The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
alexperc_92's review
4.0
I received an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*
Although the book was something I've read before in other series, I liked how strong Leda was. She has the attitude of a strong-willed character and does not back down easily. The missing star goes to the insta-love. I like the theme of aliens in YA when used good but I couldn't help but get Twilight vibes with this one.
If you like a good alien type book with some action and romance, then this is the book for you.
Although the book was something I've read before in other series, I liked how strong Leda was. She has the attitude of a strong-willed character and does not back down easily. The missing star goes to the insta-love. I like the theme of aliens in YA when used good but I couldn't help but get Twilight vibes with this one.
If you like a good alien type book with some action and romance, then this is the book for you.
raven168's review
2.0
There are a lot of YA books that can be enjoyed by any age group. There are even a few out there that have become some of my favorites. But this is not one of them. This was a very cookie cutter teenage story that strongly pandered to being politically correct. Which is always so annoying. It has an interesting premise, but a boring execution and average characters. Cool things were mentioned but never explained. Like Roar's tattoos. I was dying to know what they stood for and why they moved. Or the pendant from her father. Why was it so important for her to have and why was it always so warm? Don't include something if it doesn't go anywhere. The only thing it had going for it was that it was fast paced. All the alien technology was pretty cool too.
After her father died, Leda is forced to move to the middle of frozen nowhere to live with her aunt and uncle. Her mother has never been around and definitely doesn't care about her. Leda is not happy to be there but at least she has one friend. The moment she meets her uncle's assistant, Roar, she can't help the pull to him or stop thinking about him. When they make eye contact, they world around them seems to disappear. But Leda is disabled and can't walk much without her crutches, so she has become jaded toward guys who are nice to her thinking it's pity for her. But she knows Roar is different. Just how different she finds out soon enough.
Roar and a few other teenagers with him have come to Earth to seek out this weapon that could save them. They look human but have silver blood and greater abilities. Apparently, there are aliens all over the world and the governments know about them. Oh, and being sent to America is used as a threat against them acting out. Thanks for that by the way. Roar and his crew are living with guardians of a sort and when Roar's holds Leda hostage after seeing how he acts with her, all sorts of truths are about to come out.
Leda finds out that Roar and his friends are aliens, her other friend is one too, and so is she. But she is also this weapon that could save Roar's planet. It's quickly decided that she needs to get there as soon as possible. At first she's not so on board with all this, but then she realizes that this can be a greater purpose for her. Things go wrong before they can even get started and a traitor is revealed. We get past that though, but things just keep going wrong. Roar and Leda want nothing more than to spend time together but their roles aren't the only thing keeping them apart. Apparently when their blood comes together it turns into a sort of poison. Which makes no sense considering that it was Roar's blood they used when Leda needed it. At one point they get attacked thanks to another traitor in their midst and Leda is taken. And tortured. Which surprised me a great deal. But lucky her, the traitor changes their mind and the two of them easily make their escape. Even managing to arrive in time and save the others. Leda ends up learning more truths and more about her power, essentially saving the day. But it's Roar that comes up with a plan that could let them possibly stay together despite their roles.
I was annoyed with the fact that Leda was vegan and forced it on others. You wanna be that? Great. To each their own. But I hate it when those people or authors push it others. Robot Chicken season 6 episode 1 covers this perfectly. You should check it out. The other PC thing that annoyed me was the character that was a girl, turned into a boy, who's in love with a boy. Really??? What the hell was the point of including this and making it such a big deal? It added nothing to the story.
Overall, it just wasn't a great book to me. It wasn't bad. But I will easily forget about it.
ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
After her father died, Leda is forced to move to the middle of frozen nowhere to live with her aunt and uncle. Her mother has never been around and definitely doesn't care about her. Leda is not happy to be there but at least she has one friend. The moment she meets her uncle's assistant, Roar, she can't help the pull to him or stop thinking about him. When they make eye contact, they world around them seems to disappear. But Leda is disabled and can't walk much without her crutches, so she has become jaded toward guys who are nice to her thinking it's pity for her. But she knows Roar is different. Just how different she finds out soon enough.
