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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this book. It took a little bit to fully get my head around the jargon and all the futuristic terms, but the explanations for everything is fairly smooth and there's even helpfully drawn explanations for visual learners. I really enjoyed the science of this and the understanding that space travel involves enormous amounts of time.
Which is also why this book grips you so fast. You feel the emotional crush early on with Lyra saying goodbye to her group of friends with her "funeral", which is not really a funeral but a thing space kids do to say goodbye to each other since during space travel decades will pass for those you leave behind.
The empathy you feel for Lyra from the start is powerful and it's easy to understand her feelings and motivations. The story itself is fairly interesting and I did love the romance between Lyra and Niall.
Despite all these good things, there is just some things that bothered me. Partly, I think it was hard for me to understand Lyra parents, and well, any of the space parents really. I get that they are scientists and they want to make discoveries and stuff, but the emotional whiplash they make Lyra suffer without bothering to understand her side is off putting. The system literally mandates these kids spend "soc-time" or socialization time together, and yet once they develop bonds those bonds are brutally and violently ripped away from them and there's like no counseling for these kids to handle the grief of realizing their friends have lived and died without them in the span of what feels like days. If that isn't child abuse, I don't know what is.
Plot wise, I'm not sure there was enough time spent on developing it. There is a lot of things that happen in this book. Strange dreams that may be memories, aliens, hackers, looters, and more and yet nothing is fully fleshed out or explained. I know this is the first in a planned trilogy, but with any book I expect some sort of satisfying end. Even if it's setting up for future books. Here, it sort of just... Ends? Like, there is a dramatic climax, but it's not a climax that resolves anything. There is so only questions, no answers.
I did enjoy the book though and I'll give it 3 stars. And I'll check out the next book in the series.
Which is also why this book grips you so fast. You feel the emotional crush early on with Lyra saying goodbye to her group of friends with her "funeral", which is not really a funeral but a thing space kids do to say goodbye to each other since during space travel decades will pass for those you leave behind.
The empathy you feel for Lyra from the start is powerful and it's easy to understand her feelings and motivations. The story itself is fairly interesting and I did love the romance between Lyra and Niall.
Despite all these good things, there is just some things that bothered me. Partly, I think it was hard for me to understand Lyra parents, and well, any of the space parents really. I get that they are scientists and they want to make discoveries and stuff, but the emotional whiplash they make Lyra suffer without bothering to understand her side is off putting. The system literally mandates these kids spend "soc-time" or socialization time together, and yet once they develop bonds those bonds are brutally and violently ripped away from them and there's like no counseling for these kids to handle the grief of realizing their friends have lived and died without them in the span of what feels like days. If that isn't child abuse, I don't know what is.
Plot wise, I'm not sure there was enough time spent on developing it. There is a lot of things that happen in this book. Strange dreams that may be memories, aliens, hackers, looters, and more and yet nothing is fully fleshed out or explained. I know this is the first in a planned trilogy, but with any book I expect some sort of satisfying end. Even if it's setting up for future books. Here, it sort of just... Ends? Like, there is a dramatic climax, but it's not a climax that resolves anything. There is so only questions, no answers.
I did enjoy the book though and I'll give it 3 stars. And I'll check out the next book in the series.
This new series is quite a departure from Snyder’s Poison Study books. This is SF rather than F and, with a seventeen-year-old protagonist, definitely YA. But Snyder brings her usual attention to detail in world-building and characterization to make this newest venture a very satisfying read.
Lyra is the daughter of archeologists who specialize in the baffling appearance of Terra Cotta warriors nearly identical to those in Xian, China on Earth on numerous alien worlds around the galaxy. The story takes place centuries in the future where humans have explored and colonized parts of the Milky Way and travel is facilitated by technology that folds space but creates time disparities that separate friends and families. When Lyra’s parents are assigned to a new world, she is heartbroken to leave her friends, knowing that by the time she arrives, her friends in their reality would be twenty years older while she ages only by months.
