emilygaynier's review
4.0
This was pretty dang good
I think the cover is nice, but not a good fit for this book
Read Infinity and Beyond: Upside down - Pick a book where gravity is weird
I think the cover is nice, but not a good fit for this book
Read Infinity and Beyond: Upside down - Pick a book where gravity is weird
inthebelljar's review
4.0
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway by the publisher.
Probably more like 3.5 stars? Rounded up.
Local Star is a fun sci fi action/romance novella that I just generally enjoyed reading. The action and plot is fast-paced and entertaining and the world-building is impressively vast and interesting. I feel that the middle part got to be a bit rough to get through - not a lot happening, lots of repetition of how (understandably, but still redundantly) upset Triz is about her partner, Casne, being accused of a horrendous war crime and trying to think of ways to prove her innocence - but the start got my attention, and the ending was snappy and well-paced as the story reached the climax.
It was also nice to get to read a novella with queer polyamorous representation, and I loved that the metamours had their own bonding and closeness. I am not polyamorous myself so I don't want to speak as an authority, but one thing that did bother me was this idea that Triz needed her own partner to bring into a quad? At first I thought that this was a result of her own insecurity and unhealthy self-esteem and would be challenged more, but...ultimately it didn't feel as contested as I had hoped? I did really enjoy Triz's interactions and dynamics with Casne's quadfamily and the struggle for her to feel a part of the family, too, despite loving Casne and her quadparents.
I did also wish Nantha, Casne's wife, had more of a presence in the story. She's mentioned several times but only appears once and seems almost forgotten at times? Triz feels guilt over forgetting her at certain points, too, but ultimately I really felt her absence.
Obviously, I had my few complaints, but I also did really enjoy this novella. It's fun, I enjoyed the character dynamics and sense of found family (for Triz), and the world-building was interesting and well-done. I'd certainly recommend this novella if you're looking for a quick and fun sci fi action/romance read with a queer polyamorous focus.
Probably more like 3.5 stars? Rounded up.
Local Star is a fun sci fi action/romance novella that I just generally enjoyed reading. The action and plot is fast-paced and entertaining and the world-building is impressively vast and interesting. I feel that the middle part got to be a bit rough to get through - not a lot happening, lots of repetition of how (understandably, but still redundantly) upset Triz is about her partner, Casne, being accused of a horrendous war crime and trying to think of ways to prove her innocence - but the start got my attention, and the ending was snappy and well-paced as the story reached the climax.
It was also nice to get to read a novella with queer polyamorous representation, and I loved that the metamours had their own bonding and closeness. I am not polyamorous myself so I don't want to speak as an authority, but one thing that did bother me was this idea that Triz needed her own partner to bring into a quad? At first I thought that this was a result of her own insecurity and unhealthy self-esteem and would be challenged more, but...ultimately it didn't feel as contested as I had hoped?
Spoiler
It's not that I don't think that Triz and Kalo couldn't have gotten back together at the end without implying this, but even Kalo at the end mentions something about how a trio with partners and a diagonal line wouldn't work...? But why not? I've known several polycules in real life where one person dates two people who are metamours and are not romantically involved. I understand if Triz, Casne, and Nantha desire to be a quad, ultimately, but there's nothing wrong with them being a triad in this way....I did also wish Nantha, Casne's wife, had more of a presence in the story. She's mentioned several times but only appears once and seems almost forgotten at times? Triz feels guilt over forgetting her at certain points, too, but ultimately I really felt her absence.
Spoiler
Like Triz feels guilty about not telling Nantha about Casne's arrest before anyone else, but then at the end...did anyone tell her about Casne's trial and proven innocence? The attack on the Hub? There was no mention of her! I kept waiting for them to at least briefly explain they had called her.Spoiler
I did appreciate that Triz's anti-modding attitude was called out eventually, as I know I got very irritated at first from her reactions - I only wish it went a bit more in-depth, though I'm glad she realized she has some prejudice to work on.Obviously, I had my few complaints, but I also did really enjoy this novella. It's fun, I enjoyed the character dynamics and sense of found family (for Triz), and the world-building was interesting and well-done. I'd certainly recommend this novella if you're looking for a quick and fun sci fi action/romance read with a queer polyamorous focus.
althea's review
4.0
This is my first book by Aimee Ogden and it certainly won't be my last! Local Star follows Triz who, at the start of the novella, is witness to her partner being dragged off by justice officials to stand trial for war crimes, but her partner is adamant that she didn't commit these crimes. What intrigued me about this book was the fact that it's sci-fi that focusses around a polyamorous triad and, although I don't read a lot of sci-fi, I was definitely not disappointed! Triz grew up having nothing and although she was taken in by her partner's family, she still feels very much on the outside of their dynamic. She's a mechanic on the hub that she calls home and I loved how much detail was shown about her work. The interpersonal relationships were also done really well, between Triz and her partner Casne, Triz and her ex Kalo, Triz and Casne's family, and all the side characters, too! For being such a short book, so much was packed into the 170-odd pages and it really felt like the perfect length! I also adored how normal polyamorous relationships and families, as well as the frequent use of neopronouns, are in this book - it was such a joy to read!
