Pirate Nemesis (Telepathic Space Pirates #1)
by Carysa Locke
Rating: 5 stars
Blurb:
Killers. Thieves. Pirates. Family.Mercy Kincaid is a fugitive from her own family. Her dangerous telepathic gifts make her a target. So is anyone she gets close to. When her best friend is captured and tortured, Mercy’s only hope is to reunite with the family that tried to murder her as a child. She trusts few among her blood relatives, but finds herself intrigued by an enigmatic and dangerous killer.
Reaper has spent a lifetime watching his people die. He’s vowed to kill anyone who jeopardizes their survival. Mercy’s gifts are the biggest threat they’ve faced in eleven years, since a biological weapon nearly annihilated the pirate colonies. But Reaper realizes her talents can either destroy them, or save them. He must decide if he’s fallen victim to her power, or if he can truly trust the beautiful woman and her compelling abilities. If he makes the wrong choice, everyone dies.
Pirate Nemesis is the first book in an ongoing science fiction romance series. If you like compelling world-building, fantastic characters, and sizzling romance, then you’ll love Carysa Locke’s new twist on an old genre.
My Review:
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review
My second 5 star read this year, gah I am so happy! This book was everything I hoped for and more, it was exactly the type of read I was in the mood for and when I started reading I just knew it was going to be a good one. It was brilliant and I loved every second of it. It sucked me in and I didn’t want to stop reading. I really like almost all the characters we meet in this book and now I just wish the next book was already out.
Pirate Nemesis is a character focused book and that’s what I loved most about it. All the characters come to life and feel so real. It really is amazing how developed all the characters are. Although it sure helped that I read Pirate Bound first as I already knew some fo the characters due to that and it made it less overwhelming when starting this book. And fun to meet the characters I already knew again and see them from Mercy her point of view now. I love the world these authors build here and we learn a lot more background and history about it here. Why the pirates became pirates, hints of what else it out there and we meet the crew and get to know them.
The story seems almost straightforward and I would almost says it’s a slow paced book, but that sounds so negative and it isn’t. But it’s more that the characters take center stage, what they feel, what they go through, how they adapt to this new situation. There is a lot going on, just not in the action packed sense other books have. It was very character driven with the focus on the characters, their connections, their feelings and thoughts, their telepathic powers. And I think that’s why it was easy for me to love this book as from the fist chapters I liked Mercy and Reaper and we really get to know them in this book. Yes there is a story and it even gets to a suspenseful level at the end, but it’s about so much more and the characters really make this book shine.
There is a prologue which I felt was very valuable. It showed Mercy when she was younger and it explains part of her past and her life without having to get all the details. Mercy is such a great character. She’s so real and honest. She never wanted to have power and now that she has she isn’t sure what to do with it. She learned not to trust family and it will be hard for her to do and she doesn’t change overnight, but slowly. I felt like we really get to know Mercy and what she feels, her love for Atrea and Wolf, her confusion and distrust when their situation changes and her connection with Reaper and how she trusts him while she doesn’t trust the rest of the pirates yet. And then we slowly see her change and adapt to this new environment and slowly find her place. But she isn’t there yet and I am so glad there will be two more books about her and Reaper as I want to read more about them.
Reaper is such an intriguing character, he is a bit like Dem from the prequel, with how he’s a cold killer. But there’s so much more to him. He cares about the pirates and his talent helps him protect them. He isn’t used to being vulnerable or feeling emotions, but Mercy unlocks those emotions and he isn’t quite sure what to do with them. He’s always so honest and even a bit blunt with Mercy and she trust him because of that. He could easily kill her if he wanted to, but he doesn’t and Mercy appreciates his honesty. And it’s just wonderful to see the connection between these two and see their feelings evolve.
Their romance was one of my favorite parts of this book as well. It’s so character driven that you really feel the emotion of these two characters and their connection. And it was a slow building romance in that it took some time before they eventually got there. No drama or miscommunication. Just two people who care about each other and try and figure things out. It was wonderful and I loved every second of it, seeing these two interact and grow closer. Their romance made me feel all happy and their conversations and interactions just made me want to see them together. I liked how they were there for each other and their romance felt so genuine and real.
