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azrah786's review against another edition
3.5
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I received a proof copy from Harper360YA in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, war, genocide, murder, death, kidnapping, colonisation, child abuse/neglect, grief
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A Song of Salvation is an exhilarating YA Sci-Fi story full of heart and adventure!
We follow Zaira, a young woman who is the last of her people and the host of a reincarnated Goddess; Wesley, a young pilot and wannabe smuggler who is running from his family’s legacy and Rubin, an intergalactically renowned podcast host. Their lives are unexpectedly thrown together at the brink of an intergalactic war and they find that they each have a bigger part to play than they expected when it comes to help putting a stop to it.
This was my first Alechia Dow book and I enjoyed it so much. I’d heard beforehand that it is linked to her previous two books as they all take place in the same universe and this one includes cameos from previously introduced characters. However, diving into this 3rd instalment first didn’t negatively affect my enjoyment at all as I feel like each of the books work perfectly as a standalone, each with their own individual storyline as part of a wider space opera.
Here we have a fun and hopeful story with great characters that you easily want to get behind, on journeys of self-acceptance and self-actualisation. The worldbuilding is diverse and absolutely fantastic, with many expansive elements that make the universe feel so lived in. Again I haven’t read the previous two books in this universe but I really enjoyed learning about the lore and the backstory of it all in this one! Though light-hearted for the most part there is also some focus on darker themes such as war, morality and neglect.
Being on the shorter side the fast pacing did mean that character relationships felt a little rushed, particularly the romantic ones which definitely fall into insta-love territory. That being said I really loved the little found family at the heart of the story as they had a great dynamic. I just wish we had gotten a few more scenes focusing on the time after their initial meeting/bond early in their relationship to see more development.
All in all, this was a super entertaining and quick read to get through and I definitely eager to go back and read The Sound of Stars and The Kindred at some point to fill in the gaps of what happened preceding the events in this book!
Final Rating – 3.5/5 Stars
**I received a proof copy from Harper360YA in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, war, genocide, murder, death, kidnapping, colonisation, child abuse/neglect, grief
--
A Song of Salvation is an exhilarating YA Sci-Fi story full of heart and adventure!
We follow Zaira, a young woman who is the last of her people and the host of a reincarnated Goddess; Wesley, a young pilot and wannabe smuggler who is running from his family’s legacy and Rubin, an intergalactically renowned podcast host. Their lives are unexpectedly thrown together at the brink of an intergalactic war and they find that they each have a bigger part to play than they expected when it comes to help putting a stop to it.
This was my first Alechia Dow book and I enjoyed it so much. I’d heard beforehand that it is linked to her previous two books as they all take place in the same universe and this one includes cameos from previously introduced characters. However, diving into this 3rd instalment first didn’t negatively affect my enjoyment at all as I feel like each of the books work perfectly as a standalone, each with their own individual storyline as part of a wider space opera.
Here we have a fun and hopeful story with great characters that you easily want to get behind, on journeys of self-acceptance and self-actualisation. The worldbuilding is diverse and absolutely fantastic, with many expansive elements that make the universe feel so lived in. Again I haven’t read the previous two books in this universe but I really enjoyed learning about the lore and the backstory of it all in this one! Though light-hearted for the most part there is also some focus on darker themes such as war, morality and neglect.
Being on the shorter side the fast pacing did mean that character relationships felt a little rushed, particularly the romantic ones which definitely fall into insta-love territory. That being said I really loved the little found family at the heart of the story as they had a great dynamic. I just wish we had gotten a few more scenes focusing on the time after their initial meeting/bond early in their relationship to see more development.
All in all, this was a super entertaining and quick read to get through and I definitely eager to go back and read The Sound of Stars and The Kindred at some point to fill in the gaps of what happened preceding the events in this book!
Final Rating – 3.5/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, and War
starrysteph's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A Song of Salvation is an imaginative space opera with a focus on moving from righteous rage to compassion, found family, and healing.
We’re following Zaira - part teenage girl and part reborn creator god - as she prepares to be sacrificed by the destruction god who has taken over her planet and people. When she unexpectedly escapes her execution, she stumbles into smuggler Wesley, who is just trying to save enough money to live amongst the stars for good. But the duo - alongside eccentric celebrity podcaster Rubin - have to somehow stop an intergalactic war first.
I thought the world-building was pretty smooth, but it was perhaps a mistake to market this as a standalone. I picked it up thinking I’d be just fine not having read the first two books set in this world, and I do feel as though that made things trickier. At the start, things were really thrown at you, and it felt like there were some assumptions as to the reader’s background knowledge of this galaxy and the warring players. Additionally, there were moments that I could tell were cameos (the descriptions and energy around a few small characters were wildly elevated compared to other scenes) – but weren’t meaningful to me without the background lore.
Zaira is a bit cheekily overpowered - I mean, she’s a god - and that lessened the stakes for me as I was never truly concerned about the fate of our main trio. She repeatedly says she doesn’t know how to use her powers, but in action she comes through (and barely breaks a sweat) every time. I did like her journey of working through her rage and learning how to trust and heal.
Rubin felt a little flat. He’s an over-the-top influencer, and that’s his only beat in every scene. He doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t reflect, and doesn’t really open up.
Wesley was more captivating to me, likely because we saw more of his pain and he was given a fuller arc. I didn’t totally believe how quickly he fell for Rubin, but I thought their relationship was sweet. I really enjoyed his reckoning with his family and witnessing him begin to heal his trauma.
Overall, the writing was fun. I was really interested in the world and tech and cultures. It was very repetitive and blandly direct at times, and I would have preferred more varied language.
I always love a queernormative universe, and I love how this trio embraced fuller body types as well.
CW: death, war, grief, genocide, colonialism & colonization, murder, child abuse
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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Violence, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, and War
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