My only reason for taking a star off the rating is that I felt, particularly at the start but also throughout the entire book, that I was missing so much background information. Although I said that the book is the perfect length, I wouldn't have been mad if there was more explanation of the 'jargon' used throughout. Though there is a glossary of sorts at the end of the book that explains these words, I read the book on my Kindle and really was not aware of it being there until I had finished, so I would have much preferred that the information be developed throughout the prose. All in all, though, I highly recommend this novella!
Thanks to Netgalley and Interstellar Flight Press for an eARC in return for an honest review!
My only reason for taking a star off the rating is that I felt, particularly at the start but also throughout the entire book, that I was missing so much background information. Although I said that the book is the perfect length, I wouldn't have been mad if there was more explanation of the 'jargon' used throughout. Though there is a glossary of sorts at the end of the book that explains these words, I read the book on my Kindle and really was not aware of it being there until I had finished, so I would have much preferred that the information be developed throughout the prose. All in all, though, I highly recommend this novella!
Thanks to Netgalley and Interstellar Flight Press for an eARC in return for an honest review!
stitchwitch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
andhastthouslainthejabberwock's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
bloomingtea's review
3.0
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review! this has not affected my review in any way, all opinions are mine.
local star is an interesting and quick sci fi novella that is begging to be made into a longer book— or even a series.
i wanted to like this book so much more than i actually did. i really struggled at the beginning to understand what was going on with all the terminology, and even was unclear with some of the words at the end of the story. (i didn't realize there was a glossary until i reached it). while i do appreciate being thrown into the story, it felt like i was a little TOO thrown in, and i struggled to follow what was being said since so much was mechanical. meaning that it wasn't really important to the story, just triz's job.
i also wanted so much more background on the characters and cultures of this universe. while i ended up with an idea of what was going on by the end, i wanted a more in-depth exploration, because i think it really is incredibly interesting. i wanted to see more of what made this world work and actually SEE more of the relationships between the characters. i'm not sure if i ever entirely bought the relationships, although i very much wanted to.
also as a tiny note, i was disappointed that (if my memory is correct), all the explicitly trans and nonbinary characters were so minor. the fact that we never see nantha onscreen was such a disappointment—it felt like she really should have been an important character as well. i also wish that there had been MORE of the polyamorous aspect in this book, since romance really was on the backburner of this novella in my opinion.
really, i just wanted this story to be longer and take its time to develop the world, the characters, and the relationships. i think there's something really good here, but it ended up being rushed and slightly hard for me to understand with one read. i ended up rounding up to 3 stars because it stuck with me, and i kept thinking about the characters afterward, because i really wanted to know more.
2.5/5
local star is an interesting and quick sci fi novella that is begging to be made into a longer book— or even a series.
i wanted to like this book so much more than i actually did. i really struggled at the beginning to understand what was going on with all the terminology, and even was unclear with some of the words at the end of the story. (i didn't realize there was a glossary until i reached it). while i do appreciate being thrown into the story, it felt like i was a little TOO thrown in, and i struggled to follow what was being said since so much was mechanical. meaning that it wasn't really important to the story, just triz's job.
i also wanted so much more background on the characters and cultures of this universe. while i ended up with an idea of what was going on by the end, i wanted a more in-depth exploration, because i think it really is incredibly interesting. i wanted to see more of what made this world work and actually SEE more of the relationships between the characters. i'm not sure if i ever entirely bought the relationships, although i very much wanted to.
also as a tiny note, i was disappointed that (if my memory is correct), all the explicitly trans and nonbinary characters were so minor. the fact that we never see nantha onscreen was such a disappointment—it felt like she really should have been an important character as well. i also wish that there had been MORE of the polyamorous aspect in this book, since romance really was on the backburner of this novella in my opinion.
really, i just wanted this story to be longer and take its time to develop the world, the characters, and the relationships. i think there's something really good here, but it ended up being rushed and slightly hard for me to understand with one read. i ended up rounding up to 3 stars because it stuck with me, and i kept thinking about the characters afterward, because i really wanted to know more.
skye_reads00's review
3.0
my heart ;-; so much going on packed into every page, also really like the writing style. the polyamory was woven in very naturally. there was just so much jargon and technical details without a whole lot of context, i could've used like 50 more pages.
bookish_blanche's review
3.0
A confusing but fun read
-I got this book as an eARC with Netgalley in exchange for an honest review-
When Triz's friend Casne is falsely accused of a crime, Triz and her ex Kalo will have to work together in order to save Casne. But things won't go as planned and their journey will turn out more dangerous than intended...
