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adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes
chef’s fucking KISS. incredible sci-fi with believable and scientifically backed reasoning. diverse characters who all meaningfully impact the plot. main narrator refreshingly aware of narrative. would be 5/5 if not for some repetitiveness in the first 1/4 of the book. but the rest of it… i was GAGGED. hook line and sinker.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, Classism
Moderate: Child death, Infertility, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship
Minor: Miscarriage, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
Oh I just loved it. An entirely immersive read.
The book is about imposter syndrome, complex interpersonal relationships and solving a mystery under the duress of being humanity’s final hope. Neatly alternating between past and present, learning about who the characters are through who they were. Rounding out their motivations and experiences in a way that informs their current actions. Well timed twists, and a (genuinely) intelligent protagonist. It’s hopeful, turbulent and satisfying.
——
A more emotional journey than I had anticipated; themes of disconnection, feelings of not belonging anywhere, familial estrangement, misunderstanding, loss and grief.
The earth in the book isn’t so far departed from our own, providing an uncomfortable look at a possible future. Incredible commentary on climate change, highlighting sociopolitical issues such as racism and eugenics. The value placed on certain traits/skills impact how characters value themselves and one another. The book goes on to criticise how they [we] define “the best” of humanity.
Diverse and intersectional. LGBTQ+ identities are embedded so that you stumble across them. Casual use of they/them pronouns, mentions that she started dating her. Completely natural, brought warmth to my rainbow heart.
——
Beyond the enthralling plot and fascinating characters, I want to take a moment to really commend Kitasei for building such a complex world, which parallels and thus critiques our own.
Issues of social prejudice maintain beyond Earth. The crew is diverse and intersectional, a group intended as an elite selection of humanity. In a seemingly inclusive environment that is both feminist and largely LGBTQ+, the story depicts how minorities are still mistreated by members of that community. Safe spaces can feel a lot less safe to those with intersectional identities, and individuals without those intersections are too often oblivious to the fact. While it’s easier for us to believe that such a community could never be prejudiced, the reality is that everyone is a product of their environment and systemic issues don’t vanish over night. That insidious nature is captured here. It’s important to have books like this that highlight that reality. Even when, perhaps especially when, it’s not the main focus of the plot.
The book is about imposter syndrome, complex interpersonal relationships and solving a mystery under the duress of being humanity’s final hope. Neatly alternating between past and present, learning about who the characters are through who they were. Rounding out their motivations and experiences in a way that informs their current actions. Well timed twists, and a (genuinely) intelligent protagonist. It’s hopeful, turbulent and satisfying.
——
A more emotional journey than I had anticipated; themes of disconnection, feelings of not belonging anywhere, familial estrangement, misunderstanding, loss and grief.
The earth in the book isn’t so far departed from our own, providing an uncomfortable look at a possible future. Incredible commentary on climate change, highlighting sociopolitical issues such as racism and eugenics. The value placed on certain traits/skills impact how characters value themselves and one another. The book goes on to criticise how they [we] define “the best” of humanity.
Diverse and intersectional. LGBTQ+ identities are embedded so that you stumble across them. Casual use of they/them pronouns, mentions that she started dating her. Completely natural, brought warmth to my rainbow heart.
——
Beyond the enthralling plot and fascinating characters, I want to take a moment to really commend Kitasei for building such a complex world, which parallels and thus critiques our own.
Issues of social prejudice maintain beyond Earth. The crew is diverse and intersectional, a group intended as an elite selection of humanity. In a seemingly inclusive environment that is both feminist and largely LGBTQ+, the story depicts how minorities are still mistreated by members of that community. Safe spaces can feel a lot less safe to those with intersectional identities, and individuals without those intersections are too often oblivious to the fact. While it’s easier for us to believe that such a community could never be prejudiced, the reality is that everyone is a product of their environment and systemic issues don’t vanish over night. That insidious nature is captured here. It’s important to have books like this that highlight that reality. Even when, perhaps especially when, it’s not the main focus of the plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i really enjoyed this one!
took me a while to get through because it was one of my camp reads but i was actively excited to get back to it when i had a chance.
super interesting world, setting and plot. it felt realistic but also really enjoyably scifi-y. i wish i got a little more explanation on why the world was so destroyed and what specifically happened to her family, but i get that it wasn't really the focus of the book (they literally left earth behind both figuratively and literally).