Roar and a few other teenagers with him have come to Earth to seek out this weapon that could save them. They look human but have silver blood and greater abilities. Apparently, there are aliens all over the world and the governments know about them. Oh, and being sent to America is used as a threat against them acting out. Thanks for that by the way. Roar and his crew are living with guardians of a sort and when Roar's holds Leda hostage after seeing how he acts with her, all sorts of truths are about to come out.
Leda finds out that Roar and his friends are aliens, her other friend is one too, and so is she. But she is also this weapon that could save Roar's planet. It's quickly decided that she needs to get there as soon as possible. At first she's not so on board with all this, but then she realizes that this can be a greater purpose for her. Things go wrong before they can even get started and a traitor is revealed. We get past that though, but things just keep going wrong. Roar and Leda want nothing more than to spend time together but their roles aren't the only thing keeping them apart. Apparently when their blood comes together it turns into a sort of poison. Which makes no sense considering that it was Roar's blood they used when Leda needed it. At one point they get attacked thanks to another traitor in their midst and Leda is taken. And tortured. Which surprised me a great deal. But lucky her, the traitor changes their mind and the two of them easily make their escape. Even managing to arrive in time and save the others. Leda ends up learning more truths and more about her power, essentially saving the day. But it's Roar that comes up with a plan that could let them possibly stay together despite their roles.
I was annoyed with the fact that Leda was vegan and forced it on others. You wanna be that? Great. To each their own. But I hate it when those people or authors push it others. Robot Chicken season 6 episode 1 covers this perfectly. You should check it out. The other PC thing that annoyed me was the character that was a girl, turned into a boy, who's in love with a boy. Really??? What the hell was the point of including this and making it such a big deal? It added nothing to the story.
Overall, it just wasn't a great book to me. It wasn't bad. But I will easily forget about it.
ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
chllybrd's review
2.0
ALL THE STARS LEFT BEHIND wasn't exactly the book I thought it was going to be and unfortunately in this case, that wasn't a good thing.
I was just plain bored, confused or felt like I was missing something through most of ALL THE STARS LEFT BEHIND. It was like the author was so busy trying to fit in as much diversity in the characters as possible that she forgot that the book also needed a plot. I did actually like the characters, but without a strong story they kinda just floundered to me.
There were a lot of things that weren't explained that seemed like big deals. Leda's necklace for instance. Her father gave it to her before he died and told her to never take it off. We never find out why. There are more, but the necklace was the first thing that popped up. There were also a lot of things that took place that didn't make sense or were contradicted by other events. We find out that Leda and Roar's blood supposedly turns into poison when mixed, but they gave Roar's blood to Leda earlier in the book to save her?
After all the other issues I had throughout ALL THE STARS LEFT BEHIND, there was the ending. I have no clue if a second book is planned, but if there isn't the less than satisfying ending was even less satisfying. I'm giving ALL THE STARS LEFT BEHIND 2 stars, because I did finish it, but it wasn't for me.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I was just plain bored, confused or felt like I was missing something through most of ALL THE STARS LEFT BEHIND. It was like the author was so busy trying to fit in as much diversity in the characters as possible that she forgot that the book also needed a plot. I did actually like the characters, but without a strong story they kinda just floundered to me.
There were a lot of things that weren't explained that seemed like big deals. Leda's necklace for instance. Her father gave it to her before he died and told her to never take it off. We never find out why. There are more, but the necklace was the first thing that popped up. There were also a lot of things that took place that didn't make sense or were contradicted by other events. We find out that Leda and Roar's blood supposedly turns into poison when mixed, but they gave Roar's blood to Leda earlier in the book to save her?
After all the other issues I had throughout ALL THE STARS LEFT BEHIND, there was the ending. I have no clue if a second book is planned, but if there isn't the less than satisfying ending was even less satisfying. I'm giving ALL THE STARS LEFT BEHIND 2 stars, because I did finish it, but it wasn't for me.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
lenoreo's review
2.0
https://celebrityreaders.wordpress.com/2017/06/04/all-the-stars-left-behind-by-ashley-graham/
2.5 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
OK, this was a frustrating read for me. And I'm having a hard time judging what all comes into play in my final assessment. There is definitely a component that is a bad match writing style for me I think. But there's also bits that were honest to goodness not written as well too. And this is where it gets complicated: the part that doesn't match with me style-wise is that things aren't spelled out for me in a clear manner, and I really really hate that (I'll explain in a second). But the problem with disliking that, is that I have a hard time judging what was bad writing versus just not a match, you know??
