I started Song of Scarabaeus without really knowing whether I would enjoy it or not. But, since I've been enjoying Aguirre's Sirantha Jax series, I thought I'd give it a go. We are dropped into Edie Sha'nim's military-like world full of Fringers, the Crib, serfs, cyphertecks and BRATs right from the start, but quickly find our way through it as Creasy feeds us, sometimes slowly, details which help us become knowledgeable and immersed in this colorful world. Edie is the best cypherteck there is, she's been on eighteen missions and eighteen worlds have been "molded by {her} hands, {her} mind, over the last seven years. And not one has failed. {In fact,} Two of them have already been announced publicly as colony worlds ... for settlement within the next five years."Edie has been forced to work for the Crib, a gov't organization who develops, changes and modifies worlds making them habitable for humans. But, her impressive records makes her a target for a group that wants to use her to their bidding. When they get their hands on her, she finds herself tied to Finn, a Saeth ("rogue, independent fighters"), by a (mind) "leash" that will cause his head to explode if they get more than 1,989 meters apart. He's to be her bodyguard.Finn has had a troubled past, war-hero who lost all and gained nothing, years of slavery, even had his voice taken from him. Of course, all this means you immediately fall in love with him. ;) Edie is a kick-ass heroine who uses her mega mind to thwart the bad guys instead of her muscles. Gotta love that! The two find themselves in a situation where they cannot be separated. If Edie dies, so does Finn. Since their lives depend on each other, they quickly adjust to situation while working together to find a way out. Although the book is sometimes called Sci-Fi romance, the romance, little that there was, has the feeling of something that will develop over time throughout the series. The beginning was interesting, but the second half really takes things up a notch. Once the characters find themselves on Scarabaeus, things get wicked! I couldn't stop reading, only did because my iTouch battery died. Creasy does a great job of making you feel like you are right there. She also creates side characters that you come to enjoy almost as much as the h/H.I look forward to continuing the series with #2, Children of Scarabaeus.