poachedeggs's review against another edition
3.0
This is a super-cute sci-fi YA story with a female protagonist, no romantic elements, and an endearing large-eared, two-mouthed alien. There's time travel, some daddy issues, and quite a lot of intrigue and action.
It was an easy and entertaining read, but it did feel as though Goodman wanted to fit in too many things into one short novel. In the end, I wasn't quite sure how time travel (an instrumental part of the novel) worked, and what exactly the relationship between humans and aliens was supposed to be like.
It was an easy and entertaining read, but it did feel as though Goodman wanted to fit in too many things into one short novel. In the end, I wasn't quite sure how time travel (an instrumental part of the novel) worked, and what exactly the relationship between humans and aliens was supposed to be like.
ginnikin's review against another edition
2.0
In the end, it all turned out to be about Daddy. Also, I saw that coming. On the other hand, I did finish it.
alienor's review
3.0
► Aren't you tired of YA scifi novels that breed gorgeous aliens as if their intergalactic lives depended on it?
"You," she said, "are literally the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen." - The [b:Alienated|13574417|Alienated (Alienated, #1)|Melissa Landers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1384610045l/13574417._SY75_.jpg|19155818] disaster
► Aren't you tired of watching every one of these MCs morphing the book into some love-triangle-ish Human vs Alien
► Aren't you tired of reading nonsensical and cheesy dialogues when you only asked for some novelty?
Then [b:Singing the Dogstar Blues|462225|Singing the Dogstar Blues|Alison Goodman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347734091l/462225._SY75_.jpg|1124304] is the book you're seeking out : well-written, no love-triangle, no whining about boys (or girls, for that matter), no instalove, but friendship and mystery blended in an intriguing concept.
However, this is not an action-packed novel. I warn you, some parts, if not boring, are pretty dull : indeed [b:Singing the Dogstar Blues|462225|Singing the Dogstar Blues|Alison Goodman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347734091l/462225._SY75_.jpg|1124304] suffers from an uneven pacing (or, I have a short attention span, because all the reviews I read state how fast-paced it is - color me perplexed at myself). Yet again, I still really much enjoyed following Joss and Mav's adventures.
Set in a futurist world where aliens - the Chorians - and humans are building an alliance, the Centre, a special school that teaches time-travel, finds itself under the spotlights when Mavkel becomes the first Chorian to attend it and is paired with Joss, a rebellious teenager who's been trying to avoid being fired - again. All is good in the world? Ugh, no. Try secrets, rivalries and assassins lurking instead. Welcome to the Centre.
Throughout the novel, I grew attached to these characters : first Joss, an independent and strong-minded female-lead who managed to keep my annoyance away (WOOT!) and then Mav, who's perhaps the cutest alien I ever read about... Never mind the flappy ears, the two mouths and four noses. He's not cut out for Most Gorgeous Alien of the Year, and that's what made him so incredibly appealing to me. Lonely after the death of his pair - when you're used to share a mind with someone, I suppose that being alone covers an entire different feeling - he aims to be paired with Joss, who is, understandably, very much reluctant to fulfill his goals. Their growing friendship (yes, you read correctly, friendship it is) was very interesting to follow and I couldn't get enough of them (100 more pages would have been perfect, in my opinion).
As for the sci-fi elements, I must say that I was confused in the beginning by the made-up words, but nothing insurmountable as I was hooked right away. The world building was intriguing and not too complex to grasp (this is the no-hard-scifi reader talking), yet there were several occurrences when I seriously wondered what the fuck they were talking about. This said, it didn't make the plot confusing, because it was usually only a matter of knowing what object they were mentioning. I, for one, can live with that.
Unfortunately, I have to admit that I would have loved for the story to be more developed. Although the premise was great and promising, the novel didn't quite meet my expectations and the execution failed to take best advantage of it. Take the time-travel, for instance : it is barely explained. See, I am not the kind of reader who needs everything to be scientifically accurate or plausible (because come on, scifi novels ain't textbooks), but I appreciate when the author makes some kind of effort to explain how the technology used works. If the way everything is showed rather than told is more than welcome (trust me, I cannot finish a scifi book relying on info-dumping), I still feel as if something was missing.
