Reviews

Read it if you feel like reading a cool murder mystery in space by an author who keeps a satisfyingly tight grip on her writing, plotting, and world-building.

Skip it if you prefer your sci-fi more character-focused. (Hester was an interesting POV character and I had a soft spot for Adisa, but I feel like Wallace's previous space thriller Salvation Day had a little more heart.)

royalwaves's review against another edition

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3.0

This is a book that I think I’ll easily forget. It was okay but nothing stood out or grabbed my attention.

jedbird's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

4.0

I read this author's SALVATION DAY and thought it was all right. I haven't come across a lot of good space mysteries, and that one was decent, though I didn't love it. I liked this book better. Hester Marley is an AI researcher/builder who was badly injured in a terrorist attack. Now her AI is gone and she's half-machine and working as an investigator for the corporation that holds her medical debt. A friend who was injured in the same attack contacts her out of the blue and is then murdered. As an investigator, Hester is able to be assigned to his case. The installation on the asteroid where he died is tiny, with a 12-person crew, and anyone could be the killer.

A development late in the book made me very happy, and also made me frustrated that the story ends where it does. Something interesting should happen next, and I hope the author is working on a sequel.

strawburial's review

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adventurous dark mysterious sad 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

4.25

This book was a lot of fun. I loved the pacing, the politics of the world were fun (and at times frustratingly realistic). I liked all of the characters too. There wasn’t anything here that was completely mind blowing but definitely a fun read.

Content Warnings

cleot's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

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