≡ Download Fortune Pawn Paradox Book 1 Rachel Bach Books

Fortune Pawn Paradox Book 1 Rachel Bach Books

Download As PDF : Fortune Pawn Paradox Book 1 Rachel Bach Books

Fortune Pawn Paradox Book 1 Rachel Bach Books

Dear Lord. Where do I start?
Main Character:
Bach managed something so many readers and writers alike strive for- a character that is both relatable, and yet when they pull off the impossible, you don't raise a 'uh-huh, sure' eyebrow. To be brutally honest, that's even harder with a female character, and especially in this genre. There are badass females aplenty, but not so many that manage to be funny, understandable, awe-inspiring- and still feminine (without being oversexed)! Bach SOMEHOW managed to work in tears, hair, dresses, and other feminine concerns without sacrificing a thread of Devi's 'mess with me and learn why that's a Bad Idea' vibe.

Side Characters:
As much as the development of the main character is so awe-inspiring to me, the more I think about it, I'm more impressed with Bach's secondary and side characters. Even the ones that only have a few pages worth of 'screen time' are all fully fleshed, with their own stories, their own quirks. I felt I knew them all as well as I would the cast of a beloved show that got a whole season (coughFireflycough)

Bad Guys:
Ok, I know I just said it was the side characters that impressed me the most but actually... I lied. It's the bad guys. Because there aren't any. Not really. They're all people, doing the best they can with what they have. Bach follows one of the truest idioms I've ever heard; Everyone is a hero in their own mind, even the ones doing evil. Even the 'good guys' themselves are, when truly compared, hardly better than the 'bad guys.' It all came down to perception and perspective. It's rare to find that much intelligence and forethought in the main character, let alone the whole cast!

The Romance:
Umph. Uh... Well... to keep this G rated... Uh... Yes. Good. Very good. Mhm.

But seriously. Same with the bad guys- there's a lot of challenge, and thus a lot of growth. It's a relationship that is understandable to anyone who's ever had to fight to be with someone that wasn't perfect, but beloved anyways. Plus, the UST (unresolved sexual tension), the bread and butter of any good romance plot, is just to die for. Bach did a great job with the intimate scenes, too- there's enough info to fog your glasses, but not so much as to take it into the realm of tacky. It's all very tastefully done.

Overall:
As for the book(s) themselves... There are books that are fun. There are books that are good. There are books that make you think. Then there are books that, on top of all of that, make anything else you read afterwards for MONTHS just subpar and unfulfilling. Even just the first book, let alone the whole trilogy, is like that. Finishing Devi's story (at least just this first one of many? Please? Maybe? Hopefully?) left me with the irresistible urge to dance around with happiness, but also to throw something because I knew nothing else would satisfy, would even come close, for a long time. These are books I can't wait to forget, so I can enjoy them all over again.


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Fortune Pawn Paradox Book 1 Rachel Bach Books Reviews

This'd be a 5-star review, if it weren't for my dislike of anything cliffhangerish.

Devi Morris is a charge-ahead, physical, and ambitious woman, going after what she wants -- often a good fight -- as the stubborn-to-her-last-breath bada$$ she is. She's a bit less intellectual than most characters I'd pick as favorites, and her *usual* attitude toward taking a new lover is certainly more casual than ideal, but that's how she's chosen to live her life, as an elite armored mercenary "In ten more years, I'll be dead." Still, she has loyalty, honor, and one of my favorite traits curiosity -- despite the deadly trouble she finds, trying to get some answers about the many mysteries aboard the Glorious Fool.

This book was a delight, as I raced along (even in this, my second reading -- I didn't do a review when I first read it couple years ago) to its terrible, wonderful, that-changes-everything ending. I'm simply left breathless, and very glad that I've finally got ahold of the rest of the trilogy, and don't have to leave things like that for longer than it takes me to finish writing this review (especially since Devi made one decision that means there's no easy way to go back AT ALL).

