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actuallycandy's review against another edition
3.0
The Disasters - A Robinson Crusoe Science Fiction Adventure with a band of expelled academy students?
That sums up how this book felt for me. It was like a splash of Robinson Crusoe meets Lost in Space. All the high stake issues that the teens go through makes the group escape unscathed. The plot fast paced and the expected adrenaline you would normally get from the high stakes melts away like butter because the resolve is almost immediately on the next page. But for all the predictable wins this group faced I have to say the author had a great premise for the book.
The pros about this book is obvious, DIVERSITY. With a cast of characters that basically cover all aspects of race and sexuality it still missed something... Character development. Understandably this is YA, so no killing - bummer if you ask me. The characters had an entire arsenal at their disposal at one point but had sleep inducing weapons? Not real weapons with bullets or lasers etc. Convenient? Absolutely. Granted this book is targeted for a younger audience so it definitely hits that PG rating and I would recommend parents to pass this onto their kids to read.
The book written from the pilots view (Nax) is my favourite aspect of the book. As a fellow aero sexual myself it was great to hear about the spaceships components and HUD systems etc. I genuinely liked Rion and Zee the most and wished their characters were explored a lot more.
The cons? Well there are a few. I did not feel the romantic connection between Case, Rion and Nax. It seemed superficial and I was not rooting for any relationship which is unlike me I might add. Although its YA I was hoping for the weapons they had to have real bullets, the spaceship to have manned guns and some actual combat. Majority of the book was the characters running to avoid legal retaliation. Missed opportunity if you ask me.
Although I had issues with this book I did not have the heart to rate it lower than 3 stars. I can see what the author was going for. If I am honest, if I were a 14 year old kid or younger I would absolutely love this book. It was made for the young reader in mind and it is a great first step into science fiction. I would recommend this book to all parents looking for a science fiction book that is young adult or middle grade. Looking forward to reading more of M. K. England's books!
That sums up how this book felt for me. It was like a splash of Robinson Crusoe meets Lost in Space. All the high stake issues that the teens go through makes the group escape unscathed. The plot fast paced and the expected adrenaline you would normally get from the high stakes melts away like butter because the resolve is almost immediately on the next page. But for all the predictable wins this group faced I have to say the author had a great premise for the book.
The pros about this book is obvious, DIVERSITY. With a cast of characters that basically cover all aspects of race and sexuality it still missed something... Character development. Understandably this is YA, so no killing - bummer if you ask me. The characters had an entire arsenal at their disposal at one point but had sleep inducing weapons? Not real weapons with bullets or lasers etc. Convenient? Absolutely. Granted this book is targeted for a younger audience so it definitely hits that PG rating and I would recommend parents to pass this onto their kids to read.
The book written from the pilots view (Nax) is my favourite aspect of the book. As a fellow aero sexual myself it was great to hear about the spaceships components and HUD systems etc. I genuinely liked Rion and Zee the most and wished their characters were explored a lot more.
The cons? Well there are a few. I did not feel the romantic connection between Case, Rion and Nax. It seemed superficial and I was not rooting for any relationship which is unlike me I might add. Although its YA I was hoping for the weapons they had to have real bullets, the spaceship to have manned guns and some actual combat. Majority of the book was the characters running to avoid legal retaliation. Missed opportunity if you ask me.
Although I had issues with this book I did not have the heart to rate it lower than 3 stars. I can see what the author was going for. If I am honest, if I were a 14 year old kid or younger I would absolutely love this book. It was made for the young reader in mind and it is a great first step into science fiction. I would recommend this book to all parents looking for a science fiction book that is young adult or middle grade. Looking forward to reading more of M. K. England's books!
fussl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
lucyferlioness's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
rockymthorrorshow's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely gleeful ride -- just a group of too-smart teens trying their best in space. Nax is a gift - I'm usually kind of hit or miss with male protags in YA, but the way England writes his anxiety and family issues and perfectionism is so relatable. The worldbuilding is great, and the clear incorporation of non-Western cultures (especially Muslim religious influences) was a fantastic element.
holocene10's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
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? Yes
3.0
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
2/5
I really don’t know what my say is in this book. I read this book was the authors first book ever to be published. That made me sceptic about liking the book in the beginning. Nax was a character that in a way, confused me. Like everything else about the book. I found it hard to read because it felt like the book was so long when it was only 352 pages. The good thing about this plot is that the author didn’t pile the romance on the plot. What the author did pile on was all the cursing. Oh my gosh there was so much cursing in this book. I’m pretty sure the cursing in this book would take up a full page.
I really don’t know what my say is in this book. I read this book was the authors first book ever to be published. That made me sceptic about liking the book in the beginning. Nax was a character that in a way, confused me. Like everything else about the book. I found it hard to read because it felt like the book was so long when it was only 352 pages. The good thing about this plot is that the author didn’t pile the romance on the plot. What the author did pile on was all the cursing. Oh my gosh there was so much cursing in this book. I’m pretty sure the cursing in this book would take up a full page.
issa_her's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lifeinthebooklane's review against another edition
4.0
Unlike some reviewers I enjoyed this book. It reminded me of those 80s and 90s kid's adventure films where a misfit bunch of teenagers save the day. It was a little cheesy and required some suspension of disbelief but was still great fun to read. The characters were likeable, the writing good and the plot rattled along at a cracking pace that kept me turning pages to find out what happened next. It wasn't very gritty or challenging but, as a YA story, it had plenty of depth.
As a debut book, this was very impressive, I would certainly read more books by this author.
As a debut book, this was very impressive, I would certainly read more books by this author.
laurafd's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0