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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
30 Books in 30 Days, Vol. 4
Book 27/30
This was really good! I loved the vibes and the writing and the setting. Definitely reading book two. I'm honestly surprised how much I liked this. It's really hard to find great, vibesy sci-fi these days. A lot of sff authors go for the colder, more depressing, gritty machine-like futures, I think forgetting that humans like to be COMFY. Even though this book is set after humans have colonized Jupiter (of all places); the humans here like their tea and their big warm blankets, and they go apeshit over animals (who are rare bc humans destroyed Earth). The two MCs plan their entire day around going to this special restaurant called Slow Burn that sounded AMAZING.
In hindsight, this makes sense because this book is all about ecosystems, both organic and human-made. Of course the author is concerned with how humans and systems live together on a harsh (groundless!) planet, the same way the characters in this book are attempting to painstakingly recreate the best possible potential ecosystem for repopulating Earth. (The title is actually a gut punch once you realize what it's referring to.)
Anyway, this is actually a murder mystery! And it is definitely in the Holmseian tradition, with a sapphic/sci-fi twist. Our Holmes is Mossa, a definitely neurodivergent investigator who we meet when she is looking into the disappearance of a scholar who appears to have unalived himself by stepping off the platforms that make life possible on Jupiter, directly into the planet, whereupon he will freeze to death and then be crushed into atoms. Her investigation leads her to Pleiti, her old housemate from university, who is also a scholar and who Mossa feels can provide valuable insight. Pleiti, of course, is our Watson, and in grand Watsonian fashion, the story is told from her first person POV. Also, in true Watsonian fashion, she is super gay for her Holmes.
I've already placed a hold for book two at my library and very much hope there is a book three!
[4.5 stars]
Read Harder Challenge 2024: Read a sci-fi novella.
Book 27/30
This was really good! I loved the vibes and the writing and the setting. Definitely reading book two. I'm honestly surprised how much I liked this. It's really hard to find great, vibesy sci-fi these days. A lot of sff authors go for the colder, more depressing, gritty machine-like futures, I think forgetting that humans like to be COMFY. Even though this book is set after humans have colonized Jupiter (of all places); the humans here like their tea and their big warm blankets, and they go apeshit over animals (who are rare bc humans destroyed Earth). The two MCs plan their entire day around going to this special restaurant called Slow Burn that sounded AMAZING.
In hindsight, this makes sense because this book is all about ecosystems, both organic and human-made. Of course the author is concerned with how humans and systems live together on a harsh (groundless!) planet, the same way the characters in this book are attempting to painstakingly recreate the best possible potential ecosystem for repopulating Earth. (The title is actually a gut punch once you realize what it's referring to.)
Anyway, this is actually a murder mystery! And it is definitely in the Holmseian tradition, with a sapphic/sci-fi twist. Our Holmes is Mossa, a definitely neurodivergent investigator who we meet when she is looking into the disappearance of a scholar who appears to have unalived himself by stepping off the platforms that make life possible on Jupiter, directly into the planet, whereupon he will freeze to death and then be crushed into atoms. Her investigation leads her to Pleiti, her old housemate from university, who is also a scholar and who Mossa feels can provide valuable insight. Pleiti, of course, is our Watson, and in grand Watsonian fashion, the story is told from her first person POV. Also, in true Watsonian fashion, she is super gay for her Holmes.
I've already placed a hold for book two at my library and very much hope there is a book three!
[4.5 stars]
Read Harder Challenge 2024: Read a sci-fi novella.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
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
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
this is very cute! I enjoyed the mystery, I liked the setting, and the characters were interesting and fun. because it is a short novella, the mystery I think could have been more fleshed out, like I would’ve liked to maybe see the suspect list on page before the reveal and not just be told there is one, as an example. I do think perhaps my opinion of this suffered just a bit because i just read the tainted cup series and that does a similar concept but better (though those are long ass books and this is a short ass novella, so they do have the advantage over this in that regard). I wanted to love love the romance but I wish there was a bit more romantic buildup. but I am absolutely sat for the next one!
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
I found the world-building really difficult to understand, which made the book hard to read. What's a ring? What's a platform? What's an atmoscarf? What's a suspended rail car? What's a storm like? There wasn't enough description for me to visualize what was happening.