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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
As I wrote in my review of [b:The Last Colony|8180987|The Last Colony (Old Man's War, #3)|John Scalzi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328313843l/8180987._SY75_.jpg|18279847] there's stuff in here that that makes that book better, and Zoe's Tale doesn't really stand alone as well without The Last Colony preceding it. [a:Scalzi|4763|John Scalzi|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1562613145p2/4763.jpg] should've combined them into a single book, although this as a YA view on the events of The Last Colony is an interesting take. Anyhow, I liked the other version of this story better, so this one gets the lower rating.
A sarcastic teenage girl tells an Old Man's War. Ugh.
Scalzi does a great job capturing the voice of a teenage girl. That's great writing... but Gilmore Girls in space is not my thing.
Scalzi does a great job capturing the voice of a teenage girl. That's great writing... but Gilmore Girls in space is not my thing.
I put off reading this book for a really long time. I wanted to finish the OMW series, but honestly I liked each book a little less than the previous one, and seeing as this one was a retelling of my not so favorite installment told in the first person from the perspective of a teenage girl, a Chosen One teenage girl no less, I didn't think it would be my favorite in the series.
It's my favorite in the series.
Scalzi pulls off Zoe's voice with a skill I honestly didn't know he had in him. I think the fact that our narrator is a teenage girl and thus does a lot of internal monologuing helps limit his tendency to over-speech tag that that usually gets on my nerves. Zoe's Tale cleans up a lot of dangling plot points from Last Colony and adds an extremely different perspective on the events we do see. Scalzi has used Zoe as a tool and a plot point in this series as much as the Obin do, and this volume really gave her a chance to become a real character.
The real reason I'm giving this book a five though is that it dragged my emotions in every way possible. Maybe it's just that I'm having a rough week and kinda ready to cry on a dime, but I cried twice in this book during events that didn't make me bat an eyelash on Last Colony. The funny bits were hilarious, the sad bits were gut-wrenching, and the exciting bits were heart-pumping. There were some notable moments of cheese (Singing...? Really...?) but I have a deep abiding love of cheese, so I'll let that go.
If Last Colony disappointed you, definitely give Zoe's Tale a chance to make up for it. It is well worth your time.
It's my favorite in the series.
Scalzi pulls off Zoe's voice with a skill I honestly didn't know he had in him. I think the fact that our narrator is a teenage girl and thus does a lot of internal monologuing helps limit his tendency to over-speech tag that that usually gets on my nerves. Zoe's Tale cleans up a lot of dangling plot points from Last Colony and adds an extremely different perspective on the events we do see. Scalzi has used Zoe as a tool and a plot point in this series as much as the Obin do, and this volume really gave her a chance to become a real character.
The real reason I'm giving this book a five though is that it dragged my emotions in every way possible. Maybe it's just that I'm having a rough week and kinda ready to cry on a dime, but I cried twice in this book during events that didn't make me bat an eyelash on Last Colony. The funny bits were hilarious, the sad bits were gut-wrenching, and the exciting bits were heart-pumping. There were some notable moments of cheese (Singing...? Really...?) but I have a deep abiding love of cheese, so I'll let that go.
If Last Colony disappointed you, definitely give Zoe's Tale a chance to make up for it. It is well worth your time.