Okay, so I’m technically sitting down to write this a week late, and this “Weekly Read” is technically not a “read” it’s a “listen,” since I consumed this intriguing space opera in its audio book format. But that’s how I can tell you that the audio was great quality, the narrator’s voice was appealing, her character voices were fun, and the just-over 7 hour narration time made Salvage a fun listen for someone who walks an hour a day to consume in the space of a nice tidy one-week time frame.
I’ll be honest, I read the blurb about a badass female pilot with a secret prophetic power on a quest to save a mysterious male character, saw the potential for forced proximity as they’re trapped together on her ship, and I automatically assumed this was going to be a romance.
SPOILER BELOW:
Cherry and her mysterious companion don’t even kiss. That being said, Salvage is the first book in the Delphic Dame trilogy, and I definitely suspect these two characters are developing underlying feelings for each other. It’s refreshing to see a book of this style where the romance develops in a slower, more realistic pace. Not that I’m opposed to lust-at-first sight or the occasional fated mates storyline, but its nice to have variety.
I do have to say though, that I hope it does become a romance at some point!
Besides the slow burn, the other thing I appreciated about this space opera was the thought the author put into the way cultures develop. The characters’ biased thoughts about each others’ culture and about the intriguing alien race they encounter were fascinating and truly insightful, giving the cultures and the alien race a sense of depth and realism. Which has got to be tough to achieve when the aliens are a race of giant crabs!
Speaking of giant crabs, the alien child took me a few minutes of getting used to. But the author did such a great job of giving the crablike kid and his relationships with the other characters depth that I soon forgot the potentially cartoon-y image that popped in my head at the first mention of Dylan’s crablike form. Watching Dylan develop his own unique way of thinking and seeing his reaction to the remnants of his home world became one of the most interesting elements of the book.
I also enjoyed watching the characters secrets slowly revealed. I have a feeling there are still a lot of suprising revelations to come. And I’m excited to see where the potential romance between Cherry and her new companion goes. I’m excited to “read” the next book in the Delphic Dame space opera series soon!
