Riot Girl - Good Charlotte

Invisible Sun

Author: David Macinnis Gill
Pages: 352
ARC Acquired from: HarperCollins via NetGalley

Description from Goodreads:
Obsessed with MUSE, the clandestine project that created the AI in his brain, mercenary chief Durango draws the ire of the government when he steals part of the secret project data and hightails it with his lieutenant, Vienne, to an ancient monastery. There, he meets the monks who raised Vienne from an orphan and also encounters soldiers working for his old nemesis, the crime lord Mr. Lyme. Lyme controls the territory surrounding the monastery, as well as the datacenters housing the rest of MUSE.

Undeterred, Durango and Vienne pull off an ill-advised raid on Lyme’s complex. During the ensuing battle, however, Vienne is captured, and Durango is beaten and left for dead. Now, wounded and shaken, Durango must overcome bounty hunters, treacherous terrain, a full scale civil war, and a warrior monk with an eye for vengeance (not to mention his own guilt, self-doubt, and broken arm) to find Vienne and free her from Archibald, a brain-washing pyromaniac with a Napoleon complex who wants to rule Mars--and kill Durango in the process.

First Sentence: "Vienne points the gun, squeezes the trigger, and fires a live round square into my chest."

Review:
I read the first book Black Hole Sun after I got an ARC at ALA 2010. I liked it, but wasn't especially into it. Actually, I gave away my copy of that one. My memories of that one are very limited, as in I basically only remembered Mimi and that there was a ton of action. So, basically, I am starting over with a clean slate.

My first impressions of this were highly positive, except for the CW-style cover. Skeptical as I was going in, I'm really glad I gave this series another try. What I really like about Invisible Sun is how it defies gender norms. Durango may be a regulator, basically a mercenary badass, but he knows that his partner Vienne has so much more skills than he does. And he's totally cool with his female partner and girlfriend being more powerful than he is. Gotta love a guy that appreciates a strong woman.

Another thing I really enjoyed was that people swore largely in foreign languages. Why do I like this? Because of Firefly. That's really all I have to say on that, except that if you haven't seen that show, you should go watch it immediately.

The one recommendation I would make to improve this book is to better distinguish between Durango's conversations with Mimi and those with people. As is, it is very difficult to tell when he stops talking with Mimi and begins conversing with someone else. Also, I'm not really sure if he's talking out loud to Mimi or just thinking to her. I just think it would have been a lot more comprehensible if the exchanges with Mimi were in italics.

Invisible Sun is an action-packed read. I recommend it to anyone who is sick of the typical gender dynamics and gender roles in YA lit. This was refreshing and I look forward to the next installment!

Rating: 3.5/5

Favorite Quote: "'A poet would use this place as a metaphor for the failed Mars Utopia.'"

"My girl's a hot girl
A hood rat who needs an attitude adjustment"