Book Review: Black Hole Sun

Title: Black Hole Sun

Author: David Macinnis Gill

Genre: YA Sci-fi

Book Blurb: 

Durango is playing the cards he was dealt. And it’s not a good hand. 

He’s lost his family. 

He’s lost his crew. 

And he’s got the scars to prove it. 

You don’t want to mess with Durango.

Review:

So I was torn between giving Black Hole Sun a 3.5 or 4 star rating. At the end I settled on 4 stars. What clinched the deal, you ask? One word: Mimi. And who is Mimi, you would like to know? She's an AI flashcloned into Durango (what an awesome name, btw) brain. Oh, and she also used to be his old teacher/leader. And although she's technically and AI, she's also started to develop a bit of personality and sass. 

Basically, Mimi makes dialogue in the novel hilarious. The conversations she has with Durango crack me up and the fact she likes to quote "Earthern literature" makes it that much better. In many ways, Mimi reminded me of Iko from Cinder (another awesome book that you should read if you haven't already.)

Alright, moving onto to Durango. He's an interesting character. I wish more background was given regarding him--like how did he become Chief of his crew of Regulators (they're kind of like mercenary peace keepers....if that makes any sense.) Some info was given about why he's treated as a second class citizen (he didn't commit suicide when his father--a once esteemed Regulator--fell from grace, the way tradition calls for, thus making him a dalit and shunned upon.) But I think Durango made a great leader, especially with some help from Mimi.

The rest of the crew was kind of eh. Fuse and Jenkins kind of annoyed me. Especially Jenkins. I mean, how old is this guy? 17? 18? But he acts like a toddler. A toddler with a huge appetite and interest in smashing things. I mean, come on. But oh well, Mimi made up for my annoyance with Jenkins. (Gosh, I love Mimi--why can't I have a Mimi flashcloned into my head too?)

The plot. Although the entire story takes place probably within a week and once you boil down everything and realize the plot is actually very simple, it still takes 300+ pages to tell the tale. The reason? The descriptions and action. It seems like there is something going on every few minutes in Black Hole Sun. I mean after the initial intro/worldbuilding for the first 50ish pages, the rest of the book was pure action scenes. I honestly don't recall reading a single chapter without something blowing up.

Over all, I would rate this book a low 4 stars. I think the nonstop action actually dedramatized many of the fast paced scenes because readers get desensitized after a while. But the characters (*cough cought* Mimi) are fun to hang around/read about :-)

Rating: