flamekrafter's review
5.0
Very compelling, entertaining, space opera/caper/romance. Great characters with a lot of depth and very original universe that I can't wait to experience more of. Awesome first novel by some very talented writers!
gemoone's review
3.0
Read because it came highly recommended, but... the ending feels very empty. Technically, the characters get what they want in a larger arc, but... to set up the fact that the characters all have intense sexual desire for each other, and never even depict a final passionate kiss? It didn’t feel like anyone got what they were shown to want from the get go.
Still, I’ll take all the Bi/Pan and Poly romance I can get!
Still, I’ll take all the Bi/Pan and Poly romance I can get!
ajcousins's review
4.0
I really liked this story of a married pair of bounty hunters who have been chasing one man for so long that they've fallen more than half in love with him. And Kellen, the thief who's found himself in enough trouble that it's safer to give himself up to the two who've beeen chasing him, is a terrific character. Damaged, a total hot mess, a claustrophobe who's likely to spend the rest of his life in a a prison cell, he's a heartbreaker. I'm developing a fondness for SF romance and this book is one of the reasons why.
cjrecordvt's review
5.0
I really liked this. The relationship worked well (I understate, it was simply amazing and balanced and honest), the characters were well-built, and the science was there, but it didn't get in the way.
faethered's review
1.0
I am 95% sure that this is a White Collar fanfiction with the serial numbers filed off. If you want to write fanfiction, that's fine, but could my original fiction please be original?
This book suffered from a huge telling-not-showing problem, both in characterization and description. The narrative told me how the characters were feeling, but didn't really show me their thoughts. The POV wasn't close enough to really get in their heads. The problem was even worse with descriptions of places. Don't tell me that a planet or a space station is seedy and full of criminals. Show me by describing how the streets are dirty, how people look around warily as they walk, how the contours of weapons show under every jacket.
I'd also like to know the point of giving a story a sci-fi setting if it's just going to be a cardboard backdrop. The worldbuilding here was paper-thin. Things I didn't know by the end of the story: was Tal and Vanya's lifestyle poorer than average, better off than average, or typical? Are polyamorous relationships accepted everywhere or only by a few? Are bounty hunters respected in this society, or are they viewed as dangerous vigilantes? Are people enhanced with nanotechnology respected or viewed as freaks? If you don't want to take the time to think about these questions, then don't write science fiction. Work within a society that already exists.
Honestly, the only reason I didn't abandon this book early on was because someone I respect wrote a good review. By 80% through I longed to stop reading, but by that point I wanted to finish so that I could fully articulate in a review why I didn't like this book.
This book suffered from a huge telling-not-showing problem, both in characterization and description. The narrative told me how the characters were feeling, but didn't really show me their thoughts. The POV wasn't close enough to really get in their heads. The problem was even worse with descriptions of places. Don't tell me that a planet or a space station is seedy and full of criminals. Show me by describing how the streets are dirty, how people look around warily as they walk, how the contours of weapons show under every jacket.
I'd also like to know the point of giving a story a sci-fi setting if it's just going to be a cardboard backdrop. The worldbuilding here was paper-thin. Things I didn't know by the end of the story: was Tal and Vanya's lifestyle poorer than average, better off than average, or typical? Are polyamorous relationships accepted everywhere or only by a few? Are bounty hunters respected in this society, or are they viewed as dangerous vigilantes? Are people enhanced with nanotechnology respected or viewed as freaks? If you don't want to take the time to think about these questions, then don't write science fiction. Work within a society that already exists.
Honestly, the only reason I didn't abandon this book early on was because someone I respect wrote a good review. By 80% through I longed to stop reading, but by that point I wanted to finish so that I could fully articulate in a review why I didn't like this book.
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