Fault Tolerance by Valerie Valdes Series: Chilling Effect #3
Published by HarperCollins Publishers on August 2, 2022
Genres: FICTION / Action & Adventure, FICTION / Science Fiction / Alien Contact, Fiction / Science Fiction / Space Opera
Pages: 416
Format: eBook
Source: ARC
From the author of the critically acclaimed Prime Deceptions and Chilling Effect, the hilarious new novel about the adventures of Captain Eva Innocente and the crew of La Sirena Negra.
Nothing wrecks Captain Eva Innocente's vacation plans quite like an anonymous threat to vaporize billions of people. Hundreds of monoliths have suddenly materialized in space, broadcasting the same looped message: surrender or be exterminated. Is the universe being epically spammed?
Surrender to whom? Exterminated when? And how is Eva, commander of a beat-up cargo ship, supposed to prevent it? As panic spreads, a mystery message sends Eva to find answers, in a system that hasn't been explored in all of recorded history.
With the crew of La Sirena Negra, a score of psychic cats, a feline-phobic robot, and a superweapon she has no clue how to use, Eva prepares to battle the unknown. But first, she has to defeat the known: mercenary Tito Santiago, whose idea of a clean fight is a shower before kill time. His mission is to ensure Eva doesn't succeed at hers.
If anything goes wrong, the universe is doomed. But if everything goes according to Eva's plans--wait, when does that ever happen?
Fault Tolerance is one of those books that I stalked. I jumped on the Chilling Effect space opera train in 2019. Fast forward a couple years, I was desperate for the final book in the trilogy since finishing my ARC for Prime Deceptions ages ago. I rabidly jumped on the chance to read more about La Sirena Negra and her crew! I can’t stress enough how much I enjoy this world that Valdes has crafted! I loved the nods to favorites like Mass Effect, Pokemon, Gundam, Transformers, and more.
The strength of my feelings for the characters, particularly towards Mari, took me by surprise. Seriously, my internal little sister was completely unfair to Mari at times. I love all the side characters and the complex relationships that have been built over the series. I have a soft spot for Pink.
I adore Eva and Vakar and I really hoped for more moments with them. I’m also a sucker for Vakar. I’m almost as far gone for him as I am Garrus Vakarian… Though no one will be able to oust my darling Archangel.
But on that note, I started to get frustrated early on with the repeated terrible decisions by Eva. I can understand the urge to check in on a lover, but all the signs and this reader were screaming DON’T DO IT! It felt like we had back to back awful decisions and I really was on Pink’s side with the exasperation. It made it hard to stay engaged as the story continued.
The Chilling Effect series has been so much fun, and while I’m bummed I didn’t enjoy the finale as much as I had hoped, I will absolutely be recommending this in the future!
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.