Good sci fi with elements of romance

I quite enjoyed Astraeus, even though romances aren't usually my thing. I would say Astraeus is an intelligently written book, with many good ideas and concepts portrayed by the author, Haley Cavanagh. At times I found myself wanting to listen to more to find out what would happen next. I really enjoyed the scientific elements and details of the book, and who doesn't like a good exploration story? Overall I would give this book 3.5 out of 5, and I would probably listen to the sequel.

Steve Campbell does a good job as the narrator, with both male and female characters.

The author provided this book in return for an honest review.

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Sci-fi first contact romance: a tale of two halves

This story is very much a tale of two halves. When the humanoid alien Astraeus collides with a human space exploration ship, the crew are astonished that he could survive the vacuum of space but are frustrated over his refusal to communicate, except with one particular crew member, and his presence soon provokes conflict.

Personally, I found this part a bit slow, some of the characters a little wooden, and the eco morality background a bit heavy handed. I enjoyed the budding romance, though. The story soon gets more complex, however. Then, when the proverbial hits the fan the story really switches gear, becoming a rollicking fast-paced sci-fi action thriller, though still with the romance story line never far from the fore. To me, this is where the author really seems to get into her stride, and I loved it!

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good in a cringy way...

the introduction and first couple of hours are great despite it being a tale as old as time, but then the writing leaves the story to focus on the romance that, in my eyes, should have been a subplot, not the driving part of the story...
the romance is well written though, so no complaints there :)

Steve Campbell does a great job voicing the cast, his female voices are just as believable as his male and they are destinct enough that there is never any doubt as to whom is speaking.
great job

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an unexpected twist on some.classic Sci-Fi themes.

a pleasant twist on some Old Sci-Fi tropes that did disappoint.
I am looking forward to the next one.

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Enjoyable!

This was actually a pretty good listen. It's not your typical sci-fi romance, rather more of a space adventure. I like the premises, and the scientific theories were quite intriguing and believable. It's the pre-apocalypse and Earth is on the brink of extinction due to severe climate change, pollution, and war. A spaceship voyages to Andromeda Galaxy in search of life and a planet where humans can colonise before it's too late. The first contact is with a humanoid alien male, an advanced, peaceful species from an exoplanet. He was found floating in space after his home planet was attacked and his people annihilated by the Oreck, vicious insectile aliens that devour organic matter.

The characters were well-developed and interesting, particularly Dr. Sakota Thorell and Astraeus. I enjoyed the interaction between the human doctor and the alien. I liked that the romance was restrained and not the primary focus of the plot.

Steve Campbell did a great job with the narration, using distinct voices for the various characters. His speech and accent can take a bit getting used to; otherwise, he did very well.

Overall, Astraeus, the first book on The Oceanstone Initiative, is enjoyable and very interesting. I was given a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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1 person found this helpful

The universe meant for me to meet you.

Sakota Thorell is the medical examiner on a scientific research vessel, currently in the Andromeda Galaxy, when a man is seen floating outside of the vessel, wearing a torn black space suit. And he blinked! Brought on board the ship, it soon becomes obvious that the man, though in most ways very similar to an human, was, in fact, alien. Sakota names him Astraeus. She is both intellectually excited and physically attracted to him, a feeling he seems to reciprocate, although the security marines are very suspicious of him, suspecting a trick.

Astraeus is both a space thriller and a love story, as well as a first contact situation. Good idea but very clunky in it's presentathion. The writing is uninspired and predictable, the conversation stilted and characterisation superficial, unfortunately. The narration by the very pleasant sounding Steve Campbell, in part manages to rescue it with good intonation, enthusiastic delivery and excellent individual character voicings. It was a good performance.

I was fortunate in being freely gifted a complimentary copy of Astraeus by the rights holder after I requested it via Audiobook Boom. Thank you for that. Whilst enjoyable enough, it could have been so much better with thoughtful editing and more attention given to make the characters real. But it was sufficiently exciting to draw the reader through to the end even if the old prejudices are given full and uninhibited range from the beginning. Quite fun, especially for those who enjoy slightly twisted love stories, but otherwise not a book that I would recommend.

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Good book!

I really liked this book it was very enjoyable! It did have a slightly slow start to it but then got to a much better pace about 1/2 hours in. It was well written and the narrator had a lovely clear easy to listen to voice. I liked the fact that there was a bit of romance but unlike many other stories it wasn’t all consuming to the plot line so it didn’t become tedious. All in all I would recommend this book.

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Intense

Enjoyed the storyline and world building. Didn't like the voices used for the h and H but loved the ones used for the others.

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