Review: Pirate Queen's Rebellion

Pirate Queen's Rebellion by Cynnara Tregarth

My rating: 3 of 5 stars




Resistance forces, smart red-headed women and space pirates, how can I resist this siren call? I can't. This is the kind of book which makes me happy. It's a mix of Anne McCaffrey's Crystal Singer series and Joss Whedon's Firefly. It contains some of my favourite things in a space opera story.

Lady Alexa is a scientist and from a very wealthy and influential family. She is smart, sexy and a bit of a dominatrix. She uses both her mind and body to push her agenda through the red tape.

This story is a bit confusing because it feels as if there should be another book before it. Perhaps even several books before it. There are things which are explained later in the story that makes it feel as if the reader missed out on previous critical elements. These elements are events and relationship connections to make the story connect better. Ms. Tregarth does more telling and backfilling, which is not my preferred method of storytelling. Still, it does help enrich the story.

However, the premise of the story is everything I dream about. The government becomes bloated and corrupt. An underground resistance is put into place by a family who wants to serve the people. It's a resistance started over fifty years ago. The most powerful person of the rebellion is Alexa who also happens to be considered a Queen with a court of her own. The government wants her to surrender. Not everyone in the government is corrupt and this is where Overseer Alan Robertson comes in. He's a stubborn man with a personal vendetta against the Pirate Queen Dria Von Carnelian. While it is explained why he would hold such a grudge, it comes across rather flimsy.

The twists and turns of this story are good. The plot moves at a decent pace. Still, it felt a bit lacking. It's not tightly written enough to feel meaty. It's hard to explain. It's not that the conspiracy is fluff; Ms. Tregarth does a good job of setting it up. It feels as if only the bare essentials are hastily sketched out. Any bit of detail is a mere morsel to barely whet the appetite of those who love conspiracy theories. In addition, the reasons and resolutions came through too quickly and too pat. This book comes across as the end of a series, rather than the beginning. It would have been nice to see how the corruption first started--to give hints in a book on who the players are, but never revealing. If this arc was written over five books--the corruption, the lives and planets destroyed, the beginning of resistance, the sacrifices of the resistance and finally, the Pirate Queen's Rebellion--it would have worked well for me. Actually, is it really the Pirate Queen's Rebellion or is it Retribution?

The sex in this story is sensual. There is no other word for it. The different alien species who are a mix between Japanese Geishas and Star Trek Betazoids is appealing. I wouldn't mind a week's vacation to become putty in their experienced hands. The strong females in this story who are sexually aggressive are also a turn on. Lastly, a public sex scene with a strong male tied up and pegged until he begs for mercy is completely up my alley. A lovely little climax to a sexy space opera.

This kinky pirate story is recommended for readers who like strong women who know what they want and take it.


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