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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
A good space adventure story, more literary and thoughtful than The Martian, and perhaps better for it.
Considering I sat down and read this whole book in a matter of hours, I'd have to say it's compelling. It follows the story of June, who is the niece of the man who, with his students, invented a new power cell that advances human space exploration. But something goes wrong on the first flight. Trying to discover and solve and correct that problem haunts June, in a way, as she embarks on her own young career training to become, and then becoming an astronaut.
The first portion of the book occurs when she is 12 and the initial mission goes wrong and she begins her initial schooling at the national space program, but then the book moves forward in time to her first and subsequent missions, and all the while the problem failed first mission drives her forward. I found the character development and plot very satisfyingly.
I really enjoyed the book and how driven (and even somewhat tortured by guilt some of) the characters are. But one thing I didn't like is the choice not to use dialog tags--it made reading the novel feel more exhausting, making sure to parse what is a thought or what is spoken aloud. Perhaps it it is stylistically supposed to make it read more like a transcript? I was able to get past this hang-up but it may be off-putting to some.
I received an eARC of this novel by the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest review!
The first portion of the book occurs when she is 12 and the initial mission goes wrong and she begins her initial schooling at the national space program, but then the book moves forward in time to her first and subsequent missions, and all the while the problem failed first mission drives her forward. I found the character development and plot very satisfyingly.
I really enjoyed the book and how driven (and even somewhat tortured by guilt some of) the characters are. But one thing I didn't like is the choice not to use dialog tags--it made reading the novel feel more exhausting, making sure to parse what is a thought or what is spoken aloud. Perhaps it it is stylistically supposed to make it read more like a transcript? I was able to get past this hang-up but it may be off-putting to some.
I received an eARC of this novel by the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest review!
Christ, just put quotations marks around your dialogue and make everyone’s lives easier. Why leave them out? You got a character limit or something?
But whatever, I got used to that. It was just not the book that I thought it was. It was not thrilling or fun or anything that The Martian is. Why did I have it in my head it was going to be a Female Martian? The book’s synopsis has potential. This book is none of those things. Zzzzz
But whatever, I got used to that. It was just not the book that I thought it was. It was not thrilling or fun or anything that The Martian is. Why did I have it in my head it was going to be a Female Martian? The book’s synopsis has potential. This book is none of those things. Zzzzz
A very cool fever dream of a book. There's adventure, a little sci-fi, and some romance. And at the heart of it is June, a brilliant astronaut/scientist/builder who is better with machines and mechanics than with people. But she's got a big heart.
After all the twists in the story, the end comes too quick, so I DEMAND A SEQUEL! :)
After all the twists in the story, the end comes too quick, so I DEMAND A SEQUEL! :)
3.5 stars
A clever adaptation that still holds interest even though you have a good idea what might be about to happen!
A clever adaptation that still holds interest even though you have a good idea what might be about to happen!
I sped through this so fast and it reminded me how much I love a good sci-fi story!
A 12-year-old female engineering prodigy who's obsessed with her uncle's life's work: a revolutionary fuel cell meant to power a rocket ship that can go into the far reaches of space. Only the fuel cell fails and the crew is abandoned in space, presumed dead. When her uncle dies, she gets shipped off to the space training school named after him.
The first half of the book details her studies, the second half is her adventures in space.
I wish the publisher's description didn't focus on the romance aspect, since that's not really a thing that happens until 70% of the book... and is no where near as important as the description makes it out to be.
Despite that, and despite our protagonist's June's flaws — and the frustrating incompetence and neglect at both the school and government leadership levels (why are 18 year old kids the only ones who can solve an advance technological problem?) — this book was absolutely gripping.
A 12-year-old female engineering prodigy who's obsessed with her uncle's life's work: a revolutionary fuel cell meant to power a rocket ship that can go into the far reaches of space. Only the fuel cell fails and the crew is abandoned in space, presumed dead. When her uncle dies, she gets shipped off to the space training school named after him.
The first half of the book details her studies, the second half is her adventures in space.
I wish the publisher's description didn't focus on the romance aspect, since that's not really a thing that happens until 70% of the book... and is no where near as important as the description makes it out to be.
Despite that, and despite our protagonist's June's flaws — and the frustrating incompetence and neglect at both the school and government leadership levels (why are 18 year old kids the only ones who can solve an advance technological problem?) — this book was absolutely gripping.
"Jane Eyre set in space." Accurate description. I was not a big fan of the protagonist, however. Maybe it was simply the narrator.
August is starting off terribly as a reading month. Except for 'Persuasion'. You go Jane.
Okay, who let this woman be an astronaut? Because she is the shittiest fucking astronaut I've ever seen.
I really loved Kate Hope Day's first book 'If, Then'. And 'In The Quick' had the makings of it - until it jumped forward in time. Then, I started to lose my mind reading this and I was reading it for a long old time. And here was the structure of those chapters 'June gets into a new situation. June struggles with that situation. June ignores what people tell her to do because she thinks she's smarter than them, then gets trapped / injured / in trouble and has to be saved by other people just trying to stay alive. June learns nothing.' For 250 pages.
I had zero idea this was supposed to be like Jane Eyre fanfiction, but it decided it was trying to be cool by not using speech marks and honestly, publishing, let this trend die. It helps no one.
Okay, who let this woman be an astronaut? Because she is the shittiest fucking astronaut I've ever seen.
I really loved Kate Hope Day's first book 'If, Then'. And 'In The Quick' had the makings of it - until it jumped forward in time. Then, I started to lose my mind reading this and I was reading it for a long old time. And here was the structure of those chapters 'June gets into a new situation. June struggles with that situation. June ignores what people tell her to do because she thinks she's smarter than them, then gets trapped / injured / in trouble and has to be saved by other people just trying to stay alive. June learns nothing.' For 250 pages.
I had zero idea this was supposed to be like Jane Eyre fanfiction, but it decided it was trying to be cool by not using speech marks and honestly, publishing, let this trend die. It helps no one.
A quick and enjoyable read, but it became less and less interesting as the chapters went on. A pity.
Jane Eyre is one of my favourite books. I guess what works about it is that it is such a low stakes plot, it all centers around her small provincial life.
This however, feels like much higher stakes, but by the end of it is trying to be a sci-fi retelling of Jane Eyre and not much else. That's a shame. I wish it had leaned much further into its sci-fi aspects, with perhaps a looser connexion to Jane Eyre, the way it did in the first two parts.
PS : someone please write fanfic of June and Anu, I would eat that up !
Jane Eyre is one of my favourite books. I guess what works about it is that it is such a low stakes plot, it all centers around her small provincial life.
This however, feels like much higher stakes, but by the end of it is trying to be a sci-fi retelling of Jane Eyre and not much else. That's a shame. I wish it had leaned much further into its sci-fi aspects, with perhaps a looser connexion to Jane Eyre, the way it did in the first two parts.
PS : someone please write fanfic of June and Anu, I would eat that up !