Okay solid 3.5 stars mainly because even though the world building, plot, and characters are great…the romance is freakin awful. The heroine/hero had a total of maybe 3 conversations in the first book and in this book they don’t meet up until LITERALLY the last 3% of the book! And in this conversation (the first they’ve had in months) they’re talking about being in love and Nora decides it’s a great time to share all of her secrets with this man she hardly knows?! It’s absolutely absurd. It’s su...

Novella 2Mistakes: I found one and listed it on Goodreads. Again this doesn't meet my standards for a book. It's under 250 pages. Personally I think book two should be re-edited to remove most references to book one. Then books one and two should be combined to make one solid book.Plot: Saving a child can be complicated when you have secrets of your own to hide.Characters: Some good growth on the part of the MC.6/10

Wow! So Good!Jenny Schwartz has the ability to consistently create incredibly sympathetic characters and has a master’s touch at weaving the kind of slow building tightly crafted intrigue that carries you deeply and directly into the worlds she seems to so easily imagine…Holy sh*t do I love reading her stories! Nora and Liam, Jonah, Aria, and many others traveling through the pages of this series are the rich characters currently sprawling the landscape of my dreams… they’re welcome, and I want

This is a 5 star book for me...except the romance piece in this book which is a solid wtf. I do highly recommend you read this series and I will keep reading it in the hope it improves. The rest of it is good enough to overlook that. It's just absolutely inconceivable and jarring to the narrative that a person who has been hiding their secrets for more than 20 years would suddenly decide to confide all of them to someone who they've been with in person for maybe 5 hours or less, which is what ha...

Gets Even Better!There is a lot happening in the second book of the series. A lot that shouldn't be in a review because of spoilers.I will just say, some new relationships, and old either change for the better, or become deeper and more meaningful.Ariel is a fun, interesting character that I am enjoying getting to know more about. This author has a good understanding of teenagers!All I can say without spoilers, is, this is a treat to read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys space ope...

psychological sci-fi…No pew-pew lasers or space battles, just people living in and trying to get by in a stratified society influenced by ancient alien tech.Nora, a secret space-wizard descended from royalty, choses to stand and fight the system rather than hide, as she planned in the last book. Next book, we’ll see how much she choses to reveal and if this branch of humanity can rejoin the galaxy.

Worth Pursuing This second book continues the story with good focus on the characters and situations, rather than just the science. Conflicts are recorded but do not become the centerpiece. Character development continues, and new characters and supporting cast are introduced. This installment provides good entertainment, and leaves the reader with some issues resolved and others begging the next book.

Fantastic!This second book was just as good as the first. Nora is a Xeno-Archaeologist who has made a find that will bring her great wealth. She's trying to be a good mom to her adopted daughter. There might even be a PG love interest. Good fun book! Can't wait to read the next book in the series!

So when I took a chance on reading Astray; The Adventures of a Xeno-Archaeologist I didn’t notice that it was part of a new series by Jenny Schwartz. Even though it was definitely not the hard science, sci fi I read, I figured I could take a break from “real science” and explore one full of improbable ideas. Little did I know that I would get hooked on the series. I no sooner finished the first book than I pre-ordered the sequel. Guess what, I just finished the second and have pre-ordered the th...

Fun sci-fi!Jenny Schwartz is really good at telling a sci-fi story. Her lead character is a strong, smart woman who lives a very independent life. This is not a fantasy romance, though there is a love interest. And that makes me love the series so much. The mc's love interest never dominates the story. Its a background tone as we sink deeply into the life of the mc. Its just perfectly done. The world building is great. Completely political systems and military complexes exist. Schwartz writes in...

In which Nora discovers more about her genealogy and herselfNora Devi, Forgotten and xeno-archeologist, has made choices to make her ward Aria safer but may be making herself much less safe. Where will her choices take her and how will they affect others around her? I have been reading Jenny Schwartz’s books for awhile and I am really enjoying this new series. Can’t wait the next book.

Good reviews don't guarantee a good bookSometimes I get tired of trawling through the massive number of SF/Fantasy books that come with huge numbers of 5 star ratings yet are formulaic, filled with drama, battle and romance. It's refreshing to come across a series that interweaves a great plot with real interpersonal issues, moral and ethical judgements and responsibilities. I'm looking forward to the next book.

Jenny Schwartz writes great child supporting fictionI don't offer 5 stars to anything but nebula/Hugo award winners.That said these two (so far) books are yet another example of really strong story craft.It's unlikely you will find a bad read from her. You may find ones you like more (like this series) but she is worth every penny you spend on her books!

Fantastic sci fi adventureI still love Jonah. The world building is excellent, the characters are great, some bad things happen, and the story is enthralling. There were some surprises (no, not that, I'd already figured that out). I'm looking forward to Nora's next adventure.