And the side characters are just as real and complicated as the main ones. We have Atrea who is Mercy her best friend and while we don’t see as much of her it’s obvious the role she plays in Mercy her life. And Wolf who is almost like a father to Mercy. We see Dem and Sanah who we got to know in the prequel and Tama and Rasa who I met in the novella in Romancing the Stars. Tama was such a great character and I can’t wait to see more of her in the rest of the series. I also felt that I could understand Treon a lot more due to the prequel, I don’t think I would’ve liked him quite as much if I hadn’t read that. And he’s an interesting character as well. We see less of Cannon as in the prequel, which surprised me a bit, but still enough. And then there is the grumpy doctor who has horrible bed side manners and reminded me a bit of The Doctor from Star Trek Voyager. Only this doctor speaks Japanese when he’s angry, it was a fun touch. And Nayla plays a role here as well, although we don’t see as much in depth about her as in the prequel. And Vashti (I think that’s how it was spelled) was an interesting character too and I liked what we saw of her. And I just want to see more of all these characters.
I feel like I am just rambling on and on, but this book was just wonderful and I am so glad I read a 5 star book again, it’s the best feeling. The world and the characters really come alive. And I like how we get to see a bit more of the world here as well, although most of the story does take place aboard the ship it feels like I better understood the talented and the pirates and why they live this way. Only thing I wasn’t quite happy about is Mercy her talent, it just seems a bit too much. But it did make sense with the explanation, she just felt a bit too special at times. And I had hoped we would get to see more of what her talent involved and could do, but on the other hand that wouldn’t have fit the book as she slowly discovers it all herself, so I just have to be patient. The concept of telepathic space pirates is so much fun and it’s really thought through.
To summarize: I loved every moment of this book. The prologue made me curious and I enjoyed getting to know Mercy, reaper and the whole pirate crew. It’s a very character driven book, with lots of focus on the characters. The characters really come alive and everyone seems to have it’s own personality, they all feel so real. And I enjoyed getting to know all of them. The story would almost feel slow, but there is enough going on. It’s just all very character focused plot lines, which I loved. Mercy and Reaper are both really likeable characters and I loved seeing them slowly grow closer. The romance was really well done too and I enjoyed the slow paced and meaningful way the romance developed. I would recommend this book for everyone who enjoys a good character driven book! And I know I can’t wait to read the next books in this series!
Get Pirate Bound for free!
Pirate Bound (Telepathic Space Pirates #0.5)
by Carysa Locke
I really enjoyed the novella Pirate Bound and it’s a good way to get a taste for this series and the author her style. The novella will be discounted this week for a limited time, so make sure to grab your copy! Read my review of Pirate Bound here.
You can grab your free copy of Pirate Bound here:
– Amazon USA
– Amazon UK
That’s easy – The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin which blew me away:)). I like the sound of this one – how much does the romance feature? To be honest, I’m not all that interested in lurve stories and will happily read a book with one, so long as it isn’t the main narrative arc. Thank you for sharing – I really enjoyed your review.
The romance is a big part of the book, but there’s also a lot of other things going on and it’s a bit of both at times. Like she spends time with Reaper as he will help her develop her powers, but during that she also slowly falls in love with him. So yes it features romance, but there’s a lot going on besides that as well. Lots of focus on the characters and side characters and there’s an interesting plot line as well. I hope that helps?
Thank you for that! A really helpful answer Lola – this one sounds like it would be right up my alley:)
Please let me know what you think of it if you decide to pick it up 🙂
Excellent! So glad you enjoyed it!
S. J. Pajonas recently posted…Nabe: Japan’s Winter Hot Pot
It was so good! I hope you’ll enjoy it as well when you get around to reading it!
Wow, five stars! That’s so exciting. I love character focused books, so that’s one thing that really stuck out for me in your review.
Let’s Get Beyond Tolerance recently posted…How To Be You by Jeffrey Marsh
It was so exciting to have a 5 star read again! I also love character focused books, so that was something I really enjoyed in this one.
Oh that really does sound like a good book. I love finding a book that really grabs me and is so good it’s even better than I thought it would be. I’ve read a couple of 5 star reads this month. I read one the other day by Amanda Ashley called Twilight Dreams. Vampires of course because I love my vampire romance.
