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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
Book Summary:
Phex is a bit of a rare being. He's actually happy being a barista on a tiny (nearly forgotten) moon. It's certainly better than the life he led previously. Unlike most of his peers, Phex doesn't dream of being chosen and one day becoming a god.
Perhaps that is why he was picked. More likely, it was his voice that brought the attention of a curious alien/god recruiter. Whatever the reason, it isn't something Phex can walk away from. He'll just have to accept all of the risks that come with this new path in life.
My Review:
Oh wow. Divinity 36 has got to be one of the most creative books I've read in some time. As a fan of Gail Carriger, I knew this book would be good. I didn't know it would be THIS fantastic or this unique/compelling.
When I say this book is unique, I mean it. The world (universe), god system, even the characters – they're all different. In truth, it's the characters that sell this book. There are over a dozen secondary characters (some carrying more storytelling weight than others). It didn't take me long to figure out who my favorites were!
My advice would be to go into Divinity 36 expecting to read a book about Space Idols because that's basically what this is. It's a character-driven science fiction novel with musical elements. My only regret is that there was no soundtrack to go with it. Anyway, I need to add the rest of this series (Tinkered Starsong) to my TBR stack.
Highlights:
Science Fiction
Space Idols
LGBT+
You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy
Phex is a bit of a rare being. He's actually happy being a barista on a tiny (nearly forgotten) moon. It's certainly better than the life he led previously. Unlike most of his peers, Phex doesn't dream of being chosen and one day becoming a god.
Perhaps that is why he was picked. More likely, it was his voice that brought the attention of a curious alien/god recruiter. Whatever the reason, it isn't something Phex can walk away from. He'll just have to accept all of the risks that come with this new path in life.
My Review:
Oh wow. Divinity 36 has got to be one of the most creative books I've read in some time. As a fan of Gail Carriger, I knew this book would be good. I didn't know it would be THIS fantastic or this unique/compelling.
When I say this book is unique, I mean it. The world (universe), god system, even the characters – they're all different. In truth, it's the characters that sell this book. There are over a dozen secondary characters (some carrying more storytelling weight than others). It didn't take me long to figure out who my favorites were!
My advice would be to go into Divinity 36 expecting to read a book about Space Idols because that's basically what this is. It's a character-driven science fiction novel with musical elements. My only regret is that there was no soundtrack to go with it. Anyway, I need to add the rest of this series (Tinkered Starsong) to my TBR stack.
Highlights:
Science Fiction
Space Idols
LGBT+
You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy
adventurous
emotional
funny
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was thrilled with this book- love the aliens, love the music (very k-pop like vibe here). It was fun and sharp, and a grumpy soft-hearted main character is my jam.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-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
Is there anything more frustrating than enjoying the first book of a series, only to then find out that the rest of the series just sort of fizzled out? Gail Carriger shows us how a series is done right. She didn’t release her Tinkered Starsong trilogy until all three books were completed. Then, to the delight of her avid readers, she released all of them in 2023, with a new book coming out every other month from June through October. When the third and final book dropped on October 1st, I decided it was time to for me to dive into the Tinkered Starsong series.
In book one, Divinity 36, our protagonist is a sixteen-year-old human named Phex who works as a barista in a small cafe on a backwater moon. One day, as he sings along with a popular song to ease the boredom of his job, Phex is ‘discovered’ by a Dyesi. The Dyesi are an exotic alien race that seeks out talented individuals to become music superstars—or as they are known in this reality, gods. Phex’s life is about to change… a lot.
Popular music in the Tinkered Starsong universe is nothing like any music you’ve experienced before. The K-pop music group business model (I call it that, because that’s what K-pop is, a business) is clearly a huge influence on Gail Carriger’s superstar groups. The Dyesi assemble their recruits to form six-member ‘pantheons’ made up of singers, dancers and beings who are able to create organic lightshows in a way that I’m not even going to try to describe here. Just know that it’s a fresh concept, clever as heck, and will evoke beauty in your mind that you will wish you could see with your own eyes.
The performances put on by fully trained pantheons is pleasing to not only the Dyesi who created them, but to the entire galaxy. The music (Godsong, as it’s called) is a religious experience to their adoring worshippers, whose rapture is pushed to the limit – and occasionally beyond, with terrifying results.
The plot and pacing of the story plays out in a relaxed manner, which is perfect for a predominantly character-driven story. Gail does not write perfect characters; clearly she knows that the slightly broken ones are far more interesting and carry a greater capacity to grow, change, and build interesting relationships.
As for the worldbuilding – there’s triple moons joined by tube-bridges, dormitory-style buildings with puffy furniture and fun kitchens, a coffee shop that should feel familiar to anyone who’s ever ingested caffeine, a planet where everyone lives in tunnels underground, and domes. Oh, the domes! There’s no use trying to explain them, you will need to ‘see’ them for yourself.
If you’ve read Carriger’s Crudrat (A standalone story set in this universe, released in 2022), you’ll feel more familiar with Phex’s background, but it’s not required reading to enjoy this story. However, I’d personally recommend it. For me, it added another layer of complexity to my enjoyment of Divinity 36.
Now it’s time for me to crack into the second book in the series, Demigod 12, and then I’ll most likely go straight into the finale, Dome 6.
This review was first published at SciFi.Radio
In book one, Divinity 36, our protagonist is a sixteen-year-old human named Phex who works as a barista in a small cafe on a backwater moon. One day, as he sings along with a popular song to ease the boredom of his job, Phex is ‘discovered’ by a Dyesi. The Dyesi are an exotic alien race that seeks out talented individuals to become music superstars—or as they are known in this reality, gods. Phex’s life is about to change… a lot.
Popular music in the Tinkered Starsong universe is nothing like any music you’ve experienced before. The K-pop music group business model (I call it that, because that’s what K-pop is, a business) is clearly a huge influence on Gail Carriger’s superstar groups. The Dyesi assemble their recruits to form six-member ‘pantheons’ made up of singers, dancers and beings who are able to create organic lightshows in a way that I’m not even going to try to describe here. Just know that it’s a fresh concept, clever as heck, and will evoke beauty in your mind that you will wish you could see with your own eyes.
The performances put on by fully trained pantheons is pleasing to not only the Dyesi who created them, but to the entire galaxy. The music (Godsong, as it’s called) is a religious experience to their adoring worshippers, whose rapture is pushed to the limit – and occasionally beyond, with terrifying results.
The plot and pacing of the story plays out in a relaxed manner, which is perfect for a predominantly character-driven story. Gail does not write perfect characters; clearly she knows that the slightly broken ones are far more interesting and carry a greater capacity to grow, change, and build interesting relationships.
As for the worldbuilding – there’s triple moons joined by tube-bridges, dormitory-style buildings with puffy furniture and fun kitchens, a coffee shop that should feel familiar to anyone who’s ever ingested caffeine, a planet where everyone lives in tunnels underground, and domes. Oh, the domes! There’s no use trying to explain them, you will need to ‘see’ them for yourself.
If you’ve read Carriger’s Crudrat (A standalone story set in this universe, released in 2022), you’ll feel more familiar with Phex’s background, but it’s not required reading to enjoy this story. However, I’d personally recommend it. For me, it added another layer of complexity to my enjoyment of Divinity 36.
Now it’s time for me to crack into the second book in the series, Demigod 12, and then I’ll most likely go straight into the finale, Dome 6.
This review was first published at SciFi.Radio
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
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
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I usually enjoy a found family story but this was slow, boring, and the religion was not interesting