This is certainly far better than the first book in the series.
The characters seemed to act far more like adults with non stop action keeping you on your toes.
The only draw back was the ending just leaving you hanging.

Reading this book put me in the same mindspace that 'The 100' does, I'm gripped by the storyline but completely frustrated at the idiocy of the main characters.

I really enjoyed the first book in the series and the cliffhanger ending left me wanting to know more, but now that I know what follows I want to go back to knowing a bit less.

I found Ash infuriating in the first book but for this book I feel like her POV would have been better because I found myself skipping large chunks of Jordan's storyline just so I could read the parts with ash in it.

If I am honest, I will probably (definitely) read a follow up because I'm invested in the story now no matter how frustrated I am.

*3.4 stars

This was an okay sci-fi romance. It didn't blow me away as i would have liked it to but it definitely delivered on the romance aspect., which is the thing i look for most. The sci-fi was alright, it was mediocre at best and there are better at sci-fi romances out there. I did like the characterisation of the novel and the world building.

not my kind of book. very disappointed one of the review was saying how amazing this book is, so me finding that it's not for me got me so frustrated, "is it me! is it the book or was I in a bad mood so i did not get it" anyone. i did not like it

Normally ScFy isn’t my go to reading genre, but thought I would give this book (and new author for me) a try. I did go in knowing this was a sequel, but decided I would give it a standalone read anyway, so this review is based on this book alone knowing I am missing some of the characters backstory I am sure.

The book starts with a bang, literally, in that the ship this takes place on has been damaged severely. The captain (Jordan) is hurt but is able to get up and start assessing the damage. The story feels a bit like Star Trek Voyager, but this captain in no Janeway <smile>. I really like strong female characters so I had a hard time getting into Jordan’s character in that there seemed to be A LOT of self-doubt, I struggled a bit with that in the book, probably cause I am a big fan of Voyager. But even though the captain seems to have some baggage, I still like her. The other main character that makes this a lesbian novel I suppose is Ash (Alison), but if you were expecting any kind of romantic interaction between the two, it is basically 1 scene and to me very mechanical (no emotion really written into it at all). I know this is not a romantic novel, it is more an action/ScFy, so I am not going to ding this for the author, just a caution to the reader if you are looking for a heavy lesbian romance, look elsewhere.

The story was well scripted, and the characters seemed well developed-If I had read the first book I am sure this would have really given them all depth, but I was able to see them all clearly in my imagination by reading just this one book. The writing was good, but I do have to agree with one other reviewer in that the time line seemed to jump around a bit, but I was still able follow their actions and understand the plot.

All in all it was a good book IF you like ScFy and little lesbian story line, I may look for the third book (I assume there will be one given the way this story ended), and wish this author success in her writing career.

I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, but would have written the same opinion if I had come across this book on my own.

To see my Amazon review, it will be under CC-If you like ScFy.

I probably would have given it 3 1/2 stars but since you can't give a 1/2 star on NetGalley I bumped it to 4

It took me a long time to finish this book and now that I am finally done I am pretty sure I’ll never pick up a book by this author again. The first one in this series had some flaws I could deal with and a massive frustrating cliffhanger I hated with all my heart. It was one of those cliffhangers that do not make you curios for the next book really, but make you regret you ever read it. So when „Savage Horizons“ jumped up in my newsfeed I felt kind of relieved I could finally get off some of the frustration book one left me with. Surprise, surprise: no. „Savage Horizons“ is even more unlikeable as the events of book one never get solved and the PoV switches from Ash to Jordan who is so goddamn stupid I would love to slap her in her face several times but would be afraid to kill off what’s left of her brain cells in the process. And if she isn’t acting like the most stupid idiot on earth (or the belt) she is a coward. But don’t leave me here, dear reader, there is more! Because if you made it through all of Jordans bullshit and some logical mistakes you get – tadaaaa! – just another major cliffhanger letting you down for good. So, no, just no. I’m done with this series and author. I am not masochistic enough for stories like this that leave me all angry.

Well written space exploration .

It took a while to become invested in the characters- some plot lines weren't as closer as I would have liked. Jordan, the main character is curious, vulnerable and honorable. Jordan's farther, Saark, is self absorbed and manipulative. Add in a love interest who looks before she leaps and space exploration to make for a fast paced plot line.

Cliff hanger ending.

Like the first book in the series, as soon as I started this one I couldn’t put it down. I had to know what happened next. The author grabs you from the first page.

