sc104906's review against another edition
2.0
Rumor, Nyx, Jude, and Braedon live on the moon of a planet in a different galaxy far in the future. Rumor's town was decimated by gargoyles, or grotesque alien creatures who kill humans. Rumor flees to a neighboring community where he meets up with his ex-girlfriend, Dahlia, and her two best friends, Nyx and Braedon. Nyx is in love with Dahlia, but feels that she cannot confess her love and wants to know more about the moon talking to her. Braedon is the son of a high ranking military mother, who wants to make a name for himself. These "colonists" are saved by the forest people, which includes Jude, when their town is attacked by more gargoyles. The colonists will have to change their perceptions of the world around them to save their friends and family.
This novel appeals to nearly all levels of the LGBTQ community and offers characters of varying diversity...to a point that it feels forced. While this is an important novel, which presents sexuality issues that are not typically seen in YA sci-fi, the plot and characters feel forced. The author makes commentary on the world and blatantly points out what she is trying to do. I didn't love the story, but I respect what this book is trying to do.
This novel appeals to nearly all levels of the LGBTQ community and offers characters of varying diversity...to a point that it feels forced. While this is an important novel, which presents sexuality issues that are not typically seen in YA sci-fi, the plot and characters feel forced. The author makes commentary on the world and blatantly points out what she is trying to do. I didn't love the story, but I respect what this book is trying to do.
alexperc_92's review against another edition
5.0
I received an e-ARC from the publisher from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Review and blog tour can be found on *Milky Way of Books*
This book was one of the most unexpected surprises of 2017! I knew from the blurb that it was going to be a diverse book, but I never expected the whole spectrum of the LGTB+ themes to show! Add in the sci-fi genre, a picturesque planet which is far more dangerous than it shows and you have a thrilling adventure which takes place in the span of 27 hours.
Honestly, for a moment I was reminded of the show "24 Hours", which had a similar base; the story evolves through the span of these hours and the protagonists all face their troubles and fears.
I loved every character in the book, but mostly I loved Nyx and Jude. They were so empathetic, striving to express their emotions and fears. Not that the rest of the gang wasn't good but these two hit too close to my heart for me.
Did I also mention that the monsters of the planet are actually....gargoyles? YUP, you had me with the term gargoyles! Also, the book has action and you don't get bored through the course of the plot.
I really can't wait to see what will happen to the next book!
This book was one of the most unexpected surprises of 2017! I knew from the blurb that it was going to be a diverse book, but I never expected the whole spectrum of the LGTB+ themes to show! Add in the sci-fi genre, a picturesque planet which is far more dangerous than it shows and you have a thrilling adventure which takes place in the span of 27 hours.
Honestly, for a moment I was reminded of the show "24 Hours", which had a similar base; the story evolves through the span of these hours and the protagonists all face their troubles and fears.
I loved every character in the book, but mostly I loved Nyx and Jude. They were so empathetic, striving to express their emotions and fears. Not that the rest of the gang wasn't good but these two hit too close to my heart for me.
Did I also mention that the monsters of the planet are actually....gargoyles? YUP, you had me with the term gargoyles! Also, the book has action and you don't get bored through the course of the plot.
I really can't wait to see what will happen to the next book!
theshenners's review
ETA:
the author has been outed as an abuser so I have removed my rating. My critical comments still stand.
---
There are multiple issues that bother me about the setup and worldbuilding as well as the ace rep.
The History
I had a lot of unanswered questions about the history that connects Sahara to Earth. The general lack of knowledge the characters had about their heritage seemed unrealistic. Given technological advances, it should be relatively easy for them to access information about Earth. If something had happened to make that not the case, then an explanation would have been helpful in understanding the context of Sahara's current state.
Colonialism
As Aimal pointed out in her review, the story chooses to center the perspectives of human colonizers on Sahara with no narration from the POV of the colonized chimaeras, which is super problematic. Add to that the fact that a white character is the one who has to explain and challenge the racism (speciesism?) of the characters of color, and that's just really uncomfortable.
The Ace/Aro Rep
Braeden's character is canonically asexual, and word-of-god not aromantic, leaving his romantic orientation open-ended. While I was excited about the ace rep being explicit, I noticed a troubling pattern of asexuality being conflated with aromanticism and general experience of non-attraction. In addition, it was more or less implied that being ace=never having sex. While aroace people are definitely real (*waves*), ace and aro IDs are ultimately separate concepts. As for ace people never having sex, this may be true of many ace people, but it is not true of all ace people nor is it what defines asexuality.
the author has been outed as an abuser so I have removed my rating. My critical comments still stand.
---
There are multiple issues that bother me about the setup and worldbuilding as well as the ace rep.
The History
I had a lot of unanswered questions about the history that connects Sahara to Earth. The general lack of knowledge the characters had about their heritage seemed unrealistic. Given technological advances, it should be relatively easy for them to access information about Earth. If something had happened to make that not the case, then an explanation would have been helpful in understanding the context of Sahara's current state.
Colonialism
As Aimal pointed out in her review, the story chooses to center the perspectives of human colonizers on Sahara with no narration from the POV of the colonized chimaeras, which is super problematic. Add to that the fact that a white character is the one who has to explain and challenge the racism (speciesism?) of the characters of color, and that's just really uncomfortable.
The Ace/Aro Rep
Braeden's character is canonically asexual, and word-of-god not aromantic, leaving his romantic orientation open-ended. While I was excited about the ace rep being explicit, I noticed a troubling pattern of asexuality being conflated with aromanticism and general experience of non-attraction. In addition, it was more or less implied that being ace=never having sex. While aroace people are definitely real (*waves*), ace and aro IDs are ultimately separate concepts. As for ace people never having sex, this may be true of many ace people, but it is not true of all ace people nor is it what defines asexuality.
sydneyscarlett's review against another edition
1.0
The overrepresentation of LGBTQ characters was distracting. Also, the characters were 2-dimensional and Nyx, for example, is built only upon the emotion of lust and has no emotional depth. Furthermore, the attraction between the two main characters is sudden and unexplained. What's more, the writing in the action sequences is confusing and does not grab one's attention. I did not know what was going on and felt that I did not have an overview of the situation. It was so needlessly and boringly descriptive that I found myself skipping pages(eBook form) of content.
I would not recommend this book to anyone. I even ended up giving up on the book when I was 25% through. That rarely happens.
I would not recommend this book to anyone. I even ended up giving up on the book when I was 25% through. That rarely happens.
darquedreamer's review
4.0
27 Hours is a gripping, action packed adventure! This story hits the ground running, and doesn't stop until it reaches a cliff hanger! For fans of YA Sci-Fi, LGBTQIAPK representation, and fast paced books, this one is for you!
I really enjoyed this one! I felt like it had an action packed pace and an interesting plot. It had a uniqueness to it, mixing the human race in space with mythical creatures like hell-hounds, dragons, and gargoyles. The plot seemed to flow well with regards to world building and history telling. I didn't ever feel like things were jumbled or jumpy. I also really enjoyed the unique, diverse characters and their development.
The characters were the best part of the story for me. I loved the racial, and sexually oriented, diversity of the group. I loved how they all came together for a common cause and I loved how the gargoyles (or chimera) mixed in and added to the plot conflict and story-line.
Rumor was a very strong character. He was brave, but vulnerable. He was determined to seek vengeance, but also intelligent enough to realize right from wrong.
Jude was one of my favorites. He had my sympathy throughout the book. I loved the ability he had and I loved that he was an ally too the chimera.
Nyx was definitely my favorite character. She was strong and fierce, but also soft and vulnerable inside. She had an amazing ability that stood out through the story and also had a life obstacle that she did well with living with.
Braeden and Dahlia were great characters as well. They were both unique and compassionate. They were each important to the story and developed well with interesting backgrounds and plot roles.
27 Hours is an amazing story of life, love, loss, family and friendship! It offers danger, romance, moral lessons, and entertainment! The characters are awesome and the plot is well developed and exciting! If you are looking for a diverse, YA, Sci-fi read, look no further!
Thank you to Chapter by Chapter for providing me with this free e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion and for the opportunity to participate in the blog tour!
I really enjoyed this one! I felt like it had an action packed pace and an interesting plot. It had a uniqueness to it, mixing the human race in space with mythical creatures like hell-hounds, dragons, and gargoyles. The plot seemed to flow well with regards to world building and history telling. I didn't ever feel like things were jumbled or jumpy. I also really enjoyed the unique, diverse characters and their development.
The characters were the best part of the story for me. I loved the racial, and sexually oriented, diversity of the group. I loved how they all came together for a common cause and I loved how the gargoyles (or chimera) mixed in and added to the plot conflict and story-line.
Rumor was a very strong character. He was brave, but vulnerable. He was determined to seek vengeance, but also intelligent enough to realize right from wrong.
Jude was one of my favorites. He had my sympathy throughout the book. I loved the ability he had and I loved that he was an ally too the chimera.
Nyx was definitely my favorite character. She was strong and fierce, but also soft and vulnerable inside. She had an amazing ability that stood out through the story and also had a life obstacle that she did well with living with.
Braeden and Dahlia were great characters as well. They were both unique and compassionate. They were each important to the story and developed well with interesting backgrounds and plot roles.
27 Hours is an amazing story of life, love, loss, family and friendship! It offers danger, romance, moral lessons, and entertainment! The characters are awesome and the plot is well developed and exciting! If you are looking for a diverse, YA, Sci-fi read, look no further!
Thank you to Chapter by Chapter for providing me with this free e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion and for the opportunity to participate in the blog tour!
izzy_obert's review
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
4.5
bayy245's review against another edition
2.0
What I liked:
There was very few things I liked about this book but I was absolutely in love with the rep I saw. There was a dead character, characters of color, a gay boy, an ace character, and even a trans character. The rep, from what I saw, was handled really well. Granted I’m not an expert on anything but ace rep so take my praise with a grain of salt.
Things I didn’t like: uh everything else.
Let’s start with the setting. It’s incredibly confusing to say the least. The scene wasn’t set very well and I was incredibly confused by how this colony was laid out. Much wasn’t said about the climate of the planet. Or anything about how the planet is laid out, flora and fauna wise either.
I wasn’t sure about how far away from the colony the military base was or if it was in the sky. It was really confusing. The only thing I knew is that there was some sort of dome.
The creatures were extremely confusing to me. The explanations left me baffled and with a disjointed mental image of the creatures. There wasn’t much explanation except the fact there was a war between the human settlers and the creatures who were native to the land. Of course, the humans thought them dumb and incapable of planning or even thinking for themselves.
The action was way too much. With the horrible descriptions, I found myself too confused to even follow what was going on. There was hardly a break from the action and I was bored by those parts. The book read more like a video game, I should’ve played it not read it. I couldn’t follow much of the action and wound up skimming it all.
The multiple points of view were horribly done. I was so confused when I switched to Luke, who was with the creatures. It took me a few chapters to even figure out he was with the creatures because they had a completely different name for themselves and the descriptions of them weren’t executed well enough for me to recognize them.
The multiple POV’s also made it impossible for me to care about any of the characters. The confusing explanations and cliche plot left me grappling to find something to care about in this book and unfortunately, the characters didn’t do anything for me as far as saving this novel for me.
The only reason this gets 2 stars is for all the different kinds of rep. Don’t bother with this one.
There was very few things I liked about this book but I was absolutely in love with the rep I saw. There was a dead character, characters of color, a gay boy, an ace character, and even a trans character. The rep, from what I saw, was handled really well. Granted I’m not an expert on anything but ace rep so take my praise with a grain of salt.
Things I didn’t like: uh everything else.
Let’s start with the setting. It’s incredibly confusing to say the least. The scene wasn’t set very well and I was incredibly confused by how this colony was laid out. Much wasn’t said about the climate of the planet. Or anything about how the planet is laid out, flora and fauna wise either.
I wasn’t sure about how far away from the colony the military base was or if it was in the sky. It was really confusing. The only thing I knew is that there was some sort of dome.
The creatures were extremely confusing to me. The explanations left me baffled and with a disjointed mental image of the creatures. There wasn’t much explanation except the fact there was a war between the human settlers and the creatures who were native to the land. Of course, the humans thought them dumb and incapable of planning or even thinking for themselves.
The action was way too much. With the horrible descriptions, I found myself too confused to even follow what was going on. There was hardly a break from the action and I was bored by those parts. The book read more like a video game, I should’ve played it not read it. I couldn’t follow much of the action and wound up skimming it all.
The multiple points of view were horribly done. I was so confused when I switched to Luke, who was with the creatures. It took me a few chapters to even figure out he was with the creatures because they had a completely different name for themselves and the descriptions of them weren’t executed well enough for me to recognize them.
The multiple POV’s also made it impossible for me to care about any of the characters. The confusing explanations and cliche plot left me grappling to find something to care about in this book and unfortunately, the characters didn’t do anything for me as far as saving this novel for me.
The only reason this gets 2 stars is for all the different kinds of rep. Don’t bother with this one.
ofliterarynature's review against another edition
3.0
You know those times when it feels like you've been doing something for hours and hours, but then you look at a clock and see its only been like 30 minutes? That's what reading this book was like. I feel like it had a very original story, and it has the most diverse cast of characters I've ever seen and will probably never see again, but there still some part of me the entire time that was begging for it to be over, and I can't really put my finger on why. It just felt like so much kept happening but the book just wouldn't end...which is unfortunate but hilarious because that is also what's happening *in* the book.
Not necessarily a book I'd recommend unless you are specifically looking for diverse representation.
Not necessarily a book I'd recommend unless you are specifically looking for diverse representation.
leahkarge's review against another edition
5.0
As one of Tristina Wright's beta readers, I've had the honor and privilege of seeing this story in multiple stages. It has come a long way since the first version I read, and there have been some fundamental plot changes along with little tweaks here and there. But in every form its taken, this story has been incredible.
27 HOURS is a story of loss and love, family (both by blood and those you make for yourself) and friendship, and finding yourself in the midst of chaos. But above all, this novel is one that explores the morality of humanity. In a world where the color of your skin, your sexuality, your gender, and so much more are of no consequence to anyone, Wright explores the give and take of humanity. She unflinchingly details the selfishness and greed, as well as the love and kindness, and everything in between.
27 HOURS is not a book that you want to miss.
ETA: Take a look at Aimal's review for critical analysis of the racial rep.
27 HOURS is a story of loss and love, family (both by blood and those you make for yourself) and friendship, and finding yourself in the midst of chaos. But above all, this novel is one that explores the morality of humanity. In a world where the color of your skin, your sexuality, your gender, and so much more are of no consequence to anyone, Wright explores the give and take of humanity. She unflinchingly details the selfishness and greed, as well as the love and kindness, and everything in between.
27 HOURS is not a book that you want to miss.
ETA: Take a look at Aimal's review for critical analysis of the racial rep.
leahkarge's review against another edition
5.0
Michael Crouch does an amazing job with the audiobook. All the individual voices are incredible and unique, fitting for each character.