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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
This was a fun, mystery space romp. Some elements weren't for me, others landed just right, and sometimes the same element landed right in one scene and totally missed in another. I found the mystery not as a satisfying as I'd hoped, and I was overwhelmed by the number of red herrings vs. actual clues. It was worth a read, but not the stand-out I wanted.
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
fast-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
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:
No
mysterious
fast-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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexism, Sexual content, Medical content
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a weird book for me. I love the premise of Nick and Nora in space. Yet the execution didn't quite land the way I hoped. Parts of this felt very clunky (love a sci-fi that does interesting gender commentary but the gender neutral politeness here did not work for me--perhaps simply my irrational dislike to Mx. as an honorific). I was torn on Tesla (aka Nora), who absolutely does the right thing by immediately and repeatedly calling her lawyer (this is throwing her money and power around, but calling an excellent lawyer is something everyone should be able to do and that lawyer should then absolutely go to the mat for you), but also was a frustrating detective. Yet I still very much wanted to get to the ultimate reveal.
Fantastic book!! I love the disability/chronic medical condition rep! Love the service dog rep! Love the non-binary rep!
As someone with a chronic illness, Tesla was so relatable and the amount of space her condition takes up in the book felt representative of the amount of space my condition takes in my real life (having to think about things literally every time you get up).
Aside from the wonderful representation and inclusivity, I absolutely loved our main character and their spouse, as well as the wonderful service dog and Maria the cop.
I was constantly infuriated by the cop in charge, just as much as our main character!
The mystery started to lag a bit for me but then it pulled together wonderfully in the end!! The author really tricked me for a second there!
As someone with a chronic illness, Tesla was so relatable and the amount of space her condition takes up in the book felt representative of the amount of space my condition takes in my real life (having to think about things literally every time you get up).
Aside from the wonderful representation and inclusivity, I absolutely loved our main character and their spouse, as well as the wonderful service dog and Maria the cop.
I was constantly infuriated by the cop in charge, just as much as our main character!
The mystery started to lag a bit for me but then it pulled together wonderfully in the end!! The author really tricked me for a second there!
This is an example of the classic murder mystery story transplanted into a science fictional setting, aboard an interplanetary cruise ship, and Kowal does a nice job making the combination work.
I will say that the emphasis on the protagonist’s struggles with the PTSD and chronic pain from an incident in her past may have been a bit overdone - if the intention was to convey to the reader that such struggles are literally a constant factor in the life of someone in that situation, that mission was accomplished. Also, there’s a bit of a romance novel feel to Crane’s frequent internal dialogue regarding her husband. I realize they’re on their honeymoon, so it’s not out of place, but other readers may enjoy that aspect more than I did. Oh, and the cocktail recipes beginning each chapter struck me as a somewhat strange touch - creative, I guess, but with no real connection to the story, unless I missed something.
The mystery is fairly convoluted and not easily solved, but the clues are there, and the conclusion is satisfying. There’s a diverse and interesting cast of characters, some more eccentric than others, and even as a non-dog person, I have to applaud the character of Gimlet, who steals many scenes.
Overall, it’s a fun read, well written and nicely paced. I’d say it’s a high three plus but I’m glad to round up to four for the good concept and polished execution.
I will say that the emphasis on the protagonist’s struggles with the PTSD and chronic pain from an incident in her past may have been a bit overdone - if the intention was to convey to the reader that such struggles are literally a constant factor in the life of someone in that situation, that mission was accomplished. Also, there’s a bit of a romance novel feel to Crane’s frequent internal dialogue regarding her husband. I realize they’re on their honeymoon, so it’s not out of place, but other readers may enjoy that aspect more than I did. Oh, and the cocktail recipes beginning each chapter struck me as a somewhat strange touch - creative, I guess, but with no real connection to the story, unless I missed something.
The mystery is fairly convoluted and not easily solved, but the clues are there, and the conclusion is satisfying. There’s a diverse and interesting cast of characters, some more eccentric than others, and even as a non-dog person, I have to applaud the character of Gimlet, who steals many scenes.
Overall, it’s a fun read, well written and nicely paced. I’d say it’s a high three plus but I’m glad to round up to four for the good concept and polished execution.
I enjoyed the sci-fi noir setting, and thought the mystery was well done — and it kept me guessing. But I found the book to be overlong, and too focused on extraneous details. I understood that Tesla suffered an accident, but the sheer amount of times the settings of her DBPS (Deep Brain Pain Suppressor) was mentioned was too damn high, as was the number of times her panic attacks were detailed. Same with the number of pages spent faffing on about how cute her dog Gimlet is, along with its every movement and noise it made. I think there's a very good novella buried in this ~400 page novel, if a lot of that repetition had been edited out.