both the school and the ship were so fleshed out and had such interesting concepts that i almost wanted a separate book about each, but i felt like balancing the two between flashbacks and current day served the story as it exists very well.
the mystery on the ship was tense and exciting to see progress right up until the end when the perpetrator is revealed which i felt was a little iffy. it didnt really make sense to me for it to be her and i felt like there weren't really any clues, but it could have been because of how chopped up my reading of this was, i tended to forget some details.
emotionally touching and really sweet.
i looooveee sentient ai so that always gains points for me.
i am obsessed with the diversity especially with the ease it's handled with. this is a world that feels so chill around lgbtq people while still having relevant and realistic issues remaining with gender in a wider sense (men vs women on the mission) as well as race somewhat (though it was competition between countries more than it was actual racism for the most part, although that is touched on too)
generally loved the world and characters but the plot and ending were a teensy bit weak.
took me a while to get through because it was one of my camp reads but i was actively excited to get back to it when i had a chance.
super interesting world, setting and plot. it felt realistic but also really enjoyably scifi-y. i wish i got a little more explanation on why the world was so destroyed and what specifically happened to her family, but i get that it wasn't really the focus of the book (they literally left earth behind both figuratively and literally).
both the school and the ship were so fleshed out and had such interesting concepts that i almost wanted a separate book about each, but i felt like balancing the two between flashbacks and current day served the story as it exists very well.
the mystery on the ship was tense and exciting to see progress right up until the end when the perpetrator is revealed which i felt was a little iffy. it didnt really make sense to me for it to be her and i felt like there weren't really any clues, but it could have been because of how chopped up my reading of this was, i tended to forget some details.
emotionally touching and really sweet.
i looooveee sentient ai so that always gains points for me.
i am obsessed with the diversity especially with the ease it's handled with. this is a world that feels so chill around lgbtq people while still having relevant and realistic issues remaining with gender in a wider sense (men vs women on the mission) as well as race somewhat (though it was competition between countries more than it was actual racism for the most part, although that is touched on too)
generally loved the world and characters but the plot and ending were a teensy bit weak.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, War
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Infertility, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Car accident, Death of parent, War
Discussion of eugenics. Compulsory pregnancy.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I liked it enough to finish because it has some elements of mystery, regarding the accident and who was behind it, but overall this was a middling book for me.
It had neat elements of sci fi, a mostly female cast, international and trans rep… but it falls short in that all characters felt very surface level beyond the main character and her best friend Ruth. The time jumps between 12y-18y and 30y old Asuka were barely differentiated by voice or personality. The characters read much younger than they are - this may be due to the 10 year cryosleep but it could also be due to lack of character development.
I think it did well with establishing the pre-mission weirdness of what she was trained to be, and how that impacts her relationship with her fellow crew. The background helps with exploring the motives for possible saboteurs.
It had neat elements of sci fi, a mostly female cast, international and trans rep… but it falls short in that all characters felt very surface level beyond the main character and her best friend Ruth. The time jumps between 12y-18y and 30y old Asuka were barely differentiated by voice or personality. The characters read much younger than they are - this may be due to the 10 year cryosleep but it could also be due to lack of character development.
I think it did well with establishing the pre-mission weirdness of what she was trained to be, and how that impacts her relationship with her fellow crew. The background helps with exploring the motives for possible saboteurs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, Violence, Pregnancy
Moderate: Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
Minor: Xenophobia
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Despite the sci-fi and mystery setting, I think this book is mainly about growing up. It's strength is as a coming-of-age story. Asuka is a Japanese-Americam girl who struggles with feeling like she belongs. She never feels like she is enough, and I think that is something a lot of people can relate to. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Asuka and her (ex)best friend, Ruth. Their relationship is co-dependant to a somewhat toxic degree. Asuka feels insecurity and jealousy toward Ruth, wishing she could be more like her. She begins to feel abandonment when Ruth starts dating other people, and she's no longer the most important person in her life. She is heart broken when Ruth DOES abandon her after not making the first cut for crew. Despite their years apart, she still desperately loves Ruth. While circumstances are certainly different, I could really relate to having this kind of relationship with some of my friends growing up. I think this is a really common experience with young women growing up, and it's was my favorite part of the novel.
That said, the book does suffer from having too large a cast. Many characters are mentioned with little depth, and it's hard to hard about anyone other than our main character. Similarly, the sci-fi aspects are glossed over and require a large suspension of disbelief.
Overall, an interesting and heartfelt first novel. I'll be looking foward to more from the author.
