Chilling Effect strikes a perfect balance between heart-pounding action and laugh-out-loud humor. Valdes keeps the pace energetic, with gripping space battles, daring escapes, and high-stakes encounters that kept me flipping the pages. This book is also infused with clever banter, witty dialogue, and humorous situations that bring levity and charm.
The story centers around Captain Eva Innocente, the fearless and quick-witted protagonist at the helm of the spaceship La Sirena Negra. Eva’s life is anything but ordinary as she navigates the cosmos, undertaking perilous missions and facing unexpected encounters. Valdes injects the narrative with a sense of joy and fun, effortlessly blending elements of adventure, comedy, and a touch of romance.
One of the highlights lies in its cast of colorful and diverse characters. From the eclectic crew of La Sirena Negra to the quirky beings they encounter in their travels, Valdes has created a rich tapestry of personalities. Each character feels distinct, with their own unique quirks, motivations, and backstories.
Chilling Effect is an absolute delight and a recommended read. There is so much action in this novel, it could be a series on its own. Here’s the blurb:
Captain Eva Innocente and the crew of La Sirena Negra cruise the galaxy delivering small cargo for even smaller profits. When her sister Mari is kidnapped by The Fridge, a shadowy syndicate that holds people hostage in cryostasis, Eva must undergo a series of unpleasant, dangerous missions to pay the ransom.
But Eva may lose her mind before she can raise the money. The ship’s hold is full of psychic cats, an amorous fish-faced emperor wants her dead after she rejects his advances, and her sweet engineer is giving her a pesky case of feelings. The worse things get, the more she lies, raising suspicions and testing her loyalty to her found family.
To free her sister, Eva will risk everything: her crew, her ship, and the life she’s built on the ashes of her past misdeeds. But when the dominoes start to fall and she finds the real threat is greater than she imagined, she must decide whether to play it cool or burn it all down.
