Third in Line

Always by Nicola Griffith

This is third in the series of books about Aud Torvingen, following Stay and The Blue Place. In this one, we get to meet some of her family. She travels to Seattle and get embroiled in a real estate scandal. And she teaches a self-defense class. The specifics aren't really important, because the book is really just all about Aud.

I really like the character of Aud. She doesn't view the world the way most people do, and it's interesting to get into her head. Often a bit scary, but still extremely fascinating. I will be hoping for another in this series.

The Last Colony by John Scalzi

Again, third in a series. This follows Old Man's War and The Ghost Brigades. I really liked both of those. This was good, too, but I don't think I enjoyed it quite as much. The voice of the narrator just didn't resonate with me that much. Which isn't to say that I didn't read it in a day -- it's compelling.

It follows the same two main characters: John from the first book, Jane from the second. Now they are in charge of a colony -- but of course there are all sorts of political intrigues that start to plague them. This book lets you see a lot more of the workings of the various governments. I know some people were bothered that the first book didn't really talk much about why the fighting was going on and if it was justified. That's definitely addressed here.