Reviews with content warning for Blood - Under Fortunate Stars

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Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings

2 reviews

emily_mh's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Hutchings did not place the reader inside the most interesting perspectives she had to offer, and this book suffered for it. I would have been much more interested in following the Fortunate Five as they realise they save the universe in the future, but we get next to none of this as the POVs are limited to the ship from the future, which while interesting (as these people are meeting famous historical figures), would have been hugely enhanced by the Fortune Five POVs. How cool would it have been to follow these characters as they adjust to the knowledge that they are the chosen ones in a universal war?

Admittedly, one of the future POVs is revealed to be a Fortunate Five member but this is super last minute so we don’t get a lot of exploration here, AND no one believes that the Five they put together is the original Five anyway, so there was no sense of magnitude, which I’ll get into more later

. This is my biggest criticism of the book, as there was just SO MUCH potential that Hutchings left untapped.

It was really weird to me that at no point did anyone on either ship think that their present was how the history of the Fortunate Five actually played out. They all thought that something had gone wrong with the timeline, and that they had to imitate the Fortunate Five as accurately as possible so that the future could still happen. And the people from the future ship think this being fully aware of how sanitised and patchy the history of the Five are; like, perhaps that’s because all THIS happened, which would be unmentionable in history textbooks?? It’s made pretty clear to the reader, in my opinion, that we are seeing the true history of the Five unravel, and it was beyond cool (and very clever) seeing how everything came together. But it would have taken it to the next level if the characters THEMSELVES had realised that this was the original Five they were dealing with, and not some cobbled-together replica. Seeing especially the future ship members realise the magnitude of their actions and the realisation of their involvement would have been beyond satisfying and interesting for the reader.

Hutchings was inconsistent in writing her characters. At times they felt searingly human (like in Jereth and Leeg's flashback POVs, and in Shaan’s); at others, it was like she forgot to write in emotional reactions to highly emotional situations. For example, the terror of being stranded OUTSIDE OF SPACE TIME. I can think of nothing more existential than that, but it felt like the characters viewed it the same as being trapped in a desolate area of space. There are some other examples I could give, but I want to avoid spoilers.

Sometimes the plot felt too slow, as there were quite a lot of scenes where characters were talking instead of doing, and sometimes the talking didn’t feel like it was going places. But Hutchings nailed the scope of the plot. I was concerned she was going to put too much in, but she focussed on what needed to be focussed on. I’m being intentionally vague to avoid spoilers!

I have kind of highlighted mostly negative things here, which is unfortunate because I did like this book. I really enjoyed reading it. Like I said, the way things came together was satisfying and clever, there were some really fantastic character moments, the plot scope was perfect, and despite it being slow at times, I was really engaged. I think I feel disappointed because I had such high expectations, and I also feel like there was so much potential that just wasn’t reached.

Rep: four POVs, two queer

Content Warnings

azrah786's review against another edition

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4.75

[This review can also be found on my BLOG]

**I was provided with an ARC through the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

CW: violence, gun violence, blood, injury, war, murder, death, child death, vehicle accident, alcohol
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My favourite read of the year so far Under Fortunate Stars is a wonderfully satisfying time travel tale embedded within an engaging space opera.

The story follows the crews of two space vessels from time periods 152 years apart that get pulled into a time rift in space – the Jonah, a civilian cargo ship and the Gallion, a hireable research facility vessel. Things become more complicated when those from the Gallion claim that in their timeline the Jonah is the historically famous ship of the Fortunate Five who brought peace to the universe by ending the generations-long war with the alien Felen, a truth that the Jonah crew are doubtful to believe and the Gallion crew are equally sceptical of because not everything from the records is adding up.

Despite being at odds with one another, resources are running low and so the two groups must band together to figure out how to get out of the Rift and return to their respective timelines as well as ensure that history correctly runs its course.

“…when you know you’re doing the right thing, you have an obligation to stand your ground, even if everyone says it’s impossible.”

I came running for the accidental time travel – I mean it’s one of my absolute favourite tropes – and found myself absolutely enthralled by this hopeful and wholesome story all about how our flaws don’t define us and how recorded history isn’t always the full story.

Highly entertaining from start to end, the plot unfolds through 4 points of view with the chapters alternating between past flashbacks and the present predicament. The worldbuilding it great, we’re simultaneously introduced to the contrasting environments of the two timelines which act as a backdrop for the primary storyline in the Rift. Though past chapters also allow us to get a glimpse of the various corners of the expansive universe Hutchings has created as well as allow us to trail the characters on their individual journeys.

“…the workings of destiny are not ours to unravel.”

Hutchings’ writing is easy to follow and the pacing parallels the tension, picking up as you read on and I really enjoyed the narrative style as a whole. There is an air of mystery too and the reveals and twists are so cleverly inserted throughout that despite the slightly predictable tendencies stories involving time anomalies are wont to have, this book still keeps you on the edge of your seat. Plus the science side of things never gets too overly complex or confusing.

The cast of characters is made up of a bunch of vibrant personalities and there were such beautifully nuanced relationships, both already established and new, that formed between them all. I found myself getting so attached to not only each of the leading characters but most of the minor ones too. Honestly for a debut and a book that is just under 500 pages it is phenomenal just how fleshed out and well lived in this story and this universe felt!

Under Fortunate Stars has left its mark on my heart just as the Fortunate Five did on history and I can’t wait to read more from Ren Hutchings in the future!
Final Rating – 4.75/5 Stars

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