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THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK I HAVE EVER DNF-ED
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?!?!?!?
(just watch me start reading it again tomorrow cause I felt too bad XD)
Okay, yeah... I'M SORRY!!!
I got like 50% and it still wasn't good!!!
I JUST COULDN'T IT ANY LONGER
It was killing me, It dragged on and made me cringe whenever I read it. I really wanted to like this book because I loved another book by Nick Lake I read, There Will be Lies, but this just wasn't it for me.
THIS IS SO FREAKING SAD!!!!!
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?!?!?!?
(just watch me start reading it again tomorrow cause I felt too bad XD)
Okay, yeah... I'M SORRY!!!
I got like 50% and it still wasn't good!!!
I JUST COULDN'T IT ANY LONGER
It was killing me, It dragged on and made me cringe whenever I read it. I really wanted to like this book because I loved another book by Nick Lake I read, There Will be Lies, but this just wasn't it for me.
THIS IS SO FREAKING SAD!!!!!
So, I was in B&N even though I shouldn’t have been, but I had some time to kill before lunch, so I figured, well, I’m in Burlington, it’s my favorite B&N, and I wanted to buy another book that is two reviews down, so why not, right? I can rationalize buying books in a million different ways, I promise. This was out of place on one of those display tables, but as I was walking by, hello, space cover, so I stopped, picked it up, read the summary–uh yup, I’m buying this. It’s about these three kids–Leo, Libra, and Orion–who were born (are you ready for this?) ON THE ISS. Okay, it’s not the ISS, it’s called Moon 2, but it’s basically the ISS. Not only that, they’re going home to Earth. Have you seen The Space Between Us, that film where Asa Butterfield’s character is born on Mars, tries to come to Earth, and ends up nearly dying? Yeah, same plot.
It’s a good plot, don’t get me wrong. The science behind it is very interesting. The story itself was really good. I loved the characters, the tech lingo, and the first moments on Earth. All of them were astounding. I was nervous about how Lake was going to write Leo’s first moments on Earth, but every single one was everything I hoped it would be. I believed in the writing, in what Leo was seeing, in how he felt. It all felt so real. The controversies in this were excellent, too. This unnamed Company has taken over NASA and basically the entire space endeavor. That was very interesting to dig into, as well as the whole thing surrounding the kids. I’m not spoiling it, oh well. The end definitely had me tearing up a little, too. It was just so well done.
You may be wondering, then, why I gave this three stars. Well. Even just thinking about this book makes me cringe a little. There was no capitalization, ampersands literally everywhere, barely any dialogue tags, see you later was c u l8r, and let’s just pretend commas aren’t a thing. This book was a language nightmare. Hey, if English isn’t your first language, just skip right over this because it’s going to feel like you’re reading Chaucer. And there was literally, literally no reason for it. There is no part of me that believes that our future generation isn’t going to be able to type a freaking sentence like a normal human being. Nope, sorry. Deducting a star. And the second star? I really tried to suspend my disbelief, I did, but the astronauts aren’t realistic. They panic at the slightest thing, and none of them would ever survive in space.
It’s a good plot, don’t get me wrong. The science behind it is very interesting. The story itself was really good. I loved the characters, the tech lingo, and the first moments on Earth. All of them were astounding. I was nervous about how Lake was going to write Leo’s first moments on Earth, but every single one was everything I hoped it would be. I believed in the writing, in what Leo was seeing, in how he felt. It all felt so real. The controversies in this were excellent, too. This unnamed Company has taken over NASA and basically the entire space endeavor. That was very interesting to dig into, as well as the whole thing surrounding the kids. I’m not spoiling it, oh well. The end definitely had me tearing up a little, too. It was just so well done.
You may be wondering, then, why I gave this three stars. Well. Even just thinking about this book makes me cringe a little. There was no capitalization, ampersands literally everywhere, barely any dialogue tags, see you later was c u l8r, and let’s just pretend commas aren’t a thing. This book was a language nightmare. Hey, if English isn’t your first language, just skip right over this because it’s going to feel like you’re reading Chaucer. And there was literally, literally no reason for it. There is no part of me that believes that our future generation isn’t going to be able to type a freaking sentence like a normal human being. Nope, sorry. Deducting a star. And the second star? I really tried to suspend my disbelief, I did, but the astronauts aren’t realistic. They panic at the slightest thing, and none of them would ever survive in space.
Satellite is sort of a reverse science fiction that follows a boy and his two friends who were born and raised on a space station orbiting earth. When they turn 16, they are brought down to earth for the first time and the book documents the experiences of our main character Leo as he encounters earth for the first time.
I had mixed feelings about this book. In many ways it was a beautiful celebration of human life and experience. Some of the scenes where Leo is experiencing earth for the first time are very moving and well-written, reminiscent of what it's like to see a very young child discovering everyday wonders. The beginning of the book dragged for me and I considered not finishing it, but I am glad I continued on for a few more chapters because the story did pick up and got more interesting. However, a lot of the book was fairly predictable and the ending felt like it lasted longer than it needed to. Once it was clear how it would wrap up, I wish the pace had been a little quicker, even though I get that the author was trying to make it reflective.
One other thing that I found really annoying and that kept pulling me out of the story had to do with the writing style. The entire book is written from Leo's perspective, but it's written with all lower case letters and text abbreviations (something like "i c the expanse of space with u.") That was the ENTIRE book, including dialogue. It drove me crazy and felt like a gimmick that was supposed to be immersive, but instead kept pulling me out of the world.
Overall, I landed on a rating of 3 stars. I enoyed a lot of the book and thought portions of it were beautifully written and thought-provoking, but there were these other things that I wasn't a fan of.
I had mixed feelings about this book. In many ways it was a beautiful celebration of human life and experience. Some of the scenes where Leo is experiencing earth for the first time are very moving and well-written, reminiscent of what it's like to see a very young child discovering everyday wonders. The beginning of the book dragged for me and I considered not finishing it, but I am glad I continued on for a few more chapters because the story did pick up and got more interesting. However, a lot of the book was fairly predictable and the ending felt like it lasted longer than it needed to. Once it was clear how it would wrap up, I wish the pace had been a little quicker, even though I get that the author was trying to make it reflective.
One other thing that I found really annoying and that kept pulling me out of the story had to do with the writing style. The entire book is written from Leo's perspective, but it's written with all lower case letters and text abbreviations (something like "i c the expanse of space with u.") That was the ENTIRE book, including dialogue. It drove me crazy and felt like a gimmick that was supposed to be immersive, but instead kept pulling me out of the world.
Overall, I landed on a rating of 3 stars. I enoyed a lot of the book and thought portions of it were beautifully written and thought-provoking, but there were these other things that I wasn't a fan of.
I LOVED the story but the way it was written took some serious getting used to. I don’t understand the thought process behind using all lower case letters and the letters c and u in place of the words (see, you).
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and took my time with it. The only thing that did make me take so long getting through it was the style of writing and having to adjust to that.
It's a brilliantly written novel, full of information and heart. The style, after an adjustment, really does add a lot to the story, and I feel immersed you more into what Leo is going through, and you really get more of a feel for him as a character through this style.
I also enjoyed that it was set in a kinda near future, with very real outcomes to what is happening to Earth and why we've had to go to space and ultimately what these kids find out what is really going on. The science and just everything really made this a worthwhile, wholesome read.
Would definitely recommend to 14+, and for those who enjoy informative reads, as well as adventure, suspense and science fiction/speculative fiction.
It's a brilliantly written novel, full of information and heart. The style, after an adjustment, really does add a lot to the story, and I feel immersed you more into what Leo is going through, and you really get more of a feel for him as a character through this style.
I also enjoyed that it was set in a kinda near future, with very real outcomes to what is happening to Earth and why we've had to go to space and ultimately what these kids find out what is really going on. The science and just everything really made this a worthwhile, wholesome read.
Would definitely recommend to 14+, and for those who enjoy informative reads, as well as adventure, suspense and science fiction/speculative fiction.
It took me a REALLY long time to actually get into this book but something kept whispering in my ear to just keep going. I am glad that I did but I need to explain my main reason of why it was so difficult to start.
THE MAIN CHARACTER WAS WRITTEN IN TEXT SPEAK!
For example... "i" for I, "u" for you and "c' for see! It drove me crazy at first and took me a long while to even understand what was going on. But, it really makes the book unique!
After i was able to c past that, then i really started to enjoy the book. (c how crazy that can make u?)
The book revolves around Leo and the twins, Orion & Libra. They have lived on Moon 2 for their whole life but now they are ready to go "home", as in Earth. The writer is very good at describing the space station that they lived on as well as their thoughts while first being on Earth. He was also able to remarkable at more diversity within the book with an autistic character as well as different racial characters. I was also pleasantly surprised by the LGBT elements that had shown up, I was not expecting that. There are several emergency scenarios which could make this book unputdownable. It was interesting to see the author's take on what Earth does to their bodies after living in space their whole lives.
I enjoyed it and hope that others can see past the writing and enjoy the book for what it is... a work of unique fiction. Bravo to Mr. Lake!
