I had some reservations about the first book and I hoped that the author would grow into the story.

I never should have doubted. Often, the middle book of a trilogy is just "it gets worse", but this one picks up the momentum, deepens the characters, and broadens the world and tension.

I am so, so glad that I already have the third book. ( )

I enjoyed the first of this series and I enjoyed this one too. The main characters are likeable and memorable although some of the support characters are interchangeable. There are battles in space but these stories are more about the people and the mystery than the tech and shooting things. If the tech is your thing, then this is not going to work for you, but if like me, you prefer the people and the adventure, then you will probably like this series. ( )

In this follow-up to The Cold Between, Elena Shaw and Greg Foster have been relegated to an outpost duty, but quickly become embroiled in a battle they don't really understand. As Commander, Elena is a most appealing strong female character, and the relationships among crew members add to the suspense of this military science fiction series. Readers will be most engaged if they read the initial book first, and I'm glad I did. ( )

Review originally found on Looking Glass Reads.

This week marked the release of Remnants of Trust, the second novel in the Central Corps series by Elizabeth Bonesteel. This is a fast paced military science fiction novel that has a lot going for it. The story begins with Captain Greg Foster and Commander Elena Shaw, freshly returned from a court martial and assigned to the relatively empty Third Sector. But things aren’t quite as quiet as they assumed as the Exeter, another ship from Central Gov, is attacked by raiders. Even after the Orunmila, a PSI ship, comes to the rescue the ship is destroyed, half the crew is dead, and the captain maimed. To top it off, a traitorous saboteur is on the loose.

The book is written in third person point of view with semi-omniscience. We jump around in various characters heads, most notably at chapter changes but other times as well. For the most part we see the story through the eyes of the three captains and their second in commands, plus Elena Shaw, of course. This works in the story’s favor. However, if you don’t enjoy a book switching between characters, be forewarned.

There are a good number of characters to keep track of here. It never felt out of hand, though, and I never had any issue with keeping who’s who straight. All of the characters were very well rounded. They felt like people. Real people. Normal people. And that’s something I love about this book.

Elena Shaw is tough as nails, but enjoys practicing ballet and struggles internally with happenings both in book #1 of the series and farther in her past. Captain Shiang Guanyin of the Orunmila is a twenty nine year old captain, married, mother of five children, and currently pregnant with number six, a side of a female starship captain that isn’t often explored which Bonesteel does very well. Celik, captain of the destroyed Exeter, is now down a leg, a ship, half a crew, and bent on revenge, closure, anything to try and fix what happened. Yet Celik retains both common sense and sense of duty to what crew he has left, his captain-ness, if you will, and never turns into the single minded vengeance happy character he could have easily fallen into.

These characters, along with all the rest, are dynamic. They have personalities, hopes, dreams, and real, understandable reasons for the positions they hold on ongoing events throughout the book. None of them really felt like cookie-cutter military officers as can sometimes happen within this and similar genres.

Now, I didn’t read the first book. I jumped right into the series at book two (as per normal). However, I would suggest reading the first book in the series, The Cold Between, before picking up book #2. While the immediate story isn’t at all confusing without reading the first book, there are overarching series long plots and political subterfuge that would probably benefit from starting from the beginning of the series.

In the same vein, I did have one other problem. I wasn’t exactly positive what Central and PSI were. I mean, I do understand that they have/are a military force, send assistance to colonies, etc. I just wasn’t positive if they were governments, some sort of other peace keeping organizations in space, and, if they were separate governing bodies, why they were working within the same territory. Again, this isn’t anything I can truly fault the author for as I didn’t read the first book, but I felt it was something to point out nonetheless.

Overall, I would recommend giving Remnants of Trust by Elizabeth Bonesteel a read. It is a highly enjoyable read. I will definitely be going back and reading the first book in the Central Corps series. If you like military sci-fi this is definitely a book for the TBR pile.

*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.* ( )

Elizabeth Bonesteel has created a fascinating universe in her Central Corps series. Remnants of Trust, the second book in the series, builds on the promising beginning from the first book and takes her storytelling to the next level.

The story begins with an out of character attack on a Central Corps ship by raiders. The Galileo, home to Captain Greg Foster and Commander Elena Shaw, is near enough to respond to the Exeter’s distress call, but not near enough to prevent its destruction. The intervention of the closer PSI ship, Orunmula, is able to avert that disaster, but not the loss of nearly 100 crew members from the Exeter. Signs point to sabotage, but by whom and for what reasons is a deeper mystery. Hidden agendas and factions within the Central Corps government further complicate the mystery and put everyone in danger.

Elena and Greg, as well as Jessica are among the characters who return from the first novel and their characters are further developed here. Strong new characters such as Captain Celik of the doomed Exeter are introduced. None are more fascinating than the very pregnant captain of the Orunmula, Shiang Guanyin. I could read a whole book just about her. We get to spend a lot of time with her and her PSI generation ship which is a fascinating contrast in cultures from the Central Corps ships. We get to take the time to understand how these different cultures frame the perspectives of the individuals who live in them.

Bonesteel perfectly captures people's imperfect understanding of each other. She uses this to show how it influences decision-making and outcomes. The relationships between and among her characters are realistic and nuanced. There are a lot of things to like about Bonesteel’s books. The plot moves along steadily, there are great action scenes, a complicated mystery and a government with agendas within agendas manipulating people and events for reasons that remain murky. The greatest accomplishment, though, is a full cast of characters who are complex, have depth, and have realistic motivations. Bonesteel skillfully lends perspective to show that individual motivations are more complex than simple good or evil.

Remants of Trust is a great entry in the series. It is an exciting story with a solid mystery. Even as the mystery is solved, it leads to more questions to be explored in future entries in the series. The characters and their development is a cut above ordinary military sci-fi and reason enough to read these books by themselves.

Sign me up for more adventures in the Central Corps universe as well as anything else Bonesteel wants to write. Highly recommended.

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book. ( )