(Thanks to Netgalley for providing an arc copy of this title in exchange for an honest review)

As a big fan of Sasha Alsberg's BookTube channel I was incredibly excited to read her debut novel with Lindsay Cummings. I really enjoyed the characters of this novel and the relationships they had with one another. The story was compelling and fast-paced. This genre is out of my comfort zone, however I found this to be a nice surprise. I am interested in reading work from both authors in the future.

DNF - I normally eat up anything Linsday writes as I have been a fan since The Murder Complex came out but I read a few chapters of this and just didn't gel with it at all and had to DNF sadly.

DNF @30%

attempted to read but sadly had to DNF. I just couldn’t fully invest in the story. Maybe it’s not the right time for me to read this, might try again sometime in the future

Zenith was one of my anticipated reads of 2018. Ever since I read the description for the book I was excited to read it because it sounded like something I would really enjoy reading. I don’t tend to read that many sci-fi books but the description for this one grabbed my attention and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the book. Now having read Zenith, on the whole I did really enjoy it and it definitely deserves all the hypes and praise its been getting.

One of the main problems I had with this book was the main character Andi. I just didn’t like her and found it hard to connect with her, which meant that I didn’t really want to be on the journey with her. She just seemed so dull and uninteresting, and thats not what you want in a main character. Luckily Zenith is told from different perspectives and Andi isn’t the only character you have to read about. But because she is a main character, whenever she popped up it annoyed me a little and made me disconnect from the story. I did find the multiple character perspectives a little confusing because I didnt know who the characters were, and because the cast for Zenith is pretty big it did take a while to remember who was who.

I am not going to lie it did take me a while to get into this book. The first hundred pages or so were a little bit of a chore and I really wasn’t connecting with the story or the characters. But I am happy to say that once I got past the hundred page mark the story started to get a little more interesting and I got used to the different points of views of the characters. So I would suggest to stick with the book if you are finding the first part of the book is a little slow.

Even though Zenith is a chunk of a book with five hundred pages, once I got into the story, it didn’t feel that long. I don’t know if thats because the chapters are really small or because each chapter is told from a different characters perspectives. Both of these factors meant that I never got bored with the book because after a few pages I would be one a different chapter and reading about a different character.

I found the writing for Zenith to be top notch, both of the authors did an amazing job in describing and bringing to life the space setting, and the characters. I didn’t feel too bogged down with information when reading Zenith, and instead it felt like I was fed information slowly to build a vivid imagine of the books setting and its characters. I thought that both the authors wrote really well together. I haven’t read many books that have been written by two authors, but sometimes you can tell because the story and the writing doesn’t flow right, but with Zenith it worked perfectly.

Even though Zenith is not perfect and it does have its problems, I would still recommend reading it and trying it out for yourself. For me the positives out way the negatives to make this book still an enjoyable read. The story and some of the characters make this book a really thrilling read and I will continue with this series and read the next book when its released.

Attempted to read it but sadly had to DNF it. I found some of the dialogue jarring and I couldn't fully invest in the story. Thank you for the opportunity though!

I'll preface this by saying that I had actually never heard of either author when I requested this book (crazy, I know). What drew me to this book was the fact that it was a sci-fi novel that featured lady space pirates -- how cool is that? Unfortunately it became very apparent very quickly that this book was a mess and not my cup of tea. I ended up DNFing it.

A thrilling sci fi ride from the booktube star and the best selling author. This has been dubbed the female version of guardians of the galaxy. I feel this title is too much for this book and may lead to people being left disappointed and hypes the book up to much. This is however, a welcome entry to the sci fi genre and I look forward to the sequel.

For me, Zenith was a book that I was highly anticipating as I am a fan of Sasha's YouTube as well as being really interesting on the premise. Zenith was a solid read with a captivating storyline that will keep you hooked throughout.

Zenith has been quite controversial with the editor but I don't think it was quite problematic but I have seen some critic of the PTSD in the book so please look for own voices reviews if this is something you would like to know more details.

I feel like the plot of Zenith is the main draw and it was a story that I enjoyed a lot and I did not see some of the plot points coming. I do feel like some of the plot was lacking in places however this was something that I didn't enjoy as much. The premise if this book also does wrap up quite early on in the book which was not what I expected but I did like where the story goes and want to see where it goes in the future.

I also did enjoy the characters but I think that my favourite character was Dex or Lira who is the most developed of the side characters. Saying that I do feel like the rest of the crew where really underdeveloped which is a major problem because if we are based on the crew I would love to see them all developed. We also have Andi who I have seen to be compared to Throne of Glass this is not something that I disagree with. I do feel like the only characteristics that she has are really deadly or just nice and that is it. I think for the main character she was not developed but I still found her a good character.

