Reviews

A Bad Deal for the Whole Galaxy by Alex White

jakegray's review

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5.0

Another fantastic read. I can't get enough of the Capricious crew and their hijinks. So ready for book 3!

bibliophilicjester's review

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5.0

I love this series with my whole heart. Everything is crazy and fucked up but I'd still like to live inside these books. This is the type of book that made me feel so many things and care so deeply about all the characters that I had no idea what to do when I finished reading...so I just hugged the book and told it thank you. Thank you for existing.

delaneyreadssff's review

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5.0

This one was a 4.5 for me!
A big thank you to Paola from Orbit for sending me a copy to read and review!
*All opinions are my own.*

I really enjoyed this continuation, almost as much as I enjoyed A Big Ship!
We get to see a bit more from all of our favorite characters, and we get to watch their friendships and relationships grow, even through the harder stuff.
Alex White knows how to write a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat! They write incredibly entertaining stories that I could easily see as movies to binge watch!

If anything, this one felt more action packed than the first one, if that’s possible.

We start out right where book one ended, and if you haven’t read book one, go read 1&2 and then come back and read this review!

It flowed seamlessly from the beginning, where the crew is aiming to take out a new “big bad” Vraba, and they go to persuade Boots to help them on one final job to take him down.

The reason I gave this one a 4.5 instead of a 5 is that sometimes the action felt like a bit much. I loved seeing how everyone’s friendships grew, and the character development as well, but I also really really enjoy slower parts and found that this book had a few less of these than the first one.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fast paced book set in space that has some wonderful LGBT+ rep as well as a female-female relationship. Be forewarned that there is some language and a lot of gore.

silvani's review against another edition

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5.0

A wild and exciting ride. All the characters have such depth. Highly recommend this series!

sjsreads's review

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adventurous emotional funny slow-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

4.5

mrz_owenz's review against another edition

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5.0

A fun, exciting sequel to [b:A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe|35520564|A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe (The Salvagers, #1)|Alex White|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1504129587l/35520564._SY75_.jpg|56936451]. Looking forward to the third book!

cimoreneoftheforest's review

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adventurous 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? No

3.5

frogggirl2's review against another edition

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3.0

More action, less emotional stakes.

It's actually not a good idea to avoid having an important conversation in a romantic relationship by proposing marriage. Just a heads up there. Ugh. Also, resolving this long running plot point with a lame sidestep is emotionally unsatisfying for the reader.

Still an interesting cast of characters against seemingly unbeatable odds with high stakes.

dark_reader's review

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3.0

Thrilling! With confident writing, White crafts screen-ready multi-stage action scenes that feel like the best Star Wars film sequences at times. His magic-heavy universe and rag-tag rebel space crew are all set up from the prior book, so everything is ready to launch at the outset. The team continues its quest to locate and take down the god-level-powered figures who destroyed (most of) their homeworld and are planning more of the same for the universe. This adventure incorporates future social media, public opinion, conspiracy theory, piracy, psychic twins and mechanical limbs with hidden rocket launchers into the mix.

The book goes to pains to be gender- and sexuality-inclusive. We already estalished a female-female love affair in the prior book, and it has its ups and downs here, if that is something you care about. One main character is disclosed as asexual. A new side character is asked what pronouns they prefer and it is they/their/them. Of note, this also appears to be the author's preferred pronouns based on their bio blurb. A whole job class of people on a space station go by zie/zir, and with this there is an instance of awkward (to me) language in the vein of "Zie tried to dodge falling debris, but it rained on zir heads" (not an actual quote), which is weird if you are not acccustomed to reading this. It did not seem strange in dialogue, but when the narrator used it, it took me out of the action. It was only for a single paragraph, if it has been more spread out through the book it would not have stood out. These instances are presented very matter-of-factly; the characters establish the pronouns and then go on with their business.

The prime heterosexual coupling, between the ship's pilot/sharpshooter and its doctor, gets no screen time, and little affection or concern is specifically portrayed between them. As for myself, despite enjoying the book, I felt little to no attachment to the characters. I enjoyed the action and took their side, but I would not be affected if any of them were to die. Well, maybe Boots. For me, it's a thrillride and I want to read the conclusion to the trilogy, but it's an emotionally shallow journey.

piratefan2a's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was a little too YA for my tastes, but I really liked the LGBTQ+ representation in it. Definitely worth reading if you liked the first one, 4/5 rating overall