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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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:
Yes
adventurous
reflective
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
I enjoyed the adventure and concept of this book, especially the details about the lead up process for how candidates were selected and the Alpha/DAR technology. I didn't feel like I connected with or really knew the side characters besides Asuka, which was a negative for me. I also was constantly curious about the children on the ship, and I felt like these details were missing from the story. Overall though, I liked the book, it was a quick, fun, read, and I would read more from this author.
I liked this SO much. It’s exactly what I want from sci-fi (that is, I want soft sci-fi that is secretly a different genre, in this case, a mystery/drama). It ticked all the right boxes for me- a lovely little locked room murder mystery set in deep space, mixed with the exploration of relationships between women (and non-binary people, who, I cannot emphasize enough, are beautifully included in this story. I’m a sucker for a difficult mother-daughter dynamic, for a competent protagonist who is believably strong in unique ways, a hothead idealist best friend, even a naturalist component in the barren waste of the open universe.
My only real complaint is that none of these supposedly highly trained astronauts seem to know first aid. There are some pretty major physical traumas throughout this book that are cavalierly ignored not only by the injured party, but by literally everyone in the crew. I don’t mind a little plot armor, but somebody get those ladies a cpr dummy asap.
My only real complaint is that none of these supposedly highly trained astronauts seem to know first aid. There are some pretty major physical traumas throughout this book that are cavalierly ignored not only by the injured party, but by literally everyone in the crew. I don’t mind a little plot armor, but somebody get those ladies a cpr dummy asap.
adventurous
relaxing
tense
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
adventurous
inspiring
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rounding up from 3.5 stars because it's a debut novel. The central premise is interesting – a one-way voyage to another planet hilariously named "Planet X" by a crew who has been training and competing for their spots since childhood, followed by the revelation that one of their crew may be a saboteur. All in all I enjoyed the mystery aspect, but be prepared for a LOT of red herrings. I also didn't expect the introduction part-way through of flashback chapters that were a bit too reminiscent of Harry Potter for me to enjoy. But if you're looking for a fast-paced book where literally none of the characters are cis men, do I have a great read for you!