grid's review against another edition
5.0
I love everything I’ve read by this author and this is maybe now my favorite. (Hard to say whether it’s better than O Human Star, because they are both incredibly good in different ways.)
There’s a lot to love here. A utopian commune, (full of refugees from an interstellar war), cool new technologies, musing about art and its value, gender dynamics and coming of age… an intriguing board game.
I love it all.
There’s a lot to love here. A utopian commune, (full of refugees from an interstellar war), cool new technologies, musing about art and its value, gender dynamics and coming of age… an intriguing board game.
I love it all.
qujoy's review against another edition
5.0
This was just truly wonderful. Exactly what I needed - escapism and beauty and hope. And of course, queer people in space!
disabledbookdragon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
5.0
laurel00's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
I had some very up and down moments with this graphic novel, but I think, overall, I kind of enjoyed it.
It was definitely hard at times for me to get into the story, specifically because of the actual science behind it. There was something about the world building and the descriptions & explanations of all the tech that I just could not get myself to focus on. The whole thing sadly felt like it was dragging along because of that, so I just didn't feel all that motivated to pick the book up.
The second half of the novel I think almost redeemed it for me, because it centered a lot more around Delliquanti's main message: the characters' friendship and their humanity and all the conversations around deserving did actually make me quite emotional, and I felt a much stronger connection at that point to the MCs and their story. I wish we had gotten to that point earlier, because it would've hooked me in much more.
The illustrations are very nice and the colours are absolutely stunning, but there were definitely some action scenes where the panels were drawn so chaotically I couldn't really understand what I was looking at. It actually made it a bit difficult to figure out what was going on, and I had some moments where I just skimmed through the pages instead of trying to piece together what was happening.
The diversity felt very comforting and the wonderful spectrum of gender represented in the story, especially with two non-binary main characters and multiple trans and queer people shown throughout the pages, was really great to see. But I sadly don't think it's enough to fully redeem it for me. I would recommend this if you specifically are a big fan of sci-fi, but I probably wouldn't include it in any of my personal top reading lists.
It was definitely hard at times for me to get into the story, specifically because of the actual science behind it. There was something about the world building and the descriptions & explanations of all the tech that I just could not get myself to focus on. The whole thing sadly felt like it was dragging along because of that, so I just didn't feel all that motivated to pick the book up.
The second half of the novel I think almost redeemed it for me, because it centered a lot more around Delliquanti's main message: the characters' friendship and their humanity and all the conversations around deserving did actually make me quite emotional, and I felt a much stronger connection at that point to the MCs and their story. I wish we had gotten to that point earlier, because it would've hooked me in much more.
The illustrations are very nice and the colours are absolutely stunning, but there were definitely some action scenes where the panels were drawn so chaotically I couldn't really understand what I was looking at. It actually made it a bit difficult to figure out what was going on, and I had some moments where I just skimmed through the pages instead of trying to piece together what was happening.
The diversity felt very comforting and the wonderful spectrum of gender represented in the story, especially with two non-binary main characters and multiple trans and queer people shown throughout the pages, was really great to see. But I sadly don't think it's enough to fully redeem it for me. I would recommend this if you specifically are a big fan of sci-fi, but I probably wouldn't include it in any of my personal top reading lists.
nyxaslan's review against another edition
3.0
Loved the representation, but just not my cup of tea at the moment. Gotta love mood reading.
cupcakesrawesom's review against another edition
3.0
I did enjoy this however the marketing described something it was not. I thought this was a romance and it was not. However it was still good. I did like the non binary and trans representation.
madelinerossell's review against another edition
4.0
It is not a romance. I love the story but marketing the story as a romance sets up false expectations (which is in no way the authors fault I'm sure and I think probably speaks more to the publishers' lack of understanding of the novel).
The amount of representation in this though is fantastic. I've read 3 books (one series) with a plus size lead and this has probably been my favourite experience so far because the character is not treated differently because they're plus size.
The amount of representation in this though is fantastic. I've read 3 books (one series) with a plus size lead and this has probably been my favourite experience so far because the character is not treated differently because they're plus size.
literarygay's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
caitonline's review against another edition
I like the idea of this book a lot but I was finding it kind of hard to focus on. Might try again in the future
blurhima's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75