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jaredor's review
2.0
Wanted space opera and a quick read and this was free. Got what I paid for. Two stars because I was able to make it to the end of the book. Totally plot driven, so don't read expecting great characterization. I was left unconvinced about the characters' motivations and I have the impression that the author's grasp of military structure and conflict is based on inferences derived from the Star Wars movies. The action, both violence and sexual, was more impressionistic than cinematic. All the main characters get at least one turn at first person narrative for the chapter, but start to sound the same because the fundamental tone is expository; by the end of the book almost everything that was mysterious and suspenseful was explained in detail. A few of the plot points seem inspired by those in the "The Expanse" series, but I don't think anyone will confuse the two.
see_sadie_read's review
3.0
2.5, round up.
This is a competently written book, but that's about all the positives I have to say. It feels very pieced together of things an author thinks readers want. It's got an anti-hero who's supposed to be secretly noble, smart-mouthed female pilots, big-eyed innocent damsel who doesn't need rescue, but still fill the role, etc. etc. etc.
The problem is that none of them are even a little likeable. The 'hero' is constantly checking out his employee who has been very clear she wants things to stay platonic. He bemoans how she has sex with everyone but him several times. This male idea that 'if a woman is sexually available to anyone they should be available to me' needs to be shot into the sun to die and I 100% never want to see it in my heroes! He also goes literally brainless if a woman pays him any attention, agrees to anything, etc. I get that the author was trying to play up his tragic past and how desperate he is (sex being a retreat from his problems), but he literally just felt obsessively controlled by his dick. If there had been enough depth in the book to address sex addiction or something, I might not have minded. But it was just sloppy writing and he just felt like a douchebag.
The syth was bland and the pilot a cardboard cutout (that's it for the female cast, other than a whore with a heart of gold). If there is going to be a romance angle to the overarching plot with one of them, I still can't tell you who the female partner will be (or if it'll be a poly relationship), which is annoying.
All in all, not a winner for me. I've like others of DaCosta's series. But I'll pass on more of this one. The narrator did a fine job though.
This is a competently written book, but that's about all the positives I have to say. It feels very pieced together of things an author thinks readers want. It's got an anti-hero who's supposed to be secretly noble, smart-mouthed female pilots, big-eyed innocent damsel who doesn't need rescue, but still fill the role, etc. etc. etc.
The problem is that none of them are even a little likeable. The 'hero' is constantly checking out his employee who has been very clear she wants things to stay platonic. He bemoans how she has sex with everyone but him several times. This male idea that 'if a woman is sexually available to anyone they should be available to me' needs to be shot into the sun to die and I 100% never want to see it in my heroes! He also goes literally brainless if a woman pays him any attention, agrees to anything, etc. I get that the author was trying to play up his tragic past and how desperate he is (sex being a retreat from his problems), but he literally just felt obsessively controlled by his dick. If there had been enough depth in the book to address sex addiction or something, I might not have minded. But it was just sloppy writing and he just felt like a douchebag.
The syth was bland and the pilot a cardboard cutout (that's it for the female cast, other than a whore with a heart of gold). If there is going to be a romance angle to the overarching plot with one of them, I still can't tell you who the female partner will be (or if it'll be a poly relationship), which is annoying.
All in all, not a winner for me. I've like others of DaCosta's series. But I'll pass on more of this one. The narrator did a fine job though.
sashe0163's review
2.0
More soap opera than space opera
Between addicted second in commands and captains with constant hard-ons, this book is easy to put down and not easy to pick back up.
Between addicted second in commands and captains with constant hard-ons, this book is easy to put down and not easy to pick back up.
saemiligr's review
4.0
So, there were a few moments that made me roll my eyes, like the captain popping wood at the mere thought of being with a woman. But I still enjoyed the twists and turns in the plot and will definitely be picking up the next book along with trying some others from this author.
catniprocks's review
4.0
Fan-freakin-tastic. The only reason I took off one star is because this feels like a serial to me and I HATE SERIALS. Just release all the parts as one damn book and charge me a little more.
