sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Xenophobia, Terminal illness, Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gore, and Gun violence
beccaand's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: War, Chronic illness, Medical content, and Colonisation
Minor: Genocide and Alcohol
scifi_rat's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Murder, Racism, Terminal illness, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Gore, War, Torture, Violence, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Xenophobia
Minor: Animal death, Addiction, Alcohol, Genocide, and Animal cruelty
typedtruths's review against another edition
challenging
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief
➸ Trigger warnings for blood and gore depiction, physical injuries and illness including terminal illness, coma, grief and loss depiction, death of a friend (off-page), death of a partner mentioned, military violence and battle scenes, organised crime mentioned, gun violence, kidnapping, explosions, plane crash, animal attack, and animal death.avocadotoastbee's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
I don't read that many science fiction books set in space, but I wanted to read Persephone Station by Stina Leicht because it was advertised as a "queer space opera."
(And as a queer person, I will definitely consume any queer media that is advertised to me.)
The main characters are all women and/or queer. While I liked this and expected it, it felt forced at times. Why can't gender queer people exist as naturally as cis people?!
That being said, I did like the plot.
Criminals against a large corporation to save a planet inhabited by indigenous people and other subplots.
Despite the amazing concept, the execution was lacking. The world building, in particular, needs some work. And as other reviewers have noted: Stina Leicht needs to use synonyms for the word "said".
I expected more and was disappointed after reading Persephone Station.
(And as a queer person, I will definitely consume any queer media that is advertised to me.)
The main characters are all women and/or queer. While I liked this and expected it, it felt forced at times. Why can't gender queer people exist as naturally as cis people?!
That being said, I did like the plot.
Criminals against a large corporation to save a planet inhabited by indigenous people and other subplots.
Despite the amazing concept, the execution was lacking. The world building, in particular, needs some work. And as other reviewers have noted: Stina Leicht needs to use synonyms for the word "said".
I expected more and was disappointed after reading Persephone Station.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Confinement, Death, and Gun violence
blackcatkai's review
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
CW: violence, death, alcohol and drug use, chronic illness, death of a parent, genocide & colonisation
I had a ton of fun with this one, and having a nonbinary character as well as tons of other queer & women characters being the main group was also just nice to experience. we love a more diverse cast! they all had great personalities and banter like an actual crew/found family.
Rosie & Kurosawa were my fave. just gonna drop one of my fave parts of the book, here:
"you know my sexual inclinations," Rosie said. "so, unless you've grown a cock since the last time I saw you, I'd recommend not trying to fuck me. it'll get you nowhere." -pg 89
my only real complaint is that the end was a bit anticlimactic, like I just wish there was a little more. it was still a good ending, though! overall, I loved this and I'm glad I read it!
I had a ton of fun with this one, and having a nonbinary character as well as tons of other queer & women characters being the main group was also just nice to experience. we love a more diverse cast! they all had great personalities and banter like an actual crew/found family.
Rosie & Kurosawa were my fave. just gonna drop one of my fave parts of the book, here:
"you know my sexual inclinations," Rosie said. "so, unless you've grown a cock since the last time I saw you, I'd recommend not trying to fuck me. it'll get you nowhere." -pg 89
my only real complaint is that the end was a bit anticlimactic, like I just wish there was a little more. it was still a good ending, though! overall, I loved this and I'm glad I read it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, and Death
Moderate: Genocide, Alcohol, Drug use, Chronic illness, Colonisation, and Death of parent
crownoflaurel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Xenophobia and Medical trauma
gumbella's review
adventurous
informative
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Blood, Colonisation, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Murder, Terminal illness, and Violence
troisha's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Medical content
Minor: Alcohol, Confinement, Death of parent, Gore, Torture, and Vomit
azrah786's review
3.5
[This full review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I was provided with an ARC through netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, gore, gun violence, murder, war, death, medical procedures
A fun and fresh take on the genre with much to love but not without its flaws.
Set on a backwater planet, Persephone Station primarily follows a band of mercenaries under contract with a criminal boss. A particular job that they undergo puts them head to head with a corrupt Earther corporation who are hell-bent on exploiting the planets resources and eradicating its native species - The Emissaries, who want nothing more than to remain discrete from the rest of the universe.
There is also a secondary storyline following a character who finds themselves on the planet after following a distress call that only they can hear.
