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theroastedbookery's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
This author came highly recommended to me by a friend who'd read their Ahsoka novel. It didn't disappoint. I like very much how grounded and real living in space and on a space station was in this book. It wasn't overly burdened with technical jargon and your understanding of the science of space travel wasn't an obstacle to enjoying this book (though I do love a good number crunching, physics explaining space adventure). I really appreciate how the magic system in this book was a portal into a discussion on bodily autonomy and choice. I also appreciate how the magic system itself wasn't overly complicated because I feel as though the point of the book wasn't the magic but the people and the choices they made with their abilities. In the end, despite the setting, this book was about the choices people make given their circumstances and I really enjoyed it.
Things I Liked:
Things I Liked:
- Typical gender roles were swapped or abandoned altogether. This was a refreshing romance and action/adventure story because of that.
- The magic system was not overly complicated nor was the technical jargon overbearing. This let me see clearly the characters behind the decisions.
- The action of the book was driven by the choices of the people in the story - there were politics, economic systems, etc in the book but those things served as the backdrop against which people acted.
- There wasn't anything about the cruelty or the romance present in the book that was gratuitous. The book was an engaging read that I didn't feel the need to take a "break" from because while the themes were hefty, the manner in which they were presented didn't knock me on my heels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Trafficking
Minor: Child death and Grief
This book is set in space and the characters in it (in the beginning) are on a ship where the line between cruelty and survival blurs and in some cases disappears entirely. Because of the manner in which they operate their ship, there is a hyper-focus on food intake. Each crew member's food intake is carefully rationed and controlled to ensure survival but nothing more. Food allotments are controlled to the gram and harsh punishments are exacted for hoarding, wasting or spoiling food.booksthatburn's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
This is a trans-affirming sci-fi book with a premise revolving around someone who has the ability to (in certain contexts) manipulate genetics. It's lovely to read something that doesn't try to "fix" the trans character, but finds other solutions for the in-universe problems caused by their chromosomal situation. It's similarly understanding and cathartic around issues including but not limited to neglect and food restriction. The tagline is "There's a fine line between survival and cruelty", and the overall arc is of someone who was raised under the claim of survival-driven scarcity, slowly, in a zone of love and abundance, untangling which parts of her upbringing were actually just cruel.
Major pieces of backstory and world-building are conveyed in a series of well-described but pretty dense infodumps, one at the very start and a few more sprinkled throughout the rest of the text. They felt a bit clunky but were sufficiently brief as to keep from being overwhelming. The overall effect works well and I love the main characters.
Major pieces of backstory and world-building are conveyed in a series of well-described but pretty dense infodumps, one at the very start and a few more sprinkled throughout the rest of the text. They felt a bit clunky but were sufficiently brief as to keep from being overwhelming. The overall effect works well and I love the main characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, and Medical trauma
Minor: Child death and Death
From the book: “This book contains a scene of medical violence. Characters also obsess about food and count calories.”betweentheshelves's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I feel like this had so much potential, but even though it was short, the pacing was off and not a lot happened until about 3/4 of the way through the book. There was a lot of focus on building the world, building these characters, but then I wasn't really sure what the point was? A lot of the exposition could have been cut down, and more of the plot points at the end expanded on more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Trafficking
Moderate: Bullying, Death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Grief and Pregnancy
Women are forced into pregnancy in this, and there are a lot of instances of counting calories.victorianrogue's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Miscarriage and Trafficking
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for the arc of this book!
Can we talk about how gorgeous this cover is?!
Pendt grew up knowing she was only worth the good she could do for the spaceship and her Family, and that her body was worth more than herself. On Brannick station, Ned and Fisher strain against the way they are trapped in their roles by their genetic heritage. The three make an alliance that seems to get what each of them want, but as the threat of the empire and Pendt's family looms, they will have to pull off unlikely schemes to survive.
I really enjoyed the plot of this book! I was immediately hooked with Pendt's personality and her struggles with her family. She is such a strong character and was able to stay soft and caring even through her upbringing. I also immediately loved Fisher when his pov started. I loved the found family aspect and enjoyed the building relationships between Ned, Fisher, and Pendt.
My complaint about this book is that it felt like it was building up to something that it never got to. I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a series or not, but this entire book kind of felt like an extended exposition that was building up to something. It almost felt like a prequel? I really enjoyed the story, but it just felt like more action needed to happen. The pacing was a little strange, and every time I started to really enjoy a section it would change. I definitely think this could continue into a series with more action.
That being said, I would definitely read this again and really loved the plot and characters!
Pub Date: May 25, 2021
Can we talk about how gorgeous this cover is?!
Pendt grew up knowing she was only worth the good she could do for the spaceship and her Family, and that her body was worth more than herself. On Brannick station, Ned and Fisher strain against the way they are trapped in their roles by their genetic heritage. The three make an alliance that seems to get what each of them want, but as the threat of the empire and Pendt's family looms, they will have to pull off unlikely schemes to survive.
I really enjoyed the plot of this book! I was immediately hooked with Pendt's personality and her struggles with her family. She is such a strong character and was able to stay soft and caring even through her upbringing. I also immediately loved Fisher when his pov started. I loved the found family aspect and enjoyed the building relationships between Ned, Fisher, and Pendt.
My complaint about this book is that it felt like it was building up to something that it never got to. I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a series or not, but this entire book kind of felt like an extended exposition that was building up to something. It almost felt like a prequel? I really enjoyed the story, but it just felt like more action needed to happen. The pacing was a little strange, and every time I started to really enjoy a section it would change. I definitely think this could continue into a series with more action.
That being said, I would definitely read this again and really loved the plot and characters!
Pub Date: May 25, 2021
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Eating disorder, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Blood, and Grief
themixedpages's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder and Trafficking
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Grief and Abortion