Hopefully Nadine Ducca doesn’t take offense when I say that before she sent a tweet to me about my Author Features, I hadn’t known about her book. But when I saw this cover art, I was instantly drawn into the idea of this story. I’ve said it before, but cover art matters, and this art work was stunning.
Serving Time follows two brothers, Tristan and Eneld Cross. Eneld finds himself abandoning his ambitions and helping his brother (with the help of a demon’s “visit.”). Tristan is far from a good person who goes from a murderer for hire to a drug mule. Together they hope to escape persecution from StarCorp.
This is a Space Opera on the grandest of scales. The world that Ducca has created is so in depth that it has to be real. You have no choice but to believe the story is one of legends rather than fiction. I have to say that the thought that went into this world and how it behaves is phenomenal.
There is not a character in this book that I don’t like. Tristan is real. He is a struggling man trying to find away to change his life against all odds. A character I can relate to. His brother, Eneld is not much “better” than his brother. He is fighting his own addictions and struggles to be the guidance counselor his brother needs.
I think Time is my favorite character in this book. Goddesses are so rarely intriguing to me. But her character is strong, she has her own problems that I can relate to, and I believed her as more of a person than a Goddess.
Robert, Time’s butler so to speak, is introduced in the prologue and I began to question why he was introduced. He doesn’t have much involvement until the middle of the story. But I like Robert, he craves power, but he wants acceptance too.
The best part about these characters is that there is no defined evil characters. There are no good guys and bad guys here. You want them all to succeed in their own way and that makes for a more believable story. In real life, good and bad are so much harder to define. The same is true of the characters in Serving Time.
The story was deep. There is so much more going on in this story than what you read in the words on the page. There is a universe full of activity going on in this story. We follow Tristan and Eneld’s story. But there is Robert’s Story, Time’s story, and even Verin’s (a demon) story. If you are looking for a story that will suck you right in, you’ve found it with this one.
If I was to put down a issue, it would come with the ending of this story. There is a strong punch at the end and it felt good to see it. Then is trails off for a bit before hitting me with the second blow and ending the book. I’d have preferred more of a one, two punch at the end. But trust me, I was far from disappointed.
Nadine Ducca has a way with words that I envy. Her prose is astounding. I only wish I could harness half her talent with words. Her descriptions engage all your senses and she has a way of describing things that most would not think of. But is works. She really makes you feel like you are part of this story.
This book is only 99 cents on Kindle. Ducca is practically giving is away at only a dollar. The bottom line is you will read this book more than once. I’d easily have paid more for this. If you’re a book collector, you’ll want to buy the paperback. As soon as I can, I’ll be adding the paperback to my collection. Some books you just have hold, Serving Time is one of those books.
This is one of those books where I wish the sequel was out now. I really don’t want to wait to read the next one. If you love science fiction, especially the depth of a true Space Opera, you’ll want this book.
About Nadine Ducca:
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Amazon Links for Serving Time: Paperback / Kindle
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
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Captain Christina Serenity is back from the dead, in a manner of speaking. Everyone believed that no one survived the devastating attack on the Earth Space Ship Australia. That is, everyone except Roger Mathews, the traitor that launched the attack. But the four survivors have grown tired of seeking revenge and have returned home to face the consequences of that choice. 