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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to enjoy this book but it just fell flat for me. The main character's chronic pain only seemed to effect her when the plot needed it. (I have chronic pain) she was also very annoying. She said one thing but then her actions completely go against that.
Overall this book had such a solid idea. It could have worked so well but Kowal just didn't seem to know what to do.
Overall this book had such a solid idea. It could have worked so well but Kowal just didn't seem to know what to do.
I got half way through this, and for most of that enjoyed it. But as I approached half way, it just became so boring and repetitive. Soooo much of the story is fluff that is repeated too often and does not develop the story.
Every few paragraphs talks about one or more of the following:
1. Which cocktail they're drinking
2. What the dog is doing
3. Current setting of Tesla's DBPS device (deep brain pain suppressor)
Extremely rare for me to bail that far into the book.
Every few paragraphs talks about one or more of the following:
1. Which cocktail they're drinking
2. What the dog is doing
3. Current setting of Tesla's DBPS device (deep brain pain suppressor)
Extremely rare for me to bail that far into the book.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
(Inspired by this book, I am drinking a gimlet that was - I think - poured with a very heavy hand. Or I'm an ABSOLUTE lightweight. Also a possibility.)
There is A+ dog content in this book. And also I think that mystery is probably an excellent genre for MRK to be writing in because of how methodical and meticulous it can be, which plays to her strengths.
There was so much about this book that I liked - The Westie, of COURSE, but also the science fictional creativity and the serious consideration of disability and a disabled heroine counting her spoons and how the future changes that calculus but does not change the need for it.
It's fascinating to me how MRK shows so clearly the operation of privilege in the mystery novel, but this work is not in any sense a critique of it. Merely a noting of it.
And alsowhile I am not a person who attempts to guess mysteries, I found this one to be a little sparing with the clues. I don't usually try to guess, but I do hold the standard of could I guess or, more precisely, could my extremely astute sister have guessed and, if the answer is no, I judge the book for not providing enough information or details.
The other thing that I find complicated about MRK as an author is that she is technically precise, but I often struggle to believe that her characters have deep interiority. It's not, for example, that I don't think that her characters are real, but more that her descriptions - especially those of desire - feel surface deep in a way that I can't explain. I've had this problem since her first Glamourist books and her research is impeccable and, with that, so much of the rounded depth of her characters just doesn't come through.
Which is clearly a me-problem and it's unfair to read her work and keep hoping she'll do something different and yet, as they say, hope springs eternal. And she wrote a fascinating mystery, just not one I'm entirely convinced is populated by people.
There is A+ dog content in this book. And also I think that mystery is probably an excellent genre for MRK to be writing in because of how methodical and meticulous it can be, which plays to her strengths.
There was so much about this book that I liked - The Westie, of COURSE, but also the science fictional creativity and the serious consideration of disability and a disabled heroine counting her spoons and how the future changes that calculus but does not change the need for it.
It's fascinating to me how MRK shows so clearly the operation of privilege in the mystery novel, but this work is not in any sense a critique of it. Merely a noting of it.
And also
The other thing that I find complicated about MRK as an author is that she is technically precise, but I often struggle to believe that her characters have deep interiority. It's not, for example, that I don't think that her characters are real, but more that her descriptions - especially those of desire - feel surface deep in a way that I can't explain. I've had this problem since her first Glamourist books and her research is impeccable and, with that, so much of the rounded depth of her characters just doesn't come through.
Which is clearly a me-problem and it's unfair to read her work and keep hoping she'll do something different and yet, as they say, hope springs eternal. And she wrote a fascinating mystery, just not one I'm entirely convinced is populated by people.
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I read this off the back of enjoying the Lady Astronaut series a lot but not fancying the author’s other books that look to be historical romances. This was science fiction and it also turned out to be a murder mystery so right up my street really.
Tesla is on her honeymoon - a cruise ship from Earth to Mars - when her and her newlywed spouse, Shal, come across a dying person outside their cabin, who quickly becomes a dead person and Shal is accused of the murder. It’s a good setup and a lively story. There’s lots of nice futuristic technological bits muddled up with the recognisable banality of cruise ships which stay the same no matter where they are headed. The human elements of a story don’t change no matter the setting, and the authors romance fiction background shows. I mean that in a positive way, the relationships between the characters are interesting and it’ll keep your attention even if you’re not sure about the science fiction aspect of it.
There’s lot of nice stuff here, as well as the cruise ship aspect there’s lots about the nature of celebrity and trauma. The chapters all have related cocktail recipes, which is cute and thematic, though it wasn’t clear to me until the end that they were mostly (maybe entirely) alcohol-free in this version of the future which obliviates the worries I had whilst reading about the characters all day drinking. Not to mention the service dog.
I also felt the murder mystery plot was pretty decent, no strange space shenanigans were hiding the culprit. I think the cruise ship setting led it to have a feel out of the golden age of mysteries whilst very much not being of that era. All in all, I enjoyed it a lot.
I was looking forward to it a lot, but I found the number of characters and basic plot confusing, as well as there seeming to be a decent amount of happenstance. It was well-written, but I would probably have to read it a few more times to understand it. The touch of Gimilet was definitely nice.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really liked the mental health representation in this book - Tesla has anxiety and PTSD, so there were a lot of times where I really related with her
However, the actual mystery for me fell short. I didn't think there were enough clues to indicate who the baddy was, and I think officer Piper was breaking a lot of rules with Shal and Tesla hello g as much as they did - yes I know that she didn't want them to help (at least outwardly), but I think she should have tried harder to get them to mind their business
*Spoilers*
Plus the Ory and Ewan plot didn't make sense in the story, I don't think they added much besides a red herring
However, the actual mystery for me fell short. I didn't think there were enough clues to indicate who the baddy was, and I think officer Piper was breaking a lot of rules with Shal and Tesla hello g as much as they did - yes I know that she didn't want them to help (at least outwardly), but I think she should have tried harder to get them to mind their business
*Spoilers*
Plus the Ory and Ewan plot didn't make sense in the story, I don't think they added much besides a red herring
adventurous
challenging
funny
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:
No
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes