Reviews with content warning for Rape - The Principle of Moments

I really enjoyed this book and I'm very excited to see not only where this series goes, but where this author goes as well.

The characters are really the heart of this story, and I really loved that this was such a character driven story, especially for being a big space opera where I think the emphasis is usually put on the plot. I really loved both of our main characters and they both felt extremely complex and lifelike. All the side characters also very much felt like they were their own people and not just devices of the story which I found really impressive, especially for a debut author. I also think the overall plot was really satisfying, I did see most of the "twists" coming but I don't think the book was necessarily trying to hide the twists from you. It was more wanting to take you on the journey that the characters had to go through experiencing these things, so the plot still felt satisfying even seeing where the story was going. I also generally enjoyed the prose of this book, I think the author had a really beautiful way of selecting and composing the words in this book generally.

I do think there were some craft issues with this book, but most of them were easy for me to gloss over and didn't interrupt my reading experience. I also think all of the craft issues are ones that I would typically expect from a debut author, especially one who started writing this book as a teen. Sometimes there was quite a bit of over explaining and I think this book could have been trimmed down by getting rid of some of the repetition. Also, there were a couple of times that there was head jumping, but it didn't happen often enough or extreme enough to really interrupt my reading experience. There was only one time where I really stopped and was like "wait, who are we focusing on right now?", but all the other couple of times it would just be a brief second of confusion. Also, I really really wish there was a glossary in the back of this book and I'm hoping there will be one in the next book.

Overall, this was a good introduction to this world and a very good debut.

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luckykosmos's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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? It's complicated

4.25

The book had an extremely solid start, which I found slowed slightly as we got into the meat of the actio and setting up the future of the series. I did find myself getting slightly confused on the details, but the author's prose and everyone's characterization ferried me through, because I was so fond of how these characters bounced off one another, Asha and Obi's friendship and found family. I'm deeply concerned for the future of the English royal family, but we'll get there when we get there!

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dreareads_'s review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

This book was very fun and a refreshing read after reading so many heavy books before that. I loved how you can easily identify the stories and worlds that inspired Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson to write this books. You can easily identify the portions that were directly inspired by NK. Jemisin, VE Scwab, Becky Chambers and more. All of the fun Star Wars and Doctor Who references had me pointing at the book like the Leonardo Dicaprio meme. I do think that all of these reference became a little distracting, and at times obscured the authors own unique voice.

I had quite a fun time with all the creativity on the page, as well as the world and the adventures our characters go on. I could not help but fall in love with Asha and Obi and their heartwarming friendship. Although there is quite a lot happening in the book (magical prophecy, tyranical emperor, different timelines, time travel, demons, forbidden loves) what makes this book special is the effortless love that grows between our two main characters. Even at it's shakiest moments, the relationship between Asha and Obi made the story worth it for me. My love for Obi and Asha was cemented when Obi took his time to take care of Asha and do her braids, as any older sibling would do for their younger sibling. That small familial act was the best representation of the main idea of the story. It is a story about family, the ups and downs that come with it, and the peace we experience when we finally find our home.

Despite how fun the book is, I must say that it is simply doing too much. There are too many set pieces introduced (especially in the 6066 timeline) and too little time spent slowing down and building the relationships between the characters (except for Asha and Obi). The biggest example of this to me is the time Asha and Obi joined a scavenger crew ship. Asha claims these are the best days of her life, and that she has found a new family, except there are not many moments that actualy SHOW this. Except for her time with Xavior, we do not see any interactions between Asha and the rest of the crew, but we are TOLD that relationships are being built.

This lack of space to build emtional moments happens over and over again. There is SO much that the book wants to say, SO many pieces that need to be put into place that at time it is the characters and emotional moments that suffer the most.

Despite all of this I cannot help but really like the book. It is a gran adventure, with two lovable main characters, and enough action to keep you invested. I really cannot wait for book 2!

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madscientistcat's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

A beautifully written New Adult science fantasy space opera with an epic queer romance and a deep friendship between heroes at the end of the world. I can’t wait to read more of this story <3

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persephonefoxx's review

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emotional tense fast-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

4.0

It is a story about a girl and her friends, and how hard times made heroes of them, whether they wanted to be or not. It is a story of loss, and adventure, of daring and of courage burning in the bleakest of times. It is a story about love.

Can we talk about how insane it is that this is a space opera meets historical fiction…and yet, somehow, it works?!

I may not be the biggest sci-fi girlie when it comes to literature (something I am trying to improve upon). But I am a historical fiction girlie, and definitely had an intense Doctor Who phase as a teenager, so this book has its appeal.

Asha and Obi are so complex. The romance had me in my feelings, and there were twists I didn’t see coming. It’s engaging, fun, and (in some places) a little soul wrenching. You know what you did Part Three. I am keen to see where this series goes.

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oweatherwax's review

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reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

Found the plot very predictable, this book was full of film sci-fi clichés and no description. This book is nothing new, it could be easily mistaken for Dune or Trek or star wars. There was no exploratiom of deeper themes, a couple of glaring errors, such as wounds miraculously healing or wrong ghosts for the time period. I doubt this book was properly proofread. Not impressed.

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chelskee's review

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This book needed some more rounds of editing. Typos, sudden shifts in narrative, and meta examination of the relationship between Obi and George that felt more like reading a tumblr analysis post of the relationship than the story OF the relationship. It needed more show and less tell.

Also, while some of the contents (i.e. details about the sexual nature of Obi and George's relationship) are certainly adult content the book is written in a very YA voice. The brushing over of

Iyanda's brutal rape and torture at the hands of her captors leading to the abandonment of her first child felt awful, especially when she herself seemed to affirm that it gave her Asha so it is what it is. An incredibly important statement about the abuse of women's bodies in war and oppression boiled down to half a page of dismissive conversation.

There was also an issue with inconsistency. In Chapter Six it is stated that Obi's father left him at 8 years old. TWO PAGES LATER, we see something of a flashback about Obi with his father breaking into the museum at age 10 in which it is stated that "Six months later, his father was gone."

There is... one more issue that I'm nervous to even bring up. The reptilian overlords that took power through economic control to dominate other races was ringing some red flags for certain conspiracies. Given the authors young age, I'm going to hope that it was an issue of simply not knowing the associations.

I REALLY wanted to like it but I'm afraid this was just not for me at its current iteration. I may check back in with the author a few books down the line because I LOVE the creativity and the interesting ideas she's making.

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