Reviews

I really enjoyed this book and would have liked it to be a series, as it did feel like everything happened super fast, with instant friendships, instant love, instant willingness for a son to overthrow his father, etc. I would have loved more time to see all these things develop, as well as more time for world building! Also liked the diverse set of LGBTQIA+ characters and the commentary on disabilities and ableism.

aely's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

I loved this book! Eliza's badassery, Anna's horniness, and Nathaniel's preciousness were beautiful and engaging.

My favorite parts were when Eliza started to realize how emotionally abusive the Commissioner is to Nathaniel and started fantasizing his murder (imagine how she'd react if she knew the physical side of things) and when she taught Nathaniel what aroace is.

This is a super cute story that I recommend to anyone who likes YA sci-fi and the found family trope. 5 stars <3

Content Warnings

grhuberg's review

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3.0

The romantic subplot had no payoff, chemistry, or really…anything? There was more chemistry and tension between Eliza and her past lover, for christ’s sake. It also was needlessly hostile towards the sapphic characters while constantly reminding the reader how perfect and harmless the aro/ace character is. Of course, aro/ace characters need representation, but does it have to be at the expense of tearing down other members of the LGBTQ+ community by relying on an old, tired stereotype that lesbians are mean, violent, and downright cruel?

The book itself on a logistical standpoint needs a better editor. There were several spelling and grammatical errors, which took me out of the reading experience. One particularly egregious error was at a point where Anna says something similar to “He must have kept notes somewhere,” for Nathaniel to respond to, and the scene plays out twice on the same page with different responses. It felt like Thorr wrote out two possibilities and forgot to delete the one they didn’t choose.

All that to say, with all its thorns, it was a fun read. I enjoyed it, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a quick sci fi read for the summer. But if you go into it under the note that it’s sapphic, you may not find what you’re looking for.

buttonburner's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad tense fast-paced

4.0

angelicat's review

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

cassiesnextchapter's review against another edition

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4.0

A great post-apocalyptic fantasy novel with Ace/Aro representation, empowerment, loss, and self-reflection! I really enjoyed the audiobook - Rosie Jones nailed the voices!

jecinwv's review

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3.0

I wanted to like this book more than I did. Set in a dystopian world where a virus claims the lives of many, a young girl works to spread technical organs that save the lives of people. That girl, Anna spends the book trying to year down the government that treats tech as a crime. Along the way she meets Nathaniel and Eliza who both are part of the government and betrothed. They all make a coup.

Pros:
Nathaniel is aromantic
Eliza and Anna are lesbians
The world is well fleshed out

Cons:
The plot comes off as cheesy at times.

The heavy hitting death scenes and confessions didn't feel legit or intense. Everything seemed a bit too cheery for a book full of intense stuff.

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