FEMALE POWERHOUSE
Into the Dark
Alexis Carew Series
By J.A. Sunderland
Sci-Fi
Military
Teen/YA
Kickin' Female Lead
Alexis knows what it means to be a daughter of a wealthy land holder on a new colony world. She knows the land she grew up on like the back of her hand and she knows trees milling, her father's main source of wealth, and she knows that she will not inherit any of it when her father dies, all because she is a girl. Frustrated at the visiting suitors, children of fellow land holders and rivals of her father's, these boys believe themselves husband material, but Alexis knows they are only after her father's land and a compliant wife, something that she will never be. With nothing left to lose, Alexis jumps at the chance to join the New London Space Navy when a visiting recruiter arrives on the holding.
Trained as a junior officer, Alexis is the only girl on board the space-faring ship. It takes some getting use to, her living and working in the Navy and them, working with a girl, but she makes a go of it, even if her uniform is 5 sizes too large for her. She really does believe that this is the only option she has at making a life for herself outside of a home that is no longer hers.
I enjoyed this story, and enjoyed Alexis as a character. She is intelligent, takes initiative, enjoys learning and always holds herself well in a crew of men and especially in front of pig headed neighbours trying to put her in her social place. She is a great aim with a cup of tea.
Into the Dark is a bit of a coming of age story, a space adventure and a bit of a mystery series. There is definitely themes of girls rule and boys drool, but it was a fun sci-fi to read.
I especially loved the imagination behind the science of the ships and the way they travelled through space, a mix of the old school ships of Earth in the 18th century and a future solar energy array. It is something that appeals to my inner geek. I got really annoyed with the second book and the way her captain was a major bastard to her, but that just goes to show how well the book was written.
I give this book 4.5 stars and 4.5 for the whole series, although I'm still yet to read the third book.
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