Reviews

Did I read this because of Brian David Gilbert's Unraveled review? You're absolutely right, I did. Those videos are on my comfort-YouTube playlist so leave me be.

Honest review, I really enjoyed this story! The characters were more than superficial despite the low page count and I felt invested in their crew and plot. I'm actually really looking forward to reading the sequel at some point this year.
Admittedly, you do need SOME knowledge of the Halo video games and lore to not be completely lost on some of the terminology like ONI, UNSC, and some of the alien races mentioned. However, with the right amount of suspension of disbelief and willingness to not know everything going on, you could probably get through this, so I probably wouldn't recommend this as a casual read unless you, like me, have a fleeting knowledge of the video games.

Content Warnings

richard_mzk's review

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adventurous funny mysterious 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? Yes

4.25

jdelnaza's review

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adventurous emotional funny sad 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

Easily one of the best entries in the Halo Expanded Universe. It instantly grabs you with an enthralling story and a great cast of characters. Each one equally engaging, well developed, and with fantastic dialogue reflecting the family–like chemistry between the characters.

This is a definitive recommendation for any Halo fan.

rogeryoung117's review

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

4.0

nooker's review against another edition

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3.0

I really liked this one up till the very end. It was a fun romp with an obsessive scavenger. I even thought the romantic relationship was interesting when I usually find such things really irritating (maybe because this one was written by a woman). The end kinda killed me because it didn't really seem to tie up the story. It could end here, but it also seem to set up for a sequel.

see_sadie_read's review

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3.0

I won this book through a giveaway and, having not read any of the previous 18 books or ever played the game, I was really going in blind with reading it. But I was able to follow it without problem and it was engaging enough. I felt it would have been better suited for a full-length novel than the novella it is. It could have done with the room to flesh it out. And there is a bit of predictable tragedy I'd have preferred to do without. But all in all, I'd be willing to read the next book in Gay's arc of the Halo franchise. (However, having just read a review of [b:HALO: Renegades|41188933|HALO Renegades|Kelly Gay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549012781l/41188933._SY75_.jpg|64373214] with some pretty major spoilers in it, I guess I don't need to. To be fair the reviewer was pointing out the events of other books in the universe that functioned as spoilers to Renegades, but having not read those other books it was their review that was the spoiler.)

theatrejoel's review against another edition

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5.0

Thinking about the Halo books the first thing that comes to mind is seeing a small human in impossible circumstances. And Jesus Christ this one delivered! Perhaps the most personal one I've read thus far and filled with realistic chatacters, amazing dialogue and a powerful story. God, I loved it and I can't wait for the sequel!

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