That said, the book does suffer from having too large a cast. Many characters are mentioned with little depth, and it's hard to hard about anyone other than our main character. Similarly, the sci-fi aspects are glossed over and require a large suspension of disbelief.
Overall, an interesting and heartfelt first novel. I'll be looking foward to more from the author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, Pregnancy
Moderate: Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Toxic friendship
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The main character annoyed me, as did the allusions to racism and fascism and eugenics with no real intent to explore. Asuka is entirely irritating, again. Matter of fact, at one point she effectively co-signs eugenics talk by describing a character as “born for their intellect at this moment in time.” The plot is water-thin, and see through as a mystery.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Racism, Police brutality, Murder, Toxic friendship
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There were a lot of things this book did that were interesting. It contained a cast of characters that were all designated female at birth in a spaceship headed toward Planet X. I could only count four male characters in the novel, the main character’s father and brother, a random guy at a party, and a crew member. No one was physically described. The novel had a lot to say about technology and politics. It was the technology that most interested me. It had the potential to be a truly horrifying novel. It wasn’t. It was boring. The flashbacks were the worst and didn’t add a lot of context to the current timeline. I never connected to any of the characters, the only ones I could differentiate were Ruth and Micky and that was primarily because I didn’t like them. The science was hazy. The current timeline was fuzzy. The timeline post-explosion was clear and broken up by shift, but how long had they been awake? The fact that they were all being artificially inseminated was an odd detail that was never fully explained. Also, I wish the characters just had been identified primarily by one name. It was confusing that they had first names, last names, and nicknames that were not derived from either. That probably would have been less of a problem if there hadn’t been so many characters that did not have distinct characteristics.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Child death, Death, Infertility, Blood, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is pretty ok for a debut.
I found that when I truly started questioning the logic of this space mission though, things kinda started to fall apart. I had several questions into the planning of this terraforming space mission that don't get answered directly but are implied softly, but I would have liked a little bit more of a concrete explanation as how this whole mission was set up.
Asuka also felt like a very distant narrator, despite the book being from her perspective. I thought I would fine the sci-fi space aspects the most interesting thing about this book, but instead the themes are largely pregnancy, VR implants, and unresolved teenage drama. The pregnancy themes are a little odd too as they don't actually have that much weight in the story narrative till the very end....kinda.
I personally liked the flashbacks before the space mission to be the most. These chapters were more interesting and well-written to me, providing some interesting speculative commentary on the future of Earth interwoven between a difficult mom/daughter relationship.
I found that when I truly started questioning the logic of this space mission though, things kinda started to fall apart. I had several questions into the planning of this terraforming space mission that don't get answered directly but are implied softly, but I would have liked a little bit more of a concrete explanation as how this whole mission was set up.
Asuka also felt like a very distant narrator, despite the book being from her perspective. I thought I would fine the sci-fi space aspects the most interesting thing about this book, but instead the themes are largely pregnancy, VR implants, and unresolved teenage drama. The pregnancy themes are a little odd too as they don't actually have that much weight in the story narrative till the very end....kinda.
I personally liked the flashbacks before the space mission to be the most. These chapters were more interesting and well-written to me, providing some interesting speculative commentary on the future of Earth interwoven between a difficult mom/daughter relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child death, Grief, Death of parent
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Kitasei does a wonderful job of describing and weaving poignant metaphors with words that illustrate both the tension and the joys of the characters. This book started slower but flew past quickly toward the end, and the unknown was so well described with the limited narrator perspective.
Part of me wants to re-read the book again to see if I can pick up on subtle cues leading to the answering the mystery, but things were well-explained and I loved the twists that were explored. The author also does a wonderful job of making each character into a protagonist of their own and weighing the goods and beads of their personalities. The characters were diverse and nuanced, and it truly came through in the storytelling. Overall a great read, and one I hope to revisit in the future.
Part of me wants to re-read the book again to see if I can pick up on subtle cues leading to the answering the mystery, but things were well-explained and I loved the twists that were explored. The author also does a wonderful job of making each character into a protagonist of their own and weighing the goods and beads of their personalities. The characters were diverse and nuanced, and it truly came through in the storytelling. Overall a great read, and one I hope to revisit in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Hate crime, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship
For Ableism: Themes of eugenics are explored and explicitly addressed from the middle to the end of the book. The characters don't initially consider this in their training to be mission staff on the Phoenix, but they do recognize that being selected based on physical and mental health criteria is a little sketchy.