I’m happy that this time we got a bit more of a backstory for both characters and about what happened on earth. I still would have liked even more info and backstory, but I love infodumps, so I may be in the minority.

I’m (not so patiently) waiting for the next one. This woman sure knows how to write a cliffhanger!

I really liked Unknown Horizons, the first Horizons book from CJ Birch. Good sci-fi in the f/f genre is not common and that was a very good start. Unfortunately, I struggled a little with this one. It is clear there is more story to tell, and secrets to be told in another book, but this book doesn't have that background.
This book really focuses on the POV of one of the first book's main characters, Captain Jordan Kellow. This means we get as confused, anxious, resolute and emotional as Jordan as the story progresses. This didn't work well for me however, as I felt I was getting only half the story. The other main character from the first book, Lieutenant Alison Ash, is a more interesting character but didn't really have much of a role to play until the end.
The big sticking point for me was the unexpected planetary landing. I assume there is background here we are missing, just like Jordan's knowledge would be lacking. We don't have that background here, so this seems odd, and totally unrealistic. I found it very hard to get past. I suspect this was an editing decision as much as anything.
Overall, I will likely want to read the next installment, but this book could have made much better use of the material. For me, the standard for this type of work is Stephen R. Donaldson's Gap Series, and this series is not there but it could be.
Worth a read if you like Sci Fi. I really want the next book to bring the series back to scratch though.

WTF.... from the first word everything seemed to be spinning mindlessly out of control...... WAIT! It was a space ship spinning mindlessly out of control. Birch definitely has the ability to grab you at the first word. Hell I was holding on to anything close by.

This is the second book in the series and I desperately hope that there is a third. If not I'm gonna be depressed for the rest of my life. No kidding. The book leaves you on a cliff hanger like no other. Certain death or maybe not? I bet that book will have me spinning out of control too.

A new galaxy, filled with new worlds and new people to find. I can't tell you too much because it will give everything a way. But yes to new world, yes to new people. Friendly? Not so much.

You're in for a fun filled adventure and the beginning is just the start. Yes I would recommend this book. I wouldn't say every sci-fi lover will go for this but I'm guessing most will. Enjoy!

*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2500939362

https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R166XR0TREMZ88/ref=pe_1572281_66412651_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I have to start by saying that I did not know this was the second book in a series but if you have not read the first book, then you can still read this one and enjoy it thoroughly.

This book was a complete surprise for me! While I mostly read romance books, I do enjoy the odd adventure or sci-fi book and this one was truly amazing! It was mostly sci-fi/adventure with a little side of romance, which was perfect. The book is written in first person, but I found the author did a great job at describing the surroundings and everything happening, so well that I almost felt like it was written third person. I loved "seeing" the world that has been created - it was vibrant and beautiful and a little terrifying at times. The world CJ Birch has created was incredible, and actually rather believable. All the interactions between the main and secondary characters were nicely done and well developed. It was a pleasure to read this book and be submerged into an alternate future reality.

The book centres on Captain Jordan Kellow and her decisions after their ship has ‘landed’ in an unknown galaxy. The story takes you on a crazy and incredible adventure, discovering new beings and secrets of the past, in both the new land and in Jordan’s life.

The ending was surprising, to say the least. And not knowing this was part of a series (which I hope does not end on this book), I was in a bit of shock with the ending, but in a pleasant way.

Overall, it was a fantastic read, perfectly balanced and well thought out. It truly has a little bit of everything and I would recommended to all readers.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a minute to realize this was book 2 and that I had read book 1, but a couple of chapters in it all came back to me and we were off and running. There were a few parts here and there I tended to skim, but overall, it's thrilling, and I have to keep going to know what happens next. I could have done with an ending that provided a little more closure, but it will keep me reading the next book. Overall, a decent read, and I'd recommend it for fans of sci-fi

I did not realize this was the second book in a series. I read a few comments from the first book in the series and several stated romance, what romance; major cliff hanger; good story but too short; not enough information to connect with the characters. Well, after reading this story, I agree with some of those comments from the first book. Not sure if reading the first book will help me connect better based upon the reviews. What was most interesting was the perspective of what outer space would be like and the get after it attitude of Alison Ash and the I will be there when needed attitude of Jordan Kellow.

