profirebug's review
2.0
It was really hard to care about this book. IMO the humor from the show didn't translate to print at all. There are zero revelations about the 'verse (this frozen prison planet itself is new, but we already knew the Alliance is needlessly cruel). There are zero significant revelations about the characters (Inara having incurable cancer was a plot point that was revealed by Whedon sometime after the show ended, and none of the book is spent on her viewpoint, so you won't learn anything new). Mal is singularly obsessed to the point of being ridiculous. River is capable of doing anything and everything, and is never hampered by any of the issues she's suffering from in the show or movie. The impossible situations keep piling up, and the crew keep magicking their way out of them.
Prequels are difficult to do right. This book doesn't quite manage it.
Prequels are difficult to do right. This book doesn't quite manage it.
iam_griff's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this novel more than "Generations". A while back I thought I'd read a fan theory about Inara's "illness" & how in the first episode they show Inara with a syringe when the Reavers were going by Serenity. Of course I just thought that had the Reavers tried to board Serenity her syringe would've been her own "way out", but a personality flaw of mine is that I take what people say & do at face value & don't necessarily question things.
This book did feel like a two-part episode of Firefly. Mal's obsession with finding the doctor was a bit disconcerting. So was Zoe calling Mal by his first name. Don't think she's ever done that before.
I enjoyed Simon being a bigger part of the plot instead of being stuck on the ship. I also liked seeing River pilot Serenity for the first time.
This book did feel like a two-part episode of Firefly. Mal's obsession with finding the doctor was a bit disconcerting. So was Zoe calling Mal by his first name. Don't think she's ever done that before.
I enjoyed Simon being a bigger part of the plot instead of being stuck on the ship. I also liked seeing River pilot Serenity for the first time.
serena2286's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
finchreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
madisonreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
titusfortner's review against another edition
3.0
I mean, it's a mostly fun story with some of our favorite characters.
River is a really difficult character to give more than comic relief to unless we start setting the stories after Serenity, and so some of her parts fell flat to me in this. I think the plot was just overall too convoluted. Plus the author was doing weird things with the story narration that didn't work for me.
Good enough that I'll keep reading the books as they come out, but nothing I'll force into anyone's hands.
River is a really difficult character to give more than comic relief to unless we start setting the stories after Serenity, and so some of her parts fell flat to me in this. I think the plot was just overall too convoluted. Plus the author was doing weird things with the story narration that didn't work for me.
Good enough that I'll keep reading the books as they come out, but nothing I'll force into anyone's hands.
jamietherebelliousreader's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars. I hope this wasn’t the final book in this series because I would love just a couple more books. I really enjoyed the plot of this one, as heavy as it was. There was still some humor though of course. I will say that everything that goes on here is for Inara and yet she’s severely underutilized in this book and the ending is completely rushed and anticlimactic. Also, some of the characters felt a little OOC here (*cough*Mal*cough*) which was annoying but everything else was fine.
The crew break into a prison pretending to be inmates so that they can find a doctor who they believe can cure Inara’s cancer. The shenanigans and new characters that they come across was interesting and entertaining. We also get a scene of River piloting Serenity which was hands down the best part of this entire book for me. It was really cool.
Overall, this was still a very fun read. I definitely think this series gets better as the books go on so hopefully there’ll be more to come. Fingers crossed.
The crew break into a prison pretending to be inmates so that they can find a doctor who they believe can cure Inara’s cancer. The shenanigans and new characters that they come across was interesting and entertaining. We also get a scene of River piloting Serenity which was hands down the best part of this entire book for me. It was really cool.
Overall, this was still a very fun read. I definitely think this series gets better as the books go on so hopefully there’ll be more to come. Fingers crossed.
tamlovestea's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
macfiar's review against another edition
5.0
I liked this book a lot. It was so much fun. For lover;s of the Firefly series, this is a perfect continuation