OK, I'll attempt to explain... Well, did anyone else see that movie The Arrival? My husband loved it, whereas that movie made me SOOOOO angry and annoyed and frustrated and mad. And while I could enjoy so many aspects of the movie, if I can't have my theories confirmed on what was happening, then I just don't like it. Like, I need things to be closer to black and white, I don't play well in gray area and subtlety. I'm probably not making any sense. *sigh* Regardless, this book was kind of like that. I'm left at the end of the book thinking I have a pretty good idea of what happened, but I'm not sure. And I want to be sure. I don't understand what the point is if I'm not sure. So was it bad writing, or style?? I DON'T KNOW!!
There were definitely parts of this book where I can categorically say that it needed better editing and needed to be cleaned up. There were quite a few TINY continuity issues (like the showers on the ship were supposed to be ionized air, but then Leda talks about her hair being wet from her shower; or the drug that was supposed to put that guy to sleep for about 40 hours, and less than 24 hours later he's wide awake; or how did the pain meds work on the tethered cord surgery, but not for the bullet wound?). See? Tiny, but I noticed them, and it annoyed me. But it probably only annoyed me because I was having other problems. The book just felt...for lack of a better word, fragmented. From individual sentences that were probably trying to be too pretty, but then I would have to read them over again to understand them; to the overall plot and the way I would feel like I missed something from one section to another. It was just kind of choppy in places, and didn't make for a nice read. And then there was the tiny plot thread that was completely dropped at the end of the book (what Enren said about Toovu and the Woede -- purposely being vague to avoid spoilers), which I suppose could have been ok if there was going to be a sequel or something and they'd tackle it there, but I don't get that impression.
So yeah, frustration. The book needed a bit more clean up and definitely needed to be smoothed over. Things happened so fast, I kind of couldn't follow what people were talking about sometimes, or the conclusions they were coming to.
And then there's the characters and chemistry. *sigh* This review could get so long if I really went into detail on those parts, but I'll try to keep it brief (*snort* yeah right). Quite honestly, I didn't dislike the characters, but I wasn't totally enamoured with them either. Like none of them. And hence I didn't find my emotions engaged at any of the potentially heartbreaking parts. It was a little bit insta-lovey between Leda and Roar, which I don't always mind if I get something else out of it. But there was so much else going on, I never really did understand why they were in love... I got the draw and the connection, but not the emotions I guess.
And there were a ton of potentially intriguing side characters with potential little side plots, but we never got to learn about them or dive into them. They were so many moments where the author could have delved deeper, but chose not to in favour of action I suppose. Which is not horrible, but I hate getting teased with depth and then not getting it. We could have learned so much about Aurelite society, how it was, how it affected people, how it shaped them. From Stein to Petrus to even Roar. And Nils!! What about Nils and his mom?? And why tease us with those things and not go into them? Why say them at all and make them part of the story and not go further? I think the author tried to do too much with the story, and had to cut back, and didn't really get the right focus back. Or not. Honestly, that's conjecture, I shouldn't say I know anything.
*sigh* So yeah. It had a lot of potential. And despite the way this review sounds, there were interesting moments! I even enjoyed the kisses between Roar and Leda. I loved the inclusion of some diverse elements, and how Leda always had Spina Bifida, regardless of whether she was some fabled weapon or not. But she pushed through it. And there were some really quotable pretty lines!! When the author hit her mark on those, they were really beautiful!
And that is that. I'm sad. Reading books that don't match me is really taxing on my reader's brain. Ah well. Onward and upward!
2.5 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
OK, this was a frustrating read for me. And I'm having a hard time judging what all comes into play in my final assessment. There is definitely a component that is a bad match writing style for me I think. But there's also bits that were honest to goodness not written as well too. And this is where it gets complicated: the part that doesn't match with me style-wise is that things aren't spelled out for me in a clear manner, and I really really hate that (I'll explain in a second). But the problem with disliking that, is that I have a hard time judging what was bad writing versus just not a match, you know??