Action packed, this is a Space Opera-Western mashup that has a cinematic feel to it. In fact what caught my attention about this book to begin with was how it was described to have an air of Cowboy Bebop, Firefly and The Mandalorian and I’d say the vibes are definitely there.
It is very much a plot-driven story with intriguing political commentary and a cast of characters that you can’t help but get attached to. However, I do feel like the story could have maybe benefitted from being split into more than one book.
A slow and slightly info-dumpy beginning sets the story off, giving you a feel for the boisterous weather of another world and immersing you right into the noir city scene of West Brynner, but you have to push through a good 40% of the book before things really start to get interesting. Not only that, the world-building doesn’t really expand further than Persephone. Other than giving an insight on the political side of things and the United Republic of Worlds being name dropped a handful of times, we learn hardly anything about the rest of this universe. This wasn’t exactly a bad thing, it’s just that you’re left wanting more!
Furthermore though the two storylines weave and intersect one another perfectly, it did feel like there was a little too much going on so at times the story felt a little rushed and it was a case of more telling rather than showing with the action. A particularly gripping section towards the end where some big reveals occurred was wrapped up so quickly compared to other events in the book and I just wish it had had more page time.
However, there were so much to love about this book too! The sci-fi elements were exciting and well researched particularly when it came to The Emissariesand the discussions and ethics around artificial intelligence. I absolutely loved the main cast of characters who were all either female or non-binary. Each of them, despite having again a sort of info-dumpy introduction, was beautifully nuanced and their relationships and interactions with one another added both great humour and so much emotion to the narrative. I was personally a big fan of Angel de la Reza who sort of reminded me of Bobby Draper from The Expanse.
So my feelings are slightly conflicted but all in all I'd say this book is a solid Sci-Fi debut and I’d probably be interested if the author ever decided to return to this universe.
Final Rating – 3.5/5 Stars
**I was provided with an ARC through netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, gore, gun violence, murder, war, death, medical procedures
A fun and fresh take on the genre with much to love but not without its flaws.
Set on a backwater planet, Persephone Station primarily follows a band of mercenaries under contract with a criminal boss. A particular job that they undergo puts them head to head with a corrupt Earther corporation who are hell-bent on exploiting the planets resources and eradicating its native species - The Emissaries, who want nothing more than to remain discrete from the rest of the universe.
There is also a secondary storyline following a character who finds themselves on the planet after following a distress call that only they can hear.
Action packed, this is a Space Opera-Western mashup that has a cinematic feel to it. In fact what caught my attention about this book to begin with was how it was described to have an air of Cowboy Bebop, Firefly and The Mandalorian and I’d say the vibes are definitely there.
It is very much a plot-driven story with intriguing political commentary and a cast of characters that you can’t help but get attached to. However, I do feel like the story could have maybe benefitted from being split into more than one book.
A slow and slightly info-dumpy beginning sets the story off, giving you a feel for the boisterous weather of another world and immersing you right into the noir city scene of West Brynner, but you have to push through a good 40% of the book before things really start to get interesting. Not only that, the world-building doesn’t really expand further than Persephone. Other than giving an insight on the political side of things and the United Republic of Worlds being name dropped a handful of times, we learn hardly anything about the rest of this universe. This wasn’t exactly a bad thing, it’s just that you’re left wanting more!
Furthermore though the two storylines weave and intersect one another perfectly, it did feel like there was a little too much going on so at times the story felt a little rushed and it was a case of more telling rather than showing with the action. A particularly gripping section towards the end where some big reveals occurred was wrapped up so quickly compared to other events in the book and I just wish it had had more page time.
However, there were so much to love about this book too! The sci-fi elements were exciting and well researched particularly when it came to The Emissariesand the discussions and ethics around artificial intelligence. I absolutely loved the main cast of characters who were all either female or non-binary. Each of them, despite having again a sort of info-dumpy introduction, was beautifully nuanced and their relationships and interactions with one another added both great humour and so much emotion to the narrative. I was personally a big fan of Angel de la Reza who sort of reminded me of Bobby Draper from The Expanse.
So my feelings are slightly conflicted but all in all I'd say this book is a solid Sci-Fi debut and I’d probably be interested if the author ever decided to return to this universe.
Final Rating – 3.5/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Animal death, Death, Gore, and Medical content