I’ve taken quite a liking to A.K. DuBoff’s Cadicle series, going so far as to pick up the complete collection on Kindle. It’s evolved beyond the realm of a simple space opera to a living, breathing world with new characters and new generations joining with every new book.
The addition of a new main character from Earth, Saera, was a welcome sight. As someone who had to work her way up from being from an outsider world, having difficulty making friends and her unstoppable drive to succeed instantly made her a relatable character. Her romance with Wil was more complex and evolved than the one in previous books between Cris and Kate, and thus more satisfying to read. I loved her depth and complexity, something that can be overlooked in a love interest. In fact, all of the characters grew and changed throughout the course of the book, delivering a read that was interesting and kept me going. (Full disclosure: I wasn’t sure if I’d finish book 1, now I know I’ll be finishing this seven book collection, and perhaps beyond!)
The worldbuilding was also expanded on. The culture of the enemy Bakzen was shown in more detail and gave their species some dimension, while a new colonized world was explored in depth. I’m starting to think a wiki on this universe would be a satisfying thing to browse through.
There are constant hooks and foreshadowing in the book, which can be picked up on easily if you’re paying attention. A mystery here, a rule there, and it keeps the plot flowing nicely in a way that is coherent and engaging. I could certainly see this series making a good TV series!
Stay tuned for my review of Volume 4!