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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Loved it! The setting was so cool and the mystery/investigation had so many twists and turns.
Though I was starting to get a little annoyed with Tesla constantly bulldozing over people - like I get that you don't trust the security officers, but you should at least listen to your own retired detective spouse, since knowing how this all works is his literal job. There were so many moments when "very smart" Tesla was missing something important while she was ranting at people. And then she gets self-conscious about not acting "too privileged" - you either do or don't care how you appear, you can't have it both ways. It felt a little disingenuous and annoying, since otherwise she was such a cool character.
Though I was starting to get a little annoyed with Tesla constantly bulldozing over people - like I get that you don't trust the security officers, but you should at least listen to your own retired detective spouse, since knowing how this all works is his literal job. There were so many moments when "very smart" Tesla was missing something important while she was ranting at people. And then she gets self-conscious about not acting "too privileged" - you either do or don't care how you appear, you can't have it both ways. It felt a little disingenuous and annoying, since otherwise she was such a cool character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Sexual content, Police brutality, Kidnapping
2.5. As a retro-futuristic jaunt in space, this is fun. As a murder mystery, it's mediocre to poor. And as a Mary Robinette Kowal novel, it's a disappointment.
First and foremost, the plot is overburdened with WAY too much going on. There are too many characters, too many red herrings, too many clues, and too many loose ends that are not revisited or tied back in. Nothing is connected or answered until about the last 10% of the novel. Up until that point, questions and potential clues just keep piling up to a ridiculous degree with no payoff, which gets frustrating; there's a reason the typical murder mystery formula usually introduces a major discovery, subversion, or false answer around the 50%-75% mark of the story. In the end, a series of shocking and convenient revelations that mostly come out of nowhere explain how the murder was possible.
This vision of the future, where billionaires still exist but everyone has funky hair and introduces themselves with their pronouns, is well-intentioned but... corny. The unfortunately (or astutely?) named main character, Tesla, is an unbearable woman who constantly takes advantage of her insane privilege to be a pain for everyone around her and pats herself on the back for tipping servers well. I really tried to just roll with it and get lost in the fantasy of having the resources to take action when you're treated unfairly, but I couldn't bring myself to be on her side even when she was wronged. Tesla has the best lawyer in the universe and she's going to sue everyone. Tesla would like to speak to a manager. Tesla is filing a complaint that her accommodations while under investigation for a murder are not of equal or greater value to the accommodations she paid for. Maybe Tesla should have been the first murder victim.
The best I can say for this is that it was fun, good-hearted, and relatively light. Just don't get too bogged down in the details, because most of them don't matter anyways.
First and foremost, the plot is overburdened with WAY too much going on. There are too many characters, too many red herrings, too many clues, and too many loose ends that are not revisited or tied back in. Nothing is connected or answered until about the last 10% of the novel. Up until that point, questions and potential clues just keep piling up to a ridiculous degree with no payoff, which gets frustrating; there's a reason the typical murder mystery formula usually introduces a major discovery, subversion, or false answer around the 50%-75% mark of the story. In the end, a series of shocking and convenient revelations that mostly come out of nowhere explain how the murder was possible.
This vision of the future, where billionaires still exist but everyone has funky hair and introduces themselves with their pronouns, is well-intentioned but... corny. The unfortunately (or astutely?) named main character, Tesla, is an unbearable woman who constantly takes advantage of her insane privilege to be a pain for everyone around her and pats herself on the back for tipping servers well. I really tried to just roll with it and get lost in the fantasy of having the resources to take action when you're treated unfairly, but I couldn't bring myself to be on her side even when she was wronged. Tesla has the best lawyer in the universe and she's going to sue everyone. Tesla would like to speak to a manager. Tesla is filing a complaint that her accommodations while under investigation for a murder are not of equal or greater value to the accommodations she paid for. Maybe Tesla should have been the first murder victim.
The best I can say for this is that it was fun, good-hearted, and relatively light. Just don't get too bogged down in the details, because most of them don't matter anyways.
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
I really wanted to Love this book.
It has disability representation, it has space travel, it has murder and mystery. The writing is solid, though I wish there was more description of clothing and the way the events moved, the days felt far too packed for the hours. I kept getting distracted by the fact that these 2 people who are very injured are running amuck and never seem to need sleep, and barely any food.
My biggest gripe wit the book is that this rich woman who complains about people not paying their workers well enough, and how she hates using her status as a rich celebrity, did nothing but use her status as a rich celebrity. Constantly having her lawyer on the phone while her and her husband just ran around doing whatever they wanted. While I get that is sort of the plot of the story - they are trying to solve a murder! her husband is implicated and he didn't do it! I was feeling very eat the rich by the middle. I was also annoyed at how "cute" the dog was by the end, and I am a dog person. But having the dog's cuteness be such a driving force throughout was a bit much.
I am griping a lot, but honestly it was amusing, I finished it in 2 days, and it had my attention throughout. I would not discourage anyone from reading it, it is a light cozy read with a small amount of tech ideas thrown in if you are going for that.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No