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beastreader's review
3.0
I do like reading sci fi books. As someone who is into technology, these types of books spark my interest. Thus, the reason I wanted to check out this book. Which I do have to say that I did like it but wished that I loved it more.
Although, I knew that Kim had a different persona with Hannah, I was still a bit thrown off balance in the beginning with the change in names. Luckily, when Hannah was talking, the font was written in different text so you could delineate between the two personas.
The story did seem to start out slowly but did pick up steam in the latter half of the story. I could see the story playing out in my head. Overall, I would give this author another chance.
Although, I knew that Kim had a different persona with Hannah, I was still a bit thrown off balance in the beginning with the change in names. Luckily, when Hannah was talking, the font was written in different text so you could delineate between the two personas.
The story did seem to start out slowly but did pick up steam in the latter half of the story. I could see the story playing out in my head. Overall, I would give this author another chance.
meredithrlyons's review
4.0
I love a fiesty MC and Hannah/Kim was definitely not a quitter. The whales, with Adoni as a standout, were very entertaining to read. I love a sentient animal aspect. I like my science soft, so I enjoyed the tech bits, they were realistic to me, and not so in depth that I felt like I got bogged down in technology. Talking whales, a smart, plucky heroine, robot fights in space. This was a lot of fun!
alongreader's review
Ok. So. I love the idea of this. Near future is always fun, especially ones that show how we fix various things that are going wrong at the moment. This one seemed like it would be great. But.
I felt like the world building wasn't there. Even near the end, I didn't really understand what was happening, who the various groups were - it kind of felt like I'd come in in the second of two books, where the first one would have been all about Kim's upbringing and being chosen for the mission and training. Then I might have been able to follow along better. I had trouble visualing the ship layout, too, but that's often a problem with me - I'm not very visual, which is why I love a map or a floor plan.
The story itself, allowing for not really knowing the backstory, was good - I wasn't sure at first, but around the time Kim finds her mysterious watcher, it really starts to pick up, and it doesn't stop after that. I was desperate to find out what would happen next, how things would settle out. I think this would be a fantastic mini series! The visuals would be amazing.
Overall, I liked it, but I would have liked a little more backstory. That could be just me, though - I'll be interested to see what other readers think of it!
I felt like the world building wasn't there. Even near the end, I didn't really understand what was happening, who the various groups were - it kind of felt like I'd come in in the second of two books, where the first one would have been all about Kim's upbringing and being chosen for the mission and training. Then I might have been able to follow along better. I had trouble visualing the ship layout, too, but that's often a problem with me - I'm not very visual, which is why I love a map or a floor plan.
The story itself, allowing for not really knowing the backstory, was good - I wasn't sure at first, but around the time Kim finds her mysterious watcher, it really starts to pick up, and it doesn't stop after that. I was desperate to find out what would happen next, how things would settle out. I think this would be a fantastic mini series! The visuals would be amazing.
Overall, I liked it, but I would have liked a little more backstory. That could be just me, though - I'll be interested to see what other readers think of it!
laurapk's review
2.0
Thank you NetGalley for providing a free advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.
Whales in space...unfortunately that was where the excitement ended for me. Part of it is my own fault: I'm very picky with Young Adult novels, as I prefer them to have deeper themes. Alas, this novel stayed at the surface level (I am aware of the puns). The story was competently written, the space ship was well described, but nothing was spectacular about it. What was spectacular was the overwhelming amount of plot conveniences. The ship was somehow handed over to the care of a single teenager. Said teenager was actually assuming a false ID and actually had been arrested before (you're telling me in 2074 they don't store your DNA, prints, facial features, etc after you've been arrested and they don't do a thorough background check?!?! We could find people in genealogy databases using super degraded DNA in 2019, come on now!). And then the AI is conveniently unable to see that droids are moving about independently, or a ship has docked, or another person is speaking....That doesn't make any sense. Also, you have whales able to jump into droid bodies and they somehow figure out how to reprogram the computer?!? A lot of disbelief had to be suspended for the story to work.
The story doesn't need to be super original or perfect though, if I can connect with the characters. Unfortunately that didn't happen either. The main character did not interest me at all, her presumed 'bad girl' past was unconvincing for me (she even does a super-hero landing in the novel--that cracked me up). The whales were too simplistic. It didn't help that the author somehow decided to portray whales as unable to understand lies. This is so false; we've seen time and time again evidence of deceitful actions in mammals, birds, going all the way back to insects. Animals do know to manipulate the truth and this simplification of their brain complexity never sits right with me.
The last nail in the coffin for me was the ending--everything was forgiven super easy and I swear the adults learned nothing from this story.
Ultimately: I think if you're looking for a quick easy sci-fi beach read with talking whales you may be entertained. Just don't expect much depth.
