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ashleynestlermsw's review
3.0
I have to admit that I am not a big fan of young adult science fiction. This is because I find that most young adult science fiction novels seem to dumb down the genre for new science fiction readers, or younger science fiction readers. But I was excited to read Shadow Run, because it was marketed as being similar to Firefly and Dune. Unfortunately, this novel fell short of my expectations.
Michael Miller and AdriAnne Strickland make a nice writing pair. Sometimes novels written by two authors end up being inconsistent or sloppy, but Shadow Run read like the work of one author. The authors also made an eclectic cast of characters that are different from many other novels, but there were quite a few issues with this novel that I could not look past.
First off, the authors over describe the scenes in their novel too much. Instead of showing the reader, the authors talk at the reader. I found myself skipping multiple sentences just so I could get to the point. The dialogue was also dry and not used properly to give the characters depth and story.
But all of that aside, this novel could have worked if it wasn't for the way that the authors represented their diverse characters. There was racism present in this novel through the two main characters. This was because the authors showed how a white man essentially saved a black woman and planned to save her people. The white man in this context was seen as the savior, and that is not something that we need in contemporary literature. The authors' gender fluid character was also not represented correctly. A person in my family is gender fluid and they prefer to be referred to as "they or them". But in Shadow Run, the authors chose to refer to their gender fluid character as "he", which is not proper. I know that everyone has their different perceptions of how they want to be seen as or referred to as, but it felt like using this language was doing the gender fluid community a disservice. The authors didn't seem to be personally connected to gender fluidity at all, and their gender fluid character appeared to be a publicity stunt. This character also was not evolved and they seemed to be known only for their gender status. This is incorrectly teaching young adults about how gender fluid individuals should be represented.
I just hope that in the future young adult science fiction novels will take it up a notch. Young adults don't need unnecessary romances to drive their novels, and they don't need incorrect racial and gender representations in their books. We are living in a time where these issues are of great importance, and literature can make, or break, these important social concepts. My favorite saying to live by as a writer is "write about what you know" and it didn't seem to me that Miller or Strickland knew a lot about what they were writing about.
Michael Miller and AdriAnne Strickland make a nice writing pair. Sometimes novels written by two authors end up being inconsistent or sloppy, but Shadow Run read like the work of one author. The authors also made an eclectic cast of characters that are different from many other novels, but there were quite a few issues with this novel that I could not look past.
First off, the authors over describe the scenes in their novel too much. Instead of showing the reader, the authors talk at the reader. I found myself skipping multiple sentences just so I could get to the point. The dialogue was also dry and not used properly to give the characters depth and story.
But all of that aside, this novel could have worked if it wasn't for the way that the authors represented their diverse characters. There was racism present in this novel through the two main characters. This was because the authors showed how a white man essentially saved a black woman and planned to save her people. The white man in this context was seen as the savior, and that is not something that we need in contemporary literature. The authors' gender fluid character was also not represented correctly. A person in my family is gender fluid and they prefer to be referred to as "they or them". But in Shadow Run, the authors chose to refer to their gender fluid character as "he", which is not proper. I know that everyone has their different perceptions of how they want to be seen as or referred to as, but it felt like using this language was doing the gender fluid community a disservice. The authors didn't seem to be personally connected to gender fluidity at all, and their gender fluid character appeared to be a publicity stunt. This character also was not evolved and they seemed to be known only for their gender status. This is incorrectly teaching young adults about how gender fluid individuals should be represented.
I just hope that in the future young adult science fiction novels will take it up a notch. Young adults don't need unnecessary romances to drive their novels, and they don't need incorrect racial and gender representations in their books. We are living in a time where these issues are of great importance, and literature can make, or break, these important social concepts. My favorite saying to live by as a writer is "write about what you know" and it didn't seem to me that Miller or Strickland knew a lot about what they were writing about.
agness757's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
cyber_spines's review
5.0
Did not expect to like this book as much as I did! Also Basra is by far the best character and now I want a spin off just about him XD
edb14's review
2.0
A storm of bad decisions made this extremely annoying to read.