OK, I'll attempt to explain... Well, did anyone else see that movie The Arrival? My husband loved it, whereas that movie made me SOOOOO angry and annoyed and frustrated and mad. And while I could enjoy so many aspects of the movie, if I can't have my theories confirmed on what was happening, then I just don't like it. Like, I need things to be closer to black and white, I don't play well in gray area and subtlety. I'm probably not making any sense. *sigh* Regardless, this book was kind of like that. I'm left at the end of the book thinking I have a pretty good idea of what happened, but I'm not sure. And I want to be sure. I don't understand what the point is if I'm not sure. So was it bad writing, or style?? I DON'T KNOW!!
There were definitely parts of this book where I can categorically say that it needed better editing and needed to be cleaned up. There were quite a few TINY continuity issues (like the showers on the ship were supposed to be ionized air, but then Leda talks about her hair being wet from her shower; or the drug that was supposed to put that guy to sleep for about 40 hours, and less than 24 hours later he's wide awake; or how did the pain meds work on the tethered cord surgery, but not for the bullet wound?). See? Tiny, but I noticed them, and it annoyed me. But it probably only annoyed me because I was having other problems. The book just felt...for lack of a better word, fragmented. From individual sentences that were probably trying to be too pretty, but then I would have to read them over again to understand them; to the overall plot and the way I would feel like I missed something from one section to another. It was just kind of choppy in places, and didn't make for a nice read. And then there was the tiny plot thread that was completely dropped at the end of the book (what Enren said about Toovu and the Woede -- purposely being vague to avoid spoilers), which I suppose could have been ok if there was going to be a sequel or something and they'd tackle it there, but I don't get that impression.
So yeah, frustration. The book needed a bit more clean up and definitely needed to be smoothed over. Things happened so fast, I kind of couldn't follow what people were talking about sometimes, or the conclusions they were coming to.
And then there's the characters and chemistry. *sigh* This review could get so long if I really went into detail on those parts, but I'll try to keep it brief (*snort* yeah right). Quite honestly, I didn't dislike the characters, but I wasn't totally enamoured with them either. Like none of them. And hence I didn't find my emotions engaged at any of the potentially heartbreaking parts. It was a little bit insta-lovey between Leda and Roar, which I don't always mind if I get something else out of it. But there was so much else going on, I never really did understand why they were in love... I got the draw and the connection, but not the emotions I guess.
And there were a ton of potentially intriguing side characters with potential little side plots, but we never got to learn about them or dive into them. They were so many moments where the author could have delved deeper, but chose not to in favour of action I suppose. Which is not horrible, but I hate getting teased with depth and then not getting it. We could have learned so much about Aurelite society, how it was, how it affected people, how it shaped them. From Stein to Petrus to even Roar. And Nils!! What about Nils and his mom?? And why tease us with those things and not go into them? Why say them at all and make them part of the story and not go further? I think the author tried to do too much with the story, and had to cut back, and didn't really get the right focus back. Or not. Honestly, that's conjecture, I shouldn't say I know anything.
*sigh* So yeah. It had a lot of potential. And despite the way this review sounds, there were interesting moments! I even enjoyed the kisses between Roar and Leda. I loved the inclusion of some diverse elements, and how Leda always had Spina Bifida, regardless of whether she was some fabled weapon or not. But she pushed through it. And there were some really quotable pretty lines!! When the author hit her mark on those, they were really beautiful!
And that is that. I'm sad. Reading books that don't match me is really taxing on my reader's brain. Ah well. Onward and upward!
eloisebell's review
3.0
I am keeping this review short because I have been review sooo many books recently and I don't want to 'over review' myself and begin seeing it as a chore, also reviewing eats into my reading time. Anywhoos...
The story follows teenage Leda as she moves from Manhattan to Norway. I would class this as romantic sci-fi. The romance side starting pretty early in the book and the sci-fi making up the majority of the second half... a tale of two halves.
I found large parts of the book a bit vague and rushed; I would have like more build up to the love story and more background into the 'aliens'. There were just so many things happening it all became a bit rushed and muddled.
However, I loved that the book addresses more serious themes;
Grief
Disability
Emotional neglect
LGBT+
I really enjoyed the supporting cast and they definitely distracted from the unfolding Insta-love.
Overall it was a good read. I did enjoy the book it was a light, run read, however with small amounts of tweaking it could have been improved massively.
