I still think the Dissonance cover is my all-time favorite, but there's just something mesmerizing about this one :)
I kinda felt like I'd just reviewed one of G.S. Jennsen's books, and then I realized I had. YOU GUYS, IT HASN'T EVEN BEEN THREE MONTHS. The woman is a machine.
Honestly, it's amazing that Abysm came about as quickly as it did, because it deals with some very complicated subject matter that would have taken a lesser writer ages to refine. While this book might not have been my favorite installment in the series, it was certainly a powerful one. Yes, there's still plenty of action and excitement as all the characters we've come to know and love struggle against the galaxy's current power player(s), but this story is personal, and not just for Alex and Caleb. If you looked up "character-driven" in the dictionary, you'd probably find a picture of the Abysm cover.
Rising conflict that began in Sidespace and Dissonance finally comes to light. Characters struggle to decide where their allegiances lie, both in a military/political capacity and an interpersonal capacity. They act out of desperation. Out of fear. Out of love. Out of honor. All of these things make them seem more human and relatable than ever before, especially in light of the continuous debate over whether or not the Prevos are people (they totally are 😉 ).
Miriam especially had a chance to shine in this book; way back at the beginning, she was one of "those" characters everyone loved to hate. But now she seems to be a fan favorite, and she has continued to grow on me with each installment in the series. Her battles are fought with words rather than guns and ships. But out of everyone, Caleb might have been the best-written in this particular book. Writing characters who have spent the better parts of their lives suppressing their emotions is difficult, especially when those characters start to have reasons to show emotion (I would know). "Heart-wrenching" is the best term I can think of to describe a particular scene in this book; you're feeling precisely what Caleb is feeling, and that means the writing is good.
Oh right, the plot. As with Transcendence, Abysm serves as a definite final act for its particular trilogy within Aurora Rhapsody. Problems that have plagued our heroes for the past two books are more or less resolved, one of them in an unexpected but totally appropriate manner (remember how I said Miriam's battles are fought with words?). But, like Transcendence, new problems have found their way in while everyone has their attention focused elsewhere...problems on a scale even bigger than anything we've seen before in this series. I am docking half a star (*gasp* I know, right?) simply because, while they were kind of expected based on previous events, there were quite a few political elements, something I've always found a bit tedious as a reader. But that merely has to do with my personal tastes and in no way reflects the quality of the writing.
With another mild cliffhanger ending, Abysm paves the way for Relativity, Rubicon, and Requiem, and as always I cannot wait to continue following these characters and see where their journey takes them next.
Abysm is Book 3 of the Aurora Renegades trilogy, and Book 6 of the Aurora Rhapsody series. Get the first three Aurora Rhapsody books all in one with the Aurora Rising Complete Collection, then grab Sidespace (Aurora Renegades Book 1) and Dissonance (Aurora Renegades Book 2), all available on Amazon.
About G.S. Jennsen:
G.S. Jennsen lives in Colorado with her husband and two dogs. Abysm is her sixth novel, all published by her imprint, Hypernova Publishing. In less than two years she has become an internationally bestselling author, selling in excess of 80,000 books since her first novel, Starshine, was published in March 2014. She has chosen to continue writing under and independent publishing model to ensure the integrity of the Aurora Rhapsody sheries and her ability to execute on the vision she's had for it since its genesis.
While she has been a lawyer, a software engineer, and an editor, she's found the life of a full-time author preferable by several orders of magnitude, which means you can expect the next book in the Aurora Rhapsody series in just a few months.
When she isn't writing, she's gaming or working out or getting lost in the Colorado mountains that loom large outside the windows in her home. Or she's dealing with a flooded basement, or standing line at Walmart reading the tabloid headlines and wondering who all of those people are. Or sitting on her back porch with a glass of wine, looking up at the stars, trying to figure out what could be up there.
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email at: gs@gsjennsen.com
