The second book involving Durango and Vienne, two rogue mercenaries, who defend those that need help. Vienne takes Durango to meet her "family," which turn out to be monks. They start off the rescue some farmers as Archibald and Mr. Lyme are burning towns and Vienne gets captured and tortured, forcing Durango to risk everything to rescue her. Was waffling between a 3 and 4, but went with the latter because of the excellent surprise ending. Kudos for that to DMG. ( )

Sequel to Black Hole Sun. While readers will get the gist of the story without reading the first book, this one ends unresolved, so I recommend reading Black Hole Sun (which I liked better) to get the whole story arc. ( )

I read the first book Black Hole Sun after I got an ARC at ALA 2010. I liked it, but wasn't especially into it. Actually, I gave away my copy of that one. My memories of that one are very limited, as in I basically only remembered Mimi and that there was a ton of action. So, basically, I am starting over with a clean slate.

My first impressions of this were highly positive, except for the CW-style cover. Skeptical as I was going in, I'm really glad I gave this series another try. What I really like about Invisible Sun is how it defies gender norms. Durango may be a regulator, basically a mercenary badass, but he knows that his partner Vienne has so much more skills than he does. And he's totally cool with his female partner and girlfriend being more powerful than he is. Gotta love a guy that appreciates a strong woman.

Another thing I really enjoyed was that people swore largely in foreign languages. Why do I like this? Because of Firefly. That's really all I have to say on that, except that if you haven't seen that show, you should go watch it immediately.

The one recommendation I would make to improve this book is to better distinguish between Durango's conversations with Mimi and those with people. As is, it is very difficult to tell when he stops talking with Mimi and begins conversing with someone else. Also, I'm not really sure if he's talking out loud to Mimi or just thinking to her. I just think it would have been a lot more comprehensible if the exchanges with Mimi were in italics.

Invisible Sun is an action-packed read. I recommend it to anyone who is sick of the typical gender dynamics and gender roles in YA lit. This was refreshing and I look forward to the next installment! ( )

This is going to be a short review for a book that deserves way more than this. However, it's a good book, and I do not want to give away too much.

The world building and culture development are excellent. The Martian laws and the people's ways of life both incorporate Chinese elements from Chinese philosophy to swearing in Chinese. It is amazing to read about, and I can only imagine what it would be like to live there. The characters are strong as well. I'd be pressing hard to ask for a better character to follow than Durango. He is a fun character with great humor, and I enjoyed reading his conversations with Mimi. Vienne is mysterious and interesting, the latter of which applies to many secondary characters. Not to mention the terrific villains.

The writing is as witty and interesting as the characters. There was never a dull moment. Overall, Invisible Sun is an epic read that I highly recommend. Silly me didn't realize that this is the second book in a series. While it works as a stand alone, I definitely missed out on something here and will be revisiting this book as soon as I've read book one. ( )

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/03/early-review-invisible-sun-by-david-macinni...

Invisible Sun is a companion novel to the wonderful Black Hole Sun, so you don’t have to have read Black Hole Sun first, but it will definitely make the experience that much more fun. That said, as much as I loved the first one, Invisible Sun blew me away! The action starts right away, with Durango and Vienne on a job to steal some rather sensitive data, and as soon as they wrap that up, they head out to meet Vienne’s family. It’s not quite what you think, though. Vienne was raised at a monastery, and watching as tough guy Durango deals with quiet, contemplative monastery life is entertaining to say the least. Not to mention the dance lessons! Seeing this gentler side of Vienne (who’s about as tough as they get) is new for Durango, but just reinforces his feelings for her. When trouble at a nearby collective stirs our Regulators into action, this kicks off a series of events that tests the very limits of our heroes.

I did say I love this series, yes? I do, and I adore Durango and Vienne, so this one was hard for me to read in places. Durango’s love for Vienne carries the book, and they’re both nearly done in by what the bad guys put them through. Vienne’s ordeal is particularly bad, and my heart broke for her repeatedly. The bad guys (especially the star baddie, the sniveling Archibald), are really bad and have no problem with mowing down anyone that gets in the way of their plans. Seriously, Archibald’s preoccupation with fire is chilling and terrifying. Durango makes a new friend in Riki-Tiki, the young Tengu initiate who would rather be in the middle of the action, and she’s sure to charm your socks off. Also ever present is Mimi, Durango’s AI that only he can hear, and who’s sarcasm steals the show repeatedly. Speaking of action…it rarely lets up and there are a few revelations that had my jaw on the floor. I hate that I’ll have to wait until March 2013 for the next one, but it will be worth it. Totally. ( )