Overall it was a 2.5 STAR read.
**Provided by NetGalley for review**
The story follows teenage Leda as she moves from Manhattan to Norway. I would class this as romantic sci-fi. The romance side starting pretty early in the book and the sci-fi making up the majority of the second half... a tale of two halves.
I found large parts of the book a bit vague and rushed; I would have like more build up to the love story and more background into the 'aliens'. There were just so many things happening it all became a bit rushed and muddled.
However, I loved that the book addresses more serious themes;
Grief
Disability
Emotional neglect
LGBT+
I really enjoyed the supporting cast and they definitely distracted from the unfolding Insta-love.
Overall it was a good read. I did enjoy the book it was a light, run read, however with small amounts of tweaking it could have been improved massively.
Overall it was a 2.5 STAR read.
**Provided by NetGalley for review**
alexandra_92's review
4.0
I received an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*
Although the book was something I've read before in other series, I liked how strong Leda was. She has the attitude of a strong-willed character and does not back down easily. The missing star goes to the insta-love. I like the theme of aliens in YA when used good but I couldn't help but get Twilight vibes with this one.
If you like a good alien type book with some action and romance, then this is the book for you.
Although the book was something I've read before in other series, I liked how strong Leda was. She has the attitude of a strong-willed character and does not back down easily. The missing star goes to the insta-love. I like the theme of aliens in YA when used good but I couldn't help but get Twilight vibes with this one.
If you like a good alien type book with some action and romance, then this is the book for you.
wingsandfables's review
2.0
Leda Lindgren has never had it easy in life. Born with spina bifida, she is no stranger to struggling in life and certainly has no shortage in courage. With a mother who wants little to nothing to do with her, Leda has always been extremely close to her father. When her father dies, Leda moves in with her uncle and grandmother in Norway, wanting nothing to do with her new frozen home. But when she meets her uncle’s new gorgeous employee Roar, Leda is instantly attracted to him—in more ways than one. It’s not long before Leda learns that nothing in her life is what she thought it was. Her new crush is actually an alien; her father biologically engineered her birth; and she’s actually a weapon made to destroy the enemies of Roar’s home planet. After learning that Roar has been sent to find her to help end the long-raging war of his world, Leda soon embarks on a journey to help save Roar’s planet, and nothing is going to stop her—not even her crutches.
The premise of this book sounded so incredibly cool that I knew I had to read it. I’ve never read a book that took place in Norway and it was so cool to be able to read the names and places of the country in YA book. I’ve also not read many alien books which made this book even more appealing to me. However, I just could not get on with this book overall.
Firstly, the characters in this book are so unique! Disregarding that they are aliens, this book holds a ton of diverse characters so if that is something you love, you will definitely find it in this book. I really liked Leda as a main character. She isn’t like many YA protagonists, not only because she has a disability, but because of her personality. She is an extremely strong yet kindhearted character and those are some of my favorite types to read about. This book also has dual point of views so I loved getting to read from Roar’s perspective as well. I loved that Roar was characterized the way most guys probably feel at 17—awkward and shy—rather than being some bigshot, overly-confident love interest as is typical in YA. It was incredibly refreshing to read. The supporting characters are all diverse and interesting as well.
The worldbuilding was fairly well done. I felt some parts were explained well while others weren’t. The aliens and their planet and technology were really neat to learn about and I really loved the way that their technology works through mind control. Shooting through space while reading this book was also a cool aspect of it and I loved getting to picture how their spaceships look.
My main issue with this book however was the plot. The plot was incredibly difficult for me to follow at times. I’ve never struggled with reading comprehension, even as a kid, yet I found myself having to reread scenes and dialogue over and over again to try to figure out what was going on. Not only did I struggle with this during the action scenes but even in the backstory of the book. I constantly felt like there was a piece of the puzzle missing that my brain just could not find while reading this. Furthermore, the plot was a bit repetitive for me—I got tired of reading about the same character undergoing surgeries throughout the course of the book and the aliens arguing about what they should do. And I also have absolutely no clue what happened in the ending of the book. I know that it was meant to have some kind of whiplash effect based on how the characters acted but it was so muddy and hard to follow that I am still completely confused about all of it. Some of the mystery air about this book should’ve been done away with in the editing process. With it being a standalone, the confusion I’m sure many readers will experience is not going to do this book any favors or earn it any high stars.
