Goodreads Synopsis

A perfect blend of the epic space adventure made famous by Star Wars, to the fun and wit of Star Trek, and the gritty emotions of Battlestar Galactica. It’s also a perfect cure for those who are tired of sparkling vampires and “My inner goddess.” Every myth has a beginning.

After escaping the destruction of her home planet, Lanyr, with the help of the mysterious Solaris, Rynah must put her faith in an ancient legend. Never one to believe in stories and legends, she is forced to follow the ancient tales of her people: tales that also seem to predict her current situation.

Forced to unite with four unlikely heroes from an unknown planet (the philosopher, the warrior, the lover, the inventor) in order to save the Lanyran people, Rynah and Solaris embark on an adventure that will shatter everything Rynah once believed.

My Review

Solaris Seethes by Janet McNulty follows the adventure of Rynah as she flees the destruction of her world. During her escape, Rynah discovers Solaris, an old spaceship with artificial intelligence crafted by her grandfather. With the help of Solaris, Rynah recruits a crew of individuals from throughout Earth’s history who can help fulfill an ancient prophecy to keep other worlds from the destruction her home has experienced. In a race against a villain hell-bent on the destruction and subjugation of every sector of space, the crew must overcome a myriad of obstacles to find six ancient crystals before they can be brought together to create a superweapon of unimaginable destruction.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The story is interesting and intriguing, but the execution is pretty poor. The first half of the book is full of writing plagued by parenthetical explanations (random parentheses filled with descriptions or facts about the worlds or characters…like this). It was distracting and took me out of the story. A more organic approach to world-building would have been preferred. The writing did improve in the second half of the book if you are able to stick with it for that long. The plot was very repetitive, as well, with the characters constantly running from place to place. Many of the main accomplishments of the characters also fell flat for me because they seemed to come a bit too easy.

The best thing about the book was the character moments that happened in the few lulls in the action. I enjoyed the growth of Brie the most and think her arc was fun to read. Solaris was a star of the book, as well, with her witty and sarcastic personality. I also liked the overall set up of the story and the use of prophecy and mystery throughout the book. However, I don’t think there was enough payoff for the book’s mysteries before it’s end. It felt like this was the first of many books without a story of its own to tell. I prefer each book to have at least some sort of discrete story even if it is part of larger over-arching series plot.

Overall, this story was fun, fast-paced, and intriguing. However, it was plagued by an annoying writing style, repetitive plot, unearned accomplishments for the characters, and an inability to stand on its own. Therefore, I rate it 2 out of 5 stars. Unfortunately, I will not be reading the rest of this series, but I really did want to like it and found the premise interesting.