I have to say I was confused from the beginning of this story. This book is a continuation from the cliffhanger in Unknown Horizons, which I read so long ago I felt like I was missing something from the git go. I probably should have reread the first book before starting this one. As it was I was about a quarter of the way into the book when I decided to start from the beginning again. Simply because I thought I was missing something. I wasn't. It wasn't there.

As I continued through the book my confusion only grew. There are so many times when the author jumps from one event to another without explanation or taking you there. The characters are here doing something then all of the sudden they're here and something is happening. There is no explanation. No real transition. After a while this gets old and frustrating.

When I was about three quarters of the way through the book, I had comment that I did not think I could finish the book. I braved the rest of the story and what thanks did I get? Another cliffhanger. Seriously?!

I honestly felt with the way the story was presented and lack of character development that books one and two should have been one book with better editing and an ending.

I can't say I am looking forward to a third book from this author. Especially if it ends in yet another cliffhanger. I think I am done with this series.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This is the second book in the “New Horizons” series and I haven’t read the first. What I gather so far is that Jordan Kellow is the captain of 'Persephone', which seems to be a scout ship for the mother ship, 'Posterus'. She’s made a connection with Lieutenant Alison Ash but sabotage and an explosion have left Ash severely burnt and the ship fairly damaged. Sarka, a genetically enhanced human, seems to be the cause of the sabotage and he also happens to be Jordan’s father.

What I enjoyed about the story is that it is fast-paced, easy to read and filled with action and adventure. There are a number of places where the climax of an action sequence is simply cut and then the story continues a day later with no more than a retrospective reference being made. This gave it quite a movie-like feel to it and it’s not something I minded at all. Jordan (the book is in first person from Jordan’s point of view) is an unusual captain in that she comes across as being all over the place. She’s disorganised, not always confident and not much of a disciplinarian. I actually liked this about her and perhaps it wouldn’t be so obvious if we weren’t privy to her thoughts.

I struggled with maintaining my suspension of disbelief around the plausibility of the technology in quite a few places. I didn’t really like that Jordan and Ash had very little engagement with each other until around 70% and even then there seemed to be an odd distance between them, which may or may not be because I didn’t read the first instalment.

Overall it’s not a bad read if your preference is for action/adventure and I’d probably read the third, if only to find out where the story goes.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

2.5 Stars. I tried but this series is just not for me. There are so few lesfic sci-fi books out there that I really was hoping to enjoy this, but I’m giving up. This is the second book in the New Horizons series. While I liked some of the storyline in the first book, the ending really let me down. It was this odd ending that you could not tell if it was the end (there was no mention this was a series back then) or if it was a cliffhanger. The problem with this book was I didn’t like any of the storyline.

This book picks up where the first ended but never really explains what exactly happened. The huge event was glossed over and you are just reading about the characters dealing with the aftermath. The ships are off course and they decide the smaller ships will look for inhabitable planets while the main ship is being fixed. Captain Jordan’s ship soon finds a new planet and she leads an expedition to explore it. Can this planet be the home they are all looking for or will it be more danger than it’s worth?

I can’t remember how the first book was, but this whole book was in Jordan’s POV. That was a big issue. I did not realize how wooden and boring her character was before you are stuck in her head all the time. That’s a big problem; it seemed all the characters lost any likeability from the first book and became these cardboard cutouts. I didn’t like anybody, not even the secondary characters.

What I also didn’t like was this book was all about the characters making really, really, stupid decisions then bad things happen to them. Over and over, that was the whole story. Jordan is the Captain and she has to be the worse captain I have ever read. She’s stupid, can’t even handle basic 2+2=4 math, can’t fight, and doesn’t know how to lead a crew. I read lesfic fantasy, paranormal and sci-fi because I want to see badass women in their element. This was a book about a woman in over her head and faking it badly.

Like the first I can’t say this book has a romance. There is a little time spent together towards the end so a below average sex scene or two can be added. I have to be honest I was scanning a bit at the point because I just didn’t care.

If you are wondering there will be a book 3. Once again, this book ended on another extremely annoying cliffhanger. When I finished reading I realized this book was nothing but filler. We are basically in the same sort of ending as the first book. There was no real forward movement in this story. What bothers me is this book is again on the shorter side. Not as short as the first book, but this should have been changed into a two book series instead of three or four short ones.

If you could not tell from all my complaints, I will not be reading the next book. I’m done here; I just do not click at all with these books. If you enjoyed the first, you might like this. But there is no way I can recommend this series.