Words on Avalon by Mindee Arnett (Avalon #1)

Sci-fi
Feb 18, 2015
3 min read

A group known as the ITA governs the universe, and life revolves around metetech, an advanced technology that allows people to take their ships and travel vast distances very quickly. The ITA are the only ones who know the secrets of metatech, but countless people would do anything to get their hands on the closely guarded information.

Jeth Seagrave doesn't care much about the big picture. He's the leader of a squad of teens who call themselves the Malleus Shades, working for the crime lord Hammer Dafoe. Jeff is determined to make enough money doing Hammer's dirty work to buy back his parent's ship, Avalon. Once he has Avalon, he'll be free to escape Hammer's twisted world and live his life on a planet far, far away alongside his sister, Lizzie.

Jeth finally gets his chance to win back Avalon with one last mission, bringing back a damaged spaceship to Hammer. The catch(es)? 1) The ship the Shades are looking for disappeared into a forbidden zone of space, and 2) Jeth was asked by an ITA agent to bring them the same ship. While Jeth only wants Avalon and has no wish to see anything remotely dangerous in Hammer's hands, there's no way he could betray Hammer and get away with it. He feels like he has no choice but to give Hammer what he wants.

However, his search for the missing spaceship takes a frightening turn when he is his crew must search for it in the Belgrave, a strange part of space that I would compare to the Bremuda Triangle. They find the ship all right, but not before strange things start to happen the crew.

What Jeth doesn't expect is to pick up survivors. He takes them in, but they're not telling him everything, and he doesn't really know who they are. Jeth knows that they may have the secret Hammer wants, but he can't imagine giving up Cora, a sweet young girl, to a crime lord like Hammer. But either way, his choice is going to put him, and his team, in the middle of a deadly fight between the ITA and Hammer.

I really liked Jeth as a main character. He's a good leader, keeping his cool and getting along well with the whole team. His craving to control Avalon gets the better of him sometimes, and he goes to crazy lengths to get it, even if it's not the smartest choice. He comes across as willing to do pretty much anything to get Avalon. It's a flaw that makes him more relatable. The same goes for the way he lets his temper get the best of him sometimes. He's also not afraid to push Hammer a bit, which is both brave and insanely stupid. Hammer is dangerous, but Jeth is determined to get what he wants and take care of his crew. He really cares about is friends and feels responsible for them, a trait that I can relate to.

Hammer was a chilling villain. He actually reminded me of El Patrón from The House of the Scorpion. Like the drug lord, he's cruel and very, very cunning with a large crime empire. He also uses implanted technology in his soldiers' brains to control them. He frightens me, and you can't guess what he's going to come up with next. (Side note: His last name is Dafoe. Da foe. I'm not sure if that was intended or not, but it's a bit funny.) I was very wary of him along with Jeth, and his total lack of remorse and empathy allowed him to do whatever he wanted without any moral issues, which was terrifying. Hammer is capable of anything.

I love space books, and this was a delightfully dark story. The space world of Avalon was brutal and exciting, with plenty of fighting and crime to keep things interesting and a every-man-for-himself vibe. You couldn't really tell what someone was up to, and there were great plot twists that kept me on my toes and turning pages. The plot was fast-paced with plenty of action, the ending made me a little crazy - in a good way. I have to get my hands on the sequel! This was a thrilling sci-fi I would recommend to anyone. 5/5