Book Review: The Inheritance by Ilona Andrews

The Inheritance
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Breach Wars (Book 1)
Publication: NYLA (August 10, 2025)

Description: We are at war. The interdimensional invasion brought us unimaginable suffering, but it also awoke talents slumbering deep within us, a means to repel and destroy our enemy. Every day new gates open, leading to breaches filled with monsters and valuable resources. If you are a Talent, your country needs you. The world needs you. Be the hero you were born to be.

Adaline is a Talent. Ten years ago, she had a happy marriage and a job she loved. The invasion shattered both. Now she works for the government, searching the breaches for magic metals and medicine to help Earth repel an interdimensional enemy. Two kids, one cat, bills, benefits, mortgage and school tuition...Risking her life became routine.

She had gone into the dimensional gates hundreds of times. She was always well protected. This time everything goes wrong. Now Ada is trapped in the labyrinth of alien caves unlike any other. Her only companion is a scared German Shepherd named Bear. Together they must uncover the breach's secrets and escape, because Ada promised her children that she will come home.

The future of humanity depends on it.

My Thoughts: Ilona Andrews begins a new urban fantasy series with a bang. Ada Moore is a Talent. Ten years after the first breach occurred she is a divorced mother of two and an Assessor. It is her job to go into these dimensional gates and determine if there are any items of value - minerals, plants, etc. - to retrieve before the gate is collapsed. 

She's gone into hundreds of gates, but this time things go wrong. When aliens appear, chasing still another alien, she is abandoned by the man whose job it is to get her out safe. The alien who was being chased gifts her with a jewel that sinks into her head before dying. 

Ada and her only companion - a German shepherd - have to find a way to survive and get out of the breach. She promised her kids that she wouldn't die. Luckily, the alien's gift gives her knowledge and other surprises that help her make it back home, but not before she meets other aliens and learns about the purpose of these breaches. 

Meanwhile, the leader of the guild that was running this exploration is determined to bring the bodies back and seal the breach.  

This was a great story with intriguing world building. I look forward to reading more in the series. 

I bought this one August 12, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: The Inheritance by Ilona Andrews

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

Beginning:

We are at war.

This war isn't about wealth, resources, or territory. It's a war of biological extermination. The very essence of humanity is at stake.

Friday 56:

I quashed the scream before it left my mouth. My fingers were free. I moved my arm around, The bracer stayed as if glued.

This week I am spotlighting The Inheritance by Ilona Andrews. I'm a fan of the authors and eager to read this story set in a new world. Here is the description:

We are at war. The interdimensional invasion brought us unimaginable suffering, but it also awoke talents slumbering deep within us, a means to repel and destroy our enemy. Every day new gates open, leading to breaches filled with monsters and valuable resources. If you are a Talent, your country needs you. The world needs you. Be the hero you were born to be.

Adaline is a Talent. Ten years ago, she had a happy marriage and a job she loved. The invasion shattered both. Now she works for the government, searching the breaches for magic metals and medicine to help Earth repel an interdimensional enemy. Two kids, one cat, bills, benefits, mortgage and school tuition...Risking her life became routine.

She had gone into the dimensional gates hundreds of times. She was always well protected. This time everything goes wrong. Now Ada is trapped in the labyrinth of alien caves unlike any other. Her only companion is a scared German Shepherd named Bear. Together they must uncover the breach's secrets and escape, because Ada promised her children that she will come home.

The future of humanity depends on it.

Book Review: The Oldest Starfighter by Jamie McFarlane

The Oldest Starfighter
Author: Jamie McFarlane
Series: Oldest Starfighter (Book 1)
Publication: Fickle Dragon Publishing LLC (May 10, 2024)

Description: The fate of the free universe comes to rest in the hands of the Oldest Starfighter, when grizzled veteran ace fighter pilot, Gordy Harmen, once again heeds the call to battle.

In this gripping new military science fiction novel, the universe teeters on the brink of invasion, and the Obsidian Union scrambles to assemble a formidable force of combat pilots. Enter Gordy Harmen, once a legendary Air Force pilot whose illustrious career came to an end due to physical limitations.

Desperate and with nothing to lose, Gordy is approached with a tantalizing proposition: join the Obsidian Union's fight, and they'll rejuvenate his weary body, granting him the chance to fly once more. With his unmatched skills in the cockpit, Gordy must adapt to a new battlefield—the vast expanse of space.

As the tension mounts and the fate of the universe hangs in the balance, "The Oldest Starfighter" takes readers on a thrilling journey through epic space battles and pulse-pounding action. Will Gordy's courage and expertise be enough to turn the tide of war? Find out in this captivating first installment of Jamie McFarlane's exhilarating new series, promising to enthrall fans of sci-fi adventure.

My Thoughts: This story begins with a knock at the door, Retired Air Force flying ace Gordy Harmen is bored with sitting on his couch, watching baseball, and drinking beer. When Korsic from the Obsidian Union comes to his door and recruits him to fight in their war, Gordy is intrigued enough to sign up.

Gordy quicky finds out that there are problems that Korsic didn't mention to him. Gordy and the other Earth pilots soon learn that they will be facing overwhelming odds against an enemy with more advanced technology than they will have. They also have a population to defend that is having trouble believing that the enemy is coming their way and may have been infiltrated with the enemy too. 

The story is filled with action and adventure as Gordy and his fellow citizens of Earth fight battles with the enemy and the government that hired them. The story reminds me of Old Man's War by John Scalzi in some ways: advanced medical technology and the need to recruit fighters with experience. 

I liked the writing style. I liked Gordy's "take no prisoners" style and complete willingness to tell it like it is. I liked the comradery among the recruited pilots. I even liked the potential romance with his alien liaison. 

This is the first in a new series and ends with a lot unresolved. I look forward to reading more. 

Favorite Quote:

You have an enemy who wants to take all your stuff. If you don't want to hand it over, you have to change the way you approach war. Because, no matter what the cool kids are saying, boys and girls, you're in a war. 

I bought this one July 24. You can buy your copy here.