Scan barcode
trust_your_soul's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
ellakostka's review against another edition
1.0
★☆☆☆☆ 1/5
this book was marketed to me as a “queer space opera” but i must have missed the “queer” and the “opera” in this book... the info-dumping was so bad i ended up just skipping through some of the beginning, and the whole pregnancy-plot was extremely uncomfortable for me to read, as was the obsession with calories. this book just wasn’t for me.
(arc provided by netgallery and Penguin Teen. all thoughts and opinions are my own)
this book was marketed to me as a “queer space opera” but i must have missed the “queer” and the “opera” in this book... the info-dumping was so bad i ended up just skipping through some of the beginning, and the whole pregnancy-plot was extremely uncomfortable for me to read, as was the obsession with calories. this book just wasn’t for me.
(arc provided by netgallery and Penguin Teen. all thoughts and opinions are my own)
aliciasrealm's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, this book was okay. There were pages and pages of exposition that could have been omitted or simplified without affecting the clarity of the story. This huge conflict was laid out the first few pages and then barely came into play throughout the daily lives of the characters. It was not explored or integrated enough.
The writing itself was enjoyable enough--this was a very quick read--but the plot itself didn't work for me. It was like a Cinderella story in space (specifically on a spaceship), and while certain concepts were interesting it never fully won me over. The stakes didn't feel high enough to intrigue me.
This book also seemed heavily influenced by the Star Wars Universe, which isn't surprising given the author's other novels. Not necessarily a bad thing, but at the same time I couldn't help but draw comparisons to that universe while reading.
The writing itself was enjoyable enough--this was a very quick read--but the plot itself didn't work for me. It was like a Cinderella story in space (specifically on a spaceship), and while certain concepts were interesting it never fully won me over. The stakes didn't feel high enough to intrigue me.
This book also seemed heavily influenced by the Star Wars Universe, which isn't surprising given the author's other novels. Not necessarily a bad thing, but at the same time I couldn't help but draw comparisons to that universe while reading.
stephan90's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bigdarklove's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
worldsunlikeourown's review against another edition
3.0
Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own.
Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
On an interstellar freighter like the Harland, everyone is expected to earn their oxygen and rations. When at five, Pendt is found to have the ability to manipulate genes, her mother and aunt declare it worthless. Seen as useless by the family, Pendt is relegated to menial tasks and basically starved, given just enough to survive. As her eighteenth birthday draws closer however, she knows the day she will be contracted out to other ships is coming, and with it, what little freedom she does have will be gone too. As the Harland docks at Brannick Station, Pendt sees her chance and escapes. The twin brothers who run the Station find her and realizing that she is a powerful gene mage, they make her an offer that will not only take her out of her family’s control forever, but also allow Ned Brannick to escape the gene lock that traps him on the station.
With such an intriguing premise, I really wanted to like this book. The brief history of the world we are given at the beginning seemed to lay the ground for what sounded like an exciting space opera – and for the first half, it did feel like the story was building up to something big. I liked how fast paced and easy to read this was, not to mention short, which is quite a novelty in YA these days when nearly every book is almost 400 pages. The magic system was really unique and combined with the lore of the world, made for an fascinating backdrop to this story (although the obsession with calories started to get a bit weird after a while).
Pendt’s character arc was fantastic. Her years aboard the Harland and the hardships she undergoes were depicted in a lot of detail, which made it very clear how much and how quickly she grows once away from her family, turning into an incredibly strong character. Ned and Fisher Brannick, the twins, were interesting characters, though I did feel that the story would have benefitted more if they had been introduced right at the beginning rather than waiting until almost halfway through the story. It felt quite abrupt, especially since their POVs were suddenly added in at that point too when we were already used to Pendt’s voice.
While there were many things about this book that didn’t work for me, three in particular stand out. While the writing and dialogue feels like YA, the topics or atleast the way they’re discussed certainly are not and there were many plot points, especially in the second half of the book, that made me more than a little uncomfortable. While there are content warnings at the beginning, I didn’t feel like it was nearly comprehensive enough. Second, I knew there was LQBTQ representation in this book, but I am very disappointed with how vague and confusing the portrayal was. Maybe it was just too subtle for me, but I didn’t figure out that Fisher was trans until very late into the book and felt that the author could have made it clearer earlier on why only Ned and not Fisher could run the Station. Finally, it was really annoying that all that build up in the story went literally nowhere – once Pendt escapes the Harland, things became boring. There was no action or real excitement and all the interesting stuff happened off page, making this read more like a prequel to a series. It’s really hard to care about a rebellion you can’t see.
