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bookbrig's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I looooooved this. It's such a satisfying read that blends survival, science, flying, math, and friendship with an amazing married couple. Plus: space!!!
10/10 will read again.
10/10 will read again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Racism, and Misogyny
deedireads's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I'll do a full review of the series when I finish all three, but thoughts on book 1:
- Creative, emotional premise (alternate history in which a meteor destroyed DC and the East Coast in the early 1950s, triggering an extinction event like the dinosaurs, with a female mathematician MC who decides to fight to be the first woman in space)
- Not super fast paced, but still a pretty quick read
- Love the Jewish rep, especially in SFF and in the 50s
- Great commentary on the stigmatization of mental health challenges and treatment
- Occasionally cheesy or bumpy writing but could be worse for sure
- I like that the main characters (white) are progressive but not unrealistically so for their time; they make mistakes (especially about race and feminism) and try to learn from them
- Elma and Nethaniel are OTP and their cheesy fade-to-black bedroom scenes make me smile
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Antisemitism
Minor: Suicide attempt
elliethelibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Bullying, and Antisemitism
brittshaw_p's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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? No
5.0
5/5⭐️ | 2/5🌶 | 1.5/3⚠️ | 16+
Genre: historical dystopian sci-fi
Diversity: STEMinist, Jewish, B/A, Taiwanese, mental health/anxiety+
Moods: dark, hopeful,
Pace: medium
Device(s):
Trope(s):
Notes: soooo good, best opening 100 pages I’ve EVER read, loved the historical sci-fi aspect - was super approachable, amazing steminist characters, fantastic main relationship, spice wasn’t graphic (great on theme euphemisms) but was fairly frequent, really great learning journey for MC re Race relations = good social commentary. I think it’s best if you go in cold.
# of pages: 421
AB length: 11:41
Took me ~ to read: 8:10
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content, and Racism
Minor: Sexual harassment
booksthatburn's review against another edition
The setting is an alternate-history version of the 1950’s and 1960’s after a meteorite strikes and wipes out most of the USA’s East Coast. While it’s undoubtedly science fiction, it’s not my preferred kind. It has really nuanced portrayals of issues like sexism and anxiety, but ultimately those are too real for me right now, mostly because of the historical setting.
Not my thing but seems well done, try this if you want an alternate history portrayal of women fighting sexist inertia to be in flight after a catastrophe turns the world’s attention to escaping off-planet.
Not my thing but seems well done, try this if you want an alternate history portrayal of women fighting sexist inertia to be in flight after a catastrophe turns the world’s attention to escaping off-planet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Racism, Sexism, Misogyny, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Medical content, and Death
Minor: Antisemitism
nimtoaster's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
An inspiring journey alongside a very relatable character, following the premise "Welcome to the 1950's, what if Earth was about to become unfit for life and our survival relied on the stars?". An ode to the early days of space exploration and NASA at a time where segregation against black people in the US was going strong and women were kept to the sidelines. Warning for a lot of scenes involving racism and sexism that made me extremely angry - but that was the point of it. Every step taken by the characters is a testimony to their strength, resource and resilience.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Mental illness
foreverbookwandering's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Vomit
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
Minor: Antisemitism and Bullying
aardwyrm's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Difficult to read at times because it deals very directly with the double-binds facing women (and making an effort to include all women) in the culture, this is more a work of sociological science fiction than anything else. There's lots of good stuff about rockets and physics! But the alternate history aspects hinge as much on the shock to a culture on the brink of the cold war and the aggressive, history-blind conformity of the fifties suddenly being thrown off that trajectory.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Racism, Mental illness, Ableism, Antisemitism, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, and Vomit
Minor: Sexual assault and Suicide attempt
bookswithjk's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
Although an inspiring read, filled with a very healthy main relationship and led by a strong woman dealing with daily sexism, I do wish we felt the urgency of this mission. Earth is give a limited time frame to reach a solution, and the pacing felt like they had a lifetime to reach space.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Sexism
cutlet's review against another edition
I got twenty percent into this book before having to put it down. It felt very sad, full of grief and pain and suffering. Well written, but a bit too heavy for me at the moment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death
Moderate: Sexism, Racism, and Antisemitism