Sovereign (Antius Ascending, #1)

by E R Arroyo

[shannonmiz]

4.5 Stars! Full review here.

I had this book on my wishlist for awhile, and then bought it back in December. But then life happened, and I hadn't gotten around to reading it. But when some fellow readers and authors whose opinions usually don't steer me wrong started chatting about how good this one was, I knew I'd waited long enough!

First, let's talk about Cori, our main character. I loved her. She seemed quite genuine, and so very flawed. But she is also so insightful, and willing to learn and grow. Basically, she is awesome. She is tough, and can come off mean, but that is just part of her past, and something that she tries to overcome, bit by bit. I enjoyed the different Coris- The strong Cori who is the eternal fighter, and the Cori who has feelings and emotions, and allows them to show. Because all of us have so many sides to our personalities, so why should a character be any different?

The plot was definitely fast-moving, and held my interest. I was eager to learn more about what was going on with the characters, the world around them, and how it would all play out. There were some aspects of the world around them that the reader is not privy to, but I am hoping those questions will be answered in the next book. Overall, the book gave enough information and started a great story that left enough unanswered that I would be definitely coming back for more.

So, what prevented me from going full-blown five star? There were just a few elements that I saw coming and felt just a tad trite. I think this is partially my fault, for inundating my brain with a sea of YA Dystopia, but I think for a full five stars, I need a "holy crap, what just happened to me?" moment. But it came pretty much as close as you can get! Very glad I decided to read this one, and I am already burning through the sequel!