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laufox's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sleepybookclub's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
My friend recommended this book to me after talking about The Handmaids Tale and I can see why now! Personally not a fan of multiple POVs but this was at least manageable going between the first sister, Hiro, and Lito. I look forward to reading how the war continues.
erinlcrane's review against another edition
3.75
I thought this was a really imaginative take on a SF world. Feels kind of anime-ish at times with the weapons and mechs. It also feels a bit fantastical and less concerned with trying to create a realistic future - so this is not for folks who want a more grounded-in-reality SF.
I saw some things coming, but I didn't mind it. There were other things I didn't see coming at all! I liked the geopolitical situation and the different governments, but I have to say I was struggling a bit to keep up with it. With the POV switches and characters talking about the different factions and history intermixed, I got a little lost. I was wishing for a chart or something for me to refer to.
The plot here could really take up a lot more pages than this book gave it. I was wishing I had more characters and a slower pace. But I enjoyed what I got. It feels a bit messy and debut-ish, but I still liked it overall.
One main complaint I have is that I don't really buy the romance. It feels more told than shown. It's not given enough time to more naturally develop - at least for my preferences.
The ending definitely has me interested in First Sister's trajectory in particular. Plus we've got Dire and the Synths out there waiting to be used in the story, so I'd like to see where this goes!
I saw some things coming, but I didn't mind it. There were other things I didn't see coming at all! I liked the geopolitical situation and the different governments, but I have to say I was struggling a bit to keep up with it. With the POV switches and characters talking about the different factions and history intermixed, I got a little lost. I was wishing for a chart or something for me to refer to.
The plot here could really take up a lot more pages than this book gave it. I was wishing I had more characters and a slower pace. But I enjoyed what I got. It feels a bit messy and debut-ish, but I still liked it overall.
One main complaint I have is that I don't really buy the romance. It feels more told than shown. It's not given enough time to more naturally develop - at least for my preferences.
The ending definitely has me interested in First Sister's trajectory in particular. Plus we've got Dire and the Synths out there waiting to be used in the story, so I'd like to see where this goes!
blueseadragon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cetoria's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Racism, Rape, Trafficking, Colonisation, and War
natgosset's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
arockinsamsara's review against another edition
4.0
“The First Sister” is compelling from the first page, always brimming with the intensity of a scream that has been bottled up for lifetimes and is on the verge of rushing forth. The novel follows two primary characters, who are situated on opposite sides of a never-ending war, each tied up as pawns in political machinations and subterfuge far beyond their design. We are quickly introduced to an expansive world and history that is rich and detailed, the world-building done with a grace that makes it never feel rushed or overly expository. The primary characters are complicated and interesting, and the same can be said for the orbit of secondary characters, too. I never felt like a character was a mere archetype, even when they were fulfilling that role in the story.
The story itself a full-throated criticism of state violence and its intersections with poverty and class, while simultaneously forcing us to examine ideas of identity, bodily-autonomy, and the many costs of dedication to a cause. All of this wrapped in a smart space opera, which set a number of creative limitations on itself that offer space for further exploration. For instance, although everything is shot through with political machinations we get very little experience into the workings of the political scene, focusing on characters much farther down the pecking order. Similarly, while the story is confined mostly to one ship and two-ish planets, we know that in the narrative there are plot reasons that don’t allow any of the characters to go beyond the inner planets of Mercury – Mars, but it is a plot device not build on lack of technology or ambition but unseen historical antagonists that are mentioned in passing. While the story may never come from the point of view of an active politician and may never burn through the asteroid belt barrier before Jupiter, the story creates a world that still feels bursting with potential, and by keeping it confined for this first novel in this way the story was able to be more contained and intimate while still hinting at far greater possibilities. And, equally important, this story was a joy to read. Its structure and style never felt forced or cheap, but rather lush and personal. We shared space within the hearts of our main protagonists and the ways their observations and experiences were presented really pulled me into the story and its world without ever feeling hackneyed, but instead the work of a skilled story-teller. The story had a few large plot developments that I was able to guess about pretty early on, but they were married with other plot developments that I didn’t see coming. In either case, nothing felt unearned, and every twist, turn, and character choice was born from seeds that had been quietly planted as the story progressed.
