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sagek's review
1.0
The Sphere of Infinity follows two characters: a very small and childlike theif named Alana (who is supposed to be Aladdin), and an albino authority figure who is the heir to the Alliance Police or something named Jasper.
For Alana's chapters, we follow her as she finishes a job (to copy information onto a memory stick from a ship) and is brought to a new client. This new client wants something that can only be found in space on what they call the Ghost Ship, named due to it being stranded in space and no one who goes on/in it comes back. Something unexpected happens and Alana is left stranded on the ship, with no way home other than the potential ally found within the golden sphere. After getting home, Alana meets Jasper and begins a sort of romance with him, while trying to convince her mother to leave with her all the while trying to stay out of trouble.
For Jasper's chapters, we mostly just get him pinning after Alana as he seeks to find out what is going on with the dragons. He also finds himself engaged to a girl who has another lover.
Hoenstly, I felt no connection to these characters. I just did not care about them. I also have no clue how old they are?? Alana is constantly compared to a child, a small kid who can fit in small spaces and she even disguises herself as a young boy (otherwise she wouldn't be able to be the theif that she is). She acts like she is maybe ten? But then the freedom she has of being able to go everywhere she wants, her job, and the cover, make it seem like she has to be at last sixteen. It was honestly very confusing.
The writing itself didnt help much as it was choppy and confusing at times. It did not flow well nor was it engaging enough for me to lose myself in the story. Also, most of the deaths seem unnecessary and I still don't see a point in the romance. They could easily had just been good friends and the results would be the same.
Overall, this is an interesting read as it is an Aladdin retelling in space, however it just wasn't for me.
*Thanks NetGalley for the free ebook in exchange for my honest review.
For Alana's chapters, we follow her as she finishes a job (to copy information onto a memory stick from a ship) and is brought to a new client. This new client wants something that can only be found in space on what they call the Ghost Ship, named due to it being stranded in space and no one who goes on/in it comes back. Something unexpected happens and Alana is left stranded on the ship, with no way home other than the potential ally found within the golden sphere. After getting home, Alana meets Jasper and begins a sort of romance with him, while trying to convince her mother to leave with her all the while trying to stay out of trouble.
For Jasper's chapters, we mostly just get him pinning after Alana as he seeks to find out what is going on with the dragons. He also finds himself engaged to a girl who has another lover.
Hoenstly, I felt no connection to these characters. I just did not care about them. I also have no clue how old they are?? Alana is constantly compared to a child, a small kid who can fit in small spaces and she even disguises herself as a young boy (otherwise she wouldn't be able to be the theif that she is). She acts like she is maybe ten? But then the freedom she has of being able to go everywhere she wants, her job, and the cover, make it seem like she has to be at last sixteen. It was honestly very confusing.
The writing itself didnt help much as it was choppy and confusing at times. It did not flow well nor was it engaging enough for me to lose myself in the story. Also, most of the deaths seem unnecessary and I still don't see a point in the romance. They could easily had just been good friends and the results would be the same.
Overall, this is an interesting read as it is an Aladdin retelling in space, however it just wasn't for me.
*Thanks NetGalley for the free ebook in exchange for my honest review.
divineblkpearl's review
3.0
A retelling of Aladdin set in space: Narrative touches upon class systems, poverty and the harm that results from tourism and more. The novella could have used a bit more polish and some characterizations get a bit Inconsistent yet it captured my interest to read to the very end. There’s a princely character, dragons and the Ghost Ship, a mysterious alien vessel abandoned for millenia. The reimagining of the genie character was my favorite part!
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