Calamity

Calamity by Constance Fay

I was ready for something lighter, and this book was just the thing! It's a romp in space following a found-family type crew who get hired for a scouting mission, and it doesn't turn out to be quite as straight-forward as expected. I enjoyed the mash-up of Science Fiction and Romance, and found myself really flying through the book.

The plot starts right in with action, and the pace pretty much keeps up all the way through, making this a pretty fast-paced read. The characters aren't terribly deep, but they're mostly likable types as we get to know them. The main character, Temperance Reed, has been knocked down by life a few times and copes by being snarky, self-deprecating, a little reckless, and fiercely protective of her crew. Sometimes this comes off as insecurity or incompetence, but I have to say I kinda liked her for it. The world has some definite political dynamics in play, and I thought it worked to add some intrigue to the story.

As someone who reads a fair amount of fantasy romance, this book felt a little like a science fiction version of that. So if you like SciFi a la Firefly and a little spice in your romance reads, this is a fun book to try. I know I am looking forward to reading the second book soon.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. This is an unbiased review.