lolasreviews's review against another edition
DNF'd this one, not sure how far % as I was reading the box set.
I DNF'd this one as I couldn't stand the female main characters personality. She was argumentative and rude and pushed people away, said things she didn't mean and didn't take good care of herself and then is rude to the person who saved her. The different aliens where interesting and I also liked the male main character, but because of the female main character and the way she interacted I just couldn't enjoy this book. So setting it aside for now.
I DNF'd this one as I couldn't stand the female main characters personality. She was argumentative and rude and pushed people away, said things she didn't mean and didn't take good care of herself and then is rude to the person who saved her. The different aliens where interesting and I also liked the male main character, but because of the female main character and the way she interacted I just couldn't enjoy this book. So setting it aside for now.
febyidrus's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
3.75
Really absorbing, very well written. Didn't quite make it to four stars for me just because Reese (and her anger issues) became somewhat one-note, even to the other characters! However it's clear this is something Hogarth is going to explore and work through in the rest of the series, so I will keep reading. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the strong characterisation of the other characters and the world building was solid.Â
Other reviews have mentioned their issues with this apparent use of the 'angry black woman' stereotype, and I have seen at least one review referencing the author's anti-trans and homophobic views. If the latter is true, this is very troubling, but I have yet to find any evidence online of this. (I am happy to be shown evidence!!) I will say Reese certainly seems to be a bit of a prude at times, and morally somewhat judgemental, which suggests a more conservative outlook on the part of the author. Re the angry black woman stereotype, I'm not totally familiar with the ins and outs of this stereotype, but it seems clear to me that Reese's anger is a defence mechanism designed to push people away, so is born out of fear and her past. i.e. she isn't angry for no reason, and this was intentionally done by the author, which in my opinion pushes her portrayal away from stereotype. It isn't for me to make a call on this though. I would be interested to know the opinion of other black authors on this issue.
Other reviews have mentioned their issues with this apparent use of the 'angry black woman' stereotype, and I have seen at least one review referencing the author's anti-trans and homophobic views. If the latter is true, this is very troubling, but I have yet to find any evidence online of this. (I am happy to be shown evidence!!) I will say Reese certainly seems to be a bit of a prude at times, and morally somewhat judgemental, which suggests a more conservative outlook on the part of the author. Re the angry black woman stereotype, I'm not totally familiar with the ins and outs of this stereotype, but it seems clear to me that Reese's anger is a defence mechanism designed to push people away, so is born out of fear and her past. i.e. she isn't angry for no reason, and this was intentionally done by the author, which in my opinion pushes her portrayal away from stereotype. It isn't for me to make a call on this though. I would be interested to know the opinion of other black authors on this issue.
yoonka's review
1.0
Horrendous homophobic book, annoying entitled main characters, absolute trash in every possible way.
iffer's review
3.0
This wasn't the greatest book ever, but I enjoyed it, as I enjoy nearly any sci-fi motley crew on a spaceship stories. The author also doesn't take herself too seriously, which is why it was easier to intentionally suspend my disbelief about the race that is basically magical space elves, and the other race of hypersexed cat people (which seem intentionally designed/included to be fan servicey).
sharonrhh's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
snazel's review
4.0
Oh, heh-heh, fluffy space opera. I love fluffy space opera! Dealing with pirates, everyone's broke, awkard situations— well that's some buried trauma we just dealt with. And that's some more trauma. OH WOW that's a lot of trauma. BLOOD. SO MUCH BLOOD AND TRAUMA. WHY IS EVERYTHING TERRIBLE. RUN. RUN. START THE SHIP WE NEED TO RUN.
simply_sam's review
3.0
Alright, here it goes. A semi-crappy review bulked up with some pretty crappy pics but honestly, it's all I have the brain cells for anymore.
I purchased and listened to the audio for this one, and I'll be honest, I don't think he was a great choice for this book.
Big shocker there, right?
