#100 Marque and Reprisal by Elizabeth Moon
This review has some small spoilers for Trading in Danger, the first book in Vatta’s War. There are no real spoilers for Marque and 
Reprisal.
After surviving mutiny and peril, Ky Vatta is eager to drop off her cargo at Lastaway and finally finish her first job. Then the unforgivable happens when someone attacks the Vatta compound, killing off almost all of Ky’s family. Now the few surviving members must band together, and discover who wants the Vatta family dead. Will Ky manage to survive before the truth is uncovered?
I first read Trading in Danger, the first book in the space opera series Vatta’s War, over a year ago. I found that I ultimately enjoyed the story and the characters but felt no pressing need to pick up the second book anytime soon. Now that I’ve finished Marque and Reprisal I am filled with a very similar feeling. The book was quite enjoyable, if somewhat flawed, and filled with satisfying twists and turns. Still, I’m not salivating at the mouth to read book three, Engaging the Enemy, quite yet.
I find I enjoy the series Vatta’s War the most when it subverts my expectations for the characters. A big example of this is the revelation in Trading in Danger that Ky actually enjoys the act of killing. This is a big change, as most heroes in the books I read only kill when it’s required, and rarely take any pleasure in it. I enjoyed watching Ky grapple with this confusing emotion in Marque and Reprisal. Another nice surprise was the relationship between Ky and her cousin Stella. As the book was building up to their first meeting, I found myself automatically expecting that they would not get along, as sadly this is often the case when two strong, independent female characters first meet in novels. I was happy to see that they had a very positive relationship, even though they didn’t agree about everything. It’s disappointingly rare to see such positive female friendships in speculative fiction.
Marque and Reprisal has a lot of exciting moments in both the beginning and end sections of the novel, including many scenes where Ky must use her intelligence and military training to fight for her life. Unfortunately, the middle of the book felt a little bogged down to me. At times, I found myself wondering if perhaps this should have been a shorter book, as there are moments that don’t seem to serve that much of a purpose (the lost puppy?), as well as characters that don’t seem to do much more than stand around in the background. This can make the book a little frustrating to read, but I still found that I ultimately enjoyed it. I am planning on finishing Vatta’s War (which is a five book series), even though I’m not planning on picking up Engaging in the Enemy quite yet.
Rating: four stars
Length: 378 pages
Source: Paperbackswap
Other books I've read by this author: Trading in Danger
Next I will be reviewing The Poison Eaters and Other Stories by Holly Black and Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card
xposted to temporaryworlds,bookish, and goodreads
Reprisal.
After surviving mutiny and peril, Ky Vatta is eager to drop off her cargo at Lastaway and finally finish her first job. Then the unforgivable happens when someone attacks the Vatta compound, killing off almost all of Ky’s family. Now the few surviving members must band together, and discover who wants the Vatta family dead. Will Ky manage to survive before the truth is uncovered?
I first read Trading in Danger, the first book in the space opera series Vatta’s War, over a year ago. I found that I ultimately enjoyed the story and the characters but felt no pressing need to pick up the second book anytime soon. Now that I’ve finished Marque and Reprisal I am filled with a very similar feeling. The book was quite enjoyable, if somewhat flawed, and filled with satisfying twists and turns. Still, I’m not salivating at the mouth to read book three, Engaging the Enemy, quite yet.
I find I enjoy the series Vatta’s War the most when it subverts my expectations for the characters. A big example of this is the revelation in Trading in Danger that Ky actually enjoys the act of killing. This is a big change, as most heroes in the books I read only kill when it’s required, and rarely take any pleasure in it. I enjoyed watching Ky grapple with this confusing emotion in Marque and Reprisal. Another nice surprise was the relationship between Ky and her cousin Stella. As the book was building up to their first meeting, I found myself automatically expecting that they would not get along, as sadly this is often the case when two strong, independent female characters first meet in novels. I was happy to see that they had a very positive relationship, even though they didn’t agree about everything. It’s disappointingly rare to see such positive female friendships in speculative fiction.
Marque and Reprisal has a lot of exciting moments in both the beginning and end sections of the novel, including many scenes where Ky must use her intelligence and military training to fight for her life. Unfortunately, the middle of the book felt a little bogged down to me. At times, I found myself wondering if perhaps this should have been a shorter book, as there are moments that don’t seem to serve that much of a purpose (the lost puppy?), as well as characters that don’t seem to do much more than stand around in the background. This can make the book a little frustrating to read, but I still found that I ultimately enjoyed it. I am planning on finishing Vatta’s War (which is a five book series), even though I’m not planning on picking up Engaging in the Enemy quite yet.
Rating: four stars
Length: 378 pages
Source: Paperbackswap
Other books I've read by this author: Trading in Danger
Next I will be reviewing The Poison Eaters and Other Stories by Holly Black and Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card
xposted to temporaryworlds,bookish, and goodreads