Reviews

This was so good! Very glad I didn’t let negative reviews stop me from reading. There’s valid criticism but the overall story and characters are worth it. I love Grasshopper.

pandabear952's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

rubyredders's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

This book does NOT go big into details on the magic system or hitting you with the history of the world or even how the weird weather patterns work but you know what I DO NOT CARE - I didnt come here for high fantasy Tolkien level world building. I came here for the murder mystery with fantasy elements and I got that.

It's very locked room murder mystery ala And Then There Were None, with everyone on board the ship being a chosen magic user for their respective area and the deaths start thick and fast. Trying to figure out the murder mystery was fun.

I was watching those dead bodies mount up like which of you are fake dead I know one of you must be because Mrs Christie has my mind always looking for that false lead and I WAS RIGHT

So many of the characters are endearing and the representation is insane. We got queers of every flavour, trans rep, a wheelchair user and a chronic pain sufferer with long term illness. Plus every one of them is some variety of messed up. These people have suffered, are suffering and are causing suffering to each other.

Our main character Ganymedes (Dee) sometimes comes across a bit younger than he is in the writing, but I can excuse it because, again, all these characters are going through it and clearly living a different life from the average person. He did have some great moments of maturity though

How he describes his meetings with the Crabs and others reactions to them, his care for Grasshopper and the chess match! Dee's biggest strength is how much everyone underestimates him due to his purposely off-putting behaviour

There was a romance subplot that I shan't say more about because spoilers

it was sweet, is all I'll say

The ending wrapped everything up while leaving the future open to interpretation.

I'll be keeping my eye out for the authors future works because this is a very strong start.

Content Warnings

ameliabiblio's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.5

I am the audience for this book. That’s right. It’s me. Hi, I’m the audience. It’s me. (I’m sorry not sorry. I’m a huge Swiftie.)

I will admit that it took me a few chapters to get my footing and figure out if I would like it. Dee isn’t an immediately likeable character. His humor walks the line of “so cringey it’s funny” and “so cringey it’s bad.” For me, it falls on the funny side. For others, it may not. I think his overall characterization was handled well and he ended up feeling like a very real, understandable person.
When I started this book, I thought it was going to be multiple POV because I hadn’t read the description in ages. At the end of the day, I didn’t mind that you only get Dee’s POV, but I think, if it was done well, having multiple POVs could have really elevated the book. I liked the array of characters and the DIVERSITY! Love love loved it. Also, they all have different hair colors, which is very fun.
I will say that I immediately clocked the Main Big Bad. There were still plenty of other twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, though, including the biggest reveal (imo), so I wouldn’t necessarily call this book predictable. I also didn’t guess the true motivation until much closer to the end, after the book basically already told me. The mystery ended up making complete sense and I didn’t feel like Dee stupidly missed any important details.
Spoilers for the ending incoming!

While I totally understand those who feel weirded out by how Ravi was going to partake in a massacre, personally? I don’t care😝 It’s a fictional book! Sometimes characters are bad, but good at heart and you just have to forgive them because they’re so darn lovable! And even though I thought he was Wyatt for most of the book, he was very lovable. Sometimes you’re just reminded how much you love someone and remember that murdering people is bad!

Thank you to Edelweiss and Michael Joseph for the ARC.

Content Warnings

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