His voice was way too raspy, whispery, and gravelly for the role. He sounds like he should be voicing an old-time, down and out cowboy like this,
not a 30 year old woman like this,
I listened to bits in the car and my daughter even cringed listening. She said he just sounded like Batman reading different lines. So I guess he could even look like this:
Oops! Wrong Batman. But you get my drift.
I don't mean to be disparaging to the narrator. I can totally see his voice being perfect for other roles....just not this one.
It took me several starts and stops before I decided to push through it and acclimate. Unfortunately that never really happened. I feel like the narration kept me disconnected from the characters and pulled me right out of the story.
If I had time to actually sit down and read, I think I would have enjoyed this one much more than I did. I know that there is a good story here. I loved the cast (aside from Reese, who is just prickly, irrational, and rude---and who I hope ends up growing as a character.) Who wouldn't love overly amorous cat people (think Khajiit), phoenixes, and space elves?
I mean come on, that's a winning combination. Add mysterious benefactors, slave trades, harems, romance novels, inter-planetary travel, and extreme matriarchal societies and you have yourself a fun space opera. However, that last like 50% of the book just felt like it dragged on, and on, and on.
When the last line was read, my only thought was, "Finally." That can't be good, right? Again, I really think it was due to the poor narrator choice and not the content of the story. I'm even going to give book 2 a shot.
I'm giving it a solid 3 stars. I thought about going 3.5 stars but in the end it just felt too long and Reese got on my nerves for the majority of the book.
Initial Review:
Wow, I feel like I've been listening to this book for-ehhhhh-verrrrrrr. I think it's in part because I didn't like the narrator and truly felt he was not a good choice for the part (maybe another part, maybe another book, just not this one), but also because the last 40% or so of the book seemed to drag on. It's bad when the audio comes to an end and the only thing I can think to say is, "Finally."
RTC. Maybe. Hopefully. But we all know how that goes...
I purchased and listened to the audio for this one, and I'll be honest, I don't think he was a great choice for this book.
Big shocker there, right?
His voice was way too raspy, whispery, and gravelly for the role. He sounds like he should be voicing an old-time, down and out cowboy like this,
not a 30 year old woman like this,
I listened to bits in the car and my daughter even cringed listening. She said he just sounded like Batman reading different lines. So I guess he could even look like this:
Oops! Wrong Batman. But you get my drift.
I don't mean to be disparaging to the narrator. I can totally see his voice being perfect for other roles....just not this one.
It took me several starts and stops before I decided to push through it and acclimate. Unfortunately that never really happened. I feel like the narration kept me disconnected from the characters and pulled me right out of the story.
If I had time to actually sit down and read, I think I would have enjoyed this one much more than I did. I know that there is a good story here. I loved the cast (aside from Reese, who is just prickly, irrational, and rude---and who I hope ends up growing as a character.) Who wouldn't love overly amorous cat people (think Khajiit), phoenixes, and space elves?
I mean come on, that's a winning combination. Add mysterious benefactors, slave trades, harems, romance novels, inter-planetary travel, and extreme matriarchal societies and you have yourself a fun space opera. However, that last like 50% of the book just felt like it dragged on, and on, and on.
When the last line was read, my only thought was, "Finally." That can't be good, right? Again, I really think it was due to the poor narrator choice and not the content of the story. I'm even going to give book 2 a shot.
I'm giving it a solid 3 stars. I thought about going 3.5 stars but in the end it just felt too long and Reese got on my nerves for the majority of the book.
Initial Review:
Wow, I feel like I've been listening to this book for-ehhhhh-verrrrrrr. I think it's in part because I didn't like the narrator and truly felt he was not a good choice for the part (maybe another part, maybe another book, just not this one), but also because the last 40% or so of the book seemed to drag on. It's bad when the audio comes to an end and the only thing I can think to say is, "Finally."
