Book Chick City: The Women of Science Fiction Week - BOOK REVIEW ...

Title: Nylon Angel (Parrish Plessis #1)

Author: Marianne de Pierres

Publisher: Orbit

Publication Date: Jan 2004

Paperback: 330 pages

Genre: Science Fiction

Source: Own Copy

Reviewed by: Carolyn

RATING: 7/10 - very good

SUMMARY:

In a world where the rich live behind the safety of a giant fortress wall and everyone else can go to hell, Parrish Plessis has learnt some useful survival tactics. Like don't cross Jamon Hondo - unless you want to be dead by the morning. But heck, what's a girl supposed to do when the one chance she may have of escaping from his grubby, stinking paws presents itself? Anyway, it's hard to be a saint in a city, and Parrish Plessis is sick of doing what she's told. Tonight, she's going to take her chance. Because she can't face tomorrow. NYLON ANGEL is the first Parrish Plessis novel. She will be back. When you've met her, you'll understand why. (Goodreads)

REVIEW:

"Nylon Angel" is the first book in the 'Parrish Plessis' sci-fi series by Marianne de Pierres. I don't read an awful lot of sci-fi but when I do it's usually been a male author, with male characters and rather hard core sci-fi at it's root. Because of this, although I enjoy it, I have to be in the mood for it and the mood doesn't come along that frequently.

When deciding which book to read for my "women of science fiction" event, I decided on "Nylon Angel" and it was this quote that clinched the deal: 'A kick-ass girl surviving in an ultra-violent world run by the media... This is a character driven series that should gather a strong following in much the same way as Anita Blake' THE BOOKSELLER - this book was exactly what I was looking for for my event...and it didn't disappoint.

It had everything I love about urban fantasy but in a sci-fi setting: character driven story, check - kick-arse girlie, check - similar to Anita Blake, double check. The quote is totally on the money. Parrish is real, strong, independent and kick-arse, and has some seriously cool moves, but she's also flawed and vulnerable and has an interesting background which gives her the depth of character I love in my urban fantasy heroines, and now I have it in sci-fi! I honestly didn't know it existed!

There are two cities the story revolves around: Vacinity and Tert. The former is for the rich and the latter for everyone else, where gangs dominate and food is hard to come by. It begins with Parrish trying to escape the clutches of Jamon Hondo, a horrid character that rapes and abuses her. She's given a way out by stealing something from Vacinity only to become a scapegoat and accused of murder.

I loved Parrish from the first page - this is a girl after my heart. She's a determined soul and doesn't stop until she finds out the truth. She has a seriously troubled past which keeps her guarded towards others and makes her the independent woman she is. I loved her feisty, fighting nature.

There is a lot of action in "Nylon Angel", a bit of mystery and a smidgen of romance. All these threads kept me turning the pages; each story is exciting and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

The romantic aspect is very secondary to Parrish and her plight, but it's still good. Parrish meets a mysterious guy called Dark (but eventually finds out his real name is Daac). The chemistry is instant for me, although it wasn't to them. This is a romance that I feel will be a slow burner. I'm also very interested in how the relationship evolves as things don't end well between them and the ending is certainly intriguing.

The supporting cast of characters are also well written and each one has their own story. But I never knew who to trust - they all have their own game plan.

VERDICT:

This is a very good start to a series and sets the scene nicely for further books. The characters are brilliantly written and I just can't wait to read how Parrish evolves. I really enjoyed this book and if you love character driven stories that are gritty, dark and exciting, then look no further. I've already bought book two - 'Code Noir' :)

You can find out more about the author here:

This book counts towards the following BCC reading challenges:

Source: http://www.bookchickcity.com/2011/05/women-of-science-fiction-week-book_26.html

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