mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
A space trip to a new colony should have gone OK…. but then things happen and it is up to a group of teens to get their parents and other adults safe. Warning: This is the first book.
I have been looking forward to reading this book since months before it comes out. I never found time to get this book, so I was entirely happy when I found it at Library #1. I love it when they add more English books to their tiny collection. Especially when those are books I want to read!
Meet Beth, she is delighted and excited to go to a new colony. To discover a new world. To go with her family to explore the world. However she quickly finds out that living on a spaceship isn’t really fun and play. There are fun activities of course, but there is also a daily schedule, school, lessons, training. And it is not like the Orion follows an exciting route through space. But Beth is going to wish she didn’t wish for things to get a bit more exciting when things go wrong just before Sleep. When she wakes up nothing is the same anymore and she has to lead her friends in an exciting mission to help the adults and the others that are still in Sleep and not waking up. I loved Beth, and I just could connect so well with her. She needs to be a leader but she doesn’t know how to do all the things. Yet, she tries. Yet, she steps up. Yet, she goes for it. Yes, things go wrong. Yes, it is stressful, but I loved that she persevered and didn’t give up. Or well… No, I am not saying anything.
I did feel sorry for what her fear was. And yes, she endangered things, but I can imagine that she just wanted to show that she could lead. That she was strong.
I wasn’t too big of a fan of Limit, um sorry Lauryn. I just refuse to use that name. I wasn’t always a fan of the girl she was just too much and didn’t seem to understand that maybe she should just chill a bit. I did like how awesome she was with coding, computers, hacking and that she could just get into the mainframe with just the click of the keyboard.
The other characters, Mikkel, Lucille, Arnold. I really liked them as well. I loved their personalities and seeing what they were good at doing. I wouldn’t mind reading more of the story through Lucille’s POV for instance.
Ship, ah the fun AI, is he good or is he not good. I loved how he was written. It made the story creepier because you had no clue if the AI was on your side… or on his own side.
There are lots of twists and turns, secrets being revealed, and I just loved them all. At times I thought I knew what was going on.. but then something else would happen and I wouldn’t know what to think. It was fantastic. Great job to the author. It definitely kept me on my toes.
We read about Jumps, that people have to Sleep so their mind doesn’t scramble, we learn about baddies, and about Videshi (love that name btw), it was all so well written that I just disappeared in the book and was part of the crew.
The reason I am rating this book 4.5 and not 5 stars is because of two reasons. Mostly Vihaan whose annoying attitude just irritated me to no ends. He was just so cocky, thought he knew everything. And sure, he knew a lot that Beth doesn’t know. But Beth got love, soul, caring, she is sweet, and she is really willing to learn. I just wanted to throw Vihaan into space and leave him there.
And next. I thought this would be a stand-alone. But instead it seems, given the ending, that there will be another book. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy with more stories about the Orion… BUT I was looking forward to a complete story.
But other than those two points I really enjoyed this book and I loved it to bits. I flew through it. There are twists and turns. Secrets uncovered. Friendship being made. Tough decisions. And if you are looking for an exciting space adventure, read this one.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I have been looking forward to reading this book since months before it comes out. I never found time to get this book, so I was entirely happy when I found it at Library #1. I love it when they add more English books to their tiny collection. Especially when those are books I want to read!
Meet Beth, she is delighted and excited to go to a new colony. To discover a new world. To go with her family to explore the world. However she quickly finds out that living on a spaceship isn’t really fun and play. There are fun activities of course, but there is also a daily schedule, school, lessons, training. And it is not like the Orion follows an exciting route through space. But Beth is going to wish she didn’t wish for things to get a bit more exciting when things go wrong just before Sleep. When she wakes up nothing is the same anymore and she has to lead her friends in an exciting mission to help the adults and the others that are still in Sleep and not waking up. I loved Beth, and I just could connect so well with her. She needs to be a leader but she doesn’t know how to do all the things. Yet, she tries. Yet, she steps up. Yet, she goes for it. Yes, things go wrong. Yes, it is stressful, but I loved that she persevered and didn’t give up. Or well… No, I am not saying anything.
I did feel sorry for what her fear was. And yes, she endangered things, but I can imagine that she just wanted to show that she could lead. That she was strong.
I wasn’t too big of a fan of Limit, um sorry Lauryn. I just refuse to use that name. I wasn’t always a fan of the girl she was just too much and didn’t seem to understand that maybe she should just chill a bit. I did like how awesome she was with coding, computers, hacking and that she could just get into the mainframe with just the click of the keyboard.
The other characters, Mikkel, Lucille, Arnold. I really liked them as well. I loved their personalities and seeing what they were good at doing. I wouldn’t mind reading more of the story through Lucille’s POV for instance.
Ship, ah the fun AI, is he good or is he not good. I loved how he was written. It made the story creepier because you had no clue if the AI was on your side… or on his own side.
There are lots of twists and turns, secrets being revealed, and I just loved them all. At times I thought I knew what was going on.. but then something else would happen and I wouldn’t know what to think. It was fantastic. Great job to the author. It definitely kept me on my toes.
We read about Jumps, that people have to Sleep so their mind doesn’t scramble, we learn about baddies, and about Videshi (love that name btw), it was all so well written that I just disappeared in the book and was part of the crew.
The reason I am rating this book 4.5 and not 5 stars is because of two reasons. Mostly Vihaan whose annoying attitude just irritated me to no ends. He was just so cocky, thought he knew everything. And sure, he knew a lot that Beth doesn’t know. But Beth got love, soul, caring, she is sweet, and she is really willing to learn. I just wanted to throw Vihaan into space and leave him there.
