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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
Disclaimer: I received a free Kindle ARC of this book from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review originally posted on my blog, Bookshelves and Biros.
I absolutely loved the premise. A UKYA dystopia novel set on a spaceship called Ventura, with the added bonus of a forbidden romance? Count me in.
A futuristic ship hurtling through deepest, darkest space with suffocating societal rules is an intimate setting that is absolutely begging to be filled with dynamic characters with something to say about their world. In laying the foundations of this story, Kate Ling does a good job, including some complex aspects such as a compulsory 'breeding program' and arranged marriage unions which exist to maintain the population of the ship while it continues its mission. The writing was good for the most part, with some nice quotes about society, duty, freedom and where the hell we all fit in.
Unfortunately, this is kind of where the good stuff ends for me.
Sixteen year old Seren Hemple, our protagonist, started the book as a readable character: snarky and sarcastic, with a hinted-at mental health condition and a tangible desperation for freedom. Her arranged life partner, Ezra Lomax, was probably the only other interesting character. I wanted to know more about him and his family, and I found his growth more transformative than that of Seren herself, who seemed to regress after her love interest was introduced.
Our male romantic lead comes in the form of the seemingly perfect Dom, who is the catalyst for the halting of any and all further world building and character development. Don't get me wrong, I like an absorbing romance as much as the next YA fan, but this one had zero gravitational pull (Ha, look at me, making space jokes). I love the depth and feeling that a well-written relationship can bring to both characters and story, but believable romances take time to build and the one between Dom and Seren happened almost immediately.
I wanted so much more from the author: more nuanced characters, more background about what happened to Seren's mother, more detail about the mysterious recon missions to Huxley-3, more societal satire: just more. Books like The Hunger Games and the Chaos Walking trilogy show that complex world building, character development and romance can and do sit happily side by side, but unfortunately this book can't quite fit it all in.
I can't say very much about how the book ends without ruining it for you lot, and I'm still trying to work out whether I liked it or not. One thing is certain though: it definitely leaves the author with the option of turning the book into a double act, and despite a lukewarm review, I would be interested in reading it to see if any of the more impactful themes can be built on.
On the whole, a decent read with some involving detail, but nothing intergalactic. Sad face.
Review originally posted on my blog, Bookshelves and Biros.
I absolutely loved the premise. A UKYA dystopia novel set on a spaceship called Ventura, with the added bonus of a forbidden romance? Count me in.
A futuristic ship hurtling through deepest, darkest space with suffocating societal rules is an intimate setting that is absolutely begging to be filled with dynamic characters with something to say about their world. In laying the foundations of this story, Kate Ling does a good job, including some complex aspects such as a compulsory 'breeding program' and arranged marriage unions which exist to maintain the population of the ship while it continues its mission. The writing was good for the most part, with some nice quotes about society, duty, freedom and where the hell we all fit in.
Unfortunately, this is kind of where the good stuff ends for me.
Sixteen year old Seren Hemple, our protagonist, started the book as a readable character: snarky and sarcastic, with a hinted-at mental health condition and a tangible desperation for freedom. Her arranged life partner, Ezra Lomax, was probably the only other interesting character. I wanted to know more about him and his family, and I found his growth more transformative than that of Seren herself, who seemed to regress after her love interest was introduced.
Our male romantic lead comes in the form of the seemingly perfect Dom, who is the catalyst for the halting of any and all further world building and character development. Don't get me wrong, I like an absorbing romance as much as the next YA fan, but this one had zero gravitational pull (Ha, look at me, making space jokes). I love the depth and feeling that a well-written relationship can bring to both characters and story, but believable romances take time to build and the one between Dom and Seren happened almost immediately.
I wanted so much more from the author: more nuanced characters, more background about what happened to Seren's mother, more detail about the mysterious recon missions to Huxley-3, more societal satire: just more. Books like The Hunger Games and the Chaos Walking trilogy show that complex world building, character development and romance can and do sit happily side by side, but unfortunately this book can't quite fit it all in.
I can't say very much about how the book ends without ruining it for you lot, and I'm still trying to work out whether I liked it or not. One thing is certain though: it definitely leaves the author with the option of turning the book into a double act, and despite a lukewarm review, I would be interested in reading it to see if any of the more impactful themes can be built on.
On the whole, a decent read with some involving detail, but nothing intergalactic. Sad face.
