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maxcooper's review
adventurous
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
Minor: Child abuse and Physical abuse
lizreads05's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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
( I listened to the audio book of this so i will also be talking about to narrator's performance)
THIS BOOK!!!! I loved this book the writing was immersive and the story really sucked in in the description of the world really made to feel like you were their the characters were lovable (well most of them anyway) it safe to say Riven is my favorite based on the fact the i spent most of this book thirsting over her. I can't wait for the sequel because I need more of this story and characters.
THE NARRATION if you know me it no secret the I love Sarah Beth Pfeifer's work and her narration of this book is no different it was great her voice is beautiful and was perfect for the story and the Talent she has for giving each charter a unique voice is amazing and really helped immerse me into the book the combination of her voice and the writing really made the reading experience amazing and I just loved the reading experience 10 times more because of it
THIS BOOK!!!! I loved this book the writing was immersive and the story really sucked in in the description of the world really made to feel like you were their the characters were lovable (well most of them anyway) it safe to say Riven is my favorite based on the fact the i spent most of this book thirsting over her. I can't wait for the sequel because I need more of this story and characters.
THE NARRATION if you know me it no secret the I love Sarah Beth Pfeifer's work and her narration of this book is no different it was great her voice is beautiful and was perfect for the story and the Talent she has for giving each charter a unique voice is amazing and really helped immerse me into the book the combination of her voice and the writing really made the reading experience amazing and I just loved the reading experience 10 times more because of it
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Death, Toxic relationship, Drug use, and Chronic illness
sagronaut's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gun violence
Moderate: Child abuse
caseythereader's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
Thanks to Flux Books for the free advance copy of this book.
- CITY OF SHATTERED LIGHT is chock full of action, adventure, romance, and queerness: what more could you want from your sci-fi novels?!
- Truly though, this one is a great ride. I loved the world of this book and Asa and Riven are both excellent hardheaded protagonists with hearts of gold.
- You know I'm a sucker for queer found family crews doing heists, and this is all that and then some. Love triangle! Chronic illness! Cybernetically enhanced bounty hunters! Rogue AI! A variety of queer identities and no homophobia! Evil technology conglomerate! Oh wow, this turned into a QUEER SCREAMING review, huh?!
- CITY OF SHATTERED LIGHT is chock full of action, adventure, romance, and queerness: what more could you want from your sci-fi novels?!
- Truly though, this one is a great ride. I loved the world of this book and Asa and Riven are both excellent hardheaded protagonists with hearts of gold.
- You know I'm a sucker for queer found family crews doing heists, and this is all that and then some. Love triangle! Chronic illness! Cybernetically enhanced bounty hunters! Rogue AI! A variety of queer identities and no homophobia! Evil technology conglomerate! Oh wow, this turned into a QUEER SCREAMING review, huh?!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual content
audreysohma's review
adventurous
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
I did not expect to like this book as much as i did
City of Shattered Light is a sci fi novel (plus its sapphic) and it was absolutely amazing. The beginning didn’t really interest me but when I got a little farther it was so good.
This book includes some of my favorite tropes: friends to enemies to lovers (I guess?? but it also goes back and forth between friends and enemies a lot), found family, love triangles (I hate these but this one isn’t a big deal at all), slow burn, and more.
It was super fast paced, but well written despite the pacing. The world building was great and super interesting. I loved it so much.
The dynamic between all of the characters was so fun! Riven and Asa are literally perfect together, but I didn’t mind Asa and Ty’s dynamic. Also Diego and Samir supremacy !! The way Riven treated her crew was great also. Kaya and Asa had a nice sibling dynamic (though it wasn’t shown much) and I hope to see more of them.
I’m guessing there’s going to be another book? I mean the epilogue sets it up. I did like the ending a ton, but when I read the epilogue… I NEED MORE PLS
Anyways, I loved this book and it’s definitely a new favorite! Thank you Netgalley and Flux for giving me the City of Shattered Light arc in exchange for an honest review
City of Shattered Light is a sci fi novel (plus its sapphic) and it was absolutely amazing. The beginning didn’t really interest me but when I got a little farther it was so good.
This book includes some of my favorite tropes: friends to enemies to lovers (I guess?? but it also goes back and forth between friends and enemies a lot), found family, love triangles (I hate these but this one isn’t a big deal at all), slow burn, and more.
It was super fast paced, but well written despite the pacing. The world building was great and super interesting. I loved it so much.
The dynamic between all of the characters was so fun! Riven and Asa are literally perfect together, but I didn’t mind Asa and Ty’s dynamic. Also Diego and Samir supremacy !! The way Riven treated her crew was great also. Kaya and Asa had a nice sibling dynamic (though it wasn’t shown much) and I hope to see more of them.
I’m guessing there’s going to be another book? I mean the epilogue sets it up. I did like the ending a ton, but when I read the epilogue… I NEED MORE PLS
Anyways, I loved this book and it’s definitely a new favorite! Thank you Netgalley and Flux for giving me the City of Shattered Light arc in exchange for an honest review
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
abbysneddon's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to netgalley and Flux for the ARC!! All opinions are entirely my own.
Okay, I see you technology based, sci fi, interplanetary future. I’m here for you. What I’m NOT here for is the cybernetic body modifications. Blades grafted into bone? Mind links to wires? No thanks.
In this sci-fi, sapphic YA, we follow both Asa and Riven as they attempt to carve out their futures, Asa, as the heir to her father’s experimental tech industry, and Riven, as matriarch in a glorious crime syndicate. When an experiment involving Asa’s abused older sister, Kaya, goes terribly wrong and is corrupted by a malevolent virus infecting tech everywhere, the fates of the two girls become gloriously entwined in this colorful, violent novel.
I enjoyed this book, but I didn’t love it. Despite having solid motivations, I never felt compelled to care very much about Asa saving her sister, nor did I feel sympathetic toward Riven’s backstory as one is very much supposed to.
A diverse cast of characters sparkled on the page, which was great to see and read. I’d definitely die for Diego and Samir. This book was billed as a sapphic story though, and the sapphic relationship took up very little of the book (around 20ish percent.) Both of the main girls are bisexual which is amazing, and I love that it was never questioned if one was bi when they were both in relationships with men, but I would have liked to know their m/f relationships took up as much page time as they did.
All in all, I’d sincerely recommend this. It was fun to read and kept me interested enough to get to the end (and holy SHIT that epilogue) but as always in my life, I expected more girls kissing and more of a reason for them to tempt fate a billion times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Death of parent and Child abuse
Minor: Sexual violence
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