Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - Ocean's Echo

I found myself highlighting different lines because they hit so hard emotionally. Facisniating to see a world that is altered in this way and how it impacts the main characters (Tennal and Serit) think and understand the world. The picture it paints is beautiful in the middle of a ton of intergalactic politics of people trying their best. Also has an amazing structure of gender.

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gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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

5.0

This book is a highly political story with a threat of Civil War at its core, with a romance sprinkled in. Honestly, the main plot could be summed up is how are people in power abuse the power they have over others.

The writing style was beautiful and intricate, it had so many perfect Syfy elements, and realized in such a vivid detail

I think that the subplot that focuses on the struggles with mental health and self destructive decisions of one of the main characters was well done, and thoughtful in it’s execution.

While the romance isn’t the main focus of the book for me, it IS one of the more beautiful romances that I have read in a long time. The book touches on aspects of consent, trust and communication, all while being able to navigate really stressful situations with a partner. SO WONDERFUL.

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skienight's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious 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

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jfreud's review against another edition

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adventurous funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Did I enjoy this book? Yes! Does it live up to the soaring heights of Winter's Orbit? It does not!

To be fair, apart from some surface similarities (queerness! space! conspiracies!), this is clearly intended to be a very different book, so some of my quibbling probably just come down to taste and expectations. In fact I wondered along the way whether this might be intended for a younger audience? It definitely doesn't have as heavy themes as the author's previous work, and the romance element feels very "I think I might like him???". Which isn't bad per se, I was just hoping for a bit more depth.

Anyway, good things: interesting family relationships, good sidekicks, excellent villains, nifty worldbuilding. The neuromodification stuff is a great setup, although I wish it had been used less for plot twists and more for exploring how characters relate.

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discarded_dust_jacket's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow. It’s been a while since I had a reading experience this immersive. I enjoyed this book even more than Winter’s Orbit and that’s saying something.

I am obsessed with Tennal and Surit. I think the relationship dynamic where one person is an earnest, honorable, controlled type with encyclopedic knowledge of rules and regulations, while the other is a petulant, rebellious, flirtatious chaos gremlin might just be my new favorite.

I loved the way it seemed like Surit rescuing Tennal from losing himself (not just within the sync but in the void of space), is such a strong allegory for the way that those of us struggling with depression are tempted to surrender ourselves to the lies our mind is telling us about our worth, and how we sometimes need someone to ground us by reminding us of the truths about ourselves—truths we might not be able to see from our vantage point.

I also loved—and I don’t know if this was intentional—the way this story kind of turned the sci-fi/fantasy romance trope of a “soul bond” on its head and turned it into something dangerous. There’s so many stories about protagonists in a romance who develop this telepathic connection wherein they’re able to feel what their partner is feeling and hear what they’re thinking, and this is often something the reader is rooting for—something to be celebrated.

But here it feels like the author is asking us to consider: “Would that truly be healthy? What if it resembled something destructive? What if it led to the parties involved losing themselves as individuals?”

Overall, I really really really loved this book.

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tincrumbs's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful 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

I adore this book. Everything about it. I have three favorite novels (because there's too many good books to pick just one): The Great Gatsby, The Wizard of Oz, and this one, Ocean's Echo. That may seem like too high of praise, to put it alongside classics, but let me assure you that it's wholly what my heart believes. I wish I could pinpoint why I love this book so much, but I really can't. Just something about it took a hold of my soul and now a part of it will always be with me. I loved the characters and I loved seeing them grow and get the happy ending they deserved. I'm just obsessed.

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