Zenith is an example of what would happen if one of the most popular American booktubs and the author of five already published novels decided to write a book together.
Space pirates
A fearless space pirate crew made up of all women takes on the biggest mission in their career to date. If all goes to plan, their leader, Androm Racella, known as the Bloody Baroness, will not only regain the respect of the man she had failed many years ago, but also prevent her and her subordinates from having to run away. There is, however, a catch. They must cooperate with the head hunter, who turns out to be Androma’s former lover – Dex. They did not split up in too friendly circumstances. The woman left him to die after he had betrayed her. Additionally, somewhere else in the galaxy there is an evil ruler eager to destroy the world he calls home.
A heroine with a turbulent past
The leader of the pirate group owes her nickname to the number of lives she has taken. He tries to control his feelings and think rationally. The notches on its blade represent each victim. It seems that the heroine is full of remorse and is looking for forgiveness. He often has nightmares pointing to unresolved past issues. And we know that much about it. I think that much more space should be devoted to what happened to Androma in the past. However, I have no doubt that the Bloody Baroness is a complex character and the chapters devoted to her fuel the story.
Dex, on the other hand, wants to seem like the bad boy kicked out of school, but that’s just an appearance. There is a lot of tension between him and Androma. However, their relationship and the consequences of past experiences are by no means unique. The book gives itself time to develop and it takes a while before the mission objective is revealed. In the novel, we learn about events from several perspectives. The same situations are repeated almost immediately. I don’t consider this a disadvantage as the characters’ thoughts show different events from a slightly different angle and give an insight into their motivations. The characteristics of the world presented could be more extensive. I am not sure how all these planets, colonies and the entire galaxy interact with each other and operate under the rule of one ruler. The base is on good foundations, but it could do with much more.
Summary
Zenith’s potential has not been fully exploited in my opinion. The book presents us with the world and heroes that can be further developed in many ways. Here we get a foretaste of a great cosmic adventure with a romance thread and a ruler driven by hatred who wants to subjugate the entire universe. The main character and the assumptions of the universe created by the authors intrigued me enough to let me know the continuation of this story. The book will appeal to the younger, teenage reader. I also hope that the next part will start off the hoof and let us get to know the heroes, their motivations and the world in which they live.
