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katndrsn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Body horror, War, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Chronic illness and Genocide
_teoeo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Two of the big plottwists at the end were kind of obvious if you paid attention (to the story and the cover *cough*) so they didn't surprised me.
But overall I thought it is a good book and if you enjoy queer science fiction this isn't a bad pick.
Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Death, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Child abuse, Slavery, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Mass/school shootings, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, War, Xenophobia, Murder, and Terminal illness
Minor: Incest
theuncannydani's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Genocide, and War
Moderate: Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Child death, Death, and Confinement
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Cursing, Slavery, Medical content, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Torture, and Gun violence
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Gun violence, Murder, Violence, Misogyny, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Colonisation
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Xenophobia
nickoliver's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Colonisation, Murder, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, and War
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Torture
relin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, Gore, Death, Child death, Death of parent, War, Child abuse, and Abandonment
Moderate: Slavery, Genocide, Stalking, Outing, Grief, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Torture, Alcohol, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, and Cursing
Minor: Transphobia, Kidnapping, and Addiction
breadwitchery's review
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Suicide, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, War, Torture, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Death of parent, and Child death
Minor: Cursing, Alcohol, Addiction, Sexual content, Rape, and Genocide
lycanhood's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and War
Moderate: Colonisation, Cursing, Grief, Torture, and Xenophobia
starccato's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Colonisation, Murder, Medical content, Gun violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Genocide, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Blood, Body horror, and Slavery
Minor: Vomit, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Gore, Death of parent, Drug use, Alcohol, Torture, and Terminal illness
plumpaperbacks's review
- 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
3.5
I will say that I quite liked all of the characters. A few took longer to grow on me than others, but ultimately I was interested in each person’s story. May and Lam did an excellent job developing each character. They also did the found family trope—one of my favorites—justice. The dynamics between the characters in this squad were top notch. I especially liked the way everyone treated Ariadne as a younger sister, and the sweet romance that blossomed between two of the women in the gang.
My favorites in the squad were Eris and Ariadne. Both had extremely rough childhoods but in different ways, for different reasons, and I felt so bad for them. I admired their perseverance, as well as their dedication to both missions and their friends. I really want to give Ariadne a hug.
I also liked the world-building. Or should I say galaxy-building, since this is set in space? Anyway, May and Lam created such an intricate galaxy for their story to take place in. I enjoyed learning about the planets and species and cultures, even if the last two were scarce due to the greedy, vicious Empire. There was no info-dumping or confusion; everything was explained well, and fit together like puzzle pieces. This can be difficult with just one world, one planet, so achieving it in a book set on multiple planets is, in my opinion, quite the feat. Kudos to the authors for that.
This book’s downfall, for me, was the plot. Although the pacing was consistent and the first half of the story intrigued me, that intrigue was absent for most of the second half. I was able to predict all of the major events and reveals, with two, maybe three exceptions. None of it felt very original.
I thought this would be a five star read,
but I was wrong. The plot’s predictability was quite disappointing. If this had been a contemporary or a romance, it wouldn’t matter so much,
given that some books within those genres are a bit formulaic. But a science fiction? That’s a genre I always want to keep me on my toes, as is fantasy, and that sadly wasn’t the case here.
I’m not sure whether or not I’ll pick up the sequel when it’s released. While I’m curious about what might happen, I don’t know if I’m curious enough to read another 400+ page book, no matter how much I like the characters.
Representation
- sapphic protagonist with a prosthetic leg
- sapphic romance (f/f)
- queer characters (includes bisexual, asexual, and trans rep)
- some characters of color
Graphic: Death, Blood, Gore, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Body horror and Drug use
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders