Reviews

Rubicon by J.S. Dewes

magykmancer's review

adventurous emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

chthonicgod's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

ssenfuma11's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.25

While not exactly innovative, Rubicon is an excellent take on the tension between AI and humanity. 

knackerbrot's review

adventurous fast-paced

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

1.5

_stephanie_98's review against another edition

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

4.0

zana_reads_arcs's review

4.0

Whoa! I don't think I've read a book with so much action. Kudos to JS Dewes for writing compelling action scenes!

If you're a fan of military sci-fi, then this is a must-read. You've got alien mechs vs. humanity. (It screamed Mass Effect, which I loved.) There's a snarky AI companion. (Always a plus.) There's a well-rounded team with different quirks and personality types. It also dips slightly into philosophy and the concept of death, since the practice of rezoning means that you can't technically die.

I loved that the MC, Adrienne Valero, is a fully-fleshed character that is currently dealing with trauma while being assigned to a special forces unit. As the reader, you're able to truly understand all of her facets.

While I wanted to know more about the alien mechs, this novel turned out to be more about humanity's failings and fallacies. This was actually a pleasant surprise. It turned a bit tropey with the introduction of the main villain but! I'll totally forgive the author because there were already hints earlier on in the novel that I should've caught.

The audiobook narrator though... She was great with voices but when it came to narrating the story, she sounded really robotic so it was difficult for me to pay attention at times.

Anyway, I can't wait to read the author's first novel and future ones. It's always exciting to find a new sci-fi author that's a talented storyteller.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audio arc.

casualk's review

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

ftagliaca's review

adventurous sad 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? Yes

4.75

lgillisrn's review

adventurous dark sad 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? Yes

4.75

This was a page-turner.  I was invested in the characters and plot.  The pacing was quick and kept me interested to the end.  The plot also kept me guessing to the end.  I hope there is more to this story.mili

gingernutpup's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5