brave and resourceful, she does not manage to achieve anything much on her own. This suddenly changes towards the end, when she displays quite effective leadership ability and manages to invade a monastery occupied by the villains and rescue some people herself. Once the climax is reached, the story becomes quite exciting again, but it takes a while to get there. ( )

I am not normally drawn to the sci-fi genre but, having read and loved two of Jaleta Clegg's short stories, I had to read her novel. Dace, the main character in Nexus Point, is completely lovable. She reminds me of a sci-fi version of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum character. She's tough but vulnerable and muddles her way through the disasters she finds herself caught up in.

This book moves at a fast pace and is full of action, a touch of romance, and unexpected humor. The only drawback for me was that the fight/capture/escape sequences became a little repetitious. But that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story and the characters. I'm looking forward to reading book 2 in this series. ( )