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rorikae's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
The novel centers on a cast of characters, primarily Ocean Yoon and her friend Teo. Ocean is working aboard a space ship when Teo's ship is attacked. After reports note that he has arrived home, Ocean and the crew of the ship she is on are surprised to find an escape pod with Teo outside of their ship. As they work to determine what is really going on, they get caught up in space fights and Teo's family's business history.
This story has so much promise. It has great characters, a fascinating world, and interesting political situations. Unfortunately, it tries to do far too much in too short of a space. Though I like the characters and understand their motivations, I never felt like I had the full amount of time to fully get to know them. Plot beats move too quickly and the ending is particularly rushed. With a complex world and political machinations, this book should have been given a lot longer. More time on each plot point would have gone a long way. I will definitely be interested in what Cho writes next since they clearly have a great mind for plot and characters. I hope in their next book, they will provide themselves more time to let their story really feel fleshed out and well paced.
Graphic: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, and Death
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Classism
chanlo1994's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Car accident
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
- Y’all know how much I love a ragtag space crew adventure, and OCEAN’S GODORI is a great one, full of gunslinging, witty quips, and found family love.
- Cho hits that sweet spot of worldbuilding and interstellar politics where it feels real but doesn’t get bogged down in too many people or other details.
- My one gripe is the pacing - some parts moved very fast and others felt super slow. However, it’s a pretty short book so even the “slow” parts don’t last too long.
- I really hope this becomes a series. The ending is left wide open, and I’d love to see what else Cho can do.
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Alcohol
starrysteph's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Death of parent, Colonisation, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, War, Classism, Grief, Mental illness, Death, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
mindsplinters's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
On the other hand, the download of information also felt exactly like that lots of information and yet not enough. Certain things were taken for granted and only could be dealt with by trusting Cho and suspending any critical thinking. The constant dropping of Korean terms also required a high level of trust in using contextual clues (or the cute little glossary in back, written in-character by Maggie). Many of the characters also suffered from this strange level of detail but no detail, rough sketches of people that you want to know more about but who are kept behind a very dirty glass window. Ocean is aloof and capable with a tragic past. Teo is suave and spoiled with lousy self worth. Haven is... a stoic death-guy who doesn't want to be there but lightly stalked Ocean to the ship? It's pretty fuzzy.
But then suddenly the book hits its stride and BAM. The last third glowed with banter and character development through conversation and action sequences. I started to care about Ocean, to see where her issues hid beneath the exterior. Teo came out of the gate far more faceted than anticipated. Haven was still mildly confusing but he showed humor and a definite moral structure and an inherent willingness to do what is right. Plus we got a really neat new batch of characters, the raider Phoenix and his crew. I spent the last third of the book being annoyed when real life made me put it down. I wanted to know more of what was going to happen and how the mismatched new crew would deal with things. Things aside from the various pockets of simmering sexual tension, that is. Let's just say that the line forming up for Ocean is a long one. But you also have to love a good Rich Boy-Raider forbidden pairing, too, right? This last third was where the Firefly vibes came, where the action and humor and writing really shone.
And then Cho throws you off the world's biggest cliff-hanger. Seriously. It's like dropping off Mt Everest. I think, though, that the second book will be better and more twisty and will bloom with the promise this one ended on so I am looking forward to it. Cho got past the slow parts and the world building in this book. The second one should be killer.
Moderate: Gun violence and Violence
btaylorb's review against another edition
- 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 picked up the ARC and am recommending it for purchase for the library where I work. A slow start that focuses on the characters, with breadcrumbs of backstory that give early insight into both their motives and social, cultural, and technological details of a future solar system colonized by humans. The pace ramps up after about 100 pages with some well executed fights and space-chase scenes, without sacrificing some thoughtful exploration of the consequences of capitalism and colonialism on outer space. I appreciated the bi representation; The chemistry between all the characters clearly defines crew relationships, friendships and burgeoning romances. Even the side characters within the two crews feel distinctive and fleshed out. The ending feels like it could be satisfying enough as a stand-alone, but with enough things left unresolved (and also kind of a cliffhanger!) that left me excited for the possibility of follow-ups.
Other things this book has that made me love it:
- Cheeky, nerdy Shakespeare references.
- Romantic tension that is expressed and played out in different ways for the different characters involved. I didn't feel like I was reading the same love story with different faces pasted on. Hope that makes sense?
- Ocean is such a compelling character in my opinion. The moment where she tells another character that she doesn't regret something she did in her past was very powerful to me. I loved the discussion of being able to stand by your own decisions and actions, and the impact that has on her life in both good and bad ways. That steadfastness that might make her seem stubborn, arrogant or (ugh) "unlikeable" is also what makes her crew trust her.
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Gun violence
Minor: Colonisation and Classism