Tag: author Jenny Schwartz

Review:  Astray (The Adventures of a Xeno-Archaeologist Book 1) by Jenny Schwartz

Rating: 4.5✨

What a fantastic read. I found everything about this book (and series) mesmerizing. From the planets, the political systems and current fragile climate, the galaxies and the science behind the unique found powers, foundations the universe here.  Schwartz builds out, book by book on the societies , cultures, and scientific knowledge and theories she establishes in Astray. 

Schwartz had me, honestly, at the sheer magnitude of world building she’s done here. And things that normally don’t appeal to me such as a space age political system that’s along the lines of an Earth monarchy has been created by a history that’s as compelling as it is historically complicated in human space exploration. 

The central figure is Captain Nora Devi, a solitary xeno-archaeologist ,widowed in the recent galactic wars. Nora is a complicated character. She escaped from a tenement, crime ridden slum world where she’d been raised to owning her own ship and business. Her pilot husband died in the twelve year war between Capitoline and Palantine. And she’s still grieving. 

Other figures in the story and series are Capitolines’s Captain Liam Kimani of the RC battlecruiser RC Genghis Khan, an orphan Aria, for starters.  

I really don’t want to give any more details because it’s a fantastic read and journey for everyone exploring the world along with Nora .  So many surprises, decisions, and twists. 

There is no romance here.  When it comes , it’s books later. 

This is about power, people, galactic energy, politics and survival. 

Absolutely enthralling and entertaining. 

Did I rush from book to book? Why yes I did. And you will too if strong woman characters, terrific storylines and imaginative world building is what you want!

“Cover designed by MiblArt”

The Adventures of a Xeno-Archaeologist:

Astray #1

Doubt #2

Rebel #3

Cajole #4

Resolve#5

Buy link

 Book 1 of 5: The Adventures of a Xeno-Archaeologist 

Blurb 

Nora Devi is a xeno-archaeologist with a complicated past. She has buried more secrets than she’s dug up. Widowed in the recently ended twelve year war between Capitoline and Palantine, she now makes a living as an independent tagger in border space.

Captain Liam Kimani could be credited with ending the latest royal war. Instead, he’s blamed for it. Dirty commoners aren’t meant to lay their hands on royalty.

He has no regrets.

When Liam and his crew of the battlecruiser RC Genghis Khan are exiled to Capitoline’s border they discover that life in unexplored space can be more dangerous than war, and that their best chance of survival lies with a mysterious, elusive tagger.

The only problem is that Nora’s secrets might destroy the precarious stability of the entire Human Sector.

Astray is a fast-paced, enthralling space opera of lost societies, ancient aliens, rugged warriors and semi-legal pirates perfect for fans of Lois McMaster Bujold, Becky Chambers, and Lindsay Buroker.

Space exploration science fiction, first contact science fiction, science fiction adventure, 

Review:  Jingle Stars (Shamans & Shifters Space Opera Book 4) by Jenny Schwartz 

Rating: 4.75✨

Jingle Stars (Shamans & Shifters Space Opera Book 4) is a holiday themed book and a highly important part of the series narrative tapestry.  While it contains a lovely story that could be read simply as a Christmas gift by the author that’s really not it’s true worth. This book is a beautifully crafted piece of writing. 

Its main character starts off with Ahab, is a mLa’an AI who’s a partner with Vulf and Jaya on the spaceship Orion.  The galactic political system is in the process of determining whether artificial intelligence is or can be considered “real beings “, and recognized as full citizens of Galaxy Proper.  

This argument should hit home as we are currently in the midst of early stages of the exact same process. And robotics. 

Ahab is piloting the Orion on a solo mission when Ahab picks up a distressing transmission. A letter to Santa from a young boy asking Santa to save a group of kids, where there shouldn’t be any. 

What follows is a discourse on what it means to be a person. The questions that arise from multiple perspectives and sources. And finally, those answers that matter the most. 

And yes, grab a box of tissues and have it handy.

This isn’t a fun or easy read. There’s children in horrifying situations, traumatic events in their backgrounds.  And all play huge roles in the story and series. 

Jingle Stars (Shamans & Shifters Space Opera Book 4) by Jenny Schwartz  is an amazing read, capturing so many different perspectives and emotional moments. A fun lighthearted holiday story? No, but a great book that will make you think about families and love in all its faces.  At Christmas. 

Highly recommended. Love this author and series. 

Loving the covers.  Highly recommended. 

Shamans & Shifters Space Opera series: 

Her Robot Wolf 

Cosmic Catalyst 

Shattered Earth 

Jingle Stars 

The Ceph Sector 

Buy link 

        Jingle Stars (Shamans & Shifters Space Opera Book 4)

    

Blurb 

When a starship decides to play Santa Claus… 

Ahab is a mLa’an artificial intelligence embedded in the starship, Orion. The campaign for AIs to be recognized as full citizens of Galaxy Proper is within reach of its extraordinary goal. The only thing that could stop it now is if an AI did something foolish…like take a space station hostage to save eight orphaned children.