First of all, it is a middlingly-competent YA space adventure that carries all of the cliches without any attempt at justification. The main characters are painfully exact teen protagonists who are hyper-confident at a young age and who are both stunningly beautiful. Despite that, I have enjoyed fare like that in the past, and these two are highly motivated and their conflict is believable, which makes them interesting to watch at least. The side cast of characters are bland, but they are different from other YA characters. The concept is also interesting, with Shadow and its dangerous perks as a unique bit of space McGuffin.
Beyond those interesting things, everything develops along very predictable lines and the writing is just not good enough to shake me out of my boredom. The author hammers home the romance almost as if she is afraid that we will forget it is developing unless she mentions it on every page. The main characters check each other out in the most inappropriate moments, including one hilarious scene in which Qole stitches up Nev's wounds and then they lean back and share touching stories about their childhoods literally while they have Qole's brother and another mutinous crew member locked in the airlock. Qole apparently feels zero urgency to solve the situation after she has locked up the rebellious members of her crew and threatened to eject them into space. Now seems like the perfect time for a bit of flirtation. The dialogue was so awkward that it often felt like a fifth grade stage play.
However, in fairness to the author, some of that awkwardness might have come from the abysmal reader. Jesse Einstein voiced another book that I had listened to, and his voice was so stilted and monotone that I almost couldn't finish it. If I had known that he was one of the narrators of this one, I certainly would not have gotten it. He was so bad at it that I sometimes wondered if English was his first language. How has he been hired this often to voice audible books? He emphasizes the weirdest words, at times even changing the meaning of a sentence. I would often have to say a sentence over again in my head to try to figure out what the author meant to say. I constantly imagined other ways that I would have read a line, even on a first reading. With a reader this bad, the author had no chance. Perhaps I would have been able to ignore some of the more stilted moments if the reader could have sold me on the delivery more.
First of all, it is a middlingly-competent YA space adventure that carries all of the cliches without any attempt at justification. The main characters are painfully exact teen protagonists who are hyper-confident at a young age and who are both stunningly beautiful. Despite that, I have enjoyed fare like that in the past, and these two are highly motivated and their conflict is believable, which makes them interesting to watch at least. The side cast of characters are bland, but they are different from other YA characters. The concept is also interesting, with Shadow and its dangerous perks as a unique bit of space McGuffin.
Beyond those interesting things, everything develops along very predictable lines and the writing is just not good enough to shake me out of my boredom. The author hammers home the romance almost as if she is afraid that we will forget it is developing unless she mentions it on every page. The main characters check each other out in the most inappropriate moments, including one hilarious scene in which Qole stitches up Nev's wounds and then they lean back and share touching stories about their childhoods literally while they have Qole's brother and another mutinous crew member locked in the airlock. Qole apparently feels zero urgency to solve the situation after she has locked up the rebellious members of her crew and threatened to eject them into space. Now seems like the perfect time for a bit of flirtation. The dialogue was so awkward that it often felt like a fifth grade stage play.
However, in fairness to the author, some of that awkwardness might have come from the abysmal reader. Jesse Einstein voiced another book that I had listened to, and his voice was so stilted and monotone that I almost couldn't finish it. If I had known that he was one of the narrators of this one, I certainly would not have gotten it. He was so bad at it that I sometimes wondered if English was his first language. How has he been hired this often to voice audible books? He emphasizes the weirdest words, at times even changing the meaning of a sentence. I would often have to say a sentence over again in my head to try to figure out what the author meant to say. I constantly imagined other ways that I would have read a line, even on a first reading. With a reader this bad, the author had no chance. Perhaps I would have been able to ignore some of the more stilted moments if the reader could have sold me on the delivery more.
jennybeastie's review
4.0
Fast paced space adventure with the requisite crew of engaging misfits, an emerging set of superpowers, fights against overwhelming odds and back pocket brilliance that makes for a really entertaining read.
