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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Somewhere in the 3+ star range, but at this moment I'm not totally sure of an exact number.
There was a lot about this I enjoyed. The setting was fun, the banter was entertaining, and the plot was engaging and quick to get through. That said, I should have been able to finish this in an afternoon, and instead it took me six days. For as readable as this book was, there was something about it that never totally connected for me. The dialogue could be kind of weird, and the frantic energy that kept everything moving got really annoying after a while.
The main character gets away with a whole lot of nonsense due to being surrounded by incompetent staff, and having an immense amount of privilege. I thought her character was very interesting in theory, but I don't think I'm fully satisfied with how she ended up being portrayed. The mystery wraps up without a lot of fanfare, and it lacked some of the suspenseful 'ah-ha!' moments that I love so much about the genre.
If you like the idea of a scifi/mystery mash up, definitely give this a shot. I won't say its amazing, but it certainly scratches an itch.
There was a lot about this I enjoyed. The setting was fun, the banter was entertaining, and the plot was engaging and quick to get through. That said, I should have been able to finish this in an afternoon, and instead it took me six days. For as readable as this book was, there was something about it that never totally connected for me. The dialogue could be kind of weird, and the frantic energy that kept everything moving got really annoying after a while.
The main character gets away with a whole lot of nonsense due to being surrounded by incompetent staff, and having an immense amount of privilege. I thought her character was very interesting in theory, but I don't think I'm fully satisfied with how she ended up being portrayed. The mystery wraps up without a lot of fanfare, and it lacked some of the suspenseful 'ah-ha!' moments that I love so much about the genre.
If you like the idea of a scifi/mystery mash up, definitely give this a shot. I won't say its amazing, but it certainly scratches an itch.
I do appreciate Kowal's creativity, but there was too much of it packed into these pages. It felt like Kowal crammed all the interesting elements of sci-fi she's thought up into one package, even if they didn't all fit together.
It was also difficult to keep track of each of the characters, and I just didn't care about them.
It was also difficult to keep track of each of the characters, and I just didn't care about them.
As with all of Kowal's writing, this is a delight to read. It features a murder mystery on an interplanetary cruise ship, with great characters, all with secrets.
While the main character comes from a place of privilege, she is constantly aware of it, and has to mitigate what she can and can't do, especially as she is also dealing with chronic pain and PTSD. It builds a very interesting character, and the reader gets to see from the inside of how a socially popular or rich person must deal at a distance from society.
The strange irregularities and secrets build up over the course of the novel to the final reveal, which will keep you guessing along the way!
Bonus points for Gimlet, The Best Dog, and the cocktail recipes at the beginning of each chapter, also containing some 0%-proof versions for those of us who don't drink. Make sure to stay to the end for the great explanation Kowal give on the science in the book, the cocktails, and the inside references!
While the main character comes from a place of privilege, she is constantly aware of it, and has to mitigate what she can and can't do, especially as she is also dealing with chronic pain and PTSD. It builds a very interesting character, and the reader gets to see from the inside of how a socially popular or rich person must deal at a distance from society.
The strange irregularities and secrets build up over the course of the novel to the final reveal, which will keep you guessing along the way!
Bonus points for Gimlet, The Best Dog, and the cocktail recipes at the beginning of each chapter, also containing some 0%-proof versions for those of us who don't drink. Make sure to stay to the end for the great explanation Kowal give on the science in the book, the cocktails, and the inside references!
adventurous
Murder mystery in space? Normally sci fi isn’t for me but for Mary Robinette Kowal I will follow to space if that’s what it takes! Scientifically grounded, well researched (as far as I can tell for both the science stuff and the ‘life with chronic pain’ stuff), relatively lighthearted and a fast read. Kinda felt like a cocktail-themed culinary cozy mystery.
The world building took some getting used to, but I eventually adapted. For some reason, use of Mx, they/xe pronouns and the like didn’t bother me at all but I could not get over the use of Kuznetsova as a man’s last name. Kept picturing him as a woman though I knew he wasn’t!
The ending was satisfying.
The world building took some getting used to, but I eventually adapted. For some reason, use of Mx, they/xe pronouns and the like didn’t bother me at all but I could not get over the use of Kuznetsova as a man’s last name. Kept picturing him as a woman though I knew he wasn’t!
The ending was satisfying.
Wonderfully entertaining. A bit hard sometimes to get accustomed to the usage of pronouns, but you get used to it.
Tesla just wants a quiet honeymoon with her new husband, Shal, but for the heiress of Crane Industries, traveling incognito is easier said than done. Everything is going smoothly on their interplanetary cruise until someone is stabbed in front of them and security arrests Shal for the murder. Tesla decides it’s up to her to solve the crime and find the real murderer before they land on Mars.
This was a fun take on the locked room mystery, where everything is contained to a luxury cruise-liner in space. There are lots of mystery tropes used purposefully to hearken back to classic mystery novels (the hard-boiled PI, the overly-aggressive security chief, the drinking problems, etc), but the protagonist is very much something new (middle-aged female robotics expert with a disability and PTSD). It’s fun to see something very familiar to be used in a new setting with different characters. A page-turner that kept me guessing all the way to the end.
(Full disclosure: I was a beta-reader for the book and I feel the final novel is improved from the draft I read).
This was a fun take on the locked room mystery, where everything is contained to a luxury cruise-liner in space. There are lots of mystery tropes used purposefully to hearken back to classic mystery novels (the hard-boiled PI, the overly-aggressive security chief, the drinking problems, etc), but the protagonist is very much something new (middle-aged female robotics expert with a disability and PTSD). It’s fun to see something very familiar to be used in a new setting with different characters. A page-turner that kept me guessing all the way to the end.
(Full disclosure: I was a beta-reader for the book and I feel the final novel is improved from the draft I read).
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Murder mystery in space, with cocktail recipes and a cute little dog.
I especially like Tesla’s lawyer, Fantine, who is back on Earth. The conversations between them are written brilliantly to account for an ever-increasing transit time for comms as the ship approaches Mars.
I especially like Tesla’s lawyer, Fantine, who is back on Earth. The conversations between them are written brilliantly to account for an ever-increasing transit time for comms as the ship approaches Mars.