*I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
The premise of this book sounded so incredibly cool that I knew I had to read it. I’ve never read a book that took place in Norway and it was so cool to be able to read the names and places of the country in YA book. I’ve also not read many alien books which made this book even more appealing to me. However, I just could not get on with this book overall.
Firstly, the characters in this book are so unique! Disregarding that they are aliens, this book holds a ton of diverse characters so if that is something you love, you will definitely find it in this book. I really liked Leda as a main character. She isn’t like many YA protagonists, not only because she has a disability, but because of her personality. She is an extremely strong yet kindhearted character and those are some of my favorite types to read about. This book also has dual point of views so I loved getting to read from Roar’s perspective as well. I loved that Roar was characterized the way most guys probably feel at 17—awkward and shy—rather than being some bigshot, overly-confident love interest as is typical in YA. It was incredibly refreshing to read. The supporting characters are all diverse and interesting as well.
The worldbuilding was fairly well done. I felt some parts were explained well while others weren’t. The aliens and their planet and technology were really neat to learn about and I really loved the way that their technology works through mind control. Shooting through space while reading this book was also a cool aspect of it and I loved getting to picture how their spaceships look.
My main issue with this book however was the plot. The plot was incredibly difficult for me to follow at times. I’ve never struggled with reading comprehension, even as a kid, yet I found myself having to reread scenes and dialogue over and over again to try to figure out what was going on. Not only did I struggle with this during the action scenes but even in the backstory of the book. I constantly felt like there was a piece of the puzzle missing that my brain just could not find while reading this. Furthermore, the plot was a bit repetitive for me—I got tired of reading about the same character undergoing surgeries throughout the course of the book and the aliens arguing about what they should do. And I also have absolutely no clue what happened in the ending of the book. I know that it was meant to have some kind of whiplash effect based on how the characters acted but it was so muddy and hard to follow that I am still completely confused about all of it. Some of the mystery air about this book should’ve been done away with in the editing process. With it being a standalone, the confusion I’m sure many readers will experience is not going to do this book any favors or earn it any high stars.
*I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
ruthsic's review
3.0
When I read the blurb, I was non-committal about it. When I started I thought - Oh, this book had so much promise! An alien story with a disable MC, and an intergalactic war - it had some good components, but the writing failed it. So, you have these two species - Aurelite and Weodes - both at war with each other, with the latter having an upper hand, and the former a hidden weapon that was to be retrieved from Earth. So Aurelia sends Roar, who is basically a genetic bloodhound, to get the weapon back, who is Leda, our MC. On the way to the planet they are meant to save, though, they come across many obstacles like a kidnapping, space attacks, and their ill-fated love (eyeroll for the last one).
I'm going to start with what I like first, because if I started with the opposite, this review will go on and on. I liked that it has a diverse set of characters - disabled POC (in human sense, not alien, but she is not white, basically) main character, a transgender character, (at least) two gay characters, and possibly an alien-human romance. The story is novel, in a way, utilizing the diverse cast in the plot structure. It also takes unexpected twists, which kept me on my toes, sort of. And it has a fast pace, so you are not bored if you are looking for a space adventure. It is also good on details, when it came to the science and the action.
However, this book had many problems, starting with plotholes that I was getting exponentially enraged by. I'll list out a few but it's not a complete list. It is never mentioned how long Roar and his squad were on Earth before he found her - when it is clear that he has an instant connection to her like a beacon. And when he found her, it still takes some time for her guardians to reveal her to him, which considering they are raising her for, didn't sit with the adults-hiding-the-truth cliche that somehow all YA novels have; wasn't the war in Aurelia time sensitive enough for them to not waste time dawdling on Earth. And then when they finally decide to go? They waste days fixing the spaceship's cloaking system which is useless BECAUSE THEY GET ATTACKED MULTIPLE TIMES IN SPACE ANYWAY SO THAT CLOAKING SYSTEM CLEARLY WAS USELESS TO WASTE PRECIOUS TIME ON! Where is the urgency in returning the weapon back to the planet they are meant to save? And how did Leda survive in space without a suit during that climactic scene (last I heard, vacuum was still a thing)? *screams in frustration*
Another grievance I had was the characters - sure, they are diverse, but there is barely any development between them. Nils (a half-Weode) and Leda - instant friends and days later, Nils is friends with the Roar and his crew as well, though they all have a war between them. He even asks to come along with them as a hostage, because what? He suddenly feels a strong friendship with them or Leda? It is never shown how they become friends; everything just falls into place a few pages later and we are supposed to go along with that. And lets not even start with the instalove between Leda and Roar. Even with their supposed genetic connection, which also becomes a hindrance to them, these two had no chemistry. And speaking of that hindrance, since when is blood being incompatible equals to them not being able to bone? They kiss quite fine - without any energy explosions, so what gives with, um, other kinds of fluids to mingle? Even if they did bump uglies, how would they blood reacting to each other be a problem unless they have some sort of weird sex involving bleeding?