The only part I question is Nev's sheer overwhelming naivete, but that rings true for a YA hero's journey, and he certainly makes his own choices in the end.
The only part I question is Nev's sheer overwhelming naivete, but that rings true for a YA hero's journey, and he certainly makes his own choices in the end.
jenabrownwrites's review
4.0
“I liked to think I wasn’t new to danger, but the longer I spent in these cold fringes, the more I learned that the term acceptable risk meant something quite different from what I was used to.”
In this future world, all the portals linking galaxies have been destroyed long ago by a substance that’s dangerous and deadly: Shadow. A murky black substance that destroys anyone or anything that gets near it. But Shadow is valuable. So the inhabitants of the far-away planet Alaxak faced the danger in order to Shadow fish to capture the elusive substance. Even though it ate their minds and killed them younger and younger with each generation.
Qole is the youngest Shadow fishing Captain and by far the most skilled. Shadow has seeped into the bones of her family for generations. Which is why Nev has joined her crew on board her ship, the Kaitan Heritage. He needs to get close to her, to understand the reason for her Shadow affinity. Preferably, convince her to join him on his home planet, Luvos, for study.
When Qole, her crew, and the rest of the galaxy finds out that Nev is the crown Prince on a top secret mission, everything unravels. Forces that not even Nev could prepare for begin to converge, and for Qole and her crew to survive, they’re going to have to learn to trust Nev.
“Ours was a legacy of pride and tradition. It was also a legacy of death and madness. This blackness was deeper and darker and more dangerous than the hidden corners of space. And it lived inside me.”
Shadow Run is an explosive adventure that seriously had me holding my breath the entire time! To start with, the crew is diverse, well-represented, and very believable people. They aren’t too tortured, too angsty, too anything really. They are balanced and well written, and each play a key role to not just the plot, but the overall history. It makes sense how they came together, especially as secrets begin to be revealed.
I flat-out adore the crew of the Kaitan. Gender fluid Basra, the trader who has layers and layers of secrets and surprises, is probably my favorite. Followed closely by Telu, the ships hacker, who also has Shadow affinity. Arjan, Qole’s brother and co-pilot. And Eton, bodyguard, muscle, and generally terrifying mountain of a man, who is also hiding his fair share of secrets. This hodge-podge crew makes up all the family they know. Watching them all come together to fight for their survival was thrilling and thoroughly entertaining!
Treachery, betrayal, and secrets are the name of this book’s game. Shadow Run doesn’t hold back. This is a very fast-paced action driven book. Even the slow-burn romance isn’t over the top, or take away from the plot or the momentum. There is more romance than other heavy science-fiction novels, but it isn’t detracting either. This is a fantastic example of how to balance a plot-driven and character-driven plot. While action drives the movement forward, the characters self-discovery and choices are vital to making the plot feel real and gives it the depth that action alone couldn’t achieve.
“Closing myself off hadn’t done much good in the past. It might have hurt me, as much as unleashing myself without restraint had.”
If you’re looking for a science fiction book that doesn’t take itself too seriously. That has humor and danger and intense action scenes, but also isn’t afraid to take on deep emotional exploration, this is the book for you. It’s fun. It’s heartbreaking. It’s breathtaking. I loved every moment and cannot wait for the sequel! Which, luckily is already out!
In this future world, all the portals linking galaxies have been destroyed long ago by a substance that’s dangerous and deadly: Shadow. A murky black substance that destroys anyone or anything that gets near it. But Shadow is valuable. So the inhabitants of the far-away planet Alaxak faced the danger in order to Shadow fish to capture the elusive substance. Even though it ate their minds and killed them younger and younger with each generation.
Qole is the youngest Shadow fishing Captain and by far the most skilled. Shadow has seeped into the bones of her family for generations. Which is why Nev has joined her crew on board her ship, the Kaitan Heritage. He needs to get close to her, to understand the reason for her Shadow affinity. Preferably, convince her to join him on his home planet, Luvos, for study.
