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katndrsn's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Body horror, Gun violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Chronic illness and Genocide
_bookbug's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Two of the big plottwists at the end were kind of obvious if you paid attention (to the story and the cover *cough*) so they didn't surprised me.
But overall I thought it is a good book and if you enjoy queer science fiction this isn't a bad pick.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Incest
theuncannydani's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Violence, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Xenophobia
nickoliver's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Torture
relin'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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Genocide, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Outing, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Transphobia, and Kidnapping
breadwitchery'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
4.75
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Medical trauma, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Genocide, Rape, Sexual content, and Alcohol
lycanhood'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
3.5
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Torture, Xenophobia, Grief, and Colonisation
starccato'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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Slavery, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting
Minor: Drug use, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Vomit, Death of parent, and Alcohol
olivialandryxo'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
3.5
I will say that I quite liked all of the characters. A few took longer to grow on me than others, but ultimately I was interested in each person’s story. May and Lam did an excellent job developing each character. They also did the found family trope—one of my favorites—justice. The dynamics between the characters in this squad were top notch. I especially liked the way everyone treated Ariadne as a younger sister, and the sweet romance that blossomed between two of the women in the gang.
My favorites in the squad were Eris and Ariadne. Both had extremely rough childhoods but in different ways, for different reasons, and I felt so bad for them. I admired their perseverance, as well as their dedication to both missions and their friends. I really want to give Ariadne a hug.
I also liked the world-building. Or should I say galaxy-building, since this is set in space? Anyway, May and Lam created such an intricate galaxy for their story to take place in. I enjoyed learning about the planets and species and cultures, even if the last two were scarce due to the greedy, vicious Empire. There was no info-dumping or confusion; everything was explained well, and fit together like puzzle pieces. This can be difficult with just one world, one planet, so achieving it in a book set on multiple planets is, in my opinion, quite the feat. Kudos to the authors for that.
This book’s downfall, for me, was the plot. Although the pacing was consistent and the first half of the story intrigued me, that intrigue was absent for most of the second half. I was able to predict all of the major events and reveals, with two, maybe three exceptions. None of it felt very original.
I thought this would be a five star read,
but I was wrong. The plot’s predictability was quite disappointing. If this had been a contemporary or a romance, it wouldn’t matter so much,
given that some books within those genres are a bit formulaic. But a science fiction? That’s a genre I always want to keep me on my toes, as is fantasy, and that sadly wasn’t the case here.
I’m not sure whether or not I’ll pick up the sequel when it’s released. While I’m curious about what might happen, I don’t know if I’m curious enough to read another 400+ page book, no matter how much I like the characters.
Representation
- sapphic protagonist with a prosthetic leg
- sapphic romance (f/f)
- queer characters (includes bisexual, asexual, and trans rep)
- some characters of color
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Body horror and Drug use
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders