beebeewin'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? It's complicated
3.75
I think why this book doesn't crack the 4 star region is simply because at the end all the realizations came almost too rapidly. I wanted the end to be drawn out with the extreme detail and thoughtfulness that the earlier part of this book had. I feel like I got to know the characters so well I just wanted a little more time to see them processing and really growing into the character growth we were shown.
With all of that I am definitely excited to read the sequel. The world that Lewis built is rich and I am excited for all the political intrigue and interactions of all these characters. I would recommend this book for anyone look for a fun sci-fi space read with lots of queer representation and some exciting potential for a sequel.
Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, and Violence
katsmedialibrary's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Transphobia, War, and Violence
Moderate: Medical content and Sexual assault
Minor: Ableism
major_tom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
At first, I was afraid the lore would be too confusing - I am not very familiar with space-related fiction and never had much interest in it. Here, the story started straight away - I liked how we discovered things along the way, without long and boring history lessons. Each chapter has a short passage before it, which could be a letter, a quote, or other short piece that gave more insight into the world. I love good exposition and, I’m my opinion, Linden A. Lewis here did a great job.
The main character are interesting, flawed and have their own priorities and desires. There are some flaws, but I’ll talk about them later.
I loved how unique this world is. It really stands out with how logical historical development of each nation is.
However, I got quite disappointed by the end. The ending felt rushed, used mostly explanation rather than exposure, and gave a bit of flat character development. I saw how some things before could be linked to the plot twists, but still it wasn’t satisfactory. I felt that the ending was made that way to create reason for the next book. I am afraid that the next books will turn to obvious conflicts and will greatly worsen in world-building. In my opinion, the book by itself is great as stand-alone (if the ending was changed). I hope I’m wrong, because I still enjoyed it most of the way.
Graphic: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Body horror, Bullying, Blood, Emotional abuse, Violence, Racism, War, and Slavery
eegekay'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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Violence
jeniwarren's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: War and Violence
sombies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Honestly she seems stapled in so the author could compare this book to A Handmaid's Tale in the pitch.
I was excited to read a book that was willing to confront the realities of sexual abuse but there's weirdly hardly any mention of it at all. It's almost as if the book itself is too afraid to talk about it and grapple with it.
I expected a lot from this book and it barely delivered any at all. There are some interesting themes and ideas but they aren't properly developed
Graphic: Violence, War, Medical trauma, and Transphobia
Moderate: Sexual violence and Rape
booksthatburn'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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Medical content, Racism, Violence, Body horror, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Ableism, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Sexual content, War, and Xenophobia
Minor: Rape, Vomit, and Self harm
catsy2022's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Child abuse, War, Blood, Confinement, Violence, and Death
Minor: Vomit
accidentallyinspace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: War, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Violence, and Xenophobia
ericadawson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This review contains spoilers--and my opinion is overall impacted by the fact that I wasn't able to finish this in a timely fashion.
I enjoyed The First Sister, although the triple POV felt off-balance to me as I much preferred First Sister's perspective over Lito's and Hiro's, but we inevitably got more of Lito and Hiro's development than First Sister's.
The plot is enjoyable, and there are many moving parts without those parts colliding and making the reading experience confusing or unclear. I enjoyed the worldbuilding because it didn't feel too large like in some other scifis, but it wasn't contained to just Earth and the Moon like some others. The history was rich without being overwhelming, and the author did a good job of staying focused on the parts of the lore that were actually relevant (although I did forget sometimes that this was a war over resources, first and foremost). I felt Lito's transition to treason was a bit speedy, but both Hiro's and First Sister's plot twists were excellent.
The voice was strong, the pacing good, and the internal and external conflicts felt real. A very enjoyable book.
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Sexual violence, War, Death, and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual content