REVIEW: Girl Gone Nova by Pauline Baird Jones
GIRL GONE NOVA by Pauline Baird Jones (Part 1:1) is the first part of a four-part serialized version of the novel, GIRL GONE NOVA. This little novella did its job by making this reader mad for the next part.
Why was this book in Dorine’s TBR? This novella went up for free in a promotion on Amazon. I love science fiction movies, but I rarely read science fiction romance. There’s only one other series I remember reading and it was time travel into the future, so I really need to experiment further.
I love being a part of Wendy the Super Librarian’s monthly challenge because it frequently pulls me out of my comfort zone. One thing it doesn’t do is lessen my TBR piles. I mean, really? I buy books because of someone’s review in the challenge every month, and this month – I bought two books because of my own review before I even wrote it. I’m a hopeless book addict.
For our theme “something different,” I had originally planned on reading INFIDEL by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, lent and recommended by my niece, but I didn’t have time to read a 350-page book. It’s also completely different from what I normally read so hopefully I’ll get to it soon.
First, let’s get the possible nepotism out of the way. I enjoy chatting online with Pauline at Romance Junkies Readers (a yahoo group I’ve coordinated for almost 15 years), where we talk about books and life, but it doesn’t mean I’ll cut her any slack. LOL 😀 I’m honest when I review, and I do my best to base my review on how the book makes me feel while reading.
I did enjoy this novella very much and was rightly teased into buying the full version of this book, as well as the full version of the first book in this series. More about that to come…
Delilah Oliver Clemetyne, also known as Doc which are her initials as well as her vocation. Well, sort of. Delilah is also a super smart and talented spy-like military persona, with some unusual quirks, posing as an UN doctor. The voices in her head make her even more intriguing.
Helfron Giddioni has the coolest name. He’s not your typical hero. His multiple “mates” could turn off some readers before they read far enough to understand him. Everything about him made me curious and I really enjoyed his interactions with Delilah. I’m super curious how their passion for one another will evolve in future chapters.
The uniqueness of this book is that at one time it could be bought in four parts, or be purchased as a full-size novel. It can also be purchased as a bundle with THE KEY, the first book in the PROJECT ENTERPRISE series. I’m not fond of serials except when I use them like I did this one – to see if I enjoy the characters enough to read over 400 pages. This novella took me into chapter six, (page 96) of the full-size novel, which is what I’m reviewing. Eventually, I’ll update this review to include my thoughts on the entire novel.
My opinion…
I like Doc. She has a quirky personality and made me laugh. I did get a little bit lost because I haven’t read the first book, but not enough to stop me from reading. If anything, it made me curious so I bought THE KEY.
There were two male character names that were similar, as well as military references to characters such as “General/Major,” then switching to their name, that confused me. That’s one of those things that happens to me as a reader – I drift easily. For me, names of multiple characters need to be distinct from one another, or only use one name for secondary characters, otherwise I’m flipping back and forth in the pages. Some readers may never notice this, but the way I read a book over several days needs less names or nicknames.
The lack of dialogue tagging sometimes confused me. It’s another one of those things that sidetracks me if I’m reading one chapter at a time and forget who is who. One POV (point of view) switch helped me understand Delilah better, but there was a POV hop in there that made me do a double take. I found a few typos but nothing drastic. It’s a good story, so I ignored these bumps and kept reading.
And then, daggone it! A cliffhanger. Yes, I suspected it was coming. It’s a good ploy for a serial, and this one made me want the rest of the book. I was perplexed with the way the books are listed at Goodreads, so it took me a bit to figure out all the ways I could purchase the rest of the series. I decided to buy the books in full, rather than continue as a serial, something I’m not sure you can still do.
If you’re like me and not sure if you even like science fiction romance, then a novella is a smart choice. One of the things I like about this series is that the author has kept it during present day on purpose. It’s science fiction, but not futuristic. I think that makes the transition into the sci-fi world much easier to absorb, especially when you’re not used to the lingo.
The first six chapters of GIRL GONE NOVA were a lot of fun and I’m ready for more. The characters are the focus with the plot engaging them, which is how I prefer my romance. Pauline Baird Jones’ love of the science fiction sub-genre shines through in this story. I can’t help but imagine that the author resembles Doc in more ways than she may admit. I know they both make me laugh, so they seem very much entwined. If you enjoy quirky humor subtly slipped into an engaging story starring an unusual heroine, then GIRL GONE NOVA will hit those preferences.
Review by Dorine, courtesy of The Zest Quest. Book obtained for free through an Amazon Kindle promotion.
Girl Gone Nova: Part One (Girl Gone Nova Series, #1.1) by Pauline Baird Jones
Category: Science Fiction Romance
Publisher: Pauline Baird Jones (December 8, 2014)
Rated 4 out of 5
May 18, 2017 at 2:33 am
Sounds like you had success diving into the scifi romance genre as well! Mine also wasn’t too heavy handed with the scifi bit, which is exactly how I like it. I want to know enough about the world to understand how it works, but not so much the romance and plot get lost in the details. I’m definitely going to pick up more books in this genre!
May 18, 2017 at 12:48 pm
I will, too, Lynn. I forgot how entertaining they can be. Glad we both rediscovered them. 🙂
May 18, 2017 at 8:13 am
It’s been ages since I’ve really gotten into a good sci-fi, but I do have a few in my stack o’books. Those Amazon freebies get me every time!
May 18, 2017 at 12:52 pm
I know, Lynn – they’re an addiction! For a while I was downloading every freebie I could find. Now I’m a bit more discerning and at least look them up on Goodreads to see if my friends have read them. I won’t read the ones I have in my lifetime so why torture myself by having to weed through them? I don’t know which is worse, just taking them all, or spending time deciding. LOL