Review: Avalon (Avalon #1) By: Mindee Arnett

Title: Avalon (Avalon #1)

Author : Mindee Arnett

Published: January 21st, 2014

Source: ARC from publisher

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars!

Goodreads Summary:

A ragtag group of teenage mercenaries who crew the spaceship Avalon stumble upon a conspiracy that could threaten the entire galaxy in this fascinating and fast-paced sci-fi adventure from author Mindee Arnett.

Of the various star systems that make up the Confederation, most lie thousands of light-years from First Earth-and out here, no one is free. The agencies that govern the Confederation are as corrupt as the crime bosses who patrol it, and power is held by anyone with enough greed and ruthlessness to claim it. That power is derived from one thing: metatech, the devices that allow people to travel great distances faster than the speed of light.

Jeth Seagrave and his cre

w of teenage mercenaries have survived in this world by stealing unsecured metatech, and they're damn good at it. Jeth doesn't care about the politics or the law; all he cares about is earning enough money to buy back his parents' ship, Avalon, from his crime-boss employer and getting himself and his sister, Lizzie, the heck out of Dodge. But when Jeth finds himself in possession of information that both the crime bosses and the government are willing to kill for, he is going to have to ask himself how far he'll go to get the freedom he's wanted for so long.

Avalon is the perfect fit for teens new to sci-fi as well as seasoned sci-fi readers looking for more books in the YA space-and a great match for fans of Joss Whedon's cult hit show Firefly.

My Thoughts:

I was really excited and curious to start Avalon, last year I read Arnett’s debut The Nightmare Affair and I enjoyed it. I am not a huge sci fi reader, so I wasn’t sure what to expect and I was a bit hesitant and wasn’t sure what to expect. Arnett definitely made a book that is perfect for readers who aren’t into sci fi, it wasn’t overly complicated and it was fast paced and exciting. The book was fast paced and I never felt bored and I was definitely glued to the pages wanting to find out what happens next.

Jeth and his crew are teenage thieves, working for a crime boss to steal spaceships and anything else he may need. but, Jeth’s real reason for doing these jobs is he wants to buy back his ship the Avalon, it is the only thing that he has left of his parents after they were executed by the  government for treason. He is the leader of the group and he definitely feels a lot of pressure to take care of his friends and make sure that everything goes the way that he is supposed to, his little sister Lizzie is now a part of his crew and he definitely wants to take care of her and eventually get them all away from this life that they are leading. But, this new job that Jeth and his crew are assigned to changes each of their lives in ways that they never could have imagined.

Jeth was a great male narrator, I always love getting to read a male perspective in YA, I definitely think that their is a different feel when you get to be inside their head then in a female. Jeth has a lot of pressure on his shoulders and has really had to grow faster than any kid should have.

The secondary characters were each interesting in their own way. They each had their own stories as to how they ended up at the place where they were teenage thieves for a crime boss. They brought a lightness and humor to the book at times and I enjoyed each of them so much.

Overall, Avalon was great beginning and I can’t wait to find out what happens next, I definitely recommend this book for hesitant sci fi readers and hesitant YA readers. I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this one, I couldn’t put it down!