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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Fun! Protag couple has a healthy dash of Gomez and Morticia Addams energy with how much they adore each other which, though sometimes over the top, was cute. While most of the major threads are neatly tied up, there are what feels to be a few flyaways. Quite a few red herrings that get a heavy chunk of focus up front and then get dropped and never come up again, though the twist for one was delightfully shocking.
For a service dog Gimlet spends a lot of time being pet, but the exploration of the future of gendered language and the depiction of PTSD and chronic pain were refreshing at least for me after a string of novels which lacked that extra bit of depth and consideration.
For a service dog Gimlet spends a lot of time being pet, but the exploration of the future of gendered language and the depiction of PTSD and chronic pain were refreshing at least for me after a string of novels which lacked that extra bit of depth and consideration.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When I heard this described as if Becky Chambers wrote a mystery, I immediately put it on hold. It did not disappoint. The cocktail recipes at the beginning of each chapter sometimes featured in the book and sometimes their names were commentary on the goings on. I found the portrayal of chronic pain nuanced and so human. I wish there was a little more world building and that we got more details on exactly what happened in Tesla Crane’s accident, but maybe we’ll hear about that in future books. 🤞🏻 I thought it was interesting that in this timeline, everyone goes by Mx., which really would simplify things but sometimes made it hard for me to visualize the characters. On the other hand, I was really tuned in to the other descriptors given to each character, which I’m normally not, so maybe that’s a good thing. This reminded me a bit of the JD Robb mysteries, which are set sometime in the future, but I haven’t read one of those in a long time so I could be drawing a bad comparison there based on the scraps of memory I have. This is also fade to black, and JD Robb is decidedly not.
adventurous
mysterious
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
Great murder mystery in space. Also has great social commentary about privilege. There is appropriate use of gender throughout that makes the future seem more promising as well as language that emphasizes accessibility rather than using terms such as "handicapped" or "disabled." When such is used it is an example of throwback to dark uncivilized times. The story itself is a hoot. I liked the characters a lot. They seem real and complete. Great job!
Well this was great fun. A terrific amalgam of 30's screwball mystery and space opera science fiction. Cocktail recipes and the details of the space cruise ship clearly shows that Kowal has spent serious time on some present day versions (my personal favorite detail "Cruise art is so weird" - it really is). Oh, and cocktail recipes, I made my husband make Boulevardiers. Did I mention I named my kids Nick and Nora?
The mystery itself had that quality not uncommon to those same movies, in that you would never in a million years figure it out in advance but all the pieces do fit together at the end. And I appreciated that it was from the "Nora" character POV- with genuine complexities (brilliant engineer with PTSD and genuine disability from injuries.
The mystery itself had that quality not uncommon to those same movies, in that you would never in a million years figure it out in advance but all the pieces do fit together at the end. And I appreciated that it was from the "Nora" character POV- with genuine complexities (brilliant engineer with PTSD and genuine disability from injuries.