I love characters like this. Where there is plenty to love AND hate about them. Morally ambiguous is REAL LIFE SHIT. I love it. I LOVE IT! Now I'm off to buy part two and then I'll have to wait for part three which pisses me right off.
I love characters like this. Where there is plenty to love AND hate about them. Morally ambiguous is REAL LIFE SHIT. I love it. I LOVE IT! Now I'm off to buy part two and then I'll have to wait for part three which pisses me right off.
sarah42783's review
5.0
Previous rating: 8 pathetic little stars.
New rating: 10 stars. Give ortake give a star or two three.
➽ And the moral of this reread is: any book that opens with its heroine punching a pen in someone's eye socket is automatically worth 10+ stars, if you ask me.
➽ And the other moral of this reread is: "System fault. Failsafe disabled. Protocols breached" =
Yes, this is indeed me in my, um, monkey suit. Pretty hot, huh?
[June 2015]
Previous rating: 5 pathetic little stars.
New rating: 8 stars. That seems slightly more appropriate, yes.
Think you're going to get another review from me? Think again. Just raise my original review to the power of ten or eleven and you'll get an idea of how I feel about this story.
[Original Review]
Don't
Let
Me
Go
BOOM. Pippa DaCosta's done it again.
Houston, we have a problem. The Pippa DaCosta Problem. Whenever I have to review one of her books my grey cells malfunction. They're so cool-fantastic-awesome-OMG I love this-amazing that they leave me speechless. Yep. Me. Speechless. Pretty amazing huh? That's the Pippa DaCosta Effect for you. She's one of the very few authors who can effectively shut me up. Ha.
Let's take this from the beginning shall we?
➽ Pippa DaCosta said: this story is not for the easily offended. It featuresdelightfully graphic adult content such as:
✔ Sex.
✔ Drug use.
✔ Lots of swearing.
✔ Morally ambiguous characters.
➽ I said: hell yeah, the Checklist From Heaven. We're not in Abominable YA Land anymore, Toto.
➽ Then Pippa DaCosta said: Would you like me to send you the ARC?
➽ And I said:hell yeah if you insist. It's not like I have anything else to read at the moment anyway.
➽ Then Pippa DaCosta said: I hope you like it.
➽ And I said: just finished it. BOOM.Yeah yeah yeah I know I already said that. Told you my grey cells were malfunctioning right now. So don't expect much from me them at this point .
Yes, this is so cool even Ron Weasley approves. Well he would approve if he was old enough to read it. Because frankly, this is no PG-13 crap.
Now. Time to review the Checklist From Heaven:
① Sex: bloody hell YES!!! Hahahahaha!
② Drug use: bloody hell YES!!! Hahahahaha!
③ Lots of swearing: bloody hell YES!!! Hahahahaha!
④ Morally ambiguous characters: bloody hell YES!!! Fucked up doesn't even begin to cover it. Let's see, what do we have here? Greed, ambition, betrayal, selfishness, revenge, homicidal tendencies, arrogance, boorishness, malice and harshness. Among others. Many others. The characters in this story? Nothing short of amazing. As you're reading, you think to yourself: "he's such a dick/she's such a bitch/she's so cold. They're all so unequivocally unredeemable, I should hate them all." But you know what? You don't hate them. Nope. You love them. Yes you do. That's the Pippa DaCosta Effect again.
⑤ Not for the easily offended: bloody hell YES!!! Hahahahaha!
What is it Hermione? Need I remind you this is no PG-13 crap? You shouldn't even be here you know. Damn. Filch is never around when you need him. Oh well, since you're here you might as well ask your question. What's the story about you say? It's about awesome people doing awesome things in an awesome world. What? Not good enough for you is it? Hey, grey cells = malfunction, remember? So give me a break.
You have got to be kidding me. FINE. You win.
⑥ This story is about: manufactured human beings, smuggling, lust, memory, retribution, evil corporations, retaliation, human wrecks, addiction, space ships, ulterior motives, domination, feelings (or lack thereof), redemption and, in Pippa DaCosta's own words, total mindfuck. Hell yes.
➽ Simple maths time again? Absolutely.
① + ② + ③ + ④ + ⑤ + ⑥ =
Yes, this is so bloody fantastic Snape and the kids decided to do a celebratory dance.
Believe me people, you want to read this.
ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
· Prequel: Girl From Above: Falling (short story) ★★★★★
· Book 2: Girl From Above: Escape ★★★★★
· Book 3: Girl From Above: Trapped ★★★★★
· Book 4: Girl From Above: Trust ★★★★★
· Book 5: Girl From Above: Deliverance - to be released 2019.
New rating: 10 stars. Give or
➽ And the moral of this reread is: any book that opens with its heroine punching a pen in someone's eye socket is automatically worth 10+ stars, if you ask me.
➽ And the other moral of this reread is: "System fault. Failsafe disabled. Protocols breached" =
Yes, this is indeed me in my, um, monkey suit. Pretty hot, huh?
[June 2015]
Previous rating: 5 pathetic little stars.
New rating: 8 stars. That seems slightly more appropriate, yes.
Think you're going to get another review from me? Think again. Just raise my original review to the power of ten or eleven and you'll get an idea of how I feel about this story.
[Original Review]
Don't
Let
Me
Go
BOOM. Pippa DaCosta's done it again.
Houston, we have a problem. The Pippa DaCosta Problem. Whenever I have to review one of her books my grey cells malfunction. They're so cool-fantastic-awesome-OMG I love this-amazing that they leave me speechless. Yep. Me. Speechless. Pretty amazing huh? That's the Pippa DaCosta Effect for you. She's one of the very few authors who can effectively shut me up. Ha.
Let's take this from the beginning shall we?
➽ Pippa DaCosta said: this story is not for the easily offended. It features
✔ Sex.
✔ Drug use.
✔ Lots of swearing.
✔ Morally ambiguous characters.
➽ I said: hell yeah, the Checklist From Heaven. We're not in Abominable YA Land anymore, Toto.
➽ Then Pippa DaCosta said: Would you like me to send you the ARC?
➽ And I said:
➽ Then Pippa DaCosta said: I hope you like it.
➽ And I said: just finished it. BOOM.
Yes, this is so cool even Ron Weasley approves. Well he would approve if he was old enough to read it. Because frankly, this is no PG-13 crap.
Now. Time to review the Checklist From Heaven:
① Sex: bloody hell YES!!! Hahahahaha!
② Drug use: bloody hell YES!!! Hahahahaha!
③ Lots of swearing: bloody hell YES!!! Hahahahaha!
④ Morally ambiguous characters: bloody hell YES!!! Fucked up doesn't even begin to cover it. Let's see, what do we have here? Greed, ambition, betrayal, selfishness, revenge, homicidal tendencies, arrogance, boorishness, malice and harshness. Among others. Many others. The characters in this story? Nothing short of amazing. As you're reading, you think to yourself: "he's such a dick/she's such a bitch/she's so cold. They're all so unequivocally unredeemable, I should hate them all." But you know what? You don't hate them. Nope. You love them. Yes you do. That's the Pippa DaCosta Effect again.
⑤ Not for the easily offended: bloody hell YES!!! Hahahahaha!
What is it Hermione? Need I remind you this is no PG-13 crap? You shouldn't even be here you know. Damn. Filch is never around when you need him. Oh well, since you're here you might as well ask your question. What's the story about you say? It's about awesome people doing awesome things in an awesome world. What? Not good enough for you is it? Hey, grey cells = malfunction, remember? So give me a break.
You have got to be kidding me. FINE. You win.