The Loneliness of Distant Beings was a nice read that I quite enjoyed. And although it is obvious sci-fi, I didn't find it too heavy on the sci-fi. I haven't read much sci-fi in the past so this book is a fantastic introduction to the genre.
The setting is definitely different. I'm not too sure how realistic it is. I mean there are over 2000 people on a spaceship... how do they all fit? They even have chickens... Chickens... In space!! I really wish that the story explained what happened on Earth to make them decide it was a good idea to leave and find another planet.
The characters were enjoyable if a bit immature at times. I did feel sorry for them. Their entire lives are controlled by computers that choose everything from who you marry, your children and your job. There is absolutely no freedom whatsoever. It's a very surreal existence. I do sort of understand why they feel they need to live this way, but still WTF! It's no wonder Seren and many of the other inhabitants have issues.
Seren and Dom's romance is also a bit too sudden for me. I mean they meet at around 8% and Seren loves him by 11%. Hello, instalove. Extremely quick instalove at that too.
The Loneliness of Distant Beings is told from the first-person perspective of Seren. So the reader hears her frustration at the imposed lifestyle clearly. To an extent, I didn't find Seren's story too predictable until the last 10% or so where I had an inkling of what was going to happen. I also found the pacing slightly off in places and I wasn't too sure how much time is actually covered in the story (weeks or months). However, the ending is very climatic and nail-biting so that is definitely a positive.
Without giving away any spoilers, I do wish there was slightly more to the ending. I felt that there were a few questions still needing to be answered. I have heard that Kate Ling may be writing a sequel so these very well may be answered there.
The Loneliness of Distant Beings is an enjoyable, simple sci-fi and is great for those who haven't had much experience in the genre. I did have some issues with the lack of background information and unanswered questions, but the main story is very well done.
I received a copy of The Loneliness of Distant Beings via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This review and many more can be found at My Expanding Bookshelf.
The setting is definitely different. I'm not too sure how realistic it is. I mean there are over 2000 people on a spaceship... how do they all fit? They even have chickens... Chickens... In space!! I really wish that the story explained what happened on Earth to make them decide it was a good idea to leave and find another planet.
The characters were enjoyable if a bit immature at times. I did feel sorry for them. Their entire lives are controlled by computers that choose everything from who you marry, your children and your job. There is absolutely no freedom whatsoever. It's a very surreal existence. I do sort of understand why they feel they need to live this way, but still WTF! It's no wonder Seren and many of the other inhabitants have issues.
Seren and Dom's romance is also a bit too sudden for me. I mean they meet at around 8% and Seren loves him by 11%. Hello, instalove. Extremely quick instalove at that too.
The Loneliness of Distant Beings is told from the first-person perspective of Seren. So the reader hears her frustration at the imposed lifestyle clearly. To an extent, I didn't find Seren's story too predictable until the last 10% or so where I had an inkling of what was going to happen. I also found the pacing slightly off in places and I wasn't too sure how much time is actually covered in the story (weeks or months). However, the ending is very climatic and nail-biting so that is definitely a positive.
Without giving away any spoilers, I do wish there was slightly more to the ending. I felt that there were a few questions still needing to be answered. I have heard that Kate Ling may be writing a sequel so these very well may be answered there.
The Loneliness of Distant Beings is an enjoyable, simple sci-fi and is great for those who haven't had much experience in the genre. I did have some issues with the lack of background information and unanswered questions, but the main story is very well done.
I received a copy of The Loneliness of Distant Beings via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This review and many more can be found at My Expanding Bookshelf.
Ik heb dit boek al eens beschreven horen worden als een contemporary aan boord van een ruimteschip. Gedurende de eerste helft van het boek was ik het daarmee eens, maar de tweede helft is toch wel stukken spannender dan de gemiddelde contemporary romance (al zou ik nu ook weer niet zo ver gaan om het ijzersterke sci-fi te noemen.
Hmmm I really liked this until I got to the Explorer part. Just seemed really dumb and unrealistic to me.
Provoked conflicted discussions with my RB, Pauline, mostly about the MC. So there's stuff here you'll want to talk about. Seren's voice is consistently loud, selfish and demanding.
Focuses on the romance rather than the space travel. Some dystopian elements. Interesting.
Three and a half stars.
Focuses on the romance rather than the space travel. Some dystopian elements. Interesting.
Three and a half stars.
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