My biggest issue, though? All the "big" reveals were painfully obvious and I saw them coming miles away, resulting in a rather anticlimactic and rushed ending that left me a little disappointed.
► All in all, is it worth reading? Honestly, YA novels which don't rely on romance are so fucking rare that for this reason alone, I'd say yes. Not to mention that [b:Singing the Dogstar Blues|462225|Singing the Dogstar Blues|Alison Goodman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347734091l/462225._SY75_.jpg|1124304] may not be perfect, but it stays thoroughly enjoyable and refreshing.
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librariann's review against another edition
Joss, the gene-engineered daughter of a high profile mother, is about to enter her first year of training to become a time traveler. She's been kicked out of so many schools already, and she's sure the headmaster is out to get her at this one too. But when she is chosen to partner with Mavkel, an alien being whose identity is determined by duality, she feels safe from expulsion. Still, Mavkel inserts a whole new set of complications: he is dying without his "twin." He and Joss set out to find her father's identity (a sperm/gene donor), also trying to figure out who has been targeted by a high-profile assassin.
Joss must find her father in order to join with Mavkel and save his life.
A mystery with time travel and teen rebellion, its only downfall is that the "mystery" ending is predictable.
Joss must find her father in order to join with Mavkel and save his life.
A mystery with time travel and teen rebellion, its only downfall is that the "mystery" ending is predictable.
dreamofbookspines's review against another edition
4.0
What a cool story! I love Goodman's use of slang and the world building she has engaged in with this book. I wish she had built out even more, maybe made this a series (there's promise here). It reminded me of Tanith Lee's use of slang/world in Biting the Sun, though Lee does a better job of explaining slang and parts of the world. But Goodman's writing is on the same level of expertise as Lee's (if slightly more YA in tone). Quick read, really liked it, but lacks the qualities of a favorite because of how much more I wanted from the book.
nematome's review against another edition
4.0
3 ½ stars
There are a definitely a few parts of this book that I would give a five star rating to. This book is exciting, irreverent, and fun and I practically inhaled it. Unfortunately it’s one of those cases of “okay…yes…yes…YES!…oh. Eh.” The ending leaves a lot to be desired, in my opinion. It feels really sheared off and over-simplified. In general, I am (especially lately) very weary of every single book being stretched and stretched as far as possible into long series. However, this is one case where I was left wanting much much more.
I love the main character. Joss is subversive and independent and smart (and she plays a mean harmonica). She has been kicked out of twelve boarding schools, but thanks to her mother’s generous “donations” she has been accepted into a prestigious training program for time-travelers (this is the kind of Connie Willis type time travel that’s operated by universities and used for historical research). Earth has a delicate relationship with the Chorians, an alien race that has the ability to communicate telepathically and consists entirely of twin pairs. The Chorians are interested in obtaining the technology for time travel, so they send Mavkel, an outcast singleton alien, to attend the training program. When Mavkel and Joss are paired for training, self-reliant Joss must cope with a partner that is used to constant closeness and sharing, and is grieving for his lost twin.
I really was starting to fall in love with Mavkel too, but I would have liked to see more of him. I am intrigued by the pairing of a misanthropic girl with a vulnerably open alien who comes from a place where the word “secret” has no meaning. I would love to see more Joss/Mavkel adventures…they could travel through history solving crimes and hitting the hippest blues clubs (time travel to the future is never addressed). I would definitely read that!
I do have a few little forewarnings about this book though. For one, it has made up slang, which I know can annoy some readers. But, every word that she has crafted seems very intuitive (like “screte” = shit). It also has some grade A- sci-fi nerdery (A- because the time travel is never really explained). There’s aliens, futuristic gizmos, a science experiment gone horribly right...you get the picture. But there are also elements that I am more familiar with in a contemporary YA novel, like a girl coming to terms with her parents’ abandonment, and a nice little side reference to the AIDS epidemic. And for my friends that prefer their YA’s with more adventure and less romance – this one is for you. There’s absolutely no romance in this book.
