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lbarsk's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, Ashley Poston DID THAT! What a fun, dramatic space romp jam-packed with found family, queer romance, and lots of bravery.
I really appreciated several things about this book in particular:
1. The pacing! It felt fast enough to keep me engaged but gave space for character development and "small moments" that really showed, not told, what was going on. Oftentimes books like Heart of Iron really mess that up, and I think Poston did a great job on that front.
2. CASUAL INCLUSIVITY! Would that more authors could be like Poston. We had folks of varying races, sexualities, and abilities/disabilities in this book and none of them felt like tokens. Plus, there was solid gender parity in terms of good guys vs. bad guys. I REALLY wish more books (both YA and adult) would catch onto this trend faster -- it is SO EASY, and Poston proves that, to create diversity without tokenizing and the world feels that much richer for it.
3. THE TWIST! If you know the story of Anastasia you have a sense of what's coming, but then out of nowhere Poston pulled a serious GOTCHA! I was reading this next to my friend on the train and when the twist happened I literally turned to her and went OH MY GOSH!!!! What a delight to be surprised inside of a familiar tale.
4. SPACE! Poston depicted space (and SPACE PIRATES) in a way I love -- much more Star Wars Realistic and A Little Gritty as opposed to J. J. Abrams Star Trek Clean Minimalism Future Times.
5. The worldbuilding in general. There was the right amount of depth to HEART OF IRON's setting that has me clamoring to know more, but without burdening the reader.
Overall I REALLY RECOMMEND!
I really appreciated several things about this book in particular:
1. The pacing! It felt fast enough to keep me engaged but gave space for character development and "small moments" that really showed, not told, what was going on. Oftentimes books like Heart of Iron really mess that up, and I think Poston did a great job on that front.
2. CASUAL INCLUSIVITY! Would that more authors could be like Poston. We had folks of varying races, sexualities, and abilities/disabilities in this book and none of them felt like tokens. Plus, there was solid gender parity in terms of good guys vs. bad guys. I REALLY wish more books (both YA and adult) would catch onto this trend faster -- it is SO EASY, and Poston proves that, to create diversity without tokenizing and the world feels that much richer for it.
3. THE TWIST! If you know the story of Anastasia you have a sense of what's coming, but then out of nowhere Poston pulled a serious GOTCHA! I was reading this next to my friend on the train and when the twist happened I literally turned to her and went OH MY GOSH!!!! What a delight to be surprised inside of a familiar tale.
4. SPACE! Poston depicted space (and SPACE PIRATES) in a way I love -- much more Star Wars Realistic and A Little Gritty as opposed to J. J. Abrams Star Trek Clean Minimalism Future Times.
5. The worldbuilding in general. There was the right amount of depth to HEART OF IRON's setting that has me clamoring to know more, but without burdening the reader.
Overall I REALLY RECOMMEND!
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
The first time I saw this book, it was in an unboxing pic on bookstagram. It caught my attention, but it didn't keep it and I don't know why. Until I saw a tweet of Ashley Poston on my timeline. She listed all my favorite tropes and commented that most of them were in her book. And that was the moment I knew I had to check it out and when I found out that it was a Anastasia retelling, I was sold.
And the book didn't disappoint. It's told from multiple perspectives and therefore the reader gets a lot of information on what's going on, on what's happening and on which danger is waiting for whom. It makes the read thrilling and exciting and it helps to make a better connection with the characters that are really important for this story.
The characters are likable, but far from flawless. I really liked Ana and could identify with her easily. She's smart, but emotional. She's a fighter, but one with a heart. She's a princess and a warrior. She's that perfect mix I wish there was more of in books. And I quickly got a soft spot for Robb, and that's not just because of the name. Robb is everything I want a guy to be and I could totally fall in love with someone like him.
And on top of that, the writing style was very pleasant. It slightly differed for each character, which gave them their own voice, but it read easily and quickly and therefore I could finish this book within 24 hours.
So, in short: this was a really really thrilling start from a series and I'm already looking forward to the next book and to where this is going! I have some hopes, I have some fears and I'm already excited to find out what's really gonna happen!
And the book didn't disappoint. It's told from multiple perspectives and therefore the reader gets a lot of information on what's going on, on what's happening and on which danger is waiting for whom. It makes the read thrilling and exciting and it helps to make a better connection with the characters that are really important for this story.
The characters are likable, but far from flawless. I really liked Ana and could identify with her easily. She's smart, but emotional. She's a fighter, but one with a heart. She's a princess and a warrior. She's that perfect mix I wish there was more of in books. And I quickly got a soft spot for Robb, and that's not just because of the name. Robb is everything I want a guy to be and I could totally fall in love with someone like him.
And on top of that, the writing style was very pleasant. It slightly differed for each character, which gave them their own voice, but it read easily and quickly and therefore I could finish this book within 24 hours.
So, in short: this was a really really thrilling start from a series and I'm already looking forward to the next book and to where this is going! I have some hopes, I have some fears and I'm already excited to find out what's really gonna happen!
brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this to start off with, when it was about spaceships and a close-knit crew that was like family. And then it faltered a bit for me when it started being more about royal intrigue. The beginning was really strong and was definitely 5 stars for me, but the last half was more like 3. It wasn't bad, it just didn't really excite me as much. I think there were lots of interesting things about this book, and I will continue to the next book for sure.
ksophialydia's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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? No
4.5
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
5.0
Where do I begin with this book? It was a rollercoaster to be honest, the kind that makes you excited and scared at the end. I loved the relationships in this book. To be completely honest there needs to be more books that have space pirates in it. I mean, really. Then out of no where they pull the Anastasia plot on the readers and i have to say, loved it. The violence in this book was a little too much, i skimmed the final fight scene. Only time is to tell if i will read the second one.
nicolekristiner's review against another edition
3.0
It was a decent book. The main character and plot is common and predictable. The best part of the book was a relationship between two of the side characters. I will continue with the series just to see their relationship unfold.
whosevita's review against another edition
4.0
GAY SPACE PIRATS AND ROBOT BOYFRIENDS???? 10/10 GAY SPACE PIRATS GAY SPACE PIRATS GAY SPACE PIRATES GAY-
renae064's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the book fine enough but there are so many typographical errors. It reads like it was copy-edited in a hurry. After I encountered the second error within the span of a few pages near the beginning of the book, I almost stopped reading, as my patience for poorly edited published material is thin.
Here are several: "kep" instead of "keep" (5), "guarden" instead of "garden" (18), "Jay" instead of "Jax," "her" instead of "his" (170), "tok" instead of "took" (196), and "head" instead of what I'm guessing is supposed to be "eyes" (429), in addition to stray quotation marks and missing commas. The simile of the palace to "a shard of black glass" is used twice within a few paragraphs of each other, as if it is a new revelation each time.
For the next edition or printing of the book I hope these get fixed.
Here are several: "kep" instead of "keep" (5), "guarden" instead of "garden" (18), "Jay" instead of "Jax," "her" instead of "his" (170), "tok" instead of "took" (196), and "head" instead of what I'm guessing is supposed to be "eyes" (429), in addition to stray quotation marks and missing commas. The simile of the palace to "a shard of black glass" is used twice within a few paragraphs of each other, as if it is a new revelation each time.
For the next edition or printing of the book I hope these get fixed.