And this is the letter to Santa that starts it all:

Dear Santa

I don’t know if your reindeers work in space. But if you have room in your sleigh after you finish delivering presents to the lucky kids with parents and homes, can you come and get me and my friends? Please? We’ve been good. Well, we haven’t been really bad. We’re on Station Elphame, in the junkyard, and Zoe is sick. She’s bad sick. I think she’d be better on a planet. We don’t need presents. We just need a way out of here. Ollie tried to sneak onto a trampship…he died. Please, Santa, I don’t want any more of my friends to die.

Aiden.

  • Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
  • Accessibility: Learn more
  • Publication date: December 4, 2017
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 75 pages

Review:  Cosmic Catalyst (Shamans & Shifters Space Opera Book 2) by Jenny Schwartz 

Rating: 4.5✨

Cosmic Catalyst is an excellent sequel to Her Robot Wolf, picking up after the highly dramatic events in that story that saw Jaya saving the galactic empire, along with her mate Vulf and companions. 

Cosmic Catalyst deals with the ramifications from that event, the reveal of previously unknown powers that Jaya has and the hope that Vulf’s robot wolf represents for the shifter worlds. 

As they say no good deed goes unpunished. And so those who want to profit from this event and her powers circle around them. 

It’s an exceedingly wild, exciting, and amazing read. It moves all the relationships and overall dynamics forward and develops the world building even better by giving the reader more information about the Meitj, the other races, and the processes behind what drove saving certain species. 

And the romance between Jaya and Vulf enables the author to explore the shifter society and interlock it into an expanded family for Jaya.

Another fabulous story and it’s onto the next!

Loving the covers.  Highly recommended. 

Shamans & Shifters Space Opera series: 

Her Robot Wolf 

Cosmic Catalyst 

Shattered Earth 

Jingle Stars 

The Ceph Sector 

Buy link 

        Cosmic Catalyst (Shamans & Shifters Space Opera Book 2)

    

Blurb 

When starship shaman Jaya Romanov and her new mate partner, galactic bounty hunter and robot wolf shifter, Vulf Trent, saved the galaxy from the deadly actions of a determined geriatric terrorist, they forgot that old Earth truism: no good deed goes unpunished.

Now, the galaxy is exploding with unexpected aliens, greedy politicians—well, that’s normal enough, it’s what the politicians will attempt that is worrying—and a radically new aspect to sha energy that has the potential to change everything.

And then there’s the mystery of Jaya’s father…who is he?

Some big secrets are lurking in Jaya’s past, and to save those she loves, she’ll be forced to risk the galaxy in a shoot ’em up, take-no-prisoners rescue because sometimes there’s no fighting your destiny. Fortunately, Vulf is always ready for a fight!

  • Publication date: October 22, 2017
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 229 pages

Review:  Her Robot Wolf (Shamans & Shifters Space Opera Book 1) by Jenny Schwartz

Rating:  4.5⭐️

Well here’s another series I’m totally addicted to and binging right through. After finding author Jenny Schwartz through her Stars Die novel, I started diving into her other books and found this series. 

Shamans and Shifters is such an unusual and amazing series. A complete science fiction adventure series that deals with scientific based magic, paranormal creatures, fated mates, fantastical alien worlds and societies, found families and galactic political intrigue. And romance. 

It’s well written, highly imaginative, fast paced, and has a character that has grabbed at  my heart and mind is the ship Orion’s IA Ahab. The ship belongs to a bounty hunter wolf shifter Vulf Trent who’s on a collision course with Jaya Romanov, a star ship shaman.

The storyline, which revolves around the hunt for a man named Evan, introduces the universe of the series, the background of the races and the science behind the magic involved. Or the beginning of the science.  More will be explored as the series expands into deeper details and greater understanding of the political landscape and mysteries happening.

It’s a fast paced , exciting story and leaves you immediately gravitating towards the next book. Which I did. 

Loved everything about this. 

Including the covers.  Highly recommended. 

Shamans & Shifters Space Opera series: 

Her Robot Wolf 

Cosmic Catalyst 

Shattered Earth 

Jingle Stars 

The Ceph Sector 

Buy link 

        Her Robot Wolf (Shamans & Shifters Space Opera Book 1)

    

Blurb 

Jaya Romanov is an independent star ship shaman. She studies the energy flows of the universe and—for a price—will harness them to her employer’s purpose. Wormholes are a whole lot safer to travel when a shaman guides the jump.

Vulf Trent is a bounty hunter. It was that or join the family business, piracy, and Vulf is too much the lone wolf to tolerate the demands of a large pirate crew. Where his family enjoys the bonds of pack, he prefers the freedom of ranging the universe, alone. Seven generations ago, humanity evacuated Earth and the shifter clans’ ability to transform into their animal forms was one of the most terrible losses of that time. Now, the werewolves, werebears and other shifters are trapped in their human bodies and slowly losing the essence of their primal souls.

Jaya is determined to heal their torn transformational abilities, but Vulf doesn’t believe her. He didn’t kidnap her for her healing abilities.

Her Robot Wolf is a fabulous adventure in which rare, mystical science replaces magic, pirates are taught to respect lone women, the galaxy is imperiled —and perhaps, rescued—and a fated mate pair contemplate kicking Fate in the teeth. Have fun! Don’t forget to buy Galactic Insurance before leaving Earth! Space opera, paranormal romance and a galactic array of aliens, mysteries, startling revelations and breath-taking heroics.

  • Publication date: May 30, 2017
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 212 pages