Whales in space...unfortunately that was where the excitement ended for me. Part of it is my own fault: I'm very picky with Young Adult novels, as I prefer them to have deeper themes. Alas, this novel stayed at the surface level (I am aware of the puns). The story was competently written, the space ship was well described, but nothing was spectacular about it. What was spectacular was the overwhelming amount of plot conveniences. The ship was somehow handed over to the care of a single teenager. Said teenager was actually assuming a false ID and actually had been arrested before (you're telling me in 2074 they don't store your DNA, prints, facial features, etc after you've been arrested and they don't do a thorough background check?!?! We could find people in genealogy databases using super degraded DNA in 2019, come on now!). And then the AI is conveniently unable to see that droids are moving about independently, or a ship has docked, or another person is speaking....That doesn't make any sense. Also, you have whales able to jump into droid bodies and they somehow figure out how to reprogram the computer?!? A lot of disbelief had to be suspended for the story to work.
The story doesn't need to be super original or perfect though, if I can connect with the characters. Unfortunately that didn't happen either. The main character did not interest me at all, her presumed 'bad girl' past was unconvincing for me (she even does a super-hero landing in the novel--that cracked me up). The whales were too simplistic. It didn't help that the author somehow decided to portray whales as unable to understand lies. This is so false; we've seen time and time again evidence of deceitful actions in mammals, birds, going all the way back to insects. Animals do know to manipulate the truth and this simplification of their brain complexity never sits right with me.
The last nail in the coffin for me was the ending--everything was forgiven super easy and I swear the adults learned nothing from this story.
Ultimately: I think if you're looking for a quick easy sci-fi beach read with talking whales you may be entertained. Just don't expect much depth.
readingintothevoid's review against another edition
I chose to read this because it promises communication between a human and whales on a spaceship. I am always seeking books with nonhuman characters that play a significant role in the story and they actually are written as nonhumans. But I am DNFing this because while there was a little bit of human to whale communication towards the start of this, at 56% very little has happened and the whales are such a small part of the story. Even the main whale from the blurb, Adonai, who is a central character is still a small part of the story and is basically just a human with somewhat limited understanding of the human experience.
I think if you’re looking for a sci-fi mystery thriller then this could be a good read, but that’s now what I came for and it’s not enough to keep me reading.
I think if you’re looking for a sci-fi mystery thriller then this could be a good read, but that’s now what I came for and it’s not enough to keep me reading.
ashley_schulte's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I truly enjoyed listening to this audiobook. It was such an original story and was quite unexpected. It takes you into space and into relationships that are hard to imagine ever being possible, which made the whole story fun and interesting. I would definitely listen to this one again or even pick up a hard copy to read it again. The author did a great job at pulling you into this science fiction novel and making a very different idea still seem relevant. The narrator was also excellent. Great job all around.
missknown's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.5
Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this book for free. All the thoughts and opinions here are my own.
Hannah Monksman is a caregiver for a group of whales being transported from Earth to their new home in New Eden. The book starts already on board the ship while Hannah is ending another of her social media live streams to update on the journey. Although there’s one thing she still hasn’t shared yet. Her name isn’t Hannah. It’s Kim Teng. And she has a very important role aboard Seiiki: helping an underground group called the Crusaders. While she is the only human aboard the ship, she isn’t alone. There are droids and an AI, to make sure everything is operational, and also the whales. Thanks to technology, Kim can communicate with the whales through a mental link, turning a solo journey into one not so lonely. Until Kim starts to notice some things aren’t right. She feels someone else is there with her. Objects aren’t where they are supposed to be. She feels observed. Although she doesn’t know if it’s the isolation affecting her or if there is someone else aboard the ship.
Hannah Monksman is a caregiver for a group of whales being transported from Earth to their new home in New Eden. The book starts already on board the ship while Hannah is ending another of her social media live streams to update on the journey. Although there’s one thing she still hasn’t shared yet. Her name isn’t Hannah. It’s Kim Teng. And she has a very important role aboard Seiiki: helping an underground group called the Crusaders. While she is the only human aboard the ship, she isn’t alone. There are droids and an AI, to make sure everything is operational, and also the whales. Thanks to technology, Kim can communicate with the whales through a mental link, turning a solo journey into one not so lonely. Until Kim starts to notice some things aren’t right. She feels someone else is there with her. Objects aren’t where they are supposed to be. She feels observed. Although she doesn’t know if it’s the isolation affecting her or if there is someone else aboard the ship.
Before I even go any further with this review, I have something to note. I read this book via audio. But audiobooks and I still need to work out our differences to have a healthy relationship. It is not my preferred medium, but it was the one I had available. With audiobooks, my mind drifts off too easily. And I probably might have missed some details which I’m keeping in mind while writing this review.
