This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
In Rogue Stars: Purgatory by Jaime Castle, Commander Predaxes of Prison Station Twelve maintains strict order and discipline. During a riot among new prisoners, he personally intervenes, resulting in seven inmate deaths. He investigates hackers, focusing on high-profile prisoner Samea Malik, who denies involvement in the incidents. A warship's approach prompts Predaxes to confine Malik and defend the station. Malik's tactical skills prove vital, more so when prisoners and crew alike end up on Faebos, where Malik’s team faces wildlife threats while collecting water samples. Following an attack, Predaxes plans prisoner use for mining, facing security concerns. Malik leads a mission, coordinating defense against creatures at the mining site. He effectively uses a combat platform to secure a retreat where collaboration between guards and prisoners becomes crucial, but Predaxes is forced to manage mixed responses and internal dissent regarding their roles.
Jaime Castle has essentially provided a masterclass on how to launch a series with Rogue Stars: Purgatory, crafting a story that blasts off immediately. The first blending that comes to mind in describing Purgatory is if Andor's Narkina 5 was mobile and crash-landed in Jurassic Park. It's as much fun to read as it sounds. Castle dances between the first-person points of view of Predaxes and Malik, so we see the evolution of their characters and their situations through their eyes. Naturally, the prison guards working on S-12 are going to have some discomfort with prisoners joining forces in a common fight. In fairness to the crew, wondering if it will be a hostile spider alien or a prisoner's shank to the kidney that kills you doesn't sound great. Inevitably, this does come to a head when a violently depicted and devastatingly grisly scene leads to a sort of mutiny, and the lines blur on whether it is Predaxes and Malik that go rogue or the crew. Frankly, when a book is this well-written and engrossing, all that matters is that Castle keeps writing. Very highly recommended.
