glittery_carrot's review
1.0
"if i could give this book zero stars then i would"...that's how i feel about this book fjdndnd-
i've never really felt that way about a book before so i'm gonna try and unpack that in this review? i personally dont like dnf-ing books so i finished this all the while screaming, crying, throwing up about how frustrating of an experience it has been
with the first few chapters i did like it tho but then i started hating clo...then they bumped into nyx, ari and rhea and all of them frustrated me as well. the thing is i usually dont mind books having horrible people for characters but these just lacked depth? like i dont understand them beyond what the book tells me to understand about them and the book says a whole fucking lot without saying anything at all.
it felt very fanfic-y in that way but i also feel like that's an insult to actual fanfic writers because most of them actually do their jobs immaculately.
the pacing of the book was weird with the flashbacks and stuff really messing up the flow of the story for me. many of the flashbacks were stuff i already knew or suspected about the characters and dont care about knowing more about. i dont think it added anything to the book and it just annoyed me.
the book is also pretty repetitive at certain points and i was just tired of it. the world building was very shallow, the gods never explored further (ex: like where's the temples, the altars, the history...anything really at this point plsss 400+ pages and i was dead inside the entire timeeee)
the language used could have been a tiny bit more complicated, the sentences were just plain confusing to me many times. the writing was really a choice (the made up swear words made me wish clo was real so i could fight even before she was constantly bullying eris any chance she got). by the time i get to the end of certain sentences i just completely forget what it was even saying- i kept losing focus like this and really regretted picking this book up😩
then comes the ending ig? gods wtf was that pile of shit for an ending??? i didnt even know what to feel and just ew...Eris was great i love her, she's the only good thing to come out of this but that ending was such a fuxking disappointment like gahdamn...its like the book realized halfway thru it never climaxed and then chose to shock the readers w this...like no it didnt work im just high and dry now, edged beyond belief and sore from trying for so hard for so long
i thought i'd give this 2 stars at the last heist but after that ending it went down a star. so yea would def have dnf-ed if i had it in me.
i've never really felt that way about a book before so i'm gonna try and unpack that in this review? i personally dont like dnf-ing books so i finished this all the while screaming, crying, throwing up about how frustrating of an experience it has been
with the first few chapters i did like it tho but then i started hating clo...then they bumped into nyx, ari and rhea and all of them frustrated me as well. the thing is i usually dont mind books having horrible people for characters but these just lacked depth? like i dont understand them beyond what the book tells me to understand about them and the book says a whole fucking lot without saying anything at all.
it felt very fanfic-y in that way but i also feel like that's an insult to actual fanfic writers because most of them actually do their jobs immaculately.
the pacing of the book was weird with the flashbacks and stuff really messing up the flow of the story for me. many of the flashbacks were stuff i already knew or suspected about the characters and dont care about knowing more about. i dont think it added anything to the book and it just annoyed me.
the book is also pretty repetitive at certain points and i was just tired of it. the world building was very shallow, the gods never explored further (ex: like where's the temples, the altars, the history...anything really at this point plsss 400+ pages and i was dead inside the entire timeeee)
the language used could have been a tiny bit more complicated, the sentences were just plain confusing to me many times. the writing was really a choice (the made up swear words made me wish clo was real so i could fight even before she was constantly bullying eris any chance she got). by the time i get to the end of certain sentences i just completely forget what it was even saying- i kept losing focus like this and really regretted picking this book up😩
then comes the ending ig? gods wtf was that pile of shit for an ending??? i didnt even know what to feel and just ew...Eris was great i love her, she's the only good thing to come out of this but that ending was such a fuxking disappointment like gahdamn...its like the book realized halfway thru it never climaxed and then chose to shock the readers w this...like no it didnt work im just high and dry now, edged beyond belief and sore from trying for so hard for so long
i thought i'd give this 2 stars at the last heist but after that ending it went down a star. so yea would def have dnf-ed if i had it in me.
witchinmyguy's review
This one sits at about a 3.5 for me.
A note to start this all off, I haven’t read a ton of space operas before so my newness to the genre colors this review. But how could I resist the pitch the “be gay, do crime” meme with Mad Max Fury Road vibes?
This is a feminist, girl gang space opera about a rag-tag crew trying to take down a patriarchal empire. You’ve got the former princess of the empire defected to the resistance, a cantankerous mechanic, an escaped sex slave, a deprogrammed soldier, and a child genius -all women- coming together. But in order to accomplish their goal, they will have to face their demons and their past.
