Jaran
Not exactly what I was expecting; Jaran reads like a fantasy but with other planets and an alien race thrown in. I was expecting more scifi. I liked this book but it took a really long time to get into. It was rather boring for a long time. There was a lot about Tess learning the culture, the language, learning to ride, and learning to use a weapon. I almost quit reading before I was halfway through, but the reviews I read said that it picked up after the halfway point, so I stuck with it, and I am glad that I stuck with it. I liked the main character Tess. I thought she was true to herself and remained a strong woman who made her own choices, even though I didn't agree with a couple of the choices she made. I wasn't crazy about the casual attitude the Jaran people had about sex, especially even after they were married to someone else. But even with the casual sex those scenes are all left to the imagination. I really liked Ilya, Yuri and many of the other characters. I felt like they were very well drawn.
A bit of a spoiler here...
I was disappointed when she allowed her husband to mark her with the blade at the end of the book. Actually I cringed. Then was relieved when she marked him back, something no woman had ever done. I felt they were equal then, however I didn't like that they marked each other that way. I had hoped that she would not let him do that and maybe they could show the rest of the Jarans that you didn't have to mark someone like properly to be married to them.
