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1jmr's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sian_m's review
5.0
Wow, what an intense read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had me in a chokehold. Ten Low is a great character, a brave warrior at the edge of the universe. The storyline is packed full of twists and turns and survival is the only path acceptable. Loved it! How fortunate that there is a book 2.
I give this book a high 4.5 stars.
I give this book a high 4.5 stars.
tjperry07's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? No
3.0
domhnall's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
akshayps's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
nigellicus's review
Gritty, dystopian sci-fi western set on a desert planet/moon, but not desrt like Dune, desert like a cross between Mad Max and Sam Peckinpah, as a wandering medic trying to atone for her deeds during the just-finished war rescues a young girl from a crashed ship only to discover she's a child-general bred and altered and trained as a super-soldier. Dodging scavengers, haunted by weird probablistic things that feed off violence, beset by bandits and betrayal, they carve a path through the planet looking for safety. It's not bad, a touch over-wrought, though whether that's the writing or the reader or both it's hard to say.
kody's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I read this for an upcoming book club! It was labeled as "LGBT" and "space western" and I was immediately sold. This novel explored some interesting themes and had unique world building, but it did not quite live up to my expectations.
The narrator, Ten Low, is a former prisoner on a desert planet with the sole life mission of atoning for what she did during the war. She stumbled across a downed spaceship in the first pages and rescues a child soldier. From there, she travels through the darkest and most dangerous parts of the planet and builds a ragtag cast of characters to protect both the child and herself. All the while, a mysterious supernatural force follows (or maybe guides?) her company and she is forced to confront moral dilemmas from her past and present.
This book is packed with exciting action sequences and dangerous situations. I found myself invested in what happened next and dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of this far flung society. I also enjoyed the exploration of the different ways of life in all those relegated to the farthest reaches of space. Holborn clearly had fun conceptualizing how people would live on a forgotten desert planet at the very edge of human society.
That said, this book over-promised on sci-fi themes and under-delivered on character building. From the get-go, I expected interstellar travel and spacefaring. Unfortunately, the characters never made it off their planet. Additionally, the cast of characters was large and diverse, but only Ten Low had enough characterization for me to truly care what happened to her. In fact, Holborn successfully delivered her a twisting and turning backstory with fulfilling arcs and revelations. For the other characters, there were some incredibly compelling backgrounds, and I wish there had been more opportunity to get to know how that influenced the characters and their motivations.
Overall, this story was a fun and fast-paced adventure that captured and sustained my interest from the very first chapter. I would recommend to a friend looking for an action-focused sci-fi adventure.
The narrator, Ten Low, is a former prisoner on a desert planet with the sole life mission of atoning for what she did during the war. She stumbled across a downed spaceship in the first pages and rescues a child soldier. From there, she travels through the darkest and most dangerous parts of the planet and builds a ragtag cast of characters to protect both the child and herself. All the while, a mysterious supernatural force follows (or maybe guides?) her company and she is forced to confront moral dilemmas from her past and present.
This book is packed with exciting action sequences and dangerous situations. I found myself invested in what happened next and dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of this far flung society. I also enjoyed the exploration of the different ways of life in all those relegated to the farthest reaches of space. Holborn clearly had fun conceptualizing how people would live on a forgotten desert planet at the very edge of human society.
That said, this book over-promised on sci-fi themes and under-delivered on character building. From the get-go, I expected interstellar travel and spacefaring. Unfortunately, the characters never made it off their planet. Additionally, the cast of characters was large and diverse, but only Ten Low had enough characterization for me to truly care what happened to her. In fact, Holborn successfully delivered her a twisting and turning backstory with fulfilling arcs and revelations. For the other characters, there were some incredibly compelling backgrounds, and I wish there had been more opportunity to get to know how that influenced the characters and their motivations.
Overall, this story was a fun and fast-paced adventure that captured and sustained my interest from the very first chapter. I would recommend to a friend looking for an action-focused sci-fi adventure.
maxmaxmaxo's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
houdini117's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0