I started this a couple times when I was under a lot of stress, so I have yet to fully finish. I have found I am less able to concentrate on books unless an audio is available. That is not the fault of the author. I was rather enjoying what I was reading while I was able. The representation and inclusion of different pronouns (along with some education on them) was outstanding.

This is one I definitely want to return to once I have a better mental health status - and able to read without an audio.

Pax Novis was just an average read for me. When I think back on it, there’s nothing that stands out as exceptional or even great, but there’s also nothing that makes me cringe and say “I hated it.” It was truly just middle of the road.

DNF. Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy! I decided to not keep reading this one, it was not for me. Thanks!

I did not finish this. I'm not sure what part of it didn't click with me, but it really wasn't my cup of tea.

I didn't care for this title. It just didn't capture my interest or drag me into it's world. I was just bored at times and I didn't fall in love with the characters. It just ended up being a really tough read.

I don’t know if it was something with my phone or not but the formatting on this novel really caused me problems..

I appreciate the intention to introduce non binary characters and characters with different sexualities and the lack of such, but unfortunately I feel like it failed to feel genuine and real.

The word was well built but the characters felt flat and I never found the story compelling enough to press through the awkward formatting. So I ended up not finish the book.

Okay so the first thing I noticed about this book was the cover. It's literally every space opera fan's eye candy and I think it really fit the story. It was dark, mysterious and left you with the strong urge to dive right in. Add in a dynamic crew of secondary characters, an unraveling murder-mystery and an endearing protagonist and this one was highly enjoyable.

I think fans of the illuminea files might give this one a shot. I am definitley looking forward to the next installment .

This book was interesting. 

We are thrown into a scifi thriller set in space, and to make it more engrossing, there's a killer loose on the cargo ship!

It's an adventure story of a girl who smuggles orphans through the galaxy aboard her mother's ship, but when things go missing, everything begins to point towards her, leading her to find out who is really stealing the stuff. And, she better find out before she's next. 

There is a lot of sexual diversity in this one as well between the characters. I didn't feel like the romances took over the story itself, so if you like lighter, romance-driven stories with tons of fun, scifi elements, you will really enjoy this one as much as I did. 

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. The world building was unique and kept my interest from start to finish.

Pax Novis is a fun and thrilling space adventure set far into the future. Earth isn’t the only planet that contains lifeforms, so it was really cool to see how Cameron designs the future. I loved the overall setting and the character representation in Pax Novis, as well as the main plot behind the story.

Erica Cameron provides just enough information to make the reader aware of the world surrounding the ship, Pax Novis, which is where most of the book takes place. There were some instances where I felt there was information overload, but as the story progressed, I understood why so much was revealed at once; it was necessary to know that information for the future of the story. And I loved how everything pieced together by the end of the story!

Even though I did enjoy this science fiction story, I was a little thrown off by the slow plot. I felt that it took awhile for any action to really take place and set the story in motion. It did pick up for the last 100 pages or so, but I was hoping for more of an action-packed science fiction adventure. Those aspects are present, just not throughout the whole book, mainly the adventure part. But the mystery part was fun; I’m all for a good mystery and I loved how this one came together in stellar fashion.

It did take a few chapters before I got used to the writing and identification. One character does not identify as he/she but rather as the ‘Z’ pronouns, which I haven’t read a book yet that did that, so it was really nice to see that take shape. Even though it took a few chapters for me to get acquainted with the use of those pronouns, I thought it added a nice representation to the storyline and character. When it comes to the main two characters, I found them to be well-written and beautifully flawed, yet strong and brave. That’s what I love in characters: that characters are meant to come across as strong, but also highlight their flaws. That’s what makes them human, and Cameron does a wonderful job portraying those traits.

Overall, I enjoyed this thrilling science fiction adventure and I found it to be an entertaining and light read for the YA genre.

<b>Rating 3.75 stars</b>

This book nails a lot of things:
Plot
Setting
Edge-of-your-seat-factor
Writing style
Innovation

But where it substantially lacks is: characters.

And the characters, I could argue, make or break a story. If I don’t feel any type of attachment to any of the characters—if I simply just don’t care what happens to them—a great plot, setting, and writing style will fall short.

