Chilling Effect

Oh, this book! First off, I have to praise Harper Voyager for pushing #ownvoices books out in the world. Captain Eva Innocente was hilarious, snarky, and the kind of woman I'd gladly follow into battle. The fact that she just so happened to cuss in Spanish whenever she was extremely angry made me crack up laughing. As a person with a family who does the same I couldn't help but love Eva, prickles and all.

Starting with the good, I can definitely say that there's not a boring character in this book. Eva's whole crew is just a bit mad, and full of personality. Although I suppose they would have to be, to follow Eva Innocente. I loved their family dynamic, and how much each of them was willing to sacrifice for any of the rest of them. The ship felt like a place that I'd want to visit. Provided I wasn't visiting on a day when Eva decided to get into a fight, that is.

In terms of the plot, the overall story line was pretty solid. I liked that they brought Eva's actual family into the picture, and that Eva did do some growing up throughout the story. Let's be honest, we all make bad decisions. Eva just makes a lot of them all at the same time, for a fair amount of this book. What pushed this book down in ratings for me as mainly the pacing, to be honest. It drags at points, and runs at a mad pace during others. I needed a little more of an even keel, to keep me reading on.

Don't get me wrong, I'm in the for the long haul on this series. I liked Eva and her misfit crew enough that I'll be back for the next book. I only hope that now that we've established the dynamic between these characters, things will even out a bit. I'd love to dive deeper into the places that La Sirena Negra travels, follow along on more battles, and giggle madly at the banter between these friends. So, count me in. I'll be waiting.