Reviews

La Brigada Lluminosa by Anna Llisterri, Marina Vidal, Kameron Hurley

sevenosara's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

4.0

ananotherthing's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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

3.5

karinapplesauce's review against another edition

5.0

In the middle of this book, I had another space themed book become available from the library and I immediately returned it bc I realized that space books have been momentarily ruined by the incredible experience that was this book. Which is a good thing. Looks like I’ll be reading other genres for now. (It’s not even that terribly “spacey” but the ideas, technology are very forward thinking)

First off, I’m not really much of a military book person, but this was military in the way that Ender’s Game was military. The blood and gore weren’t my style either but the fact that it was put together so beautifully made me just take those elements.

I was recommending this to my husband almost right when Dietz made the first drop and got confused. The basic training at the beginning could have lost me but there was something there that kept me in line.

I’m not sure what happened at the ending but it wasn’t enough to ruin the book for me, (here’s looking at you Fate of the Tearling) honestly I was confused in a good way for most of the book so maybe I just need to read it again (perhaps instead of the audiobook) to see if I pick up on what I missed.

nvonhein's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective 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

slwest382's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

laraph's review against another edition

2.0

Maybe 3.5 because it's a

Spoiler

time travel story

.
Too much war that the narrator is a naive propaganda believer throughout. Not sure the ending is really the best solution overall but if there's self consistency

fedak's review against another edition

3.0

Enjoyed the first third or so, reasonable MilSciFi with some heavy borrowing/homage to Starship Troopers

The time travel narrative kinds collapsed under its own weight and the deus ex machina ending seemed like it was rushed. (In the notes, the author admitted to needing a flow chart to keep track of the time travel plotlines, and as a readers we probably needed the same)

The college freshman anti-corporation political manifesto that permeates the whole book was a bit overdone. And the gender reveal gimmick left me somewhat confused prompting me to google what was going on rather than what I presume was an intended "aha" moment of me revisiting my expectations.

straylight's review against another edition

4.0

Despite not having a huge draw to military based sci-fi in the past, I read this book with a growing fascination. It took me a bit to figure out what was going on, but I was fascinated when it finally started making sense. Imagine being able to ship a military force across long distances by breaking them into light and consolidating them at their point of arrival -- sort of like a transporter from Star Trek, I suppose. But with the ability to move people at the speed of light, dangers are bound to arise.

I feel the book is a warning against letting corporations have such a huge role in our lives, which is a trope I've seen elsewhere, and one with which I tend to agree strongly.

bookcook's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

4.5

The power of the corrupt governments and entrenched corporations feels inevitable. No doubt so did the rule of kings and landowners before them. 

Dietz is an orphan driven by her desire to be accepted as a citizen in a world owned by The Big 6, an oligarchy of corporations. In order to obtain citizenship she enlists in the military and eagerly anticipates her first jump, a method of transportation that whittles its users down to their molecules and puts them back together on the front lines. However she's not being put back together in the same timeline she left from. Experiencing events in such a way forces her to reexamine why she has to do any of this just to maintain a half decent quality of life.

While reading this I was constantly verifying the publishing date because it was a book that almost seemed out of time. Criticisms of obtaining citizenship, government aid, privatized health care, and patriotism all made this book feel like a response to all that has occurred in my country in the last 4 years. Instead it was published in 2019. Now obviously I know what has happened in my home is not specific to the US but still... Was the author also time hopping while writing this?

As for the ending, this is where the book falls a bit flat for me. The whole book appears to be taking a pretty grand stance on socialism (i.e pro) but then sort of pulls back a little. I suppose because it makes the most sense for our MC to not drop everything she grew up believing but still... Weird turn. I'll have to think more about that

oliver's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0