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edgeworth's review
3.0
In theory this should have been right up my alley: a post-apocalyptic story set in an almost unrecognisable far-future Australia, with a new society living in the high-tech ruins of their ancestors; certainly Lotus Blue has a note of some of my favourite adventure novels of all time, Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines series, with its centuries-old cyborg super-soldiers, reawakened orbital weapons and swashbuckling sandships. But it never really felt like it came together. Aside from having far too many characters and probably a hundred too many pages of padding, it lacks - ironically - a spark.
beckylej's review
DNF - after over a week and less than 100 pages read, I had to throw in the towel. The world was fascinating but the amount of characters thrown at the reader throughout the first few chapters made it very hard to actually understand or become submerged in that world. I never did get drawn into the story.
cupiscent's review
Setting aside around 40 pages in. I was enjoying the Australian tint to it all, and it's a rich, evocative post-apocalyptic sandscape that Sparks lays out with vivid detail, but it's just a bit too sci-fi/post-apoc/cyberpunk for me to get into it.
thiefofcamorr's review
4.0
Lotus Blue reminds me of what Mad Max could have been if they lacked resources. Back to the ideas of camels and slow-moving caravans, we have a sand-based adventure that has echoes of Tatooine and various Glenda Larke or Sean Williams worlds - yet this of course is utterly Sparks' own - and just another mark of how the endless plains of Australian emptiness have made their mark on our writers.
We're quickly thrown into a handful of characters, each vivid and although many to keep track of, they seem instantly like characters we've known for longer than half a chapter. Although there are many characters to choose from, the main protagonists are Star and her sister Nene who are the medics in the caravan, though Star dreams of things far greater - like somehow making their fortune enough to stay put somewhere, and opening a clinic in some back alley they can call home. Despite her child-like self-centredness we're still endeared to her simply for her drive and outlook on life, and how she faces her regrets head on, and has such a will to save not only herself, but her sister.
The plot is lively and action non-stop, making this book fly by and seem shorter than it really is. What really works about this novel is the history that makes the world-building sing, as we hear how their world is now, thanks to errors and calamity of old. Sparks is a genius of climate change and it shows in this book.
Overall, this novel has so much going for it, and it's brilliantly delivered.
We're quickly thrown into a handful of characters, each vivid and although many to keep track of, they seem instantly like characters we've known for longer than half a chapter. Although there are many characters to choose from, the main protagonists are Star and her sister Nene who are the medics in the caravan, though Star dreams of things far greater - like somehow making their fortune enough to stay put somewhere, and opening a clinic in some back alley they can call home. Despite her child-like self-centredness we're still endeared to her simply for her drive and outlook on life, and how she faces her regrets head on, and has such a will to save not only herself, but her sister.
The plot is lively and action non-stop, making this book fly by and seem shorter than it really is. What really works about this novel is the history that makes the world-building sing, as we hear how their world is now, thanks to errors and calamity of old. Sparks is a genius of climate change and it shows in this book.
Overall, this novel has so much going for it, and it's brilliantly delivered.
rivqa's review
4.0
Cat's trademark lush description and scrappy characters make a seamless transition from short form to long. Quirky AI and cyborg personalities are an easy way to my heart, but these are magnificent. A glorious oil painting of a novel.
FULL DISCLOSURE: Cat is my dear friend and mentor; this review is of a pre-publication version that I obtained for free (unless you count my ceaseless pestering).
FULL DISCLOSURE: Cat is my dear friend and mentor; this review is of a pre-publication version that I obtained for free (unless you count my ceaseless pestering).
coolcurrybooks's review
3.0
Centuries ago, wars ruined the earth, destroying cities and wrecking the environment. But humanity remains as people struggle to survive in the harsh world that remains. But an ancient and powerful war machine, Lotus Blue, has awaken in the desert, and what’s left of the world may be at risk.
Lotus Blue has a variety of POV characters, but the protagonist is clearly Star, who has far more sections than anyone else. Star and her sister Nene live and travel with a caravan of traders, heading up and down the Sand Road. But unfolding events have a cataclysmic effect upon the caravan, drawing Star into the quest to stop Lotus Blue.
Here’s the biggest problem with Lotus Blue: Star had absolutely no impact on the outcome of the book. She could have died in the very beginning and the ending would have been the same. I noticed about half way through that Star was a passive protagonist who lacked agency – she tends to react rather than be proactive. But I’d assumed that in the end she would make some plot relevant action. I assumed wrong.
When I said there were a lot of POV characters, I meant it. First off, there’s Star. Then there’s Kian, a boy trying to find Lotus Blue for his one glory. His cousin also gets sections. Same goes for a wealthy merchant’s daughter, an aging female super solider, a battle scared male super solider, Lotus Blue itself, a random girl in a watchtower, and a scrappy stowaway. Here’s the thing… all but two or three of them could have disappeared from the book and the end result regarding Lotus Blue wouldn’t be much different.
Having such a mass of characters negatively impacted characterization. I never really connected with any of them. At one point a side character died, and it was being treated like an emotional moment. Only I actively didn’t care because he had no characterization or personality.
One other disappointment was that I picked up Lotus Blue because I saw it on a list of SFF about sisters. It’s not really a book about sisters. Nene disappears halfway through and never returns.
On the bright side, I did enjoy the setting. The world Cat Sparks imagines is one of an ever growing desert, with mad mechas blazing through the sand and reckless humans hunting them for parts. There’s a certain Mad Max feel to it, helped by the post-apocalyptic Australian setting. The world really came alive, and I loved the details such as the sand ships, towers, and immortal super soldiers.
If there’s a there’s a sequel to Lotus Blue (and based on the ending, I think there will be), I am not going to read it. While I liked the world building, it was not enough to make up for the problems in structure and characterization.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review.
Lotus Blue has a variety of POV characters, but the protagonist is clearly Star, who has far more sections than anyone else. Star and her sister Nene live and travel with a caravan of traders, heading up and down the Sand Road. But unfolding events have a cataclysmic effect upon the caravan, drawing Star into the quest to stop Lotus Blue.
Here’s the biggest problem with Lotus Blue: Star had absolutely no impact on the outcome of the book. She could have died in the very beginning and the ending would have been the same. I noticed about half way through that Star was a passive protagonist who lacked agency – she tends to react rather than be proactive. But I’d assumed that in the end she would make some plot relevant action. I assumed wrong.
When I said there were a lot of POV characters, I meant it. First off, there’s Star. Then there’s Kian, a boy trying to find Lotus Blue for his one glory. His cousin also gets sections. Same goes for a wealthy merchant’s daughter, an aging female super solider, a battle scared male super solider, Lotus Blue itself, a random girl in a watchtower, and a scrappy stowaway. Here’s the thing… all but two or three of them could have disappeared from the book and the end result regarding Lotus Blue wouldn’t be much different.
Having such a mass of characters negatively impacted characterization. I never really connected with any of them. At one point a side character died, and it was being treated like an emotional moment. Only I actively didn’t care because he had no characterization or personality.
One other disappointment was that I picked up Lotus Blue because I saw it on a list of SFF about sisters. It’s not really a book about sisters. Nene disappears halfway through and never returns.
On the bright side, I did enjoy the setting. The world Cat Sparks imagines is one of an ever growing desert, with mad mechas blazing through the sand and reckless humans hunting them for parts. There’s a certain Mad Max feel to it, helped by the post-apocalyptic Australian setting. The world really came alive, and I loved the details such as the sand ships, towers, and immortal super soldiers.
If there’s a there’s a sequel to Lotus Blue (and based on the ending, I think there will be), I am not going to read it. While I liked the world building, it was not enough to make up for the problems in structure and characterization.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review.
jessgeekmom's review
3.0
Mentions salted roo, but never any note of actual kangaroos. Probably this bothers me more than it should.
sarahsponda's review
3.0
Liked the world-building and overall concept but the multiple POVs (sometimes only once or twice in the book) weakened the flow of the story for me. Descriptions of the physical movements of the characters was often confusing. And the book lagged --or just my interest?-- 2/3 of the way in, just as I was getting excited to see how everything would end.
marktimmony's review
3.0
Easy reading with a very cool take on the post-apocalyptic story. Sparks is an accomplished writer with an imagination that is a treasure-trove of ideas and the chomps to mark her as an Aussie writer to watch.
The melding of superstition, religion and left over technology as magic was brilliant and evocative, I wanted to dive right into that world and learn everything I possibly could about it. But Sparks knows quite well how to dole such wonders out and tease the reader along as the story progresses. I felt the ending was a little rushed but that has less to do with the author and more to do with me. There IS an ending but some threads are still left hanging. Which is good.
I want more.
When is the next book due, Cat? Is there a title yet? :D
The melding of superstition, religion and left over technology as magic was brilliant and evocative, I wanted to dive right into that world and learn everything I possibly could about it. But Sparks knows quite well how to dole such wonders out and tease the reader along as the story progresses. I felt the ending was a little rushed but that has less to do with the author and more to do with me. There IS an ending but some threads are still left hanging. Which is good.
I want more.
When is the next book due, Cat? Is there a title yet? :D
sarah984's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I didn't like this book very much. The setting was interesting, but most of the characters were dull and unpleasant. Despite all the action the novel dragged for most of its length, and it didn't really feel like very much actually happened. Several characters’ abrupt about-faces near the end felt like they came out of nowhere. I'm sure the end is meant to be sequel bait, but it just annoyed me more. What was the point of any of it?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Dementia, Gore, Grief, and Violence
Minor: Confinement, Kidnapping, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit