Scan barcode
auora1484's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
pjonsson's review against another edition
3.0
I have had my eyes on this book for a while but never got around to read it. After having read A Call to Insurrection recently it resurrected my craving for the Honorverse though so I finally decided to sink my teeth into it.
This is a David Weber book so, as can be expected, it is a well written book. I did find out that it is really a young adult book. That can be a good thing or a bad thing. For this one it is something in between.
The book is very much a prequel to the Honor Harrington series chronologically. Actually, the story takes place way, way earlier than the Honor Harrington books and Sphinx is really a backwater planet in the early stages of being colonised.
What I liked about the book was the main protagonist, even though she is very young, that it has a solid story, that it is well written and the discovery/adventure type story.
As it is a young adult book sometimes the story felt a bit simple and even immature though. Still it is a good story. I liked how the story followed Stephanie on one side, the treecats on another side and how the two story lines gradually intermingled.
What I did not like so much was that instead of staying on the discovery/adventure path the authors had to drag in political machinations and the usual “big companies are bad” angle to it.
The bad parts will not stop me from reading the next book in the series though but the good and the bad kind of balanced everything out such that my rating of this book is only a decent average at three stars.
This is a David Weber book so, as can be expected, it is a well written book. I did find out that it is really a young adult book. That can be a good thing or a bad thing. For this one it is something in between.
The book is very much a prequel to the Honor Harrington series chronologically. Actually, the story takes place way, way earlier than the Honor Harrington books and Sphinx is really a backwater planet in the early stages of being colonised.
What I liked about the book was the main protagonist, even though she is very young, that it has a solid story, that it is well written and the discovery/adventure type story.
As it is a young adult book sometimes the story felt a bit simple and even immature though. Still it is a good story. I liked how the story followed Stephanie on one side, the treecats on another side and how the two story lines gradually intermingled.
What I did not like so much was that instead of staying on the discovery/adventure path the authors had to drag in political machinations and the usual “big companies are bad” angle to it.
The bad parts will not stop me from reading the next book in the series though but the good and the bad kind of balanced everything out such that my rating of this book is only a decent average at three stars.
novelheartbeat's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5
Just like the title says, this story was a BEAUTIFUL. FRIENDSHIP. If you want a story about a beautiful, unconditional, powerful bond between a cat and a person, this story is for you ;)
I freaking LOVED the treecats!!! They were 10000% of why I loved this book so much. I freaking LOVED Climbs Quickly/Lionheart!! Oh my lawd I loved him. *cries* Loveloveloveloooove (how many times can I say love without sounding redundant? But I can't help it, IT'S TRUE OKAY.) I couldn't get enough of him. I wish I had a Climbs Quickly of my own T.T
I loved the shit out of the first half, it's been a long time since I felt such pure enjoyment while reading a book. I looked forward to Stephanie and Climbs Quickly meeting and was highly emotionally invested in their bond and their friendship. There were some scenes where it was just so endearing that my heart couldn't handle it, I actually shed a tear!! Plus there was a certain part where I was actually sobbing, guys. RIGHT IN THE FEELS.
Spoiler
The scene with the hexapuma - BE STILL MY HEART. Stephanie and Climbs Quickly were fiercely determined to protect each other without any regard to their own lives. They were willing to save one another at the cost of their own life. I was legit sobbing through damn near that entire scene because my heart couldn't handle it!! I have such a bleeding heart for animals and I seriously just loved the shit out of Climbs Quickly you guys. Don't judge me.I don't think I could rave enough over how much I absolutely loved the world in this book and the treecat clan. The idea of a sentient, telepathic, empathic alien race of tree-dwelling cats just screams "Jessi book" haha! I knew I would love this one and I was most certainly not wrong. I can't wait to dive into the next installment and see more of my favorite little treecat!
The only real reservation I had about this book, and the ONLY reason it didn't get a 5 star review was that there were LONG stretches of straight internal dialogue or informational jargon - for paragraphs on end -that it got a bit boring in the last half. I just wanted some more treecat action! Some of it was building the world, yes, but there was a lot in there that was just plain unnecessary. I don't need two full pages detailing what they had for a meal, thank you.
Boring parts aside, this book was truly a hidden gem!
This review was originally posted on Novel Heartbeat. To see a breakdown of my assessment, please visit the full review here.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
A relatively poor attempt at a YA in the Honor Harrington general universe. A little bit lame. But a nice revisit of early interaction between Treecats and Harrington's. 3.5 of 5. I seem to remember a short story version of this novel that was quite a bit better.
piperkitty81's review against another edition
3.0
I just finished listening to this book on Audible. It was okay, but I wasn’t wild about it. I don’t think it’s the type of Sci-Fi story that I like as much as others, even though there was nothing “wrong” with it and still was “good”. It just didn’t appeal to me as much. There are other books in the series, but I’ll just leave it with the first one. Other sci-fi fans may really enjoy it.
westcoastchelle's review against another edition
5.0
It was a struggle at first, only because it was such a shift from the Honorverse which I have been reading for months now. But I settled into it soon and fell in love.
I'll be honest, I love the treecats more than the people, but I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes next.
I'll be honest, I love the treecats more than the people, but I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes next.
shai3d's review against another edition
4.0
This is tne first time I have read/listened to any David Weber and I have to admit that I am impressed. I am not too sure that I would seek out any of his other books because I don't care for military sci-fi. BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP however dealt with the discovery of a new race and the friendship that developed between a young girl and her 'tree cat'.
snazel's review against another edition
4.0
The prose style is CLASSIC infodump, but I liked the characters (especially Climbs Quickly's clan and POV), and the adventure was fun.
Would Read Author Again.
Would Read Author Again.
cornflower's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0