Lastly, I think its important to talk about just how queer this book is. It has a queer meta-political ideology, insofar as it distrusts established authority and seeks to topple systems of oppression enshrined in manufactured ideas of the status quo. More importantly, though, it has unabashedly queer characters, in terms of not only sexual identity, but also gender identity and gender presentation, and, what is most revolutionary, none of these things serve as major sources of harm or trauma for the characters. The sexual fluidity is never dismissed as sinful or shameful, and no one ever misgenders the nonbinary character, neither accidentally nor maliciously. In other stories such a character might be accepted, but we would still have an antagonist intentionally misgender them, or question them, as a way to undermine their sense of self and create tension. That never happens here. There are questions, and hints at, possible past traumas regarding gender expression, but it is never used as a weapon, not even by the cruelest of the antagonists. It is hard to say how refreshing it is to read a queer novel that is explicitly queer in its outlook and its characters, and even its plot, but that queerness is just accepted as given and doesn’t serve as plot point. Especially in the space-opera/militaristic sci-fi realm, while definitely getting better, it is still uncommon for unapologetic queer identities to be central to the characters and story and yet not be driving force of those characters’ emotional arcs, nor a source of plot-enhancing trauma.
In short, I liked all the component parts as well as what they came together to create. While it does occupy a genre space that not everyone appreciates, the novel does a whole lot in that space and definitely looks to see what boundaries it can push. Anyone who is a fan of the genre will definitely find it both comforting but also refreshing and offering something new. Anyone who doesn’t identify as a fan of the genre should still give it a try, because it offers intimate character portraits that defy genre tropes. I look forward to continuing the series and seeing where else they will take us.
:::Note::: I received a complimentary digital copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The story itself a full-throated criticism of state violence and its intersections with poverty and class, while simultaneously forcing us to examine ideas of identity, bodily-autonomy, and the many costs of dedication to a cause. All of this wrapped in a smart space opera, which set a number of creative limitations on itself that offer space for further exploration. For instance, although everything is shot through with political machinations we get very little experience into the workings of the political scene, focusing on characters much farther down the pecking order. Similarly, while the story is confined mostly to one ship and two-ish planets, we know that in the narrative there are plot reasons that don’t allow any of the characters to go beyond the inner planets of Mercury – Mars, but it is a plot device not build on lack of technology or ambition but unseen historical antagonists that are mentioned in passing. While the story may never come from the point of view of an active politician and may never burn through the asteroid belt barrier before Jupiter, the story creates a world that still feels bursting with potential, and by keeping it confined for this first novel in this way the story was able to be more contained and intimate while still hinting at far greater possibilities. And, equally important, this story was a joy to read. Its structure and style never felt forced or cheap, but rather lush and personal. We shared space within the hearts of our main protagonists and the ways their observations and experiences were presented really pulled me into the story and its world without ever feeling hackneyed, but instead the work of a skilled story-teller. The story had a few large plot developments that I was able to guess about pretty early on, but they were married with other plot developments that I didn’t see coming. In either case, nothing felt unearned, and every twist, turn, and character choice was born from seeds that had been quietly planted as the story progressed.
Lastly, I think its important to talk about just how queer this book is. It has a queer meta-political ideology, insofar as it distrusts established authority and seeks to topple systems of oppression enshrined in manufactured ideas of the status quo. More importantly, though, it has unabashedly queer characters, in terms of not only sexual identity, but also gender identity and gender presentation, and, what is most revolutionary, none of these things serve as major sources of harm or trauma for the characters. The sexual fluidity is never dismissed as sinful or shameful, and no one ever misgenders the nonbinary character, neither accidentally nor maliciously. In other stories such a character might be accepted, but we would still have an antagonist intentionally misgender them, or question them, as a way to undermine their sense of self and create tension. That never happens here. There are questions, and hints at, possible past traumas regarding gender expression, but it is never used as a weapon, not even by the cruelest of the antagonists. It is hard to say how refreshing it is to read a queer novel that is explicitly queer in its outlook and its characters, and even its plot, but that queerness is just accepted as given and doesn’t serve as plot point. Especially in the space-opera/militaristic sci-fi realm, while definitely getting better, it is still uncommon for unapologetic queer identities to be central to the characters and story and yet not be driving force of those characters’ emotional arcs, nor a source of plot-enhancing trauma.
In short, I liked all the component parts as well as what they came together to create. While it does occupy a genre space that not everyone appreciates, the novel does a whole lot in that space and definitely looks to see what boundaries it can push. Anyone who is a fan of the genre will definitely find it both comforting but also refreshing and offering something new. Anyone who doesn’t identify as a fan of the genre should still give it a try, because it offers intimate character portraits that defy genre tropes. I look forward to continuing the series and seeing where else they will take us.
:::Note::: I received a complimentary digital copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
catbag's review against another edition
4.0
tasty yummy yummy
interesting and diverse cast of characters are having a bad time ?? sign me the fuck up
interesting and diverse cast of characters are having a bad time ?? sign me the fuck up