One thing that quickly surprised me was to discover that the whales are also characters in this story. I expected them to be a plot point, a means to an end, a motivator. But instead, they are as much a protagonist as Kim. It gave the story a very interesting perspective. Thanks to the mental link, both Kim and the whales shared their thoughts in a normal conversation which allows us to know their personalities, their way of thinking, and how they perceive Kim, humans, and this journey to a new home. I imagine someone that loves whales will have the time of their life reading this book.
I found quite interesting the evolution of humans’ relationship with whales. Humans began hunting the whales to the point they almost got extinct. Aboard Seiiki are the last remaining alive whales of their respective species. And so, while humans are the reason whales need to be saved, they are the ones saving them. This is something even further discussed as the story progresses. The humans are doing a good deed to save the species, but there’s also the perspective of the ones being saved and how they perceive it. And this is why I say the whales are also protagonists. They have their own voices in the story.
When it comes to world-building, the story falls short for me. The book starts already aboard Seiiki, so we never get to see Earth. Some explanations tie in with what happened to the whales, but I felt there was still a lot to tell. In this universe, humans have a colony on Mars. How did that come to be? Since when? How does it relate to Earth? And other small aspects exist but are never fully explained. Maybe this is something to be explored in the other books or maybe, as a reader, I’m just supposed to accept the world is like this without ever knowing how it reach that point. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I just prefer to see everything and understand everything. Then again, maybe I’ve missed a few details here and there. Only a reread will tell. Either way, there are still two more books in this series and plenty of room to go back in time to explore more if that’s the author’s intent.
While I’m on the topic of things I didn’t enjoy as much, comes religion. I should have guessed since the underground group Kim is part of is called Crusaders. Slowly Kim reveals parts of herself and her past that tie in heavily with religion. And at the end of the day, it’s not a bad thing. Kim’s relationship with religion and the overall message is positive, although I was not expecting it neither did I want to have it intertwined with the rest of the story. It’s not something that can simply be taken out because it’s a big part of the foundation of who Kim is. But at the same time, I felt bored when the story immersed itself in the topic. This is just a matter of preference, but I feel it’s important to mention to expect it going in.
Despite some letdowns, I miss this story. When I finished the audiobook, I started to miss being aboard Seiiki with Kim. In that tiny world enclosed in a metal shell. The ship feels like it’s an environment on itself. It’s very easy to forget that it’s a ship to take them from point A to point B and instead feel like it’s the only world that exists. And sitting outside at night with the audiobook on while stargazing really involved me in a bubble. Looking up and seeing the stars like Kim would see looking out of a window was quite an immersive and peaceful experience. I can’t wait to keep reading this series and be up there among the stars again.
booklover81's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Thank you netgalley for letting me review this book.
This is not a genre I read a lot from.
What would you do if you were in charge of returning some whales to another destination, but there may be a ploy to stop you from accomplishing that goal.
I really enjoyed the storyline of this book. Being able to communicate with whales and understand them would be fun.
#netgalley #undertheheavens
This is not a genre I read a lot from.
What would you do if you were in charge of returning some whales to another destination, but there may be a ploy to stop you from accomplishing that goal.
I really enjoyed the storyline of this book. Being able to communicate with whales and understand them would be fun.
#netgalley #undertheheavens
jaime_of_gryffindor's review
medium-paced
4.0
This was such a unique read! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I picked this one up but I was immediately intrigued by the storyline. This book follows Kim aka Hannah Monksman as she is the caretaker for whales being transported through space to a new planet. This book starts out kind of slow, but it picks up a bit in the second half. Overall this was an interesting book, great for fans of young adult science fiction.
swalk's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
- 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
3.75
July 2078 - Hannah Monksman is undertaking the groundbreaking task of caring for an ark of whales travelling to a New Eden. Although this wouldn’t be the first off-earth colony, Seiiki - the spacecraft she is on is pioneering in it’s design, allowing the transportation of numerous whales. She also has an implant in her head which creates a neural link, allowing her to monitor and interact with the whales; even enabling her to have conversations with them.
Partway through the journey, one of the Sperm Whales, Adonai begins acting oddly and asking unusual questions, implying that he is picking up more information from her than she is intentionally conveying. Soon Hannah begins feeling she is being watched and thinks she sees a human figure on board, things begin moving about when she is asleep, is this in her mind due to the solitude on board?
Partway through the journey, one of the Sperm Whales, Adonai begins acting oddly and asking unusual questions, implying that he is picking up more information from her than she is intentionally conveying. Soon Hannah begins feeling she is being watched and thinks she sees a human figure on board, things begin moving about when she is asleep, is this in her mind due to the solitude on board?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, an exciting sci-fi/ psychological thriller. Under The Heavens kept my interest the whole time and the numerous twists and turns kept me guessing what could happen next.
The narrator portrayed the characters wonderfully, both human an whale alike. The pacing and emphasis were great.