cypress13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
ekcd_'s review against another edition
In terms of world building and general plot style, this book is very similar to Gideon the Ninth - author just throws you into the middle of the world and trusts youll find your way. Its confusing but rewarding once you figure it out... theoretically. Personally I dont like books like this. But I loved GTN because it had good characters and an intriguing premise. Ancillary Justice on the other hand has the most boring, uncompelling, one dimensional characters, an incredibly slow introduction, etc. I spoiled it for myself and was even more unsatisfied so fuck it, this is going to be a DNF.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Deadnaming, Confinement, Blood, Drug abuse, Medical content, Murder, Gore, Drug use, Genocide, Xenophobia, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Medical trauma, War, Body horror, Physical abuse, and Police brutality
dreadpirateshawn's review against another edition
4.0
A lot of the fundamental elements of this book are very creative -- in particular, the handling of identity and gender -- which is a bit jarring at first, but executed with aplomb. The plot pulls you in steadily as you learn each new piece, culminating with a universe and backstory that begs to be explored more fully. Looking forward to starting the next book!
marneyjane's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
niakantorka's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The concept of ships having idk how many manifestations (ancillaries) was super intriguing. It also made it complicated to follow the who was who in the flashback scenes. The fact that Breq /One Esk 19 was more or less unable to get someone’s gender right and therefore everyone was a “she” in their eyes when all other people deemed the same people a “he” was a bit of a challenge at first until I just mentally chucked all pronouns out - made for much smoother reading. 😆
So this book and its ideas were fresh and definitely unique. I had a bit of trouble to find Breq and to a lesser extent Seivarden like- and loveable. Nonetheless, I had a good time reading the book and want to know what’s going to happen from here on, especially with the Lord of the Radch. I might need to take a short break, but I’m looking forward to reading the sequels.
So this book and its ideas were fresh and definitely unique. I had a bit of trouble to find Breq and to a lesser extent Seivarden like- and loveable. Nonetheless, I had a good time reading the book and want to know what’s going to happen from here on, especially with the Lord of the Radch. I might need to take a short break, but I’m looking forward to reading the sequels.
leslie_r_k's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-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
phoenix_7's review against another edition
5.0
I'm tempted to copy/pasta my friend Brittany Steff's review, because she has expressed my feels about this story so much better than I can at the moment. It's an original concept executed so deftly, skillfully...agh, I can't stand it.
One specific skill that I couldn't get over after I noticed it is Leckie's gift for subtlety. Example that I hope makes sense out of context:
~~~
"I took the tea flask, turned from the counter, went over to where Lieutenant Dariet stood, and poured eleven milliliters of tea into the nearly full bowl she held.
"You like Lieutenant Awn, of course," said Lieutenant Issaaia. "We all do. But she doesn't have breeding... I would hardly be surprised if 5 years was all she could take without cracking." She looked at the empty bowl in her gloved hand. "I need more tea."
~~~
The text never says outright that the narrator (tea-filler) has opinions about these two, instead letting that [petty af] tea move do the talking. I LOVE IT. Subtlety.
When folxs recommend that a writer show "show, not tell" (ugh, a recommendation that never makes sense when you're on the receiving end) THIS is what they mean. Also wonder if this is the biggest difference between YA and 'general' fiction
One specific skill that I couldn't get over after I noticed it is Leckie's gift for subtlety. Example that I hope makes sense out of context:
~~~
"I took the tea flask, turned from the counter, went over to where Lieutenant Dariet stood, and poured eleven milliliters of tea into the nearly full bowl she held.
"You like Lieutenant Awn, of course," said Lieutenant Issaaia. "We all do. But she doesn't have breeding... I would hardly be surprised if 5 years was all she could take without cracking." She looked at the empty bowl in her gloved hand. "I need more tea."
~~~
The text never says outright that the narrator (tea-filler) has opinions about these two, instead letting that [petty af] tea move do the talking. I LOVE IT. Subtlety.
When folxs recommend that a writer show "show, not tell" (ugh, a recommendation that never makes sense when you're on the receiving end) THIS is what they mean. Also wonder if this is the biggest difference between YA and 'general' fiction
iirreeaadd's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I overall really liked this book, but it was a bit much to get into. The first 150 pages or so I felt I was drowning in terminology and the characters felt like they were speaking assuming that I knew things that hadn't been mentioned yet. However once I got my feet under me this is a really solid space opera with a compelling story and really interesting concepts. I'm really looking forward to reading more
leafwhistle's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75