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doahdancer's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
It's not groundbreaking. But in a sci-fi landscape where including romance seems to automatically mean being abducted by sexy aliens, it's nice to see a writer trying for something a little closer to what the Star Trek/Mass Effect fans are looking for from romance heavy sci-fi.
The main plot is interesting enough, but the author does take their time setting everything up for the big twists that hit in the last 25%. Readers who like their plot at a clip will struggle, but the payout is decent and looks like it will continue to trend upward in the sequel. This also means that while the majority of the book is a cozy, found family narrative, you'll need to be prepared for that to take a backseat to the action once things get going.
Vibe-wise, the promise of Breakfast Club meets Firefly is spot on. Those who have read this already will agree there's also a dash of Mass Effect in there.
The characters themselves are what give those breakfast club notes, with a preppy princess, a punky prisoner, a tech nerd, a naive priestess, a rebellious mercenary, and a tough guy bodyguard, among other side personalities. The cast is predictable, but that's kind of the point. The nostalgia for those quirky moments of banter between well-trod archetypes will thrive in the audience that focuses on fun over literary prowess.
It's unclear if this book truly knew what it wanted to be when it grew up, but I am certain the genre could use the push in this direction.
The main plot is interesting enough, but the author does take their time setting everything up for the big twists that hit in the last 25%. Readers who like their plot at a clip will struggle, but the payout is decent and looks like it will continue to trend upward in the sequel. This also means that while the majority of the book is a cozy, found family narrative, you'll need to be prepared for that to take a backseat to the action once things get going.
Vibe-wise, the promise of Breakfast Club meets Firefly is spot on. Those who have read this already will agree there's also a dash of Mass Effect in there.
The characters themselves are what give those breakfast club notes, with a preppy princess, a punky prisoner, a tech nerd, a naive priestess, a rebellious mercenary, and a tough guy bodyguard, among other side personalities. The cast is predictable, but that's kind of the point. The nostalgia for those quirky moments of banter between well-trod archetypes will thrive in the audience that focuses on fun over literary prowess.
It's unclear if this book truly knew what it wanted to be when it grew up, but I am certain the genre could use the push in this direction.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
imds's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
abby_can_read's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
2.0
📖
Overall, this book was fine. It was get into and stay interested in. I struggled to care about these characters and the plot. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't for me.
Overall, this book was fine. It was get into and stay interested in. I struggled to care about these characters and the plot. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Torture, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, and Grief
Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, and Death of parent
zoesreads_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Torture, Vomit, and War
Minor: Suicide
kassidyreads's review
adventurous
emotional
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Torture, Trafficking, Death of parent, and Alcohol
bramble_am's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Self harm, and Sexual content
Moderate: Confinement and Violence
kaelielily's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.0
"Star Bringer" ist ein actiongeladenes Sci-Fi-Romance-Weltraumabenteuer vor der Kulisse einer sterbenden Sonne. In deren Rettung wird die unfreiwillige Besatzung der Starlight, deren Persönlichkeiten unterschiedlicher nicht sein könnten, hineingezogen.
Der Roman ist äußerst unterhaltsam und profitiert von den vier verschiedenen Perspektiven. Alle Charaktere sind sehr unterschiedlich und bringen ihre eigenen Meinungen und Moralvorstellungen in die Geschichte ein. Beide Paare sind faszinierend, wobei ich, wie wohl viele andere auch, aufgrund des Marketings von einer reinen LGBTQIA+ Story ausgegangen war. Allerdings steht doch eher das heterosexuelle Paar im Vordergrund.
Besonders interessant war die Dynamik zwischen Kali, Ian, Max und Milla. Ich bin sehr gespannt darauf, in welche Richtung die Autorin geht.
Der Plot ähnelt phasenweise sehr "Aurora erwacht", aber auch wenn das Buch nicht perfekt war, hat es einfach unglaublich viel Spaß gemacht, und ich warte gespannt auf die Fortsetzung.
Der Roman ist äußerst unterhaltsam und profitiert von den vier verschiedenen Perspektiven. Alle Charaktere sind sehr unterschiedlich und bringen ihre eigenen Meinungen und Moralvorstellungen in die Geschichte ein. Beide Paare sind faszinierend, wobei ich, wie wohl viele andere auch, aufgrund des Marketings von einer reinen LGBTQIA+ Story ausgegangen war. Allerdings steht doch eher das heterosexuelle Paar im Vordergrund.
Besonders interessant war die Dynamik zwischen Kali, Ian, Max und Milla. Ich bin sehr gespannt darauf, in welche Richtung die Autorin geht.
Der Plot ähnelt phasenweise sehr "Aurora erwacht", aber auch wenn das Buch nicht perfekt war, hat es einfach unglaublich viel Spaß gemacht, und ich warte gespannt auf die Fortsetzung.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence, Torture, and Violence
geminisoul's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
If you are reading this as a serious book it would probably be rated much lower but taking it a a more light hearted book it's a fun story with a bit of depth to it. Even though the characters go through serious and even life threatening senerios nothing really feels heavy. I am not really sure how I feel about the ending as it seemed a bit out of place almost but I am looking foward to seeing how the next book addresses it. I would almost give this book a 4 as a light hearted read- but many of the characters seemed very similar to me. While I know this was partly intentional it seemed almost too much. Also, there were just some small storyline inconsistencies or characters acting like they didn't know something that they already did that bothered me. Overall it was a fun read and would be great between more serious books!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Slavery, and Violence
kelly_jane's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.0
Fairly standard sci-fi tropes without being difficult for those who don't generally read sci-fi. Simple world-building with a focus on character development and plot. Probably could've been 150 pages shorter, but it's not dense so the length isn't much of an issue. An enjoyable read, will definitely look for book 2 when it's released.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
marinaaurelia's review
adventurous
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent