readera's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
5.0
I listened to the audiobook which was lovely. It has a full cast, Foley sounds and music. I really enjoyed both the story & the production of the audio.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Xenophobia
Spoiler
The child abuse & xenophobia is literal alien prejudice in a Sci-fi setting. they are from the pov of a child who was raised in the society where it is normal.Spoiler
sn03's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
squirrelfish's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
mshaposhnikov's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
lorialdenholuta's review
4.0
This charmer of a story highlights relationships between lifeforms, first and foremost. It's a YA story filled with intimate bonds that aren't romantic, family dynamics that are both adversarial and caring, and even a starship that was once... well that would be telling.
The story of Crudrat begins in a claustrophobically small space. Our protagonist works inside a scyther tunnel filled with spinning, sharp blades. Maura has spent half her life cleaning those blades free of 'crud', which she feeds to her 'partner' a fuzzy, blue, long tailed, crud-eating murmel. I marveled at her grace as she jumped between the blades. Her livelihood and her life depended on her every move. But she's a growing girl, and is literally outgrowing her job. Which means society is outgrowing any need for her.
So, what will Maura do now that she's outgrowing her job and her life? She hasn't a clue, but as she finds her way, we follow along. I always pay attention to how an author chooses to introduce new settings and circumstances to their readers. In Science Fiction and Fantasy, worldbuilding is especially important, as we're most likely delving into lots of alien territory. I quite enjoy the 'through the eyes of the protagonist' method used in Crudrat. We learn about the space station Maura has lived on all her life, called The Wheel, as she races through it after snitching some food. It's the ultimate 'dine and dash'. Bit by bit, her world grows bigger, and we're there to witness it.
Various nuances of language help highlight the differences between species, such as saying "this one" rather than "I", and the crudratters quirky banter that reminds me of London's chimney sweeps.
Crudrat is an engaging story. It's easy to cheer for the good guys and boo the bad ones. I became emotionally engaged very early on. If you love Sci-Fi, you'll enjoy the Tinkered Stars universe. If you like character-driven stories, this one will leave you feeling satisfied.
Unfortunately, I needed to drop the star rating by a point for the editing and proofreading. It's not good. I hope the author and publisher are getting enough feedback on this problem to correct the errors (I counted about 40) and give this darling little book the polish it deserves.
The story of Crudrat begins in a claustrophobically small space. Our protagonist works inside a scyther tunnel filled with spinning, sharp blades. Maura has spent half her life cleaning those blades free of 'crud', which she feeds to her 'partner' a fuzzy, blue, long tailed, crud-eating murmel. I marveled at her grace as she jumped between the blades. Her livelihood and her life depended on her every move. But she's a growing girl, and is literally outgrowing her job. Which means society is outgrowing any need for her.
So, what will Maura do now that she's outgrowing her job and her life? She hasn't a clue, but as she finds her way, we follow along. I always pay attention to how an author chooses to introduce new settings and circumstances to their readers. In Science Fiction and Fantasy, worldbuilding is especially important, as we're most likely delving into lots of alien territory. I quite enjoy the 'through the eyes of the protagonist' method used in Crudrat. We learn about the space station Maura has lived on all her life, called The Wheel, as she races through it after snitching some food. It's the ultimate 'dine and dash'. Bit by bit, her world grows bigger, and we're there to witness it.
Various nuances of language help highlight the differences between species, such as saying "this one" rather than "I", and the crudratters quirky banter that reminds me of London's chimney sweeps.
Crudrat is an engaging story. It's easy to cheer for the good guys and boo the bad ones. I became emotionally engaged very early on. If you love Sci-Fi, you'll enjoy the Tinkered Stars universe. If you like character-driven stories, this one will leave you feeling satisfied.
Unfortunately, I needed to drop the star rating by a point for the editing and proofreading. It's not good. I hope the author and publisher are getting enough feedback on this problem to correct the errors (I counted about 40) and give this darling little book the polish it deserves.
librahero's review
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
DNF
mjfmjfmjf's review
4.0
A bit of an odd one. And unexpected from this author. Science fiction. And modified humans to the point of being alien. Doesn't quite have an ending. And almost has the feel of two novellas tacked together though both have the same pov character. The two worlds we see are quite different but we don't get deep world-building in either. Instead it is more of the fish out of water type. Some of this was a bit of a tough read. But it had intriguing questions in it that made it worthwhile in the end. Enough for me to try to hunt out what might be a related book.
needleclicker's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
rankkaapina's review
5.0
I loved this! Not surprising from one of my favorite authors. But this was a new series and a new world. I loved the way language was adapted for different cultures and it took a bit to figure out what the words meant but you could totally follow the story.
I hope this becomes a series since I want to know what happens next. Too many fates left open, although everything was sort of wrapped up in the end. Very different from the Parasol Protectorate universe, but awesome on its own.
I hope this becomes a series since I want to know what happens next. Too many fates left open, although everything was sort of wrapped up in the end. Very different from the Parasol Protectorate universe, but awesome on its own.
bookwormerica's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting ya/all ages friendly sifi story. Different from her steam punk world. I want to know what happens to marathon and fuzzy in their new home lol