RTC. Maybe. Hopefully. But we all know how that goes...
see_sadie_read's review
3.0
I'm torn how to feel about this book. It's easily readable, has an interesting universe and I very much enjoyed all the side characters (including Unpronounceably Named Male Lead). But I never came to like Reece. Not even a little bit. I understood that she wasn't really meant to be a b*tch, but she was. She was so prickly that she pushed everyone away, even me, the reader. I kept hoping that she'd come around and settle down to likable. After all, there are generally expected arcs that such books usually follow. I sense that this series will too, but it didn't happen in this book.
I kept thinking and being bothered by the idea that if she was a male captain, no author would have written her to be so coddled by her crew. They're constantly sending her away when things get intense. The stress of leadership is literally eating a hole in her stomach. And she's angry all the time, because she can't express herself any other way.
There was also some uncomfortable language. Hogarth uses food to describe skin tones (admittedly for both black and white characters), which is understably a no-no, and Unpronounceably Named Male Lead thinks of Reece as looking exotic, several times. Which might not be so bad if he wasn't a white man, her a black woman and they weren't standing next to cat-people, dog-like people and a talking Phoenix. Kind of sure, being a black woman doesn't make her the exotic one in those circumstances.
Lastly, the plotting is very linear. Reece is hired to rescue someone. She and her crew go right there and get them. Then she immediately has a medical emergency that they are miraculously on hand to fix and then they just go off on their next adventure. There are no red herrings or diverting paths to liven things up a bit.
Having said that, I appreciate there being a person of color as a lead character, even on the cover, and I was entertained throughout the book. I'd be happy to read another one.
I kept thinking and being bothered by the idea that if she was a male captain, no author would have written her to be so coddled by her crew. They're constantly sending her away when things get intense. The stress of leadership is literally eating a hole in her stomach. And she's angry all the time, because she can't express herself any other way.
There was also some uncomfortable language. Hogarth uses food to describe skin tones (admittedly for both black and white characters), which is understably a no-no, and Unpronounceably Named Male Lead thinks of Reece as looking exotic, several times. Which might not be so bad if he wasn't a white man, her a black woman and they weren't standing next to cat-people, dog-like people and a talking Phoenix. Kind of sure, being a black woman doesn't make her the exotic one in those circumstances.
Lastly, the plotting is very linear. Reece is hired to rescue someone. She and her crew go right there and get them. Then she immediately has a medical emergency that they are miraculously on hand to fix and then they just go off on their next adventure. There are no red herrings or diverting paths to liven things up a bit.
Having said that, I appreciate there being a person of color as a lead character, even on the cover, and I was entertained throughout the book. I'd be happy to read another one.
sumayyah_t's review
4.0
Rather enjoyable.
Captain Theresa Eddings of the Earthrise struggles with her crew to stay in the black as a trader, merchant, and transporter. When her mysterious benefactor gives her the task of rescuing a spy - a member of the reclusive Eldritch race - from the hands of slavers in exchange for forgiving her debt, Reese seizes the opportunity. Along with her crew of Pelted peoples, she jumps into action, rescuing Hirianthial, and descending into a world of trouble. Much more enjoyable that I imAgined it would be. No romance, lots of action, and a warning for the squeamish, mentions of Pelted sex, incest, and slavery. 3.5 stars for a couple of confusing/clunky transitions, with an interest in reading the sequel.
Captain Theresa Eddings of the Earthrise struggles with her crew to stay in the black as a trader, merchant, and transporter. When her mysterious benefactor gives her the task of rescuing a spy - a member of the reclusive Eldritch race - from the hands of slavers in exchange for forgiving her debt, Reese seizes the opportunity. Along with her crew of Pelted peoples, she jumps into action, rescuing Hirianthial, and descending into a world of trouble. Much more enjoyable that I imAgined it would be. No romance, lots of action, and a warning for the squeamish, mentions of Pelted sex, incest, and slavery. 3.5 stars for a couple of confusing/clunky transitions, with an interest in reading the sequel.