Overcoming a slow start, de Pierres (Nylon Angel
) presents an engaging space opera with plenty of action. Sheltered baronessa Mira Fedor, a minor noble of the mining planet Araldis, expects to become the first female pilot of the royal fleet's AI command ship. She instead finds herself on the run from the Principe, who wants to tear away her piloting skills and give them to his son, Trinder Pellegrini. When playboy Trin enrages his father and is banished to a meaningless desk job, he uncovers machinations related to the family's mines that may be connected with a burgeoning alien invasion. Playing with the time line, de Pierres creates an absorbing story as the consequences and actions resolve to show her grand design. Twists and hints will keep readers eagerly awaiting the next volumes. (Jan.)