I had seen a lot of the writing for this book and it was fine. I couldn't tell who wrote what and that is definitely a good thing. The parts of the writing I really didn't like were that it was repetitive in done parts and every time Andi did something bad she had to be called the Bloody Baroness and there are only so many times you can read that phrase before you start to get annoyed. It could have been edited more if I am honest.

The Verdict:

Overall, Zenith was a highly enjoyable read that can feel repetitive in places but is still worth the read especially if you are a fan of Sarah J Maas.

This is more like a 3/3.5 stars because I honestly don't know where it really lies for me. Honestly I both loved this book and didn't. If you can't tell my feelings on it are slightly confused. I loved most of the characters. Dex was a winner for me from the start. He was so complex and had such a great personality. Lira and Lon are great! I loved their relationship and each of their characters separately. Andi, however, was a bit like marmite for me. I really didn't like her that much in the beginning. She felt like two different characters: the Captain of the Marauder and the Bloody Baroness and I didn't like the split. By the end I felt she had developed and become a more concrete character, however by that point I liked other characters better. The plot was definitely what saved the book for me. It was fun and engaging and gave me some serious Guardians of the Galaxy vibes. To be honest there were things about this book that I loved and things about this book I had issues with, but all in all it was a book I enjoyed reading.

Really couldn't get into this novel, at all. Really not my thing, but I can see why many book reviews may enjoy the novel itself.

For a debut novel, this book was brilliant. An all girl crew of space pirates maurade the infinite realms of space - across galaxies and travelling to different planets - all to rescue the son of a VIP. I found the action quite thrilling - there was always a sudden event happening or a plot twist. The characters were likeable, fiesty and friendly. There was a good balance between good and evil characters and behaviours - which I enjoyed. The plot was well thought out. I do believe you could tell that it was a debut novel, as the writing style emanated the fact. The descriptions were sometimes over the top and a bit too detailed in my own subjective opinion. Overall a 4 star read for me and I would recommend this book to anyone.

I just couldn't get into this book at all, and I really tried. There were a lot of elements that weren't working for me, and that is all down to the writing. It felt sloppy and over-dramatic, like it tried to cram in every cheesy metaphor and simile from every other YA fantasy and SCI-FI novel. I couldn't find myself connecting at all with the characters, and therefore just wasn't interested in the plot at all.

This book has such a strong plot that definitely holds the reader's attention til the very end. This was enjoyable however I felt the characters let the book down. They didn't seem that logical in relation to the plot and overall lowered my experience of the book. Yet Zenith was still a fun read and if someone enjoys Science Fiction I will recommend it as a strong YA Sci-Fi.

For a first book for Sasha Alsberg, this was a good effort. I appreciated the idea and the way the story flowed, but I had trouble connecting with the characters on a deeper level. That might have stemmed from the fact that the book was co-writter or just from inexperience. I actually enjoyed the distinct voices of Cummings and Alsberg and I feel like it made for a more dynamic story. That being said, the book really did not leave a lasting impression on me and I feel like the characters need a lot more work to really be believable.

DNF @38%

Androma Racella - Andi to her friends, and the Bloody Baroness to her enemies - is the captain of the Marauder, a glass spaceship with an all-female crew.
When Andi and her crew find themselves at the hands of a bounty hunter who is linked to Andi's past, they are given a job offer.
Can the crew of the Marauder complete the job?

First off I want to say how excited I was for Zenith. I queued for ages at YALC but missed out on a copy. So I was very happy when my NetGalley request was accepted.
From the very beginning, I had trouble connecting with the writing style and the story. The plot was okay, but I lost interest several times and, in the end, I couldn't bring myself to read any more of the book.
The characters were average. I'm not left with any particularly strong feelings about any of them.
Every time I saw 'Bloody Baroness', I thought of the Bloody Baron in the Harry Potter books. The name of Andi's ship (the Marauder) also made me think of the HP books (the Marauder's Map).
For quite a long time I actually read 'Androma' as 'Andromeda'. Oops.
I liked that the Marauder had an all-female crew.
I might try to read this again in the future.

Overall this was a disappointing read.

I did not finish this book, I didn't enjoy the writing, characters or plot. It felt like I'd read many similar stories but done a lot better. Would not recommend unfortunately

I took me to read several pages of this book to realise it really wasn't to my taste. Is it really bad writing? No it's certainly not but it's just not my cup of tea

The first thing you need to know about this book is this: LADY SPACE PIRATES. Yep. Lady. Space. Pirates.
I shouldn’t really need to say anything more about this book, but… I kind of do.

Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness, a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her glass starship, Marauder, however, she’s just Andi, their friend and fearless leader.
But when a routine mission goes awry, the Marauder’s all-girl crew is tested as they find themselves in a treacherous situation and at the mercy of a sadistic bounty hunter from Andi’s past.
Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a ruthless ruler waits in the shadows of the planet Xen Ptera, biding her time to exact revenge for the destruction of her people. The pieces of her deadly plan are about to fall into place, unleashing a plot that will tear Mirabel in two.
Andi and her crew embark on a dangerous, soul-testing journey that could restore order to their shipor just as easily start a war that will devour worlds. As the Marauder hurtles toward the unknown, and Mirabel hangs in the balance, the only certainty is that in a galaxy run on lies and illusion, no one can be trusted.

I was so excited when I got the opportunity to read this after spending most of my time at YALC trying to find the ARC and I think this suffered from me building this book up too much. Don’t you hate it when that happens?
So honestly, I desperately wanted to love this, like seriously this is a book about lady space pirates. That’s awesome! What a concept! But I just… *shrugs*

I mean, I’m not going to bash this book… if you wanna read some of the more hard hitting reviews, head to goodreads, I wanna be positive this year but… *breathes*

Ok, so overall, this was entertaining and was fairly enjoyable. In places. It wasn’t good… I mean it wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read, but this wasn’t as epic as Space Pirates should be. Maybe that’s my main issue, that its a kind of generic YA novel…. If you’ve read Six of Crows or Throne of Glass or watched Guardians of the Galaxy, you’ll recognise a lot of those things in this book. I think if I were younger I’d be all over this book (I mean, I do feel like I should point out that there is a bit that’s super rapey and I really didn’t like that, but like, generally the concept is good!), I do love fantasy and sci fi, even though I don’t get around to reading them that often, and seriously ladies kicking ass, who doesn’t want that?!
The main problem I have with this is that this book is far too long. The authors could have quite easily told the same story in 300 pages, there was so much narrative and backstory which just didn’t add to the story and it felt at times that some of it was included just to up the word count, I found myself skimming over so much of the book and I did consider DNF-ing at various points, but thankfully, the last few chapters actually got pretty exciting. With the amount of pages, there should be a bit more world building, there should be a bit more explanations, I’m hoping that we see more of this in the next few books.

I’m just kinda sad cos space pirates is too good to pass over. I’m just not that zazzed about the way its written. Like I said this wasn’t terrible and there were bits I really enjoyed. I’d like to know if anyone else has read this and if so, what they thought!

Zenith is a book written by authors Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings. Initially planned to be released in parts, the novel was picked up by a publisher and has now been released as a full-length book. It follows an all-female crew of space pirates as they’re tasked with breaking a man out of the most fortified space prison and return him to his home world. Beyond that, it explores three of the characters’ relationships with their own worlds, one woman’s quest for revenge and, as one would expect from a YA novel, a conflicted romance.

From the very start of Zenith, we are thrown into action. This continues throughout the novel, allowing for some fast-paced reading but with some calmer scenes thrown in to allow for breathing space. The plot itself is a lot of fun and while, for the most part, it does err on the side of predictability, there are definitely some moments of surprise and the world (galaxy?) is rich enough to keep you interested in the story.

For me, a highlight of Zenith was the all-female crew. Despite there being a romantic sub-plot, the crew’s friendship was truly the heart of the book, not to mention they are also truly entertaining to read. Lira was easily my favourite and I enjoyed seeing her home world and being with her on her own inner quest on choosing between friends and family. Andi was also a strong lead, although I did struggle to reconcile the personality and action she displays in her own PoV with the ‘Bloody Baroness’ reputation that she has; this made for a couple of disjointed scenes as a result. I would have also liked to see more of Breck and Gilly as they felt more like side-characters rather than fully-fledged members of the crew despite having each having an implied rich and interesting backstory.

Zenith is a fun space opera, with characters and adventures which will keep you entertained for a long time. While there are a few things which could have been ironed out, particularly with regards to consistency, it is a gripping read and one that will have you rooting for the crew of the marauder as they’re thrown time and time again into various challenges and difficult choices.

I had originally put off reading this book, 500+ page heavy space opera? not for me!...
Boy was I wrong.
I would give this book 4.5 starts at the moment but I wouldn't be surprised if I bumped it up to 5 within the week because I absolutely loved it.
Following Androma Racella aka The Bloody Baroness and her badass lady pirates on their ship The Marauder, this book was incredible. I love plot-based books and this one didn't disappoint yet it also had the added joy of a beautifully bonded crew, willing to do anything for their damaged and broken friends that are their family.
Once again, much like Invictus, I have found myself reading a heavy sci-fi book and adoring it!
The pacing was brilliant, and the short chapters made it a surprisingly quick read. I loved the settings of the different and varying planets, and the twists and turns kept me hooked.
In fact no.... it is a 5-star read and is definitely the best book I have read in the last few months.