2015 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Song of the Navigator by Astrid Amara

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Song of the Navigator by Astrid Amara
Gay Sci-Fi / Futuristic
Paperback: 258 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing (May 26, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 161922951X
ISBN-13: 978-1619229518
Amazon: Song of the Navigator
Amazon Kindle: Song of the Navigator

Worst Possible Birthday: Being sold into slavery by none other than your lover. Tover Duke's rare ability to move anything instantly across light-years of space makes him a powerful, valuable asset to the Harmony Corporation, and a rock star among the people of the colonies. His life is luxurious. Safe. Routine. He has his pick of casual hookups passing through Dadelus-Kaku Station. His one brush with danger of any kind-the only bright spot in his otherwise boring life-is Cruz Arcadio, a dark-haired, hard-bodied engineer whose physical prowess hints he's something much more. When a terrorist abducts Tover, hurling him into a world of torture, exploitation and betrayal, it's with shattering disbelief that he realizes his kidnapper is none other than Cruz. As Tover struggles to find the courage to escape his bondage, he begins to understand the only way to free his body, his mind-and his heart-is to trust the one man who showed him that everything about his once-perfect life was a lie.


This has to be one of the best books I've ever read. The otherworldly settings were fascinating, believable, and well-described. The plot moved quickly and steadily along and Amara did not pull any punches when it came to the violence of Tover's incarceration. But this violence was balanced by the pure joy of some of Amara's characters and the love between Tover and Cruz. The characters were deep and interesting. I thrilled at their successes and mourned when they felt pain. Tover's transition from arrogant rock star to “terrorist” was believable and took time. He did not change easily, but had to overcome his own beliefs. I adored him, because he never lost his attitude. I only wish that we could have seen more of Cruz's inner life. Amara's writing style was quick and easy to follow, allowing me to consume this novel in a single day. 

I loved this story, primarily because it didn't take the easy way out of many stories with similar plots. I loved the addition of Hispanic touches to the characters and the world they lived in, and there were quite a few lovely little details. The character reactions were believable, and the panic and aftermath of torture was realistic and honest without being maudlin or controlling. Setting and plot could have used a bit of sharpening but I really enjoyed this book