Although I simply adored the risks the author did, I loved the new pronoun, the new gender roles, I love that she took into consideration that humanity’s norms are constantly shifting, I love the LGBTQ acceptance (she didn’t make a big deal that there we’re a ton of gay people—for the characters it was simply normal and I love that); I just wish the characters had more dynamics!!!

They all had very 1-dimensional personalities (Cira being the exception to this, she had a bit more depth than the others). When the second book is released, I will be reading it though. If the author can create characters are brilliantly thought-out as this plot, we have ourselves a banger.

Pax Novis... oh Pax Novis... how you have vexed me! I finished this book quickly but ended up deliberating for days. I argued with myself...pros and cons... I revisited some areas and kicked things around the ole noggin. I thought and debated and it niggled and chaffed... not literally, that would suck! No, the indecision felt like a blemish on my reviewing capabilities. I thought and thought until my tired brain hurt. I couldn't get away from thinking about it but it always came back to the glaring difference between what this book delivered and what it had the potential to be. I know, that's not a fair way to judge a book but... full disclosure... I was slightly disappointed, a smidge letdown. This was an entertaining letdown but a letdown nonetheless YET I remain optimistic. SO, please bear with me if this review seems fickle, I'm still stuck up here, straddling the fence.


This turned out to be a semi- sluggish SciFi/Space Opera about an intergalactic, winner takes all, case of hide and go seek. Did I just whittle the entire book down to a mere child's game?? Why yes, yes I did and unfortunately, even when all of its feathers were puffed up and preened, it wasn't much more robust. This might be due to the fact that the story took place almost entirely in a single locale, the spaceship Pax Novis. With such a flat, 2D backdrop, things felt cramped and stifling. The writing was decent and the characters were too, but there was nothing stellar about either. On the other hand, Pax Novis did manage to tick a bunch of hot topic boxes like Cira having two mothers, Riston & Adrienn being nonbinary and even Cira being Asexual. So, if those are staples in your genre of choice then this is a definite winner for you. Now, I myself love a good yarn that bucks the norm BUT here it felt too on the nose for my taste... like a sledgehammer being used when a scalpel was needed. There were even new pronouns made up to use as alternatives to inherently gendered terms. I found these new pronouns to be distracting. Granted, they weren't so obtrusive that I couldn't catch what was being implied but still, distracting is...well.... annoying. Then, just when I thought the book was hitting its stride, the last third of the book had my attention wandering. I found myself counting the pages, hoping it would resolve quickly, wondering which book in my formidable TBR pile would be my next conquest, what things I should put on my shopping list and

::dum dum dummmmm::

I thought about all the cleaning I had to do...

:::GASP:::

These gloomy portents were nothing short of bad juju... bad juju I say!! And now I need to smudge the room.

Anyway,

Overall: this is a light romp across the Milky Way. With potentially Star Trek-y vibes for the future, Pax Novis has the foundation for a fun, new series. Will I continue on to book#2? It's a firm...Maybe... although right now I am leaning more towards no. Way to commit right? Well, I'm still not sure the motley crew pulled me in or piqued my interests enough to commit to more time with them BUT I can see where it might, potentially, be headed. If it goes the way I'm envisioning it, Pax Novis can be a great Space Opera... which happens to be one of my favorite genres. SO, here's to hoping for the best!

~Enjoy

*** I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review ***

*squeals* Yesss! 5 stars :D
Oh my goodness where to start, I loved every part of this book. I loved the setting (space - yes!), particularly the ship itself, I am a huge sci-fi fan. I loved the story, and I loved the character/world building. Most especially, I loved the way this book made me feel! Everything just felt so real. The bond between the characters, the camaraderie, the trials they experienced, the loss.. it was all so believable and I felt every bit of it with them. I found this book so emotional, it tugged on all the right heartstrings. I had absolutely no problem connecting with every single character and empathising with every single situation and decision. Fantastic writing.

I won't lie, the addition of the 'ze' pronoun tripped me up in the beginning.. but my brain eventually adjusted the more I kept reading and I ending up finding it quite fitting.

