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scifi_rat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Plot: 4★
Prose: 4★
Pace: 5★
Concept/Execution: 5★/4.75★
Characters: 4★
Worldbuilding: 4.5★
Ending: 4★
Prose: 4★
Pace: 5★
Concept/Execution: 5★/4.75★
Characters: 4★
Worldbuilding: 4.5★
Ending: 4★
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Animal death, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Misogyny, Body horror, Colonisation, Confinement, and Cursing
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
FRONTIER is a post-apocalyptic story with Wild West vibes, religious bigotry, petty tyrants, and former space soldier trying to find the person she lost.
I love the opening chapter, it sets up the book's tone in a way that is followed through very well. As the traveler moves around, trying to find something with a signal strong enough to reach space, there are a series of vignette. These snippets build a sense of people's lives in different communities and settlements and the roads in between. So many facets of their lives imply this more complicated whole, without it ever trying to be about any one of them, nor pulling attention from the traveler from space.
The language and word choice is inseparable from the worldbuilding. There seems to be one main religion, a handful of agnostics, and as many ways to interpret the basic tenets as there are characters. The current human inhabitants of Earth are the descendants of a particular religious sect that believed some combination of the Earth being god with climate change as her punishment. These people stayed behind when humanity went to the stars. Now, heir descendants distrust anything that comes from space or is too technologically sophisticated, but what is "like space" or "too much technology" varies wildly from community to community, sheriff to sheriff, religious leader to agnostic nomad.
I loved every page and I want there to be more. This is perfectly paced in its current length but I wish it weren't over.
I love the opening chapter, it sets up the book's tone in a way that is followed through very well. As the traveler moves around, trying to find something with a signal strong enough to reach space, there are a series of vignette. These snippets build a sense of people's lives in different communities and settlements and the roads in between. So many facets of their lives imply this more complicated whole, without it ever trying to be about any one of them, nor pulling attention from the traveler from space.
The language and word choice is inseparable from the worldbuilding. There seems to be one main religion, a handful of agnostics, and as many ways to interpret the basic tenets as there are characters. The current human inhabitants of Earth are the descendants of a particular religious sect that believed some combination of the Earth being god with climate change as her punishment. These people stayed behind when humanity went to the stars. Now, heir descendants distrust anything that comes from space or is too technologically sophisticated, but what is "like space" or "too much technology" varies wildly from community to community, sheriff to sheriff, religious leader to agnostic nomad.
I loved every page and I want there to be more. This is perfectly paced in its current length but I wish it weren't over.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Cursing, Ableism, Violence, Murder, Death, Bullying, Blood, and Gun violence
Minor: Medical content, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Colonisation, and War
foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to Pride Book Tours and Solaris for a physical ARC in exchange for an honest review and promotion. All opinions are my own.
Frontier follows a mysterious main character. We don’t know anything about this person. Not her name, past or why she’s on the ravaged Earth planet. Most humans left Earth long ago, but the ones who stayed have to deal with a Wild West environment: technology renounced and widespread lawlessness. The book alternates perspectives, but we’re always following our stranger who fell back to Earth separated from the rest of her ship.
I spent a fair amount of this book confused, but it felt very intentional. Think Gideon the Ninth type of confusing. Things were happening, but I didn’t always understand why or how it was important. But when things are finally revealed everything makes sense! The reveal had a great payoff in the end for me.
Even though I was confused at times, I really liked our main character. She was fascinating and always getting into trouble. All we know about her at the beginning is she’s an expert sharpshooter. And gosh does that come in handy through the book! Overall, this was such a fun ride and I would highly recommend it especially for fans of space gays or people who enjoy books with environmental themes.
Rep: Sapphic cis female MC with amnesia, sapphic cis female SC.
CWs: Cursing, death, murder, gun violence, blood, grief, alcohol consumption, injury/injury detail, animal death. Moderate: spaceship crash (car accident), suicide.
Frontier follows a mysterious main character. We don’t know anything about this person. Not her name, past or why she’s on the ravaged Earth planet. Most humans left Earth long ago, but the ones who stayed have to deal with a Wild West environment: technology renounced and widespread lawlessness. The book alternates perspectives, but we’re always following our stranger who fell back to Earth separated from the rest of her ship.
I spent a fair amount of this book confused, but it felt very intentional. Think Gideon the Ninth type of confusing. Things were happening, but I didn’t always understand why or how it was important. But when things are finally revealed everything makes sense! The reveal had a great payoff in the end for me.
Even though I was confused at times, I really liked our main character. She was fascinating and always getting into trouble. All we know about her at the beginning is she’s an expert sharpshooter. And gosh does that come in handy through the book! Overall, this was such a fun ride and I would highly recommend it especially for fans of space gays or people who enjoy books with environmental themes.
Rep: Sapphic cis female MC with amnesia, sapphic cis female SC.
CWs: Cursing, death, murder, gun violence, blood, grief, alcohol consumption, injury/injury detail, animal death. Moderate: spaceship crash (car accident), suicide.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Cursing, Alcohol, and Grief
Moderate: Car accident and Suicide
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
4.75
Thanks to Pride Book Tours for the free advance copy of this book.
- FRONTIER is a fantastic sci-fi western, set among the humans who stayed behind on Earth, adopting a new religion worshiping the planet while also being ruled over by a network of old-fashioned sheriffs.
- I loved the structure of this book. For most of it, we follow the Stranger from the points of view of other people as she travels, giving us short glimpses of the different cities, beliefs, and factions of this world. When we do get to her perspective, her story is a punch to the heart.
- This book is full of gunslinging, witty retorts, inventive worldbuilding, and queer love. I hope you'll seek it out if those things pique your interest!
- FRONTIER is a fantastic sci-fi western, set among the humans who stayed behind on Earth, adopting a new religion worshiping the planet while also being ruled over by a network of old-fashioned sheriffs.
- I loved the structure of this book. For most of it, we follow the Stranger from the points of view of other people as she travels, giving us short glimpses of the different cities, beliefs, and factions of this world. When we do get to her perspective, her story is a punch to the heart.
- This book is full of gunslinging, witty retorts, inventive worldbuilding, and queer love. I hope you'll seek it out if those things pique your interest!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide
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