⑥ This story is about: manufactured human beings, smuggling, lust, memory, retribution, evil corporations, retaliation, human wrecks, addiction, space ships, ulterior motives, domination, feelings (or lack thereof), redemption and, in Pippa DaCosta's own words, total mindfuck. Hell yes.
➽ Simple maths time again? Absolutely.
① + ② + ③ + ④ + ⑤ + ⑥ =
Yes, this is so bloody fantastic Snape and the kids decided to do a celebratory dance.
Believe me people, you want to read this.
ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
· Prequel: Girl From Above: Falling (short story) ★★★★★
· Book 2: Girl From Above: Escape ★★★★★
· Book 3: Girl From Above: Trapped ★★★★★
· Book 4: Girl From Above: Trust ★★★★★
· Book 5: Girl From Above: Deliverance - to be released 2019.
rhodered's review
2.0
This is just a B new adult novel, complete with requisite melodrama, a love triangle, and drinking/drugs, youthful career concerns, plus some explicit sex. It's also nominally an SF novel.
I say nominally because although I don't think you should have to explain all your tech, star drives, etc in your world building (and frankly too many SF authors go way overboard on the tech splaining end), I also am not expecting characters to be reading paperback novels and magazines, let alone pinning paper calendars on the walls of their spaceship! I also don't expect an old sluggish spaceship to be able to nip between entirely different star systems in a matter of a few hours. This is just plain sloppy science, and more lazily written than I expect good SF to be.
The back story is as lazy. We are expected to believe that a guy of 24 who was raised by a poor, abusive, undereducated father became one of the top captains in the space force by the age of just 19. Then spent a year in prison, then in just four subsequent years became a well known smuggler with his own spaceship and working relations with folks on multiple planets. The timeline compression defies belief. He has relationships with everyone from hookers down on their luck to billionaire's daughters. Not to mention a gorgeous young female crew mate who keeps grabbing his cock.
But oh! Oh the heartache! Oh the tortured soul! Bad things happened in his past, and now he is a wreck of a man, complete with hangover from requisite drinking-to-forget. And just to keep the plot moving along, when we get tired of the budding love triangle, there's a giant government overthrow conspiracy plus evil corporate overlords.
Sigh. This is B movie tripe. It doesn't happen to be my flavor. I don't mind if it's yours- respect, everyone has junk food they love to eat. I certainly adore some craptastic novels myself. But anyone who is saying "this is a GREAT book" may not have much perspective into what makes great books or great SF. If you are used to sawdust, a Hostess Twinkie tastes great. This is a Hostess Twinkie. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise.
P.S. Yes, I'm a little bitter because I trusted the rave reviews and sprang for print copies of the series without testing a sample first. Mea culpa.
I say nominally because although I don't think you should have to explain all your tech, star drives, etc in your world building (and frankly too many SF authors go way overboard on the tech splaining end), I also am not expecting characters to be reading paperback novels and magazines, let alone pinning paper calendars on the walls of their spaceship! I also don't expect an old sluggish spaceship to be able to nip between entirely different star systems in a matter of a few hours. This is just plain sloppy science, and more lazily written than I expect good SF to be.
The back story is as lazy. We are expected to believe that a guy of 24 who was raised by a poor, abusive, undereducated father became one of the top captains in the space force by the age of just 19. Then spent a year in prison, then in just four subsequent years became a well known smuggler with his own spaceship and working relations with folks on multiple planets. The timeline compression defies belief. He has relationships with everyone from hookers down on their luck to billionaire's daughters. Not to mention a gorgeous young female crew mate who keeps grabbing his cock.
But oh! Oh the heartache! Oh the tortured soul! Bad things happened in his past, and now he is a wreck of a man, complete with hangover from requisite drinking-to-forget. And just to keep the plot moving along, when we get tired of the budding love triangle, there's a giant government overthrow conspiracy plus evil corporate overlords.
