Reviews

Rubicon by J.S. Dewes

muddywookiee's review

adventurous dark fast-paced

• 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

4.0

ginger95's review

adventurous 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

5.0

Wonderful read! Great characters, interesting plot, and the ending had me biting my nails! Great if you love her other works as well! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and War

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Violence

ninegladiolus's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

3.0

Whew. Rubicon by J.S. Dewes was a captivating military sci-fi read, but one I still struggle to rate. The novel follows Sergeant Adrienne Valero. After her 96th death and subsequent resurrection in service to humanity’s war against artificial lifeforms, she’s reassigned to a special forces unit and given a virtual intelligence aid that turns sentient; drawn into a web of dark political intrigue, Adrienne learns firsthand how far some people will go to end a war.

How you feel about this book will really depend on where the ending lands for you. It is definitely a CHOICE of an ending, and for me, it unfortunately eviscerated the satisfaction I took from the narrative. An argument could be made that evisceration was the point, and I can respect that while recognizing it was not for me. Still, up until that point, Rubicon held me spellbound with its adrenaline-infused and heart-racing pages.

This is a hard one for me to recommend without spoilers. I think fans of heavy, dark military sci-fi would absolutely find value and enjoyment in this novel. I’m definitely curious to check out Dewes’ other work.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

nekoshka's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Ableism and War

renerdifiedreads's review

adventurous tense

4.75

maeveamelia's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense 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? Yes

3.75

woller's review

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

plan2read's review

adventurous tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

sylviep's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

ajchristman's review

adventurous dark funny mysterious 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

4.5