Honor Bound by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre

Publisher: HarperCollins

Zara Cole was a thief back on Earth, but she’s been recently upgraded to intergalactic fugitive. On the run after a bloody battle in a covert war that she never expected to be fighting, Zara, her co-pilot Beatriz, and their Leviathan ship Nadim barely escaped the carnage with their lives. Now Zara and her crew of Honors need a safe haven, far from the creatures who want to annihilate them. But with two wounded Leviathan to treat, plus human and non-human refugees to help, they’ll have to settle for the nearest outpost, called the Sliver: a wild, dangerous warren of alien criminals. Zara’s skills from the Zone may be invaluable. However, Zara discovers that the secrets of the Sliver may have the power to turn the tide of the war they left behind—but in the wrong direction. Soon Zara will have to make a choice: stand against the ultimate evil or run from it. But she’s never walked away from a fight. Honor Bound is the second installment in Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre’s thrilling and fresh space saga.

• While Honor Among Thieves left us with an ending of “you may have won the battle but haven't won the war,” Honor Bound picks up right where we left off ready to fight that war. These books are best read back to back since there is little recap. The length of the books may be daunting but The Honors is such a binge worthy series. 
• Zara, Nadim, and Bea, our favorite team, are back in this action-packed science fiction adventure. This unlikely friendship was such a highlight in Honor Among Thieves! The two humans bonded quickly to their alien friend, Nadim, who doubles as their space ship. It is this friendship that drives them to risk it all in Honor Bound. Despite bringing a lot of new—and old—characters on in Honor Bound, the only ones fleshed out are the main three—Zara, Nadim, and Bea. We get bits and pieces of the other characters. I live for every little bit of information we gather about Starcurrent as the alien is the most intriguing. However, the readers do not get to know the side characters well enough to care about them. 

• Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre have created a superb, unique story that a range of audiences will be sure to love. Honor Bound sets the bar to the next level. The stakes are high, leaving readers in gut wrenching anticipation of how everything will turn out. A good portion of the book is cage fighting, deadly matches in order to win some cash to get the supplies the ships need. Even in Honor Among Thieves, Zara was the queen of street fighting and the sequel is no different. The action sequences are impeccably written, well thought out, putting readers on the edge of their seats. Aguirre and Caine welcome readers into their futuristic world. It seems so real, as if we were right there with the characters. Honor Bound makes a pitstop in a new setting, the Sliver, a grungy, yet technologically advanced area that opens the world up to entirely new possibilities. The world building is absolutely fantastic. 
• Every chapter begins with an excerpt of a secret document, memo, travel guide, or textbook page. It did this in the previous book as well. However, the excerpts not only give readers clues as to the upcoming chapter, but it also sets up a new story arc that will continue in the next book. It allows readers to immerse further into the story. It's a genius tactic to have each chapter seamlessly flow into the next, making the book difficult to put down.
• The heart pounding ending leads to a rather disappointing turn as the story drops in the middle of an action sequence. It's not so much a cliffhanger as it is an ending that leaves readers right in the middle, almost with the sense that absolutely nothing got accomplished in the sequel. 

Honor Bound does set up a few storylines to continue in its sequel. Despite disliking the ending for its abruptness, this is a series worth following. It is unique, with its breathtaking world building, stunning action sequences, and diverse cast of characters. Honor Bound is a great sequel that will have readers impatient to read the next one.

Honor Among Thieves (2/13/18): 4 stars

Honor Bound (2/19/19): 4 stars

Honor Lost (2/11/20): TBA