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usuallyhats's review
5.0
QUEER LADIES IN SPAAAAACE
Such a lovely, absorbing, satisfying romance! I really enjoyed watching the protagonists fall for each other. And the zero gravity art form was inspired - there's a sequence towards the end that's just magical. Highly recommended!
(The author's a friend of mine, but I'm pretty sure I'd have loved it even if she weren't.)
Such a lovely, absorbing, satisfying romance! I really enjoyed watching the protagonists fall for each other. And the zero gravity art form was inspired - there's a sequence towards the end that's just magical. Highly recommended!
(The author's a friend of mine, but I'm pretty sure I'd have loved it even if she weren't.)
foggy_rosamund's review
4.0
A charming lesbian romance, set in a sci-fi world. The two main characters, Jo and Marianne, are both experts in zero-gravity dancing: Marianne runs the best school for the dance, and Jo is at the peak of her career. An accident leaves Jo unable to perform and she becomes co-principal of Marianne's school, which Marianne bitterly resents. Something I loved about this sci-fi world was that the story didn't focus on dramatic interstellar war or survival in a dystopia: it was about ordinary women who happened to life in the future, something you rarely see in sci-fi. It was also wonderful to see middle-aged woman engaged in a sweet, gradual romance. My only criticism is that I wish this book had been longer: it felt like there was so much potential for the story to contain more details of the school and the dance, and I would have loved to read more about both the characters. But it's a warm, enjoyable book that I recommend.
jskstarr's review
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
scribblesandknots's review
5.0
Romance novellas have a tall order, aiming to take the characters quickly but satisfyingly from meet-cute to falling into each other's arms. In this case, it was more of a meet-grump, but I like that flavor too! (Maybe even better, in fact.)
We join Marianne at a time that should be a major win - being promoted to the head position at her art school. Instead of the sweetness of victory, though, Marianne is left with a bitter taste when Jo, injured but highly regarded zero-g pilot, is given the position alongside her.
I enjoyed the character development and the story, although at times I found the descriptions of the art form entirely baffling. Marianne and Jo had things to learn from one another, which highlights their strengths as a couple and lends credibility to their character arcs. I loved Marianne's sass and wit, and loved her better at every show of steel. Jo, I took longer to warm up to - but she eventually shows a protective streak that won me over (into a puddle).
The novella also gave us just a taste of a fun and unusual sci fi world - just one corner of it, like we only see one corner of the heroines' lives. As I said, I had a hard time picturing the artistry of little zero-grav flying units zooming around to music, shooting sparklers all over. Still, I love inventive and different looks at science fiction worlds - imagining an artistic culture that might arise specifically from a space station is great fun.
Overall, this novella had good pacing and build-up, fun world building, and relatable characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Rating: 4.5/5
We join Marianne at a time that should be a major win - being promoted to the head position at her art school. Instead of the sweetness of victory, though, Marianne is left with a bitter taste when Jo, injured but highly regarded zero-g pilot, is given the position alongside her.
I enjoyed the character development and the story, although at times I found the descriptions of the art form entirely baffling. Marianne and Jo had things to learn from one another, which highlights their strengths as a couple and lends credibility to their character arcs. I loved Marianne's sass and wit, and loved her better at every show of steel. Jo, I took longer to warm up to - but she eventually shows a protective streak that won me over (into a puddle).
The novella also gave us just a taste of a fun and unusual sci fi world - just one corner of it, like we only see one corner of the heroines' lives. As I said, I had a hard time picturing the artistry of little zero-grav flying units zooming around to music, shooting sparklers all over. Still, I love inventive and different looks at science fiction worlds - imagining an artistic culture that might arise specifically from a space station is great fun.
Overall, this novella had good pacing and build-up, fun world building, and relatable characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Rating: 4.5/5
sarrie's review
2.0
I really enjoyed the idea behind this, and I also really enjoyed the writing. However the relationship felt very flat, everything was incredibly fast, and just didn't click for me. There were really only two characters in the whole thing, which was disappointing, no supporting cast at all. I think another 100 pages a few more characters and this would have been great.
quail's review
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
silky_octopus's review
5.0
Well, that was an absolute delight. This is a short but lovely romance story set against a backdrop of teaching and performing in a school dedicated to teaching a fictional performing art, Z-GAD on a space station. Z-GAD itself feels like a cross between ballet and an art performance put on by Cai Guo-Qiang, and feels like a natural artistic development for a society that's comfortably integrated space travel as something normal, while being different enough to be fun and original. I've never studied at an arts school or ballet theatre, but the story captured a mood and background that meshed nicely with what I'd imagined, and I can definitely empathise with all the struggles that go with putting on a series of performances while teaching.
The two protagonists in this novella are very much my sort of character - both of them are experienced professionals in their respective fields, and - much to my great satisfaction - have been doing what they love or wanted to do (or both) for thirty years. I possibly sound grumpy and old as I say that, but it's great to have a nice romance story that doesn't involve teens or people in their twenties, but rather people who've lived enough to be sure of who they are and what they want to do with their lives. I particularly appreciated the fact that this is a romance story where neither of them had to give up what they love doing by the end of the novel.
Although the initial rivarly between the characters was relatively quickly resolved, it felt genuine and sympathetic in its origins; it also made seeing the two protagonists working together as they resolved things that much more entertaining. I can honestly say I greatly enjoyed watching an established and corrosive system of patronage getting the boot, too. All in all, this was a lovely read.
Now I just need the crossover fanfic between this and Pacific Rim where it turns out that the best Z-GAD pairs make excellent Jaeger pilots.
The two protagonists in this novella are very much my sort of character - both of them are experienced professionals in their respective fields, and - much to my great satisfaction - have been doing what they love or wanted to do (or both) for thirty years. I possibly sound grumpy and old as I say that, but it's great to have a nice romance story that doesn't involve teens or people in their twenties, but rather people who've lived enough to be sure of who they are and what they want to do with their lives. I particularly appreciated the fact that this is a romance story where neither of them had to give up what they love doing by the end of the novel.
Although the initial rivarly between the characters was relatively quickly resolved, it felt genuine and sympathetic in its origins; it also made seeing the two protagonists working together as they resolved things that much more entertaining. I can honestly say I greatly enjoyed watching an established and corrosive system of patronage getting the boot, too. All in all, this was a lovely read.
Now I just need the crossover fanfic between this and Pacific Rim where it turns out that the best Z-GAD pairs make excellent Jaeger pilots.
lenabrary's review
4.0
Delightful novella with middle aged women falling in love!
Do you know how dare it is to find a great f/f sci-fi story where the characters aren't teenagers or young adults? This was absolutely delightful, Jo and Marianne were well fleshed out, the plot was engaging. Definitely recommend it and will keep an eye out for more of Thomas' books!
Do you know how dare it is to find a great f/f sci-fi story where the characters aren't teenagers or young adults? This was absolutely delightful, Jo and Marianne were well fleshed out, the plot was engaging. Definitely recommend it and will keep an eye out for more of Thomas' books!
captainraz's review
4.0
This was a really enjoyable sci fi romance that I finished in a single sitting. Both the leads were compelling and I cared about them, though I feel the author could have given more depth to both them and the events surrounding them. Overall the romance was satisfying and I will be looking for more stories from the author.
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