So, this series starter is strong in a number of ways though I do have my quibbles. I think the characters are so fun and they are diverse in both identity and personality. There is queer rep everywhere as well as diversity of race and ability. Their banter works and their dynamics often pop off the page. There was a little more work that could have been done on the character dynamics - I felt that the relationship between Eris and Clo could have used a bit more fleshing out - but overall the found family dynamic was well-done and touching. The world in this is quite interesting and brings about some commentary on the current state of our world. While it took me a hot minute to get into the story, once I was in I was invested.
I think my biggest issue and why this book dropped stars for me was the structure, which in turn led to issues with pacing. This book uses a lot of flashbacks and jumps back and forth in time - which is in line with other Laura Lam books I’ve read. They do a decent job in fleshing out the world and characters, but it is jarring when a moment plays out near the climax of the book that has been talked about and hinted at so frequently that I already felt like I knew what happened. While the flashbacks brought value to the story, their placement was sometimes awkward and hampered pacing.
Overall, I think it’s amazing to have a sprawling space opera like this center such a diverse and compelling crew. The ending definitely left me wanting to pick up the sequel, especially since the antagonist is quite interesting. I’d recommend for space opera fans and for those who are new to the genre.
A note to start this all off, I haven’t read a ton of space operas before so my newness to the genre colors this review. But how could I resist the pitch the “be gay, do crime” meme with Mad Max Fury Road vibes?
This is a feminist, girl gang space opera about a rag-tag crew trying to take down a patriarchal empire. You’ve got the former princess of the empire defected to the resistance, a cantankerous mechanic, an escaped sex slave, a deprogrammed soldier, and a child genius -all women- coming together. But in order to accomplish their goal, they will have to face their demons and their past.
So, this series starter is strong in a number of ways though I do have my quibbles. I think the characters are so fun and they are diverse in both identity and personality. There is queer rep everywhere as well as diversity of race and ability. Their banter works and their dynamics often pop off the page. There was a little more work that could have been done on the character dynamics - I felt that the relationship between Eris and Clo could have used a bit more fleshing out - but overall the found family dynamic was well-done and touching. The world in this is quite interesting and brings about some commentary on the current state of our world. While it took me a hot minute to get into the story, once I was in I was invested.
I think my biggest issue and why this book dropped stars for me was the structure, which in turn led to issues with pacing. This book uses a lot of flashbacks and jumps back and forth in time - which is in line with other Laura Lam books I’ve read. They do a decent job in fleshing out the world and characters, but it is jarring when a moment plays out near the climax of the book that has been talked about and hinted at so frequently that I already felt like I knew what happened. While the flashbacks brought value to the story, their placement was sometimes awkward and hampered pacing.
Overall, I think it’s amazing to have a sprawling space opera like this center such a diverse and compelling crew. The ending definitely left me wanting to pick up the sequel, especially since the antagonist is quite interesting. I’d recommend for space opera fans and for those who are new to the genre.
krilves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
enjoyed this a lot. rebels working to overthrow a genocidal authoritarian brainwashing empire - in space? sign me up! the characters were compelling, the world building insane (the implication that these humans have been "in space" for so long that they no longer remember *Earth* ? chefs kiss) the visceral horror of the brainwashing&programming alongside the centuries of genocide - delicious. I like it when stories aren't afraid of being dirty, gruesome, horrifying. it makes the characters better IMO, their motivations stronger, their relationships higher stakes. I loved everything here. can't wait to read the next book.
hilja's review
adventurous
dark
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
4.75
thor's review against another edition
1) Felt too immature, not advertised as YA but was very YA and with sassy characters which I'm just not a fan of.
2) Phonetically written Scottish accent. Very distracting, also quite cringeworthy as a Scottish reader.
2) Phonetically written Scottish accent. Very distracting, also quite cringeworthy as a Scottish reader.
isoka's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
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
4.0
gxbi's review
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, War, Xenophobia, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Slavery, Gore, and Torture
Moderate: Child abuse, Vomit, Blood, and Medical trauma
ellaisntreading's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hanz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
There were some interesting elements to this book, but I found it was often difficult to distinguish the perspectives from each other. It was incredibly slow initially, but I enjoyed it more when the other characters were introduced.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Torture, Physical abuse, Death, Child abuse, and Colonisation
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Genocide