Wednesday, March 25, 2020

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Aurora Blazing by Jessie Mihalik




Aurora Blazing is the second novel in Jessie Mihalik's "Corsortium Rebellion" trilogy, her trilogy of romantic space opera novels begun with "Polaris Rising" (Review Here).  I really enjoyed Polaris Rising, which was an absolute fun romp of a SF romance, even if the novel rarely decided to deal with any of the interesting themes the setting presents.  But for fun, occasionally steamy romance, it was great, and well, sometimes that's what I really need to read at any given moment, and Polaris Rising had that in spades.

Aurora Blazing shifts the protagonist to our former heroine's sister Bianca, and gives us a new space opera adventure and romance, and does so in a book that's in some ways even more fun than the first book.  Rather than featuring a kickass heroine, physically capable of escapes and dangerous rescues, this book features in Bianca a heroine who specializes in information gathering and manipulation.  This leads to a much different type of plot, with action sequences less common but still well done, and a romance that's a lot more of a slow burn (still not quite) than in the first book...but that works just about as well.  Again, it's a fun book, not a serious one in any way, but I still devoured it as quick as I do any audiobook.

Note: I read this book as an audiobook, and the reader is very well done, so I definitely recommend reading the book in this format.

----------------------------------------------Plot Summary---------------------------------------------------
Bianca von Hasenberg has spent the past few years since her husband's death playing the grieving widow - but a grieving widow of House von Hasenberg, one of the three High Houses that rule the consortium which rules the galaxy.  In truth, Bianca is really a brilliant intelligence gatherer and agent, through the use of a network of allies and spies that she combines with her brilliant hacking skills - a talent that makes her one of the most valuable assets the House has.  And that's before getting into her secret genetic modifications which allow her to hear wireless and decode transmissions, modifications which threaten to driver her insane with pain on a daily basis.  If only certain other people in the House would understand how capable she was - such as the House's Director of Security, Ian Bishop....the insufferable man Bianca has long had a crush on, and who once coldly rejected her.

But when Bianca is attacked at a party and her oldest brother Ferdinand - the heir to House von Hasenberg - is kidnapped, Bianca knows she can no longer afford to stay still on Earth playing at the grieving widow....she needs to be out there in space, using her skills to find him....because no one else is more capable.  But when Bianca is accused of treason from an unknown source, the only way she can get into space is to run, and she soon finds herself with the man she's longed for the most, Ian Bishop dead on her tail.  To clear her name, and more importantly rescue her brother, Bianca may need to work together with Ian, despite her past history with him, and possibly reveal her the secrets that could break her entirely...or else it won't just be Ferdinand who is lost, but Bianca as well.....
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The first book in this series (Polaris Rising) told the story from the perspective of Ada, a woman who no one would think couldn't handle herself, as she started the story on the run from her powerful family for 2 years in the galaxy.  Aurora Blazing's protagonist, Ada's sister Bianca, is very different - due to being experimented on secretly by her late husband, Bianca can hear and decrypt transmissions made around her....but that same skill makes it incredibly hard to be out and about in places with lots of people - and transmissions - as those transmissions can overwhelm her and leave her with splitting headaches....or worse.  As a result, Bianca has spent the last 4 years since her husband's death (which people suspect her of causing) acting like a grieving widow and refusing to leave Serenity, the last city on Earth, causing people to think of her as weak and incapable....to Bianca's immense frustration.

For Bianca is an immensely capable intelligence operative, maintaining contacts throughout the galaxy through a virtual reality version of the internet known as HIVE to gather information in addition to using her power as one of the most prominent nobles to help other women in need in return for them becoming sources for further information.  And she's an elite hacker, capable of breaking through security scripts with incredible efficiency, if not ease - and that's before going into her secret modifications that allow her to decrypt and hear transmissions around her.  Bianca is incredibly capable, but while others may know of her being a solid intelligence gatherer, they mistake her fragility for weakness, to her immense frustration and it makes her a very different character than Ada, and one who is really easy to root for and follow.  And so much of this book features Bianca forced to push past her limitations to try and find the information she needs and to free Ferdinand, and it works so well because of her character.

This book's second most prominent character is love interest Ian Bishop, the Security Director for House von Hasenberg, of whom I have.....mixed thoughts.  It's obvious to everyone - and especially to those who read the first book - (except Bianca herself) that Ian also has feelings towards her, despite his one time rejection of her.  But Ian spends the first half (or more) of the book being an utter ass, refusing to trust in Bianca's skills and refusing to let her help the search for Ferdinand for the sake of "protecting her", to the point where he gets in the way of her repeatedly.  And yes, I get that she looks frail from an outside, but he should know better, and it just comes off as being an ass - a man refusing to let a woman do a better job.  Ian gets better as he realizes he could use Bianca's skills, and his protective nature morphs into a more sedate version which you'd expect from a love interest seeing the one he cares about, and he morphs into a solid romantic interest/capable teammate.  Like the Ian at the end is a fun partner, but the one at the beginning just leaves a bad taste in the mouth, which was not the case with Loch, the first book's love interest.

These two characters, along with a bunch of side characters - many returning from the last book such as Ada and Loch - guide us a long a fun space opera romance from beginning to end.  Unlike Ada and Loch, Bianca and Ian are much less comfortable admitting their feelings for one another, with Bianca having once done so and having been rejected (and Ian now being a restraining jerk), so their romance is a much slower burn, becoming clear to the two of them over time until a culmination in the book's final arc.  It's very well done - the sex scene where they finally culminate their attraction is particularly well done and better than the ones in the first book - and I appreciated that it followed a very different arc than Ada/Loch's romance from the last book.  The space opera action sequences, and spy sequences (as Bianca is more of the spy part of James Bond than a shooter), are also particular highlights.

The only real issue with the plot is that from the very beginning it seems (to me at least) to tease a twist reveal of the final antagonist, which.....never winds up happening.  It's possible I was overthinking this, or the reveal will happen in the next book (which ends the series), but it was just distracting to me.*  Also the book leaves a bunch of sequel hooks still open, and yet the next book is shifting protagonists, making me wonder if they're ever going to be followed up upon.  Hopefully.

*In Rot13: Vg'f uvagrq rneyl ba gung gur phycevg vf sebz fbzrbar uvtu hc va Ubhfr iba Unfraoret, naq gur boivbhf phycevg, jvgu zbgvir gb gel naq qvfperqvg uvf urve naq gur gnyragrq ohg serdhragyl qvfborqvrag Ovnapn, vf Ovnapn'f sngure - jub vf na rivy nffubyr.  Gur obbx riraghnyyl bssref na nygreangr phycevg, ohg abgrf gung ur'f cebonoyl whfg n cngfl sbe fbzrbar ryfr, naq guvf cybg cbvag vf arire sbyybjrq hc ba.  V pbhyq or ernqvat gbb zhpu vagb guvf, ohg vg whfg sryg jrveq gung guvf gjvfg arire unccrarq.

But yeah, Aurora Blazing is an absolutely fun and rollicking space opera romance, with some fun characters and fun action scenes.  It provides basically no serious inspection of any particular themes (again the evils of Oligarchy and nobility are teased but never really pressed against) but if you're in for a fun book and slow burn but eventually steamy romance, you could do hell of a lot worse - and I will be back for the trilogy's conclusion later this year.
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