Sigh. This is B movie tripe. It doesn't happen to be my flavor. I don't mind if it's yours- respect, everyone has junk food they love to eat. I certainly adore some craptastic novels myself. But anyone who is saying "this is a GREAT book" may not have much perspective into what makes great books or great SF. If you are used to sawdust, a Hostess Twinkie tastes great. This is a Hostess Twinkie. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise.
P.S. Yes, I'm a little bitter because I trusted the rave reviews and sprang for print copies of the series without testing a sample first. Mea culpa.
pippajay's review
4.0
What I liked:
For 43K, the author has certainly packed a huge punch into this space opera novella. It had the depth of world building, character development and necessary back story without info dumping that I'd normally only expect from a longer work. And the action did not stop - there wasn't a slow moment in it. As a huge fan of androids/artificial humans, I was fascinated by 1001 and the theory and technology involved in their creation. I would have loved the entire story told solely in her POV. *possible spoiler follows* Francesca had me intrigued, though I figured her out before the revelation.
What I didn't like:
In a word, Caleb. Sorry, but I do not like jerks, and he has to be the biggest a-hole I've ever encountered in my reading history that is supposed to be the 'good' guy. I can tolerate one for a chapter or two if he's redeemed or shows signs of being redeemable but by the time the story showed any indication of it happening for him, I couldn't care less, regardless of what had driven him to be like that. I think his intention of letting a certain character *no spoilers* die was the final straw. Because of him, I'm not sure I'd read the next in the series. I also wasn't too happy with the cliff hanger ending because it makes the story feel incomplete and left me feeling somewhat cheated. I would expect this to therefore have been listed as first book in a serial rather than book one of a series.
In conclusion:
The author has packed a hell of a lot of action, character and world development into an explosive, often violent and sexually charged 43K. I would probably read more by her, but Caleb has potentially put me off reading the rest of this particular series even though I'd have loved to reach the end of 1001's story - if it had been told solely from her point of view, I would definitely kept reading. Sadly Caleb was not the 'hero' for me. If you like your space opera along the lines of Firefly and Farscape, with a hint of Bladerunner (and foul language, sexually explicit threats and casual violence don't put you off), this could be the space opera series for you. Not for the easily offended.
For 43K, the author has certainly packed a huge punch into this space opera novella. It had the depth of world building, character development and necessary back story without info dumping that I'd normally only expect from a longer work. And the action did not stop - there wasn't a slow moment in it. As a huge fan of androids/artificial humans, I was fascinated by 1001 and the theory and technology involved in their creation. I would have loved the entire story told solely in her POV. *possible spoiler follows* Francesca had me intrigued, though I figured her out before the revelation.
What I didn't like:
In a word, Caleb. Sorry, but I do not like jerks, and he has to be the biggest a-hole I've ever encountered in my reading history that is supposed to be the 'good' guy. I can tolerate one for a chapter or two if he's redeemed or shows signs of being redeemable but by the time the story showed any indication of it happening for him, I couldn't care less, regardless of what had driven him to be like that. I think his intention of letting a certain character *no spoilers* die was the final straw. Because of him, I'm not sure I'd read the next in the series. I also wasn't too happy with the cliff hanger ending because it makes the story feel incomplete and left me feeling somewhat cheated. I would expect this to therefore have been listed as first book in a serial rather than book one of a series.
In conclusion:
The author has packed a hell of a lot of action, character and world development into an explosive, often violent and sexually charged 43K. I would probably read more by her, but Caleb has potentially put me off reading the rest of this particular series even though I'd have loved to reach the end of 1001's story - if it had been told solely from her point of view, I would definitely kept reading. Sadly Caleb was not the 'hero' for me. If you like your space opera along the lines of Firefly and Farscape, with a hint of Bladerunner (and foul language, sexually explicit threats and casual violence don't put you off), this could be the space opera series for you. Not for the easily offended.