Lyra’s journey and the new world give her the opportunity to meet new friends and develop new skills. These come in handy when she discovers mind-boggling information related to her travels and about the warriors. She’s a very likeable and relatable protagonist whose thoughts and feelings come across as the teen she is but without dwelling on the annoying angst so common in YA stories. There’s a definite love interest, but it doesn’t overshadow the rest of the storyline. Surprise twists at the end of the book promise interesting stories to come as the series progresses.
I’ll definitely look for the next book.
Lyra is the daughter of archeologists who specialize in the baffling appearance of Terra Cotta warriors nearly identical to those in Xian, China on Earth on numerous alien worlds around the galaxy. The story takes place centuries in the future where humans have explored and colonized parts of the Milky Way and travel is facilitated by technology that folds space but creates time disparities that separate friends and families. When Lyra’s parents are assigned to a new world, she is heartbroken to leave her friends, knowing that by the time she arrives, her friends in their reality would be twenty years older while she ages only by months.
Lyra’s journey and the new world give her the opportunity to meet new friends and develop new skills. These come in handy when she discovers mind-boggling information related to her travels and about the warriors. She’s a very likeable and relatable protagonist whose thoughts and feelings come across as the teen she is but without dwelling on the annoying angst so common in YA stories. There’s a definite love interest, but it doesn’t overshadow the rest of the storyline. Surprise twists at the end of the book promise interesting stories to come as the series progresses.
I’ll definitely look for the next book.
It great to enjoy another Maria V Snyder book and a 1st book of a new series. Can not wait for the second one. I love the concept of the terracotta warriors on other planets. The character development is classic Maria V Snyder as they have quicks and are easy to relate too. Loved the fact that see put real physics/relatively (general and special) together correctly. It made the world more believable. This is a fantastic book.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Full transparency: this book is too young for me. If it wasn't part of one of my reading challenges this year I wouldn't have finished it.
This book is too young for me, but there's definitely more to my dislike than that.
Having immature main characters is one thing (this is a YA book after all that is to be expected), but to have ALL characters (including adults) be equally or sometimes more immature is something else. Am I really supposed to believe that this 16 or 17 year old girl so smart that literal professionals in their fields continue to come to her for help because she's the only one who can solve their problems? There was a tense, possible life or death situation and this girl and a grown security officer still have time to make snarky/sarcastic comments? Get a grip. The actual teen characters in this book felt like charactures, which leads me to think that the author hasn't been a teenager for some time.
I wish this book focused more on the mystery of these warrior statues, mostly because this was the only part of the book I cared about. But due to the main focuses of this story being the romance and hacking (or "worming"), hardly any time was spent finding out information about these statues.
And that's another thing: this book was FAR more romance focused than I was lead to believe. I'm not trying to say that this is a romance book, because it's not. But reading about teenagers bite parts of each other's bodies and hearing them talk about their "raging hormones" for each other (this exact wording is used several times in the book) is something I could go without. Especially since these characters were so immature, it made me feel really weird and uncomfortable reading those parts.
All in all the writing style wasn't for me, the narrative voice was irritating, the characters were annoyingly immature, the interesting parts were glossed over, and some bits were just weird.
TLDR: I'm to old for this shit.
(Spellhacker by MK England did this book so much better)
This book is too young for me, but there's definitely more to my dislike than that.
Having immature main characters is one thing (this is a YA book after all that is to be expected), but to have ALL characters (including adults) be equally or sometimes more immature is something else. Am I really supposed to believe that this 16 or 17 year old girl so smart that literal professionals in their fields continue to come to her for help because she's the only one who can solve their problems? There was a tense, possible life or death situation and this girl and a grown security officer still have time to make snarky/sarcastic comments? Get a grip. The actual teen characters in this book felt like charactures, which leads me to think that the author hasn't been a teenager for some time.
