Reviews

The pacing was actually really good throughout the book, but then at the very end (starting with the concert, I'd say), lots of things happened all at once that felt rushed and would have benefited from more development.
Spoiler
Like King Yecki being Felix's dad and hand-choosing Joy as his Kindred!
I didn't think there was enough written about the Ilori to justify their being the Big Bad. Admittedly, this is partly an issue for me because I haven't read The Sound of Stars and I didn't realize this was set in the same world.
There was a bit too much "I love you, but we can't be together, but I love you, so let's be together!" back and forth with the characters, especially Joy. The will-they-or-won't-they was a little too dragged out.

All that being said, I loved the representation, I loved Joy and Felix's relationship and his fierce devotion to her, and I loved their Earth friends. Solid introduction to this author and I'll be reading more from her for sure.

akossket's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

finagarvey's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-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

auntie_mimi's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

quinnpjd930's review

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adventurous funny inspiring 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

4.5

katkayleyy's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious 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? N/A

4.5

girlreading's review against another edition

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4.0

A brilliantly fun read that's equal parts a romantic, universe hopping, 'we need to save multiple planets from doom and also, hey humans are kinda awful and great' sci-fi, and an astute exploration of racism, colonialism, oppression and class.

Alechia Dow has such a talent for creating characters and relationships you root for with your entire being. I adored Joy and Felix. They were charming, wholesome, flawed and their different perspectives were great to follow. The side characters were lovable and well developed and the casual, inclusive and accepting language surrounding the queer characters? 10/10.
The pop culture references were also so much fun and I really hope authors take note of the subtle way Alechia acknowledged the pandemic as a part of Earth's story but without without being too jarring.

My only qualm with this book was the fatphobia and the narrative surrounding Joy's fatness. Whilst representing fatphobia, both internal and external, is absolutely valid, I didn't feel as though it added much to this story. There was no growth or real challenging of any of Joy's hateful thoughts about her body or her dieting, nor were there repercussions for those who made negative comments about it. Instead, her self-hate just somewhat fizzled out without any undoing of any of the potentially triggering comments made from herself and others.

That being said, all in all, this was another exciting and multilayered story from Dow. I thought the way she intertwined this with The Sound of Stars was inspired and I really, really hope she revisits this universe and its characters again in the future.

TW: fatphobia and body shaming (internal and external), racism, xenophobia, colonialism

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