THE MAIN CHARACTER WAS WRITTEN IN TEXT SPEAK!
For example... "i" for I, "u" for you and "c' for see! It drove me crazy at first and took me a long while to even understand what was going on. But, it really makes the book unique!
After i was able to c past that, then i really started to enjoy the book. (c how crazy that can make u?)
The book revolves around Leo and the twins, Orion & Libra. They have lived on Moon 2 for their whole life but now they are ready to go "home", as in Earth. The writer is very good at describing the space station that they lived on as well as their thoughts while first being on Earth. He was also able to remarkable at more diversity within the book with an autistic character as well as different racial characters. I was also pleasantly surprised by the LGBT elements that had shown up, I was not expecting that. There are several emergency scenarios which could make this book unputdownable. It was interesting to see the author's take on what Earth does to their bodies after living in space their whole lives.
I enjoyed it and hope that others can see past the writing and enjoy the book for what it is... a work of unique fiction. Bravo to Mr. Lake!
"Satellite" is the story of Leo who was born on a space station. He wasn't supposed to be born there but his mother's circumstances made it so she didn't find out she was pregnant until she was in space and it would have been too much for her and the baby to reenter the Earth's atmosphere. The small space station is the only home that Leo has ever known. Now, his body may be finally developed enough to go home.
This was a really interesting premise. Every once in awhile there seems to be talk of humans someday being able to live in space on various planets (I'm looking at you, Mars). This book takes this idea and turn it on its head. Leo and the twins Orion and Libra are not supposed to live in space but they end up being the first humans to do so and it's not at all what the space agency involved expected.
This is a coming of age story with a twist. Leo thinks he knows the whole story as to how and why he's on the space station but he finds out that there is much more. The adults in his life haven't told the whole story. I really liked how the author was able to slowly drop clues to keep you wanting to read about the true reason that Leo, Orion, and Libra are on the space station. This was a good read that would appeal to young adult readers who like sci fi.
This was a really interesting premise. Every once in awhile there seems to be talk of humans someday being able to live in space on various planets (I'm looking at you, Mars). This book takes this idea and turn it on its head. Leo and the twins Orion and Libra are not supposed to live in space but they end up being the first humans to do so and it's not at all what the space agency involved expected.
This is a coming of age story with a twist. Leo thinks he knows the whole story as to how and why he's on the space station but he finds out that there is much more. The adults in his life haven't told the whole story. I really liked how the author was able to slowly drop clues to keep you wanting to read about the true reason that Leo, Orion, and Libra are on the space station. This was a good read that would appeal to young adult readers who like sci fi.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Received from Random House's booth at ALA.
I both really enjoyed this book and struggled with it. 3 kids raised in space – Leo, Libra, and Orion – are brought to Earth around their 16th birthdays. Satellite follows Leo as he struggles to adapt to Earth, both physically and mentally. Leo is torn between wanting to experience life on Earth to the fullest and the limitations of a body raised in zero gravity. The challenge of reading this book is Nick Lake's particular writing style, as such: "afterward i look at my watch & c that it's nearly bedtime" or "u'll c ur mother tomorrow."
The relationships between Leo, Libra, Orion, and Leo's mother and grandfather are the great strength of this book and make it an entirely worthwhile read and as the book goes on, I adapted to Nick Lake's writing quirks, but you do have to be willing to invest real attention in your reading – this is not an easy book to just skim through quickly.
I both really enjoyed this book and struggled with it. 3 kids raised in space – Leo, Libra, and Orion – are brought to Earth around their 16th birthdays. Satellite follows Leo as he struggles to adapt to Earth, both physically and mentally. Leo is torn between wanting to experience life on Earth to the fullest and the limitations of a body raised in zero gravity. The challenge of reading this book is Nick Lake's particular writing style, as such: "afterward i look at my watch & c that it's nearly bedtime" or "u'll c ur mother tomorrow."
The relationships between Leo, Libra, Orion, and Leo's mother and grandfather are the great strength of this book and make it an entirely worthwhile read and as the book goes on, I adapted to Nick Lake's writing quirks, but you do have to be willing to invest real attention in your reading – this is not an easy book to just skim through quickly.
3.5 stars - a few things in this were problematic for me, but the story was great. I won this ARC copy of Satellite in the goodreads giveaway.
Full review on my blog: https://thisbookishadventure.wordpress.com/2017/11/16/satellite-nick-lake-review/
Full review on my blog: https://thisbookishadventure.wordpress.com/2017/11/16/satellite-nick-lake-review/