Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre

Author: Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre

Title: Honor Among Thieves

Publication: February 13, 2018

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss

  

Synopsis
Petty criminal Zara Cole has a painful past that’s made her stronger than most, which is why she chose life in New Detroit instead moving with her family to Mars. In her eyes, living inside a dome isn’t much better than a prison cell.

Still, when Zara commits a crime that has her running scared, jail might be exactly where she’s headed. Instead Zara is recruited into the Honors, an elite team of humans selected by the Leviathan—a race of sentient alien ships—to explore the outer reaches of the universe as their passengers.

Zara seizes the chance to flee Earth’s dangers, but when she meets Nadim, the alien ship she’s assigned, Zara starts to feel at home for the first time. But nothing could have prepared her for the dark, ominous truths that lurk behind the alluring glitter of starlight.

  

“Here we sing to the stars. 

Deep in the dreaming, we have come and gone for many evers. 

Until the joining. Until journey’s end. 

Sing back to us when you come, so that we may know the silence is never eternal."

Review 

This is the first book I have read by either author. It is an unusual concept that combines music, space and relationships all into one. It begins with Zara robbing someone to sell the parts for money and then having to fight for her life not moments later. She is a loner with a fierce desire to run free and does not like being closed in. Her theft lands her in more trouble than she anticipated and she has the most notorious Mobster in New Detroit on her tale with a reach even she did not expect, so she commits herself to stay safe. Yet, nowhere is safe for her. Zara's watched the Honors and does not think highly of the program, so when she gets selected, being gracious is not high on her list. She doesn't have many options and she resigns herself to her fate. 

Zara's first interaction with Nadim is of wonder and excitement. She adapts to the ship very quickly. Nadim says she shines brighter than the other Honors he has met. The connection between them is unique and it reminds me of how the wolves in Twilight imprinted. It seems it is their destiny to align. I could feel the genuine bond between them as they learned and grew throughout the story. I think the relationship is so instantaneous and deeper because they can relate to the loneliness within one another.  Nadim through Zara's eyes makes it easy to visualize what he would look like inside and feel the texture of him through the page. 

Overall, this world thrives on advanced technology with a mutual exchange of information between humans and the Leviathan. The world is very vivid and there is still some mystery to why they came to Earth, the journey and the mobster after Zara. This story is fast paced right from the beginning and does not stop until the revelation at the end. I feel this will be a good read for anyone that likes sci-fi fantasy books.