Review: Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre

Title: Honor Among Thieves

Author:  Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre 
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Publishing Date: February 13th 2018

Pages:  309
Genre:  YA Sci-Fi Thriller

Series:  the Honors #1
Source: ARC

 

Petty criminal Zara Cole has a painful past that’s made her stronger than most, which is why she chose life in New Detroit instead moving with her family to Mars. In her eyes, living inside a dome isn’t much better than a prison cell.

Still, when Zara commits a crime that has her running scared, jail might be exactly where she’s headed. Instead Zara is recruited into the Honors, an elite team of humans selected by the Leviathan—a race of sentient alien ships—to explore the outer reaches of the universe as their passengers.

Zara seizes the chance to flee Earth’s dangers, but when she meets Nadim, the alien ship she’s assigned, Zara starts to feel at home for the first time. But nothing could have prepared her for the dark, ominous truths that lurk behind the alluring glitter of starlight.

I was really really excited for this book. I have enjoyed Rachel Caine books in the past and knowing she co-wrote this book about living alien ships just had me saying yes right away. I did get the ARC copy and dug into as soon as I could. I really enjoyed this book and although I am not totally sure how I feel about parts of the book... as a whole I really really enjoyed it. 

Zara lives in a world that has been saved by an alien race called leviathans. These creatures are actually living, breathing, thinking spaceships. In return for their help saving planet Earth, the human race agree to send Honors- humans selected by the Leviathan- to board the ship and travel in space for a year. This is both beneficial for humans and Leviathans. 
Zara never gives this idea second thought until she is selected as an honor and board the Leviathan, Nadim. 
Zara learns and lives a bunch during this year and comes to find maybe everything she and Earth knew about Leviathans is the entire truthful. These ships have their secrets and they may not be what they seem. Soon Zara finds herself in dangerous situations, a relationship with an alien ship, and forming friendships and loyalty she never thought she would. 

This book was good. For me it was quite original. I actually was quite leery of the idea of boarding a living ship at first. It would be strange. I did find Zara's thoughts and feelings about this idea was similar to mine, in which it is very strange. The story was very suspenseful and thrilling. The book had my fingers flying through the pages. The pacing was great. I never felt lost or confused and was never board. 

I enjoyed the characters and the relationships most. Zara was an annoying girl at times but she was also smart, witty, a little charming, strong, and quite defiant. So really I loved her. She did make some stupid decisions at times but don't we all. I found her very likeable and I connected with her pretty quickly in the beginning. 

Nadim was a very fun character. It was sometimes easy to forget he was a ship. Which was strange at times. I always felt he was a living creature with feelings and thoughts and needs. I really thought I would have a hard time with this but really I didn't. I really liked him. 

Beatrice was another main character. I really really liked her. At first I had my doubts. She started of on shaky grounds but she grew on me. She was also very strong and a very brave girl. She was loyal to the max and quite funny. 

The relationship between Zara and Nadim was strange and at first I didn't know how I would feel about the relationship. At times it felt normal and easy and other times it felt strange. It wasn't quite a friendship but not really a romance either. Something different altogether. I really enjoyed their conversations and their interactions but at times was kind of difficult to get on board with.... only because Nadim is a ship. It's just strange. 

The story was good. I loved the secrets and the ulterior motives. The betrayals and the defiance. There were many moments of shocking revelations and unpredicted actions I just loved. The only thing that kind of made this a 4 star read for me and not a 5 star was the relationship between the ship and the human and that the book felt just a little preachy at times. Preachy on humanity. That did get a little too much at times. Not really too much from keeping me from enjoying the read. 

I really enjoyed it and I can't wait for the next installment.

Rachel Caine is the New York Times, USA Today, and #1 internationally bestselling author of more than fifty novels, including the smash hit bestselling thriller Stillhouse Lake, the internationally bestselling Morganville Vampires series, the Great Library series, the Weather Warden series, the Outcast Season series, the Revivalist series, and the acclaimed YA novel Prince of Shadows.

The pilot for the crowdfunded show MORGANVILLE is now available on Amazon Prime as streaming video.
She was born at White Sands Missile Range, which people who know her say explains a lot. She has been an accountant, a professional musician, and an insurance investigator, and ultimately a corporate management executive before leaving to write full time. She and her husband, comic historian/actor/artist R. Cat Conrad, live in Texas.
WWW.RACHELCAINE.COM



Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. She likes all kinds of books, emo music, action movies and Doctor Who. She writes all kind of fiction in multiple genres, both YA and for adults.
http://www.annaguirre.com/