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thepurplegiraffe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
All I heard was "Bonnie and Clyde in space" and I was like "I'm in"
Happy to report that I really enjoyed it
I can't necessarily say it was "fun" (because in reality it's pretty intense, as I'd expect a B&C story to be). But dang, I did have fun. The pacing is great. Cyrus' plot and the widening of the scope of it all/the political intrigue plotline is fascinating. Ava and Shane are interesting and alive and desperate and I want them to somehow survive the situation they've gotten themselves into.They don't. Because it's Bonnie and Clyde. But part of me genuinely thought they might. Which, honestly, I respect so much. Because like yeah, it's B&C, but it's also YA, so the prospect of killing off the MCs is daunting, but Jenna Voris went there and it made me all š
I loved all the little B&C references and Easter eggs. The vibes feel most along the lines of the Beatty/Dunaway film and the Broadway show. The romance is wayyy less intense than I was expecting, and I have to assume that's because the characters are aged down.
But yeah. Five stars from me. I want to get a copy and annotate the heck out of it.
Content warnings: violence, mild language (not super often, but a few times), one of the MCs is gay and has a crush on his coworker, on-page death, a few kisses (not detailed), off-page sex implied
Happy to report that I really enjoyed it
I can't necessarily say it was "fun" (because in reality it's pretty intense, as I'd expect a B&C story to be). But dang, I did have fun. The pacing is great. Cyrus' plot and the widening of the scope of it all/the political intrigue plotline is fascinating. Ava and Shane are interesting and alive and desperate and I want them to somehow survive the situation they've gotten themselves into.
I loved all the little B&C references and Easter eggs. The vibes feel most along the lines of the Beatty/Dunaway film and the Broadway show. The romance is wayyy less intense than I was expecting, and I have to assume that's because the characters are aged down.
But yeah. Five stars from me. I want to get a copy and annotate the heck out of it.
Content warnings: violence, mild language (not super often, but a few times), one of the MCs is gay and has a crush on his coworker, on-page death, a few kisses (not detailed), off-page sex implied
booksthatburn's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ava breaks Shane out of prison at the very start, then, with a few different configurations of crew members, they pull off a series of heists to get supplies to their families and hopefully mess things up for the military exploiting their planet. Cyrus is a member of that military, newly graduated and ready to climb the hierarchy. When he runs into the outlaws it complicates his worldview and he starts to think his commander might not be dealing fairly with their planet.
I was just familiar enough with Bonnie and Clyde as an idea that I came into this prepared for major character death, and it's a good thing I was ready. This is the kind of story where all of the characters are fascinating but I didn't particularly think any of the main characters were unambiguously the good guys. My anchor amidst the ambiguous characterization is that someone gradually emerges as a definitive antagonist to the cluster of antiheroes.
Cyrus hits me oddly in the trio of protagonists. I'm wary of books which expect me to sympathize with the cop character, but this ends up playing out closer to "everything sucks, there are few right answers, but supporting this system is definitely the wrong answer." There's a way that Ava and Shane are treated as protagonists which I don't come across very often, but I generally appreciate. They're antiheroes, reactive and tactical, with some plans but not a great sense of strategy. Each of their moves is based on it being better than the previous move, but they're young, don't have very much support, and the way that they've ended up as outlaws feels very impulsive. When they stumble upon away and make a bigger impact they don't quite know if even this will work or do anything. They're socially isolated (partly by choice) from the society of their backwater planet, seeing their families only every few months between jobs. Their parents are doing their best in a system where existence is a slow demise, and there's a hopelessness which Ava and Shane have honed into desperation.
I was just familiar enough with Bonnie and Clyde as an idea that I came into this prepared for major character death, and it's a good thing I was ready. This is the kind of story where all of the characters are fascinating but I didn't particularly think any of the main characters were unambiguously the good guys. My anchor amidst the ambiguous characterization is that someone gradually emerges as a definitive antagonist to the cluster of antiheroes.
