Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Series: Evagardian #2
Published by Ace on May 2, 2017
Genres: Science Fiction
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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"I'd impersonated a prince, temporarily stopped a war, escaped a deadly planet, and survived more assassination attempts than I could conveniently count. After all that, there shouldn't have been anything simpler than a nice weekend with a charming Evagardian girl.
However, some corners of the galaxy aren't as genteel as the Empire, and Evagardians aren't universally loved, which is how I ended up kidnapped to be traded as a commodity.
Their timing couldn't have been worse. I'm not at my best, but these people have no idea whom they're dealing with: a highly trained, genetically engineered soldier in the Imperial Service who happens to be my date."
I loved The Admiral, the first book in the Evagardian series. It was a good introduction to the world with four people stranded who didn’t know each other. It was smart. The plot was clear – survival – but very fascinating as the world developed and also learning about the characters. The Admiral, capable and with a subtle humor, was a mystery and fun. For the most part, politics is viewed in the background as they are isolated.
Free Space is the same but very different. We again have four main characters, two of them we know, sort of. I enjoy strong characters who figure things out and try to improve things overall. And overall doing what is right with compassion is appealing. Here I can’t tell the good guys or the bad guys really. People are more or less in it for themselves? I do enjoy seeing women as strong, kick ass fighters here but not seeing the Admiral as somewhat helpless.
There are many more characters, mostly in the background. More planets, more “governments,” more militaries and more politics play a role. This was also more confusing and the ending was ? I will have to read the next book both because I so loved the first and I don’t understand exactly what happened here. I did find this interview about the future of the series which helped me feel better.
- 🎧 Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett #HeatherFawcett @Pottell @DoddsAndEnds @DelReyBooks @penguinaudio.bsky.social @PRHAudio #LOVEAudiobooks - February 13, 2025
- 🎧 Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz @gregghurwitzbooks.bsky.social @ScottBrick @macmillanaudio.bsky.social @stmartinspress.bsky.social #LoveAudiobooks @GreggHurwitz@MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress @MacmillanAudio - February 11, 2025
- Sunday Post – 9 February 2025 @caffeinatedreviewer.com @kimbacaffeinate @readingreality - February 9, 2025
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Anne: 2017 New Release Challenge
I liked the first book, but I don’t know that I loved it as much as some others. I think I gave it three stars (but I could be wrong). I might way to see what everyone thinks with the next book to decide if I’m going to try this one. Do you know how many books will be in the series?
Melanie – In the interview I read, he has written 6 books. I really loved the first. This one had an action packed tale but it didn’t help me with any overall story arc. Certainly you could wait and see after the next book comes out whether you want to continue.