What do You think about Valor's Choice (2000)?
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/Tanya Huff did an excellent job bringing the world of military sci fi to life in this first novel of the Confederation series. Whip smart dialogue, believable aliens, an interesting mission/world and a very well balanced view of both the foibles and strengths of a military organization are the strengths of this story.Staff Sergeant Torrin Kerr is assigned to assist bringing a new world into the Confederation fold. On what should be a routine assignment, hell breaks loose and she finds her company enmeshed in a lot more than bargained for in the new world. It'll take her wits and ability to lead her small company (including her commanding officer) in smart directions in order to survive.I really liked that Kerr was street smart and in the middle rank of her company - she has superiors and she has underlings - and needs to handle both. As well, she has a company full of aliens and each has unique needs - so she constantly has to rethink her strategies for both the greater good and also individual motivational factors.The first half of the book is very quiet - but by the end there is a lot of action. That first half is really important since it sets up Kerr's confidence and also gives us a chance to get to know each of the alien species. There are several characters and this could have been a very confusing book without. The book uses several POVs but the emphasis is on Kerr.This is one of those books where Audible narration really shines. The narrator did an excellent job of giving a unique voice to each of the aliens yet also a distinct voice to Kerr that was very welcome. It really elevated the book for me.
—Online Eccentric Librarian
Pros:-I love strong female characters and Torin Kerr is just that. How could she not be? After all she is a Staff Sargent in the marines! Which is so bad ass!-Every character was fantastic, although me being who I am had trouble keeping them all straight, I can never remember which species which person was, I always seem to find that with Sci-Fi novels. I have the worst memory!-World building was awesome, enough to figure out what's going on through out the book, but without all that info dumping we readers hate-Tanya Huff gets extra props for being Canadian, and manages to make a reference to poutine in the novel even though doesn't take place on Earth!Cons:-hmm, I find Tanya Huff novels difficult to find fault with..I haven't read one that I didn't like.-The only negative I have is I'm not a fan of the cover..Sci-Fi covers don't really seem to be the greatest it seems, but that doesn't have anything to do with the author.Overall: I really enjoyed this book, I probably wouldn't have picked this up had it been written by someone else, as I don't generally read Sci-Fi, but I love Tanya Huff's Blood Books, so I decided to give this one a go. It did not disappoint. Action, adventure, and just a touch of sexual innuendo makes for a great read. I'd highly recommend for any Sci-Fi lover, especially for people who love strong female characters. Would be ok for older teens, there isn't much in the way of sex, there is some violence, they are fighting a war after all, but nothing overly gruesome. I will definitely be picking up more in this series!
—rebelrebs
The first thing I fell in love with is the main character. She's everything that I wanted and didn't think that I needed, a tough but sexual marine. She's a girl that will get things done, because she's been trained to get them done and in the right way. She's a girl that will get into bed with someone because she needs that, but she's not a girl that will sleep with anyone. Torin is the perfect main character for this book, because you have complete faith as the reader that she's going to figure out the best way to through the situation.I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I have to say, that while I was not surprised at the ending I did not consider it until it came. However, when it did come, I looked back at the hints and everything made sense. It was a very good read and I highly recommend it.
—Simone
