Review :Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

The Particulars:  Science Fiction, Ace,  available in print and as e-book.

Source:  Library book

The Grade:  C+

The Blurb:

By all accounts, Sirantha Jax should have burned out years ago…

As the carrier of a rare gene, Jax has the ability to jump ships through grimspace—a talent which cuts into her life expectancy, but makes her a highly prized navigator for the Corp. But then the ship she’s navigating crash-lands, and she’s accused of killing everyone on board. It’s hard for Jax to defend herself: she has no memory of the crash.

Now imprisoned and the subject of a ruthless interrogation, Jax is on the verge of madness. Then a mysterious man breaks into her cell, offering her freedom—for a price. March needs Jax to help his small band of rogue fighters break the Corp monopoly on interstellar travel—and establish a new breed of jumper.

Jax is only good at one thing—grimspace—and it will eventually kill her. So she may as well have some fun in the meantime…

The Review:

What I liked: 

I had heard a lot of good things about Ann Aguirre, but I had never read any of her books.  When I discovered that the library had it, I decided to take a chance.   I rarely read Science Fiction, but the book hooked me.   It was a mix between a compelling plot, and a rich worldbuilding that made me like it.  The plot starts with a bang, and it doesn’t slow down.  I liked how Jax had second thoughts several times, and that the others accepted it, and didn’t push her.  During the novel Jax grows a lot, and I must admit that I like the woman she is at the end better than the woman she is at the beginning of the novel.  I also liked how all the characters had flaws and scars that they struggled with.  

Over the whole story was a layer of desperation, which had several sources. From Jax fear that she was close to burning out to the need to escape the bad guys, this enchanced the story for me.

What I didn’t like:

Even though the story had a lot of things that I liked, there were a few things I didn’t like.  I didn’t like March, he felt cold too me.  The reasons were explained in the books, but I didn’t like him.  Also, I didn’t like the romantic subplot between Jax and March.  I do understand that Jumpers crave touch, but  the whole subplot felt tacked on.