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dankolar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
poisoned_icecream's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
monagle's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
3.5
It took me a moment to get into this one - the first few chapters are a retelling of the life of the original Vasquez character from James Cameron's Aliens, and with any novelization of a movie character, it can read a little bit like fan-fiction. But Castro quickly uses this as a jumping-off point for two new characters - Vasquez's children, who carry the weight of both her mysterious death and a legacy of family military history that dates back centuries. From there, the book really hits its stride, and we are treated to another blue collar soldier story that makes the Aliens universe so much fun.
inky_cap's review
adventurous
dark
tense
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
4.75
reading_and_wrighting's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
virago's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
The title Vasquez is low-key deceiving. It is about Vasquez. We met her as a child who grew up in a large family and fed dreams of being a soldier by her grandfather. Janette was a tomboy who wanted no parts of dolls and dresses. And the older she got, the more garbage life threw at her. It was wonderful learning Janette's origin story and what led her to the colonial marines.
The deception lies in the fact that she is not the main Vasquez of the story. The majority of the story follows her twin children, who were raised on earth by Janette's sister. They are her legacy. I loved their stories, and even though they were twins, their lives always seemed to be separate from a young age. Like their mother before them, the twins were caught up in Wayland-Yutani shenanigans involving Xenomorphs.
It was a very good story. It loses a star because it was marketed as Janette's story, which it really wasn't. It didn't lose more than that because of how good the story was despite the deception.
The deception lies in the fact that she is not the main Vasquez of the story. The majority of the story follows her twin children, who were raised on earth by Janette's sister. They are her legacy. I loved their stories, and even though they were twins, their lives always seemed to be separate from a young age. Like their mother before them, the twins were caught up in Wayland-Yutani shenanigans involving Xenomorphs.
It was a very good story. It loses a star because it was marketed as Janette's story, which it really wasn't. It didn't lose more than that because of how good the story was despite the deception.
jeremyjfloyd's review
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
verkisto's review against another edition
3.0
I knew I was going to read this as soon as I first saw it. A Latina author giving us the backstory of Vasquez from Aliens? Sign me up!
I wish it had lived up to my expectations. It was still a decent read, but only about a quarter of the novel is about Jenette Vasquez; the rest is about her kids. It makes sense, though; the book is titled Vasquez, not Jenette Vasquez, after all.
I've read another book by Castro, and I liked its themes, though I had some quibbles with the narrative itself. The same is true here. She tends to have her characters give speeches instead of giving them real dialogue, and there's a lack of subtlety to how she writes that makes it less effective than it could be.
Still, this is an Aliens book unlike any other Aliens book that I've read so far. Sure, there's Weyland-Yutani there trying to find a way to weaponize and capitalize on the Xenomorphs, but this book is more about family than anything else. Hell, the Xenomorphs don't even play a major role in the book until three-quarters of the way through. I'll take that over another discovery-of-the-aliens or destroy-everything-that-moves Aliens novel.
I wish it had lived up to my expectations. It was still a decent read, but only about a quarter of the novel is about Jenette Vasquez; the rest is about her kids. It makes sense, though; the book is titled Vasquez, not Jenette Vasquez, after all.
I've read another book by Castro, and I liked its themes, though I had some quibbles with the narrative itself. The same is true here. She tends to have her characters give speeches instead of giving them real dialogue, and there's a lack of subtlety to how she writes that makes it less effective than it could be.
Still, this is an Aliens book unlike any other Aliens book that I've read so far. Sure, there's Weyland-Yutani there trying to find a way to weaponize and capitalize on the Xenomorphs, but this book is more about family than anything else. Hell, the Xenomorphs don't even play a major role in the book until three-quarters of the way through. I'll take that over another discovery-of-the-aliens or destroy-everything-that-moves Aliens novel.