violetends's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: War, Blood, Confinement, Medical content, Police brutality, Violence, Xenophobia, Gun violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Cancer
xta_07's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Over-all I enjoyed the story, but it's not my favorite addition to the Expanse universe. Which sounds worse than it is, overall I am really enjoying the journey of James Holden and his crew. I just didn't like this AS much as I have other parts of this series.
Graphic: Violence and Xenophobia
Moderate: Murder and Death
grummy_mania's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Violence and Murder
jennaem27's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Hate crime, and War
ktkeps's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Grief, Medical content, Xenophobia, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Child death, and Violence
ithato's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Cursing, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail
iono's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Gun violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Violence, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, and War
kerttuli's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Confinement, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Body horror, Gore, Hate crime, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Alcohol, Colonisation, Murder, and Medical content
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Cancer
caryndi's review
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I guess we've had enough Expanse books for side characters to filter back in as main characters now, with both Basia and Havelock returning for their very own POV chapters. We also got Elvi, who is (surprise!)
Spoiler
in love with Holden! Only not because she's just horny! So she decides basically agreeing to marry one of her scientist friends is a good idea after sleeping with him! Looks like someone needs a sassy gay friend.Parts of this book were really interesting. I liked getting a bigger/deeper look into the astounding tech the makers of the protomolecule had. I liked considering the mysteries of an alien ecosystem that didn't work in the ways humans would expect. I did not really like the idea that on the "frontier" (as it were), lawlessness had to rule;
Spoiler
while Murphy was definitely shown again and again to be asshole, I'm not sure his view was fully rebuked by the narrative.Since I'm not writing this review until after having finished the 5th book, I also think there were some questions raised that were just discarded.
Spoiler
Like, did Holden turn off all of the planets' defense mechanisms, and if so why could he do that from Ilus but not from the hub inside of the Ring? If not, what the fuck is happening to all the other settlers heading to other worlds? Where do this planet's defenses and role as basically a recycling plant fit into the larger systems the creator of the protomolecule created?Spoiler
that Holden turned off the bad thingAs I said earlier, I've already read book 5 as of writing this review, so I obviously didn't drop the series because of it. But it's definitely not a book I'd hold up as an example of why to read The Expanse.
Recommend? If you've made it this far, yeah, but don't expect to be wowed by the story.
Graphic: Confinement, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Violence