Cyrus hits me oddly in the trio of protagonists. I'm wary of books which expect me to sympathize with the cop character, but this ends up playing out closer to "everything sucks, there are few right answers, but supporting this system is definitely the wrong answer." There's a way that Ava and Shane are treated as protagonists which I don't come across very often, but I generally appreciate. They're antiheroes, reactive and tactical, with some plans but not a great sense of strategy. Each of their moves is based on it being better than the previous move, but they're young, don't have very much support, and the way that they've ended up as outlaws feels very impulsive. When they stumble upon away and make a bigger impact they don't quite know if even this will work or do anything. They're socially isolated (partly by choice) from the society of their backwater planet, seeing their families only every few months between jobs. Their parents are doing their best in a system where existence is a slow demise, and there's a hopelessness which Ava and Shane have honed into desperation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
matteahayn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.5
bookitmik's review against another edition
3.0
This was a complex story with well-developed characters and back story. The plot is pretty traditional for sci-fi. While there are a couple strong female characters, they don't interact much with each other or other women, so it doesn't pass the Bechtel Test. I felt the emphasis on the romantic feelings and urges was a bit over done and seemed to motivate the characters way more than would be realistic. But it is certainly a wild ride full of space ship battles and hand-to-hand combat.
It took me a while to understand the events that lead to the current status of the different factions. I hope there is a pre-quel book that delves into the build-up this world and characters.
It took me a while to understand the events that lead to the current status of the different factions. I hope there is a pre-quel book that delves into the build-up this world and characters.
parchmints's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bookishblades's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.25
justincaysi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- 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
Truly a fun-filled adventurous ride of a book. All the way to the last page I was on the edge of my seat, devouring as quickly as my poor little eyes could keep up. When people ask why any adult should ever read YA, THIS BOOK IS WHY. It reminds you that reading is still just as adrenaline inducing and motivating and emotional as it was when we were kids. I LOVED seeing the perspective of the ābad kidsā and truly following their journey. Cyrus is my sad little emo boy and I just want to give him a squeeze.
lemmebelazy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
bruh why are these books so shit. shane was so emo the whole time like the whole āi canāt be with her bc she deserves betterā is SO OLD please do something else dear god. book only got good like 40% through so like wtf. all the action sequences sucked, the plot was barely thought out, and why the fuck was everyone so mean to jared. also i cant believe i was reading cyrus as cyprus PLEASE. also the ending? i thought this was a standalone. thoroughly betrayed. kinda glad ava and shane died like the didnāt have a personality other than being likeā¦ hardcore. not that cyrus did either but whatever.
shilo1364's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was SO good! Think Star Wars but make it Bonnie & Clyde. And those twists at the end! I loved every second of this high-octane chase. And seeing it from two sides made it even more compelling.
The characters and their growth over the book were fabulous. I loved seeing the transformation of Ava and Shane in public perception from kids trying to save their families to murderers and criminals, and seeing that transformation play out on their bodies as they grew leaner and harder as the book went on. Cyrus's slow change of heart and realization about his future in the army was heartbreaking, as was his slow-simmering attraction to Lark.
The ending definitely left me wanting more, and I'm crossing my fingers for a follow-up because SURELY the author isn't going to just leave us hanging like that!
*Thanks to Bookishfirst and Penguin Teen for providing an early copy for review.
The characters and their growth over the book were fabulous. I loved seeing the transformation of Ava and Shane in public perception from kids trying to save their families to murderers and criminals, and seeing that transformation play out on their bodies as they grew leaner and harder as the book went on. Cyrus's slow change of heart and realization about his future in the army was heartbreaking, as was his slow-simmering attraction to Lark.
The ending definitely left me wanting more, and I'm crossing my fingers for a follow-up because SURELY the author isn't going to just leave us hanging like that!
*Thanks to Bookishfirst and Penguin Teen for providing an early copy for review.
alanawaldrip's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
Do yourself a favor and read this book be prepared to feel all the emotions!!