I wish this book focused more on the mystery of these warrior statues, mostly because this was the only part of the book I cared about. But due to the main focuses of this story being the romance and hacking (or "worming"), hardly any time was spent finding out information about these statues.
And that's another thing: this book was FAR more romance focused than I was lead to believe. I'm not trying to say that this is a romance book, because it's not. But reading about teenagers bite parts of each other's bodies and hearing them talk about their "raging hormones" for each other (this exact wording is used several times in the book) is something I could go without. Especially since these characters were so immature, it made me feel really weird and uncomfortable reading those parts.
All in all the writing style wasn't for me, the narrative voice was irritating, the characters were annoyingly immature, the interesting parts were glossed over, and some bits were just weird.
TLDR: I'm to old for this shit.
(Spellhacker by MK England did this book so much better)
I have never been one for space books but once again Maria V Snyder has sucked me into another great book yet again so much so that I finished it in one day sand have started the second one. So for anyone a little bit sceptical on books set the in space read this amazing book
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Okay, I need to call out some reviewers right now. And know this isn’t an intense fan going crazy over any bad reviews. I didn’t love the book, just think it is getting undeserved hate.
People keep saying how young this entire book reads. Well-duh. It is YA I see no problem with adults reading the genre, as long as you don’t comment about how ‘childish’ it seems
Ima let you in on a secret. Lyra reads more like an actual teenager than any other YA book I’ve read in a while. This is coming from actual teenager, btw. I know what I’m on about. It made me feel very...seen. She had normal insecurities and reactions and totally embraced how awesome she is. I approve.
Honestly, I love all the characters. Yeah, Niall isn’t swoon worthy. But do you know what he is? A VERY accurate teenage boy. Every changing emotions that lead to jerkiness? No long declarations of love? I appreciated his character so much more for being a normal person.
And Lyra’s parents? Don’t really have anything to say about them, just happy that they are alive! Is that even allowed in this genre? Oooh, better yet, they are good, realistic parents!
My main issue with this book was-well, this doesn’t reflect well on me buuuut... I didn’t love the actual plot. Characters? YES. Banter? Worthy of a laugh. But the plot? Okay, okay, some credit is due: The idea is pretty darn good. Love it actually. Space mystery? UMMM YESSS. But the execution was... well it wasn’t bad, per se, but it had SO much filler in the middle. I didn’t need to hear about video games, or first dates or anything like that.
Bookish confession: I don’t care if the characters are bland. I just like plots. And this just didn’t hit that mark for me.
Love my criminal mastermind Lyra though!
People keep saying how young this entire book reads. Well-duh. It is YA I see no problem with adults reading the genre, as long as you don’t comment about how ‘childish’ it seems
Ima let you in on a secret. Lyra reads more like an actual teenager than any other YA book I’ve read in a while. This is coming from actual teenager, btw. I know what I’m on about. It made me feel very...seen. She had normal insecurities and reactions and totally embraced how awesome she is. I approve.
Honestly, I love all the characters. Yeah, Niall isn’t swoon worthy. But do you know what he is? A VERY accurate teenage boy. Every changing emotions that lead to jerkiness? No long declarations of love? I appreciated his character so much more for being a normal person.
And Lyra’s parents? Don’t really have anything to say about them, just happy that they are alive! Is that even allowed in this genre? Oooh, better yet, they are good, realistic parents!
My main issue with this book was-well, this doesn’t reflect well on me buuuut... I didn’t love the actual plot. Characters? YES. Banter? Worthy of a laugh. But the plot? Okay, okay, some credit is due: The idea is pretty darn good. Love it actually. Space mystery? UMMM YESSS. But the execution was... well it wasn’t bad, per se, but it had SO much filler in the middle. I didn’t need to hear about video games, or first dates or anything like that.
Bookish confession: I don’t care if the characters are bland. I just like plots. And this just didn’t hit that mark for me.
Love my criminal mastermind Lyra though!
adventurous
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:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
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:
N/A
adventurous
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