Review by jemgirl202 -- Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga bo...

[jemgirl202]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)" by Janet McNulty.]

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1 out of 4 stars

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Solaris Seethes is a lackluster Science Fiction novel by Janet McNulty. McNulty excels at action! The story rarely has a dull moment when it comes to action. However, with all the action, I felt it difficult to build a connection to the characters or even witness any character development. The lack of connection and development starts from the very beginning of the book.

The main heroine, Rynah, is a security officer and pilot on the planet Lanyr. Within the first 10 pages she is happy and engaged to Klanor then finds out the Klanor betrayed her and is collecting ancient crystals to destroy worlds. He steals the crystal for Lanyr and Lanyr is destroyed. At this point we should be angry and feel for Rynah as she feels betrayed, but I didn't feel anything. It happened so suddenly and there was no emotional attachment to her situation.

After finding an older ship, Rynah is able to flee her destroyed planet. However, she discovers her ship is an artificial intelligence ship named Solaris. She was created by her estranged, late grandfather named Marlowe. Solaris is not your average A.I. ship, she is packed full of attitude and personality. She has even started developing feelings and dreams. Rynah and Solaris discuss the legends of the ancient crystals and come up with a plan to stop Klanor, but they need help from 4 strangers from different time periods on the planet Earth.

These strangers come from different points in Earth's time. Solon, a scribe from Ancient Greece. Alferic, a Viking from the Early Middle Ages, known for his strength. Brie, a teenager from 2014 who is shy and frightens easily. Rynah picks on Brie throughout 90% of the book. Finally, Tom, an inventor from the future. Solaris makes it possible for them to communicate with each other. According to Solaris they are also a part of a prophecy that will impact all the universe. Together they will go through constant battles against planet ecosystems, pirates, and Klanor.

I wanted to love this story. McNulty keeps your attention with amazing action sequences. However, I couldn't find one single thing that I liked about the main heroine, Rynah. I could appreciate how she tried to make her relatable, but she had no depth or development. She was always angry and treated those around her with constant disrespect, even when they risked their lives to help. I have no idea why any one would follow her as a leader since she just spewed hate at them constantly, even when they were risking their lives to help. Overall, I enjoyed the action and the world McNulty created but felt that it just lacked the depth and a decent main character.

1 out of 4 stars.

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Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
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[Jaime Lync]

Nice review. I also read and reviewed this book not long ago and I totally understand what you meant about Rynah. It was also a little difficult for me to connect with her and at times I rather preferred to think of Brie as the main character.
I think you might have been a little too subjective with your review though. A 1 out of 4 is pretty low for a book that I think others would enjoy even if I didn't like it as much. Plus, it is the first book in a series so I guess there is room for character development in the other books. Just my two cents. Thanks.

[jemgirl202]

Nice review. I also read and reviewed this book not long ago and I totally understand what you meant about Rynah. It was also a little difficult for me to connect with her and at times I rather preferred to think of Brie as the main character.
I think you might have been a little too subjective with your review though. A 1 out of 4 is pretty low for a book that I think others would enjoy even if I didn't like it as much. Plus, it is the first book in a series so I guess there is room for character development in the other books. Just my two cents. Thanks.

Thank you for your input! This was a hard book for me to get through. I should have waited a day before writing the review to better collect my thoughts. However, I still feel the same about it. I really hope that there is more development in the next book.

[Spirit Wandering]

I read this book as well and agreed with your frustration about Rynah in my review of it. I think her character may be a reflection of the author trying to appeal to a YA target audience. If so, it would make sense that Rynah starts out immature only to grow throughout the series. However, I did enjoy the other characters, including Solaris.

[jemgirl202]

I read this book as well and agreed with your frustration about Rynah in my review of it. I think her character may be a reflection of the author trying to appeal to a YA target audience. If so, it would make sense that Rynah starts out immature only to grow throughout the series. However, I did enjoy the other characters, including Solaris.

I enjoyed Solaris too. But one minute she would talk and act like a computer and then the next act and talk human. I think that was the authors way of trying to show how she wanted to become more human but it was very poorly done in my opinion. I think Solaris is the best character but she could of been written a bit better.