And next. I thought this would be a stand-alone. But instead it seems, given the ending, that there will be another book. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy with more stories about the Orion… BUT I was looking forward to a complete story.
But other than those two points I really enjoyed this book and I loved it to bits. I flew through it. There are twists and turns. Secrets uncovered. Friendship being made. Tough decisions. And if you are looking for an exciting space adventure, read this one.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
msbgalens's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
emaretea's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.5
jefftstevens's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
writeronherway's review against another edition
5.0
I was really looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint. There is not a lot of sci-fi aimed at 8-12s so it was great to find one that was really good! I just wish there had been more sci-fi intended for this age group when I was in it. I will definitely be recommending this one.
The premise is: what would happen if on route to a new colony all of the adults were indisposed and the children were left in charge? Beth finds herself selected as Captain (rather than the actual Captain’s son...awkward!) by the ship’s computer because she had the highest grades in their leadership tests. She soon finds that putting those skills to the test in an emergency situation where you’re suddenly in charge of an entire ship and all the lives onboard is a bit more challenging! Her team of six find it really tough to work together and take on jobs they’ve only studied a little bit for. I love that they don’t just become fast friends but they argue, get scared, get it wrong (a lot!) but in the end it works out! I loved how they worked together and came up with a good plan at the end under pressure.
Perfect fun, fast-paced escapism. I read it in one go. My only complaint is that it looks like a stand alone and I’d love to see a sequel!
The premise is: what would happen if on route to a new colony all of the adults were indisposed and the children were left in charge? Beth finds herself selected as Captain (rather than the actual Captain’s son...awkward!) by the ship’s computer because she had the highest grades in their leadership tests. She soon finds that putting those skills to the test in an emergency situation where you’re suddenly in charge of an entire ship and all the lives onboard is a bit more challenging! Her team of six find it really tough to work together and take on jobs they’ve only studied a little bit for. I love that they don’t just become fast friends but they argue, get scared, get it wrong (a lot!) but in the end it works out! I loved how they worked together and came up with a good plan at the end under pressure.
Perfect fun, fast-paced escapism. I read it in one go. My only complaint is that it looks like a stand alone and I’d love to see a sequel!
saccalai's review against another edition
4.0
This was so cleverly written, full of twists and unexpected happenings. I did have a suspicion, but only because a certain person seemed too nice! The writing made you feel for what each of the characters was going through and I loved the way they all came together despite initial differences.
beccarhubarb's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-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
5.0
This book has been on my radar for a while; the synopsis really intrigued me! I absolutely adored reading about these characters and how they became friends.
Spoiler
I also love a ship that has a holographic entity (?) because it reminds me of Legends of Tomorrow so in my head Ship was Gideon!jedisloth's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
dwheeler88's review against another edition
4.0
Really nice, “wholesome” middle grade story of a colonizing ship leaving Earth for a new planet to terraform. Then, of course, everything goes wrong. The story was pretty well paced and the characters were fun. Nothing too serious, scary or depressing, so I would highly recommend it if you want a light space read.
Beth, Vihaan, Lauryn/Limit, Mikkel, Arnold, Lucille, Ship, Videshi
Beth, Vihaan, Lauryn/Limit, Mikkel, Arnold, Lucille, Ship, Videshi
mitalireads's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a bit of a roller coaster not just in its space adventure plot but my reading experience a whole. Overall I really enjoyed the book and found myself intrigued by the plot and characters. However certain weaknesses brought down the overall rating and enjoyment.
Strengths:
* Fast paced, easily consumable and generally intriguing.
* Plot was well structured and plot twists are well done.
* Characters were good and interesting to follow.
* A generally good space adventure.
* A well written villain which held a reasonable amount of depth.
* A good message that was portrayed well especially in the main character.
Weaknesses:
* While the writing was easily consumable the writing felt more Juvenile than a liked though younger readers may disagree but for myself brought the book down especially the way certain action scenes were written which reduced the atmosphere and tension.
* There was character development but it felt inadequate by the end of the novel.
* While characters could be distinguished they were not as distinctive and felt a quite a few points 2 dimensional rather than fully formed characters.
* As it is a science fiction novel a level of suspended disbelief is needed and so I kept this in mind while reading but there were certain gaps in the book with regards to some of the science and the world building.
Despite my slightly lengthy criticisms I still enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone looking for a fast paced, easily consumable , space adventure and a good message.
Strengths:
* Fast paced, easily consumable and generally intriguing.
* Plot was well structured and plot twists are well done.
* Characters were good and interesting to follow.
* A generally good space adventure.
* A well written villain which held a reasonable amount of depth.
* A good message that was portrayed well especially in the main character.
Weaknesses:
* While the writing was easily consumable the writing felt more Juvenile than a liked though younger readers may disagree but for myself brought the book down especially the way certain action scenes were written which reduced the atmosphere and tension.
* There was character development but it felt inadequate by the end of the novel.
* While characters could be distinguished they were not as distinctive and felt a quite a few points 2 dimensional rather than fully formed characters.
* As it is a science fiction novel a level of suspended disbelief is needed and so I kept this in mind while reading but there were certain gaps in the book with regards to some of the science and the world building.
Despite my slightly lengthy criticisms I still enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone looking for a fast paced, easily consumable , space adventure and a good message.