And lastly, what is with these villains popping out of freaking nowhere? You can't sacrifice logic for cheap twists in plot! Where did that other bounty hunter come from? How is Aurelian society a capitalistic utopia that still has equal rights for all citizens but still they have a big economic divide? World-building seems to the weak point of this book. Anyway, so I was pretty much infuriated by the end, because I could see how the book had good components, but it had all been arranged so badly or not utilized well enough. Instead, we get three very detailed kissing scenes, and endless angst over a sexual relationship.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from
Entangled Publishing, LLC, via Netgalley.
I'm going to start with what I like first, because if I started with the opposite, this review will go on and on. I liked that it has a diverse set of characters - disabled POC (in human sense, not alien, but she is not white, basically) main character, a transgender character, (at least) two gay characters, and possibly an alien-human romance. The story is novel, in a way, utilizing the diverse cast in the plot structure. It also takes unexpected twists, which kept me on my toes, sort of. And it has a fast pace, so you are not bored if you are looking for a space adventure. It is also good on details, when it came to the science and the action.
However, this book had many problems, starting with plotholes that I was getting exponentially enraged by. I'll list out a few but it's not a complete list. It is never mentioned how long Roar and his squad were on Earth before he found her - when it is clear that he has an instant connection to her like a beacon. And when he found her, it still takes some time for her guardians to reveal her to him, which considering they are raising her for, didn't sit with the adults-hiding-the-truth cliche that somehow all YA novels have; wasn't the war in Aurelia time sensitive enough for them to not waste time dawdling on Earth. And then when they finally decide to go? They waste days fixing the spaceship's cloaking system which is useless BECAUSE THEY GET ATTACKED MULTIPLE TIMES IN SPACE ANYWAY SO THAT CLOAKING SYSTEM CLEARLY WAS USELESS TO WASTE PRECIOUS TIME ON! Where is the urgency in returning the weapon back to the planet they are meant to save? And how did Leda survive in space without a suit during that climactic scene (last I heard, vacuum was still a thing)? *screams in frustration*
Another grievance I had was the characters - sure, they are diverse, but there is barely any development between them. Nils (a half-Weode) and Leda - instant friends and days later, Nils is friends with the Roar and his crew as well, though they all have a war between them. He even asks to come along with them as a hostage, because what? He suddenly feels a strong friendship with them or Leda? It is never shown how they become friends; everything just falls into place a few pages later and we are supposed to go along with that. And lets not even start with the instalove between Leda and Roar. Even with their supposed genetic connection, which also becomes a hindrance to them, these two had no chemistry. And speaking of that hindrance, since when is blood being incompatible equals to them not being able to bone? They kiss quite fine - without any energy explosions, so what gives with, um, other kinds of fluids to mingle? Even if they did bump uglies, how would they blood reacting to each other be a problem unless they have some sort of weird sex involving bleeding?
And lastly, what is with these villains popping out of freaking nowhere? You can't sacrifice logic for cheap twists in plot! Where did that other bounty hunter come from? How is Aurelian society a capitalistic utopia that still has equal rights for all citizens but still they have a big economic divide? World-building seems to the weak point of this book. Anyway, so I was pretty much infuriated by the end, because I could see how the book had good components, but it had all been arranged so badly or not utilized well enough. Instead, we get three very detailed kissing scenes, and endless angst over a sexual relationship.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from
Entangled Publishing, LLC, via Netgalley.
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