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mallorypen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Look, I was not expecting this book to have any redeeming qualities. It was a Booktok recommendation for queer sci-fi, and those tend to be either AMAZING or laughably bad. I judged this book by its cover and was betting on laughably bad but entertaining nonetheless. And though there were things I didn't like - alien rape being high on that list - there were a few elements that were thought-provoking and used the genre well.
First and foremost - the alien technology of the stasis pod. I thought the backup system of syncing the heartbeat to another, similar life form was an interesting failsafe, and it was a great device to kickstart the forced proximity trope in a way that felt critical to the plot. The alien writing on the skin, the membrane, the way the person in the pod reacted to stimuli externally ... it was a cool bit of sci-fi tech. The idea of the aliens being so technologically advanced that humanity is given all the consideration of a pest and/or pet made for an interesting dynamic.
Secondly, Brady. I'm not going to list him as a top favorite character of all time, but his motivations were crystalline the entire book. He was a coward, consistently, and in a way that made me sympathetic towards his character while still getting frustrated with his behavior. Even after he'd fallen in love, his terror of the Faceless was strong and consistent enough that his not-exactly-a-romantic-hero actions on the bridge were completely understandable. He was smarter than he thought - strategizing the best way to keep his head down, get back to his sister, using his connections to Doc to better his experiences while being drafted, etc. - but his brains weren't amazing or Hermione Granger-ish; Brady just had street smarts that were a great reflection of his upbringing. He was also very much so a young man in a deeply stressful situation where he was being forced to confront all the things he didn't like about himself and things he had never been given the tools or emotional room to deal with before.
And that's about where my list of "things I liked" stops. The sexual abuse - ESPECIALLY WHEREIN CAM LIKED IT?!- the weirdly paternal vibes that sometimes came across between Brady and Cam, the clunky dialogue that swung between locker-room talk and poetry ... in some ways, the book seemed to realize that the plot was a vehicle for forced proximity tropey sex and that was it. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that most of the cool things about the alien worldbuilding might be ruined in book two, since it seems like the author is angling for there to be more rape-fantasy in the plot.
I will not be reading on - I will take my mild surprise at this not being hot garbage through and through and move on with my life.
First and foremost - the alien technology of the stasis pod. I thought the backup system of syncing the heartbeat to another, similar life form was an interesting failsafe, and it was a great device to kickstart the forced proximity trope in a way that felt critical to the plot. The alien writing on the skin, the membrane, the way the person in the pod reacted to stimuli externally ... it was a cool bit of sci-fi tech. The idea of the aliens being so technologically advanced that humanity is given all the consideration of a pest and/or pet made for an interesting dynamic.
Secondly, Brady. I'm not going to list him as a top favorite character of all time, but his motivations were crystalline the entire book. He was a coward, consistently, and in a way that made me sympathetic towards his character while still getting frustrated with his behavior. Even after he'd fallen in love, his terror of the Faceless was strong and consistent enough that his not-exactly-a-romantic-hero actions on the bridge were completely understandable. He was smarter than he thought - strategizing the best way to keep his head down, get back to his sister, using his connections to Doc to better his experiences while being drafted, etc. - but his brains weren't amazing or Hermione Granger-ish; Brady just had street smarts that were a great reflection of his upbringing. He was also very much so a young man in a deeply stressful situation where he was being forced to confront all the things he didn't like about himself and things he had never been given the tools or emotional room to deal with before.
And that's about where my list of "things I liked" stops. The sexual abuse - ESPECIALLY WHEREIN CAM LIKED IT?!- the weirdly paternal vibes that sometimes came across between Brady and Cam, the clunky dialogue that swung between locker-room talk and poetry ... in some ways, the book seemed to realize that the plot was a vehicle for forced proximity tropey sex and that was it. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that most of the cool things about the alien worldbuilding might be ruined in book two, since it seems like the author is angling for there to be more rape-fantasy in the plot.
I will not be reading on - I will take my mild surprise at this not being hot garbage through and through and move on with my life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Rape, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Body horror, and Vomit
smasson13's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Only one bed. Aliens. Gays in space. Need I say more?
Honestly, this book was NOWHERE near what I thought it was going to be like from the blurb. Much more sciencey/almost fantasy like with the aliens 👽. But the writing was good, so I stuck through.
It was also a lot more emotional, dark, and filled with sexual violence than I was expecting.
Good writing, 🌶 scenes, dark themes, and a decent plot (though the end was rushed and kind of randomly wrapped up). Will definitely be reading the next in the series.
Definitely make sure to read TW first!
Additional TW:
Homophobic slurs, Internalized homophobia, Lack of privacy/control due to forced telepathy, non-con/dub-con
Honestly, this book was NOWHERE near what I thought it was going to be like from the blurb. Much more sciencey/almost fantasy like with the aliens 👽. But the writing was good, so I stuck through.
It was also a lot more emotional, dark, and filled with sexual violence than I was expecting.
Good writing, 🌶 scenes, dark themes, and a decent plot (though the end was rushed and kind of randomly wrapped up). Will definitely be reading the next in the series.
Definitely make sure to read TW first!
Additional TW:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Death, Drug use, Grief, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Minor: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, and Vomit
Additional TW: Homophobic slurs Internalized homophobia
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