Absolutely loved it :D

This book was a slow start, however I really like where the author took the book and am eagerly anticipation the next novel in the series.

I received an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I tried so hard to get into Pax Novis but I had the hardest time. I am trying not to beat myself up over the fact that I didn't love this one. I wanted to so so so bad. I made it about 20% in before I made the decision to put this book down.

I wasn't enjoying it and I knew that if I forced myself to finish that I wouldn't be rating it above 2 stars. I can already tell that Pax Novis is going to be loved by so many sci-fi fans, it sadly just wasn't for me.

The premise for this one grabbed me straight away. A spaceship with ‘illegal’ passengers being smuggled to safer zones, one of those passengers is possibly a killer, and no one can know about it except for the one person on the ship’s crew that is doing the smuggling. Colour me intrigued!
Although the writing style was great, and the story moved along well and captured my interest, I DNF’d at about 30% (on Kindle). Let me explain:
I’m a long time epic fantasy reader, so I am accustomed to their being other languages (real, made up, and combinations) in a story. But these languages usually only form a small part of the story and occur in small sections scattered throughout the book. I really struggled with the new pronouns. I constantly had to go back to the front of the book to look up what they referred to. It completely broke up the flow of the story. I found reading the story was too much work. I already read complicated texts for work/university, I read for relaxation and enjoyment, and unfortunately, I found neither in this book. I was disappointed that it was not mentioned somewhere in the description the various sub-genres this story belonged.
This book had a lot of potential, and I have no doubt that a great many readers will love it. If you are unsure, I’d recommend downloading a sample before purchasing. You never know, this book may just be your favourite read of 2019!

This one was a bit difficult for a speed reader to read. The new pronouns threw me quite a bit at first. I had to reread many of the pages which took away from the flow of the book. The first part of the book was slow (even with the rereading). The world building was detailed. Once I got into the flow the story moved along. I liked the characters and Cira and Riston were realistic. It was open ended for the next story. While not an easy read it was worth the extra work.

Pax Novis is the first installment in author Erica Cameron's The Pax Archives series. The story largely takes place onboard the spaceship Pax Novis and told by Ensign Cira Antares, the daughter of the Captain and Chief Engineer, and Riston, a stowaway and war orphan. The story also includes documents like communication transcripts and news articles to give the reader a broader understanding what has taken place and what is happening to other Pax ships. They also give indications as to who the real enemies are in this universe.

For Riston, Tinker, Treble, Shadow, and Greenie, the only safe place to be in the universe is onboard a Pax ship. It is fair to say that Riston's group is the most interesting, especially those like Tinker and Greenie who are brilliant. All of the stowaways have suffered various forms of trauma, from seeing their homes and families destroyed in a war to child abuse, but were generally trying to make the best of it on the Pax Novis. That is until they are blamed for items on the ship going missing, following by other Pax ships disappearing leaving only a radiation signature behind.

The group independently tries to trap the villain in order to prove they are innocent. The person sabotaging their ship is tricky and smart and always one step ahead of them. Riston's group knows its passages and secrets better than most of the crew, especially since Riston has been onboard the longest. The clever use of technology and a ticking clock add to the high-stakes, entertaining brain game of the plot. When the group suffers a great loss, Riston comes out into the open. This is bad news since now any stowaways found can be put in a cell for a month, or executed by the commanding officer. This also puts the spotlight on Cira's actions.

Cira is the youngest officer onboard. Unfortunately, she has no hope of going any further up the chain unless she transfers to a Space Station and away from her family. Cira also has a cybernetic arm as a result of a birth defect. She has been committing treason by harboring the stowaways and providing them with food to survive until she can find them another home. Her family and her ship are basically her whole life since nobody in this universe has any loyalty to any particular planet. She’s convinced she doesn’t have room for anything else, including her crush on Riston.

