NEMESIS Blog Tour: Book Review (And Giveaway!)

I told you guys there would be fun to come and that the review for Maven was just a teaser. So as part of Starla Huchton's blog book tour for its sequel, NEMESIS, here's my review!

NEMESIS by Starla Huchton

Summary

The Maven Initiative has proved to be more complicated than Daniel or Lydia could have expected, and they've built their team, NEMESIS, to uncover as much as possible of the plot and, more importantly, to stop it. Unfortunately, the best minds they can gather seem to have their sights not only on coming between Lydia and Daniel, but possibly even getting in the way of the investigation. And it doesn't help that Lydia's past and a deep, personal secret are helping tear things apart.

That's my summary. Here's the one I pulled from the author's website.

Tech genius Daniel Brewer isn’t the only one with a romantic history. Already weighed down with the impossible problem of the Maven Initiative’s plans for world domination and disaster, Dr. Lydia Ashley is finding it more and more difficult to keep things in balance. With an old flame reappearing and the schemes of a vindictive new rival thrown into the mix, her hopes for a life with Daniel may be on the brink of annihilation.

When Lydia’s past is brought to light, one big secret could destroy everything.

Context

Like Maven, NEMESIS is set in the not-too-distant future, primarily on the underwater station Endure. It's setting is just futuristic enough to be sci-fi, just near enough to be really real and believable. There is so much insanity in medical and technological research and advancement right now that pretty much every single thing that is discovered about the Maven Initiative could happen. If history books had been sent back in time and disguised as novels, NEMESIS would be a great one among them. Although... I don't know of many history books that have such a great relationship story weaving through it. I could almost argue that Daniel and Lydia's relationship is the real main plot of this novel, but that would be unfair to the gravity of the situation. The two main plot arcs, Daniel and Lydia's relationship and the developments in the Maven Initiative, are so intertwined that they form a single huge cable of plot that is hard to separate. I think it's very well balanced.

Style

Like Maven, NEMESIS is extremely well written. And, in reading the afterword, I realized just how much thought Huchton put into it. All the chapter headings are scientific terms related to the Maven Initiative, and they even subtly allude to the events in the chapters themselves. Seriously! That sort of attention to detail and commitment to a theme are just one thing that makes this book great. I mentioned this in my review of Maven, but I need to go again into just how real the characters in this book are. They are human! Human, meaning "they make mistakes. Lots of them." Oh, boy do they make mistakes. They have far from a perfect relationship, but this is very new ground for them both. They have communication issues and personal insecurities regarding their relationship. The characterization and their development are exemplary, a great demonstration of the writer's craft.

My Thoughts

I think that the things I've written so far make it pretty clear what my thoughts are regarding NEMESIS. But in case it isn't, let me elaborate. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's so easy to understand and even agree with the thoughts that go through the main characters' heads that it can get infuriating. I didn't agree with their choices, but son of a gun did I udnerstand them! And I hated myself and the characters for it. But it's that kind of hatred that isn't really deep, because by now, I've grown to love them. After reading both Maven and NEMESIS, I have really grown fond of the characters. That doesn't mean I always like what they do. But that's humanity, and Huchton has captured that wonderfully.

The Maven Initiative plot is going forward in very intriguing ways. There was a tiny section of story that actually took someone away from the Endure briefly, and I loved the events that happened there. I won't spoil anything, but it went nothing like I thought it would, and that made me happy. But in retrospect, it's not surprising. It just proves that the Initiative runs deeper and more frightening than we ever could have expected when the plot was first uncovered in the last book. So now, I'm impatient for book 3.

Would I Recommend This Book? Very yes. It's a smooth read with amazing characters and a story line that will draw you in, break your heart, and make you want donuts.

On the standard scale of 1 to 5 stars, I give this a rather fluid 4.5.

As promised, there is a giveaway for this blog tour. a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more information on Maven, NEMESIS, and Starla Huchton, visit http://www.starlahuchton.com/