The climax of this book was a huge letdown, mainly because the plan the three of them come up with was ridiculous and aside from it actually working, this scene was also such a wasted opportunity for Pendt to confront her mother and aunt. With how smoothly this scene worked out, the stakes didn’t feel high at all, not even a last minute twist to liven it up. There is significant room for a sequel, and I am rather curious about what could happen. Overall, while this book had some great ideas with a lot of potential, the execution just didn’t live up to it. It was unfortunately not to my taste and didn’t really work out for me.
Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
On an interstellar freighter like the Harland, everyone is expected to earn their oxygen and rations. When at five, Pendt is found to have the ability to manipulate genes, her mother and aunt declare it worthless. Seen as useless by the family, Pendt is relegated to menial tasks and basically starved, given just enough to survive. As her eighteenth birthday draws closer however, she knows the day she will be contracted out to other ships is coming, and with it, what little freedom she does have will be gone too. As the Harland docks at Brannick Station, Pendt sees her chance and escapes. The twin brothers who run the Station find her and realizing that she is a powerful gene mage, they make her an offer that will not only take her out of her family’s control forever, but also allow Ned Brannick to escape the gene lock that traps him on the station.
With such an intriguing premise, I really wanted to like this book. The brief history of the world we are given at the beginning seemed to lay the ground for what sounded like an exciting space opera – and for the first half, it did feel like the story was building up to something big. I liked how fast paced and easy to read this was, not to mention short, which is quite a novelty in YA these days when nearly every book is almost 400 pages. The magic system was really unique and combined with the lore of the world, made for an fascinating backdrop to this story (although the obsession with calories started to get a bit weird after a while).
Pendt’s character arc was fantastic. Her years aboard the Harland and the hardships she undergoes were depicted in a lot of detail, which made it very clear how much and how quickly she grows once away from her family, turning into an incredibly strong character. Ned and Fisher Brannick, the twins, were interesting characters, though I did feel that the story would have benefitted more if they had been introduced right at the beginning rather than waiting until almost halfway through the story. It felt quite abrupt, especially since their POVs were suddenly added in at that point too when we were already used to Pendt’s voice.
While there were many things about this book that didn’t work for me, three in particular stand out. While the writing and dialogue feels like YA, the topics or atleast the way they’re discussed certainly are not and there were many plot points, especially in the second half of the book, that made me more than a little uncomfortable. While there are content warnings at the beginning, I didn’t feel like it was nearly comprehensive enough. Second, I knew there was LQBTQ representation in this book, but I am very disappointed with how vague and confusing the portrayal was. Maybe it was just too subtle for me, but I didn’t figure out that Fisher was trans until very late into the book and felt that the author could have made it clearer earlier on why only Ned and not Fisher could run the Station. Finally, it was really annoying that all that build up in the story went literally nowhere – once Pendt escapes the Harland, things became boring. There was no action or real excitement and all the interesting stuff happened off page, making this read more like a prequel to a series. It’s really hard to care about a rebellion you can’t see.
The climax of this book was a huge letdown, mainly because the plan the three of them come up with was ridiculous and aside from it actually working, this scene was also such a wasted opportunity for Pendt to confront her mother and aunt. With how smoothly this scene worked out, the stakes didn’t feel high at all, not even a last minute twist to liven it up. There is significant room for a sequel, and I am rather curious about what could happen. Overall, while this book had some great ideas with a lot of potential, the execution just didn’t live up to it. It was unfortunately not to my taste and didn’t really work out for me.
tamikie's review
adventurous
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Wish it was gayer
idlehabitat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
The audiobook for Aetherbound was great, despite the story being pretty miserable. It's heavy on YA and light on sci-fi, with far more trauma and abuse than necessary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Medical trauma