Her weakness is that she's quick to jump to conclusions believing the stowaways are guilty based on flawed evidence. She eventually redeems herself by working with Riston and the others to suss out the villain, but she loses respect from much of the crew, including the Captain and others she's supposed to be trusted by. There's a bit of romance, but it’s very mild and more of the pining-from-afar sort. This story works way too hard to be inclusive to everyone. So, Cira has two moms, and considers herself to be asexual. Riston and another character are apparently non-binary, even though there are parts that clearly related to calling them either he, or she.

Without reservation, the last chapters of this book were the most exciting to read. Otherwise, the pacing is really slow to the point of abandoning the story for something else and then coming back to it.

I think this a good attempt at writing a hard sci-fi novel but I found it a bit confusing and I wasn't impressed by the world building which seemed to be more oriented to be inclusive that creating a specific sci-fi environment.
There's potential but I think there should be some more effort in the world building part and less confusion with the pronouns.
The romance was interesting but it wasn't easy to root for the characters.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Pax Novis is the first book in The Pax Archives series by Erica Cameron and is a young adult science fiction novel. An engaging novel that takes place in the future, when humans have colonized other planets. You will get swept away to another world, another time as you become part of this sic-fi adventure that is full of unknowns.  A complex sci-fi story with great world-building. Pax Novis is an intriguing young adult sci-fi thriller. I can't wait for the next book in The Pax Archives. .

I’m not really sure how to define this book. The general plot – Pax ships are losing contact, and the Novis may be next – reads like a thriller, but the pacing is very slow. As an example, the book starts out with notes from a board meeting and a few sections from the Pax ship charter. The chapters are told from the point of view of either Cira, an ensign and the daughter of the captain and head of engineering, and Riston, one of the stowaways Cira has brought on to the ship, interspersed with documents like communication transcripts and news articles. Both characters are very introspective – Cira’s constantly conflicted about whether she’s done the right thing by bringing the stowaways on board and risking the lives of the rest of her crewmates, and Riston’s worrying about remaining on the ship and taking care of the younger stowaways – which I think also slowed down the narrative.

“Ze wasn’t losing anything except a safe place to live. Ze’d never had anything else to lose, not here.
Well, ze corrected with a glance at the other four, that isn’t entirely true. There were things to lose here; ze was simply planning on taking most of them with zem.”


Of the two main characters, I liked Riston the best. Though ze struggled at times with being the honory zazi (nonbinary mom/dad) to the other four stowaways, I loved zir relationship with zir found family. Ze was optimistic, but grounded. Though ze understood that becoming an actual crew member on the ship was impossible, ze still wished to stay to be close to Cira. All of the stowaways have suffered various forms of trauma, from seeing their homes and families destroyed in a war to child abuse, but were generally trying to make the best of it on the Pax Novis. In contrast, Cira came off as too idealistic and rigid, despite the fact that she was the one committing treason to harbor the stowaways. Her family and her ship are basically her whole life, and she’s convinced she doesn’t have room for anything else, including her crush on Riston. She was very quick to jump to believing the worst of the stowaways on the most minor of evidence, which left a general bad taste in my mouth. I think she redeemed herself as the book went on, but her initial reaction stuck with me.

The one thing I really loved about the book is that it’s very queer. Riston is nonbinary and uses the ze pronouns, Cira has two moms, and there’s a few other references to non-cishet relationships. It’s considered normal, when introducing yourself, to also give your pronouns. Cira also identifies as asexual, so, as would be expected, there’s very little sexual contact – the most that happens is a few kisses and handholding. There is a bit of romance, but it’s very mild and more of the pining-from-afar sort. Cira also has a cybernetic arm as a result of a birth defect, and while it comes up a few times in the plot, it’s never something that makes her seen as lesser. Another thing I liked about the book was the world building, despite the fact that I think some of the info dumps negatively affected the pacing. I found the idea of the Pax fleet and its humanitarian mission, in direct contrast the rest of the warmongering quadrant, intriguing, but there was a bit too much philosophizing on whether what they were doing was right.

Overall, while I enjoyed the book, the pacing definitely affected my experience, so I’d rate this more of a 3.5 stars. It picked up a bit in the last 100 pages or so, though, so I’m interested enough to probably pick up the next in the series. I would recommend this if you’re looking for a teen scifi book and don’t mind a slower pace.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.