When Qole, her crew, and the rest of the galaxy finds out that Nev is the crown Prince on a top secret mission, everything unravels. Forces that not even Nev could prepare for begin to converge, and for Qole and her crew to survive, they’re going to have to learn to trust Nev.
“Ours was a legacy of pride and tradition. It was also a legacy of death and madness. This blackness was deeper and darker and more dangerous than the hidden corners of space. And it lived inside me.”
Shadow Run is an explosive adventure that seriously had me holding my breath the entire time! To start with, the crew is diverse, well-represented, and very believable people. They aren’t too tortured, too angsty, too anything really. They are balanced and well written, and each play a key role to not just the plot, but the overall history. It makes sense how they came together, especially as secrets begin to be revealed.
I flat-out adore the crew of the Kaitan. Gender fluid Basra, the trader who has layers and layers of secrets and surprises, is probably my favorite. Followed closely by Telu, the ships hacker, who also has Shadow affinity. Arjan, Qole’s brother and co-pilot. And Eton, bodyguard, muscle, and generally terrifying mountain of a man, who is also hiding his fair share of secrets. This hodge-podge crew makes up all the family they know. Watching them all come together to fight for their survival was thrilling and thoroughly entertaining!
Treachery, betrayal, and secrets are the name of this book’s game. Shadow Run doesn’t hold back. This is a very fast-paced action driven book. Even the slow-burn romance isn’t over the top, or take away from the plot or the momentum. There is more romance than other heavy science-fiction novels, but it isn’t detracting either. This is a fantastic example of how to balance a plot-driven and character-driven plot. While action drives the movement forward, the characters self-discovery and choices are vital to making the plot feel real and gives it the depth that action alone couldn’t achieve.
“Closing myself off hadn’t done much good in the past. It might have hurt me, as much as unleashing myself without restraint had.”
If you’re looking for a science fiction book that doesn’t take itself too seriously. That has humor and danger and intense action scenes, but also isn’t afraid to take on deep emotional exploration, this is the book for you. It’s fun. It’s heartbreaking. It’s breathtaking. I loved every moment and cannot wait for the sequel! Which, luckily is already out!
bahnree's review
2.0
The premise is everything I want, but this was exhausting and unpleasant to read.
Maybe if Basra had been the protagonist and if we spent more time with the likable main cast and if the worldbuilding was more coherent and if and if and if
Maybe if Basra had been the protagonist and if we spent more time with the likable main cast and if the worldbuilding was more coherent and if and if and if
martha_schwalbe's review
2.0
I will find readers for this book, especially since it is one in a series. For me, the characters didn't seem to develop very much. I wanted to know more about them without having to read the next book. I struggled to read some parts and fell asleep frequently.
I know that I will find some sci-fi readers who will enjoy the book.
I know that I will find some sci-fi readers who will enjoy the book.
morgarelibrare's review
4.0
3.75 stars
This was a fun read! I picked up a copy of the sequel at my review group for work so of course I had to read book one first. I love that it's set in space, and the ship's crew is full of great characters. There were a few parts that felt slow to me, but the representation is great and the sci fi elements and power of "shadow" are all pretty cool.
Overall, pretty enjoyable!
This was a fun read! I picked up a copy of the sequel at my review group for work so of course I had to read book one first. I love that it's set in space, and the ship's crew is full of great characters. There were a few parts that felt slow to me, but the representation is great and the sci fi elements and power of "shadow" are all pretty cool.
Overall, pretty enjoyable!
foreveryoungadult's review
Graded By: Mandy C.
Cover Story: Mind the Hatch
BFF Charm: Yay x 2
Swoonworthy Scale: 5
Talky Talk: He Said, She Said
Bonus Factors: Space Scoundrels, Hidden Identities
Relationship Status: Joining the Crew
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Mind the Hatch
BFF Charm: Yay x 2
Swoonworthy Scale: 5
Talky Talk: He Said, She Said
Bonus Factors: Space Scoundrels, Hidden Identities
Relationship Status: Joining the Crew
Read the full book report here.