I don't know what to say about this book to be honest. It's a fun and quick read, and maybe it is too quick because I can't seem to remember what happened. What I know is that I liked Triz. She's fun to follow and will stop at nothing to save her friend which is beautiful. I liked the tension between her and Kalo as well. But the first few chapters - meaning half the book - had me really confused. The world building was too quick and intense and I had trouble keeping track of who was who and what was going on. But once I was into it, it was okay. Not tremendous, but fun I'd say. My heart did a few backflips because some events were a little stressful and surprising. The writing was okay as well but not particularly memorable. In fact, that's what I could say about this book. It's fun and cool, but not really amazing or fantastic. It's okay and bonus point for the polyamorous rep that was very well put into it.
If you like space opera and want a quick read, you should give this one a try I guess!
"We're family, you know that, don't you?"
-I got this book as an eARC with Netgalley in exchange for an honest review-
When Triz's friend Casne is falsely accused of a crime, Triz and her ex Kalo will have to work together in order to save Casne. But things won't go as planned and their journey will turn out more dangerous than intended...
I don't know what to say about this book to be honest. It's a fun and quick read, and maybe it is too quick because I can't seem to remember what happened. What I know is that I liked Triz. She's fun to follow and will stop at nothing to save her friend which is beautiful. I liked the tension between her and Kalo as well. But the first few chapters - meaning half the book - had me really confused. The world building was too quick and intense and I had trouble keeping track of who was who and what was going on. But once I was into it, it was okay. Not tremendous, but fun I'd say. My heart did a few backflips because some events were a little stressful and surprising. The writing was okay as well but not particularly memorable. In fact, that's what I could say about this book. It's fun and cool, but not really amazing or fantastic. It's okay and bonus point for the polyamorous rep that was very well put into it.
If you like space opera and want a quick read, you should give this one a try I guess!
"We're family, you know that, don't you?"
eol's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
kaa's review
There is the start of a fun story here, but I think the length was too short to fully capture all of the elements the author was trying to include - family relationships, romantic relationships, an investigation, and some action sequences, plus all the world building. There was so much going on that no single aspect got the attention it needed, so it was hard to feel as connected or deeply invested as I would have liked. I also felt that many aspects were uneven or inconsistent over the course of the story.
One of the most frustrating things, for me, was that I was really looking forward to a queer polyamorous romance, but (while it is certainly plenty queer) neither the existing relationship between Triz, Casne, and (especially) Nan, nor the previous relationship between Triz and Kalo was explored fully enough for me to understand the relationship dynamics and feel the chemistry between the characters. This is especially disappointing because I learned after finishing the book that it's meant to be inspired by Much Ado About Nothing (my favorite Shakespeare), but Triz and Kalo's relationship had none of that humor or spark, nor did Triz feel particularly Beatrice-like.
I also think in general I was expecting something a bit lighter and more humorous, and the fact that some parts did seem to be headed in that direction made the parts that were heavier (some of the family dynamics, Triz's insecurities, Triz's prejudices around body mods) feel a bit jarring. I think it would have been possible to navigate between a lighter tone and these weightier topics, but not at this length with so much else going on. The prejudice around body mods was especially hard to swallow, because of the ableism in this attitude, which I didn't feel was sufficiently examined - this aspect could have been left out, and still kept the larger discussion of the different attitudes towards tech, which was much more interesting.
The lack of commitment to being either a light adventure or a heavier story also made a lot of the plot hard to accept - there were a number of elements that I could have gone along with if I didn't have to take them seriously or if the world-building was grittier to justify them. However, what the story gave me was a generally pleasant world where many of the events felt overly dramatic and things were Very Bad as convenient to the plot, which constantly challenged my suspension of disbelief.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an eARC of this book.
One of the most frustrating things, for me, was that I was really looking forward to a queer polyamorous romance, but (while it is certainly plenty queer) neither the existing relationship between Triz, Casne, and (especially) Nan, nor the previous relationship between Triz and Kalo was explored fully enough for me to understand the relationship dynamics and feel the chemistry between the characters. This is especially disappointing because I learned after finishing the book that it's meant to be inspired by Much Ado About Nothing (my favorite Shakespeare), but Triz and Kalo's relationship had none of that humor or spark, nor did Triz feel particularly Beatrice-like.
I also think in general I was expecting something a bit lighter and more humorous, and the fact that some parts did seem to be headed in that direction made the parts that were heavier (some of the family dynamics, Triz's insecurities, Triz's prejudices around body mods) feel a bit jarring. I think it would have been possible to navigate between a lighter tone and these weightier topics, but not at this length with so much else going on. The prejudice around body mods was especially hard to swallow, because of the ableism in this attitude, which I didn't feel was sufficiently examined - this aspect could have been left out, and still kept the larger discussion of the different attitudes towards tech, which was much more interesting.
The lack of commitment to being either a light adventure or a heavier story also made a lot of the plot hard to accept - there were a number of elements that I could have gone along with if I didn't have to take them seriously or if the world-building was grittier to justify them. However, what the story gave me was a generally pleasant world where many of the events felt overly dramatic and things were Very Bad as convenient to the plot, which constantly challenged my suspension of disbelief.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an eARC of this book.