3 out of 4 stars
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Van Laven Chronicles: Throne of Novoxos by Tyler Chase is an action-packed sci-fi romance novel. This is a love story with a sci-fi backdrop (think sci-fi Romeo and Juliet). It is the first of a trilogy and deals with relationships, politics, and moral issues like exploitation of resources and oppression. This is soft sci-fi; it is more of a “space opera” like Star Wars.
The main characters, Vaush Bastionli and Comron Van Laven, come from warring families. They end up stranded on a jungle planet together and fall in love while fighting for their lives. After their rescue, they find a way to stay together despite the odds being against them. Both characters have to deal with startling revelations about their pasts and their futures during the course of the tale.
I breezed through this book. The story was filled with constant action and I could not stop turning the pages to see what would happen next. I enjoyed the epic laser gun battles, fast-paced spaceship chases, strange planets, and cutthroat interplanetary politics. I love finding books like this. I can leave my day behind and become fully immersed in another time and place. The book was a great success in this way. If I had the time, I would have read this in one sitting!
The writing was flawless. I was swept up in the action and on the edge of my seat during battle scenes. The romance scenes were hot and steamy. This was more of a traditional guy/girl romance, for those readers who are wondering. Comron was the strong guy and Vaush began to depend on him. However, for those who enjoy strong female leads, she did save his life more than once. The pacing was perfect. I felt like I was watching an action movie!
There were some downsides. Vaush and Comron’s epic love for each other was sweet at first. However, it got a little old. Vaush’s character became a broken record and I felt that there wasn’t much to her personality. She started off as a strong character with an interesting backstory. As the story progressed, all of her choices were based solely on keeping Comron in her life. This hindered her character development. Comron had a little more going on with his dad and his other obligations.
The book wraps up well, with most of the major plot points resolved. The long-term plot issues are left for the next book. I was not 100% satisfied with the ending, and thought the last few pages focused too much on Comron. Being that the title of the series is the Van Laven Chronicles, I suppose that makes sense. However, Vaush seemed to be the lead character throughout most of the book. These issues won’t stop me from picking up the next book, which I cannot wait to read.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I would give this book 3.5 out of 4 stars if I could, because I really enjoyed it. Fans of romance and soft sci-fi will love this book. Hard science fiction lovers and people who don’t like romance will not find much here. This would be a great summer reading list book. It’s fun, but still feels a little more intelligent than your average beach read.
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Van Laven Chronicles: Throne of Novoxos
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