Rachel Aaron/Rachel Bach proves anew her skill at world-building in this future metier. Devi's Paradoxian society is interstellar but feudal, with the highest standards (and competition/ celebrity) of battle armor juxtaposed with varying depths of worship for their god-king, Devi being one of the faithful. The Terran Republic is clearly very different, with mainly mutual contempt and old enmity flavoring their dealings. Then there are the other major races the ostrich-like aeons, including the GF's testy navigator; the fierce, reptilian xith'cal, whose culture is divided between huge male warriors and female techs/administrators -- but all of whom happily capture and eat other sentients; and the lelgis, psionic, toxic jellyfish/squid-types, mainly made of plasmex -- "the flow of power at the heart of all life", as naïve sensors operator Novascape Starchild explains when her religion is revealed to be more than just spacey nonsense. And that's not to spoiler the crypto-creature[s] Devi encounters!

I haven't said much about her romantic interest, either, because he's a "riddle wrapped inside an enigma", and I want to stay spoiler-free, but in case I wasn't clear before, the happy ending won't come until they've earned it the hard way, at the end of the series.
The story follows Devi, a mercenary hired to protect a captain and his ship. The catch is said captain and ship have the world's worst luck it seems, as his hired mercenaries never seem to live very long. I enjoyed the world Bach built- it's my type of sci-fi, where you have various species, planets, and plenty of inter-galactic travel. HOWEVER I was NOT a fan of the romance angle. Devi, a supposed professional soldier, sadly goes from awesome to love-struck- to the point where she willingly jeopardizes her job and (later) her people because she just cannot keep her hormones in check!

Its a decent read, but according to the reviews for the other two books, it seems the things that are bugging me about this- especially the romance and her blind trust and LURVE in Rupert- only get worse. So I doubt I will finish the series. But fans of space operas and romance would probably like this, so don't let my grumpy attitude towards romance dissuade you if romance is your thing.
Dear Lord. Where do I start?
Main Character
Bach managed something so many readers and writers alike strive for- a character that is both relatable, and yet when they pull off the impossible, you don't raise a 'uh-huh, sure' eyebrow. To be brutally honest, that's even harder with a female character, and especially in this genre. There are badass females aplenty, but not so many that manage to be funny, understandable, awe-inspiring- and still feminine (without being oversexed)! Bach SOMEHOW managed to work in tears, hair, dresses, and other feminine concerns without sacrificing a thread of Devi's 'mess with me and learn why that's a Bad Idea' vibe.

Side Characters
As much as the development of the main character is so awe-inspiring to me, the more I think about it, I'm more impressed with Bach's secondary and side characters. Even the ones that only have a few pages worth of 'screen time' are all fully fleshed, with their own stories, their own quirks. I felt I knew them all as well as I would the cast of a beloved show that got a whole season (coughFireflycough)

Bad Guys
Ok, I know I just said it was the side characters that impressed me the most but actually... I lied. It's the bad guys. Because there aren't any. Not really. They're all people, doing the best they can with what they have. Bach follows one of the truest idioms I've ever heard; Everyone is a hero in their own mind, even the ones doing evil. Even the 'good guys' themselves are, when truly compared, hardly better than the 'bad guys.' It all came down to perception and perspective. It's rare to find that much intelligence and forethought in the main character, let alone the whole cast!

The Romance
Umph. Uh... Well... to keep this G rated... Uh... Yes. Good. Very good. Mhm.

But seriously. Same with the bad guys- there's a lot of challenge, and thus a lot of growth. It's a relationship that is understandable to anyone who's ever had to fight to be with someone that wasn't perfect, but beloved anyways. Plus, the UST (unresolved sexual tension), the bread and butter of any good romance plot, is just to die for. Bach did a great job with the intimate scenes, too- there's enough info to fog your glasses, but not so much as to take it into the realm of tacky. It's all very tastefully done.

Overall
As for the book(s) themselves... There are books that are fun. There are books that are good. There are books that make you think. Then there are books that, on top of all of that, make anything else you read afterwards for MONTHS just subpar and unfulfilling. Even just the first book, let alone the whole trilogy, is like that. Finishing Devi's story (at least just this first one of many? Please? Maybe? Hopefully?) left me with the irresistible urge to dance around with happiness, but also to throw something because I knew nothing else would satisfy, would even come close, for a long time. These are books I can't wait to forget, so I can enjoy them all over again.