Perfect Musical Pairing
Spoon – All I Got is Me
Spoon’s rough, playful sound really reminds me of Joss. I really wanted to have some sort of harmonica reference, but I kept being drawn back to Spoon. I think that this is the kind of music that Joss would like going when she just hangs out. This song is my ode to her loneliness transformed into suspicious self-reliance.
There are a definitely a few parts of this book that I would give a five star rating to. This book is exciting, irreverent, and fun and I practically inhaled it. Unfortunately it’s one of those cases of “okay…yes…yes…YES!…oh. Eh.” The ending leaves a lot to be desired, in my opinion. It feels really sheared off and over-simplified. In general, I am (especially lately) very weary of every single book being stretched and stretched as far as possible into long series. However, this is one case where I was left wanting much much more.
I love the main character. Joss is subversive and independent and smart (and she plays a mean harmonica). She has been kicked out of twelve boarding schools, but thanks to her mother’s generous “donations” she has been accepted into a prestigious training program for time-travelers (this is the kind of Connie Willis type time travel that’s operated by universities and used for historical research). Earth has a delicate relationship with the Chorians, an alien race that has the ability to communicate telepathically and consists entirely of twin pairs. The Chorians are interested in obtaining the technology for time travel, so they send Mavkel, an outcast singleton alien, to attend the training program. When Mavkel and Joss are paired for training, self-reliant Joss must cope with a partner that is used to constant closeness and sharing, and is grieving for his lost twin.
I really was starting to fall in love with Mavkel too, but I would have liked to see more of him. I am intrigued by the pairing of a misanthropic girl with a vulnerably open alien who comes from a place where the word “secret” has no meaning. I would love to see more Joss/Mavkel adventures…they could travel through history solving crimes and hitting the hippest blues clubs (time travel to the future is never addressed). I would definitely read that!
I do have a few little forewarnings about this book though. For one, it has made up slang, which I know can annoy some readers. But, every word that she has crafted seems very intuitive (like “screte” = shit). It also has some grade A- sci-fi nerdery (A- because the time travel is never really explained). There’s aliens, futuristic gizmos, a science experiment gone horribly right...you get the picture. But there are also elements that I am more familiar with in a contemporary YA novel, like a girl coming to terms with her parents’ abandonment, and a nice little side reference to the AIDS epidemic. And for my friends that prefer their YA’s with more adventure and less romance – this one is for you. There’s absolutely no romance in this book.
Perfect Musical Pairing
Spoon – All I Got is Me
Spoon’s rough, playful sound really reminds me of Joss. I really wanted to have some sort of harmonica reference, but I kept being drawn back to Spoon. I think that this is the kind of music that Joss would like going when she just hangs out. This song is my ode to her loneliness transformed into suspicious self-reliance.
gijanechosen's review against another edition
4.0
After reading her short story in Firebirds Rising, I became interested in more stories by Alison Goodman, so here I am. The short story I read was set in the same 'world' as this book, hence my particular interest in reading this one. I think I wold get a slightly different perspective out of reading the short story again at some point (now that I have read this book). This was an an enjoyable read. I plan to read more books by Goodman.
lindzee's review against another edition
3.0
It never really got going. It felt like it was supposed to be an action book, but it was all character, no action whatsoever.
nwhyte's review against another edition
3.0
http://nhw.livejournal.com/855387.html[return][return]This won the Aurealis Award; not sure what that says about its Australian sf competitors, because I felt that the prose was a bit clunky in places, and I saw the twist ending coming from miles away. Our heroine, studying a university course in time-travel, finds that she has been assigned an alien (one of a newly arrived diplomatic mission) as a partner, and in the end discovers more about her own past than she had intended. Potentially good material, but not really pushed far enough.
unluckyprimes's review against another edition
1.0
I just think Alison Goodman isn't for me.
There are some interesting ideas in here but I really hated the writing style. The slang was cringey, the main character was uninteresting and the "mystery" was totally predictable.
Anyway, hard pass.
There are some interesting ideas in here but I really hated the writing style. The slang was cringey, the main character was uninteresting and the "mystery" was totally predictable.
Anyway, hard pass.