Reviews tagging 'Deportation'

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

3 reviews

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Terminal illness, Death, Grief, Medical content, and War

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Gore, Gun violence, Police brutality, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Ableism, and Slavery

Minor: Pregnancy, Deportation, Racial slurs, and Religious bigotry

maddie_can_read's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I started off really enjoying this book. I liked the writing and the characterization and thought the set-up was interesting. I was intrigued by what Rosemary did to end up with the crew. I liked the worldbuilding descriptions. I was curious what would happen on their space journey. 

But then it just started to slog in the middle. I thought there would be more of a plot, more tension.. I just felt bored. I thought we'd get to know the characters better but they were all just super nice and very 2 dimensional. The vibe was very like overly happy/ juvenile? But then there was lots of sex talk/ alcohol talk/ mild drug use talk which I didn't think meshed very well. 

Kizzy was a little too manic-pixi dream girl for me. Rosemary was very non-descript. Ashby was too nice-guy, like to the extent he didn't want to get weapons even after they were space mugged? Why is Corbin an asshole? Just to balance everyone else being super nice? I thought the romance between Jenks and the ai Lovey was very intriguing but then the book never went into how they got together or why they liked each other or what attraction looks like to an AI? I liked the non-human characters Dr. Chef and Sissix. The sexual relationship between Sissix and Rosemary could have been interesting but it just seemed like Rosemary was being nice because Sissix's species likes being intimate with everyone? It seems like Rosemary just offers to have sex with Sissix because Rosemary feels bad which is a weird dynamic. Lovey the AI being reset didn't really have the emotional impact it could have because we didn't really get to know her outside of her relationship with Jenks which was barely developed. The ethical implications of Ashby healing Ohan without permission wasn't examined

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I kept going because I thought the Rosemary reveal would lead to something. I was so disappointed by it. It was so boring and had no repercussions or consequences. It also felt like the author tricked us a bit because

she hadnt even done anything! It was her dad being a war criminal and she didn't know? And then that's not examined??

I liked the diversity of the characters and the inclusion of LGBTQ references

but I thought using neo-pronouns to refer to the space pirates that mug them in one scene was a little much in that it felt like it didn't really add anything to the book but it was just the author reminding the reader that neo-pronouns exist in real life

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The rest of the book just felt really disconnected, just a series of unrelated scenes one after another. Felt kind of like I was just reading a bunch of vignettes with no stakes.

This book felt too cheesy and corny for me for how long it was and the lack of a tight plot. 

Like everyone on the ship is best friends, whatever tension there is, is extremely brief and resolved immediately. To the extent that any tension doesn't even feel like tension because you know everything will be ok because it's a book where the main characters have plot armor. 

The space bandits, the bombs in the ship, when Corbin is arrested and horribly abused, Jenks and Lovey deciding not to put Lovey in a body

 

Characters are just pouring their hearts out to one another, even characters that just met! 

The worst part about this book for me is that it took me a long time to realize what type of book this was. 

I almost did not finish at about 60% but I was listening to an audiobook while sick so I just put it on fast playback.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Minor: Deportation, Infertility, Racism, War, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Drug use, Slavery, Colonisation, Trafficking, Sexual content, and Racial slurs

brucethegirl's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A motley crew begin their assignment to reach a small planet that's beginning talks for inclusion in the intergalactic government. But this book isn't about that. It's not about the planet in question, or the complex ruling government body over the universe. It's about the team on this space ship. How they learn to become a family unit. How they learn about each other, and welcome each other ever closer into their hearts. This book is about creating space for the people you care about, and letting them care for you. And its about trusting the people in your life to make the best decisions for themselves. 

Something I loved about this book was the general sci-fi cozy of it. There are so few "cozy" sci-fi books, and it was just such a nice relaxing read about space travel and aliens. Chambers also excels in the cozy sci-fi genre as a whole with her sophomore series, Monk and Robot, which I read first. I love how the characters, even ones who already know they love each other and consider each other family, are still learning and trusting ever more. How they all begin to acknowledge they're more than just co-workers, they are a family flying through space together. 

I will say there was one point towards the end that really calls into the question the right to make decisions over your own body, regardless of the harm such choices make to those around you. It's a little bit of a complicated situation, and I won't get into details, because spoilers. But if body autonomy is a big trigger/issue for you, I WOULD suggest skipping this one. 

That said, I don't even know how to fully talk about this book. Not without giving away any other spoilers, but just in terms of nothing big ever actually happens. I would even argue nothing ever happens until the very end. This isn't a book to read when you want complicated love triangles, or dashing galaxy saving pirates, or anything of the like. Who love the idea of a cozy book, but don't enjoy fantasy or mystery. This is a book for those who love popping on Firefly or Cowboy Bebop in the background.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Deportation, Forced institutionalization, and Police brutality

loss of body autonomy

a character who is of a species that can live hundreds of years without a culturally accepted parasite that shortens their life to a few dozen is offered a cure that will remove the parasite but refuses it. Wanting to die with the parasite. Another character forces the cure onto the alien refusing to let the team suffer anymore loss after the AI program they were friends with is reset, removing all memory of their friendships.