Mary Kirkland recently posted…Review: Target Beauty Box
It really was an amazing read and even while I had high expectations, it was even better than expected.
This one looks so good…and 5-stars! Wow! I’m not really sure what my last 5-star read was. It’s been awhile since I’ve found one.
Angela @Simply Angela recently posted…Audiobook Review: Wishing for a Highlander by Jessi Gage
Same here! I only had two 5 star reads this year and the one before this one was early this year. So I was really happy to have found another 5 star read.
Is this what you call Space Opera? I can see you are dipping your pretty toes on sci-fi romance. Enjoy the adventure!
Braine Talk Supe recently posted…Loved It: Every Time with a Highlander by @GwynCready + #Giveaway @sourcebookscasa #fantasy #romance #outlander
I am not 100% sure about the definition for space opera. I would mainly call it sci-fi romance, but amazon has it listed as space opera as well, so I guess it fits too. All of the story does take place in space, but the focus is mostly on the characters and their lives. And there’s a bit of a struggle between the pirates and the government. I am really enjoyed sci-fi romance from what I’ve read so far!
Wow! I can really feel your enthusiasm. Now I’m totally curious. I know what you mean about the slow pace not being a bad thing. Great review!
Christy LoveOfBooks recently posted…All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood
Thanks! I am glad I managed to convey my enthusiasm as that’s always something I struggle with when reviewing books I really enjoyed. And yes the pace was slow in terms that the story progresses slowly, but there all these tiny events and how they affect characters that there is enough to keep your attention. A slow pace can be great if it fits the story.
Lola recently posted…Sunday Post #190
Glad to hear that this is another five-star read for you!
Priscilla recently posted…Let’s Give It Up for Gimme Lao!: Review
I am so happy that I read a 5 star book. I am already looking forward to the next book!
You had me at character-focused, NODS.
Verushka recently posted…Blame: When Motherhood isn’t picture perfect
I love a good character focused book :).
Yay for 5 star books that deliver all we want and more! And yay for drama free romances! I love character driven books so even though this seems outside my normal reading menu, I’m going to go ahead and add it to my tbr.
Trish @ Between My Lines recently posted…Book Review: Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
The romance was so well done and felt realistic and it was nice to have a romance without drama, but with some struggles. I hope you’ll enjoy it once you give it a try!
I SO love those books that just suck you in! I’m so happy you liked this one girl and I could legit feel your excitement over it! :)The fact that you could feel the emotions of the character means a lot because that meant it SUCKED YOU in even more! <3
Keionda @Keionda Hearts Books recently posted…My Unapologetic Love Letter to Daemon Black: Obsidian By: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Thanks! I am glad I managed to convey my excitement over this one. It was such a great read that sucked me in from the first page and all the characters were so well developed and interesting.
It sounds like this book had everything you love! Developed characters, great world-building, an intriguing love interest, a drama-free slow-burn romance… I can definitely tell how much you loved it from your review! And Reaper does sound like an interesting character, since he’s a cold killer but also caring. And I like characters who are bluntly honest because I’m often that way in real life lol.
I don’t think slow-paced is a bad thing. It’s just kind of gotten a bad rap. But it’s a preference, I suppose. And when a book is super character-focused, a slow pace can be amazing!
Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight recently posted…Book Review: Machinations (Machinations Book 1) by Hayley Stone
Thanks I am so glad to hear that you tel how much I loved this book from my review. Sometimes it’s so hard to write those 5 star reviews. This book had everything I love indeed! The blunt honesty was something I liked in Reaper and he was an interesting character.
Yes I totally agree that slow pace has gotten a bad rap, but it just depends on the book. I like a fast book as well, but often with character driven books the slow pace is perfect as there is more time to focus on the characters than on the next event.
Lola recently posted…Sunday Post #190
Oh Lola it sounds really good. I love character driven plot lines and the romance I think I could get behind the romance 🙂
anna (herding cats & burning soup) recently posted…Meet the Herd: Jeremy (the #HerdBoy)
It was such a good read and I really loved how character driven it was and I felt like I really got to know all the characters. And the romance was awesome too!