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esquetee's review against another edition
3.0
At first, I was afraid this would be very similar to [b:Across the Universe|8235178|Across the Universe (Across the Universe, #1)|Beth Revis|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348085121s/8235178.jpg|13082532], but this story was much stronger and the protagonist much easier to root for. It's nice to see some political intrigue and conspiracy theory tension outweigh any silly love triangles in a YA book. Looking forward to the sequels.
mctmama's review against another edition
4.0
A good science fiction, with a dash of romance. I really enjoyed how Phoebe North wove the Jewish traditions of the original ship members into the story. the customs and Yiddish evolve into a way of life, leading to a new set of standards on the space ship. Terra is a "real" person, not perfect, and certainly not one dimensional. I look forward to the next installment.
elephant's review against another edition
3.0
Terra lives in a spaceship called Asherah that left a dying earth 500 years previously headed towards a planet that they call Zehava. Asherah contains an entire environment complete with 3 seasons, dirt, plants growing, snow and 27 hour days. The ship is run by an aristocratic counsel that is challenged by a hidden group that calls themselves the Children of Abel. As they draw near to Zehava, eager to land and live in a new world, the actions of the group intensify. The counsil choses people's jobs for them at age 16 and even their spouse if they don't chose one by age 18. Everyone must marry and have two children - a boy and a girl, who are grown in the hatchery because it would be too dangerous for women to have to give birth. The Children of Abel want freedom on Zehava from the counsel which has extended it's powers over the past 500 years. Terra gets caught up in the political mess and becomes a key player after witnessing a murder that was written off as an accident.
The story is ok, but some parts are not explained well leaving the book a bit confusing.
The story is ok, but some parts are not explained well leaving the book a bit confusing.
burningupasun's review against another edition
4.0
JEWS IN SPACE. Honestly I could make this my whole review, tbh, but I'll say a little bit more. As a Jewish person it has always been hard for me to find representation in books, especially in genre books where the genre isn't literally "Jewish fiction." Usually I have to seek these books out actively, so to stumble upon one is always a rare pleasure. For it to be science fiction, of all things, is even more rare and delightful. I have to say I did enjoy this book, despite the fact that I forgot it was book one of two until I got to the cliffhanger ending. I enjoyed the melding of Jewish culture with life on a spaceship, and seeing a Jewish twist on a traditional type of plot/story (i.e., people take to a ship to find life on a new planet). The book had some good LGBT diversity with at least two gay (male) characters, though I could have done with a bit more diversity in general. The culture is very binary and heterocentric but this is explored and detailed as an issue, not something normal basically, which is good even if it was still a bit upsetting at time. I found Terra to be a good teenage character, in the sense that I liked her but also found her occasionally annoying, which is how I generally feel about teenagers in real life. I'm really looking forward to seeing how she is in book two.
arialvetica's review against another edition
1.0
Reading YouTube comments might be more enjoyable and intellectual.
There are just so many glaring deviations from reality/possibility and so little real character development. By page 66 I wanted the spaceship (a futuristic Noah's Ark, consisting of meadows, fields, and full-sized homes, and burial grounds (seriously, just cast bodies overboard!) which Earthlings built in under five years, and upon which they decided to bring cats, ants, flies, endless art supplies, etc.) to disintegrate in a one-page space fire.
There are just so many glaring deviations from reality/possibility and so little real character development. By page 66 I wanted the spaceship (a futuristic Noah's Ark, consisting of meadows, fields, and full-sized homes, and burial grounds (seriously, just cast bodies overboard!) which Earthlings built in under five years, and upon which they decided to bring cats, ants, flies, endless art supplies, etc.) to disintegrate in a one-page space fire.
plantzone23's review against another edition
1.0
I have very mixed feelings about this book. There were a lot aspects that I very much disliked but there were things (1) that I did like. This review would probably be best in a pros and cons format, so without further ado...here are my comments.
Pros
-I liked the science fiction thing it had going. It reminded me a bit of Beth Revis's [b:Across the Universe|8235178|Across the Universe (Across the Universe, #1)|Beth Revis|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388247590s/8235178.jpg|13082532]. At first it seemed pretty similar, but as I read on, I realized how different it really as. But it was a good different. It was unique. The whole world was just interesting and fun to read about.
Cons
OH jeez, so many problems.
-First off, I HATED Terra. She was a selfish, whiny, poor decision making, petulant child. I swear, I wanted to strangle her. She was an awful main character.
- I did really like Mara. She was independent and smart. I liked her a lot.
-You know, now that I think about it, besides Mara, I hated all of the characters. They were truly all awful. I can't think of one thing I liked about any of them.
-The plot would have been great, had it not been for the characters. Terra just had to make the book about all her failed love lives or her awful life. She just ruined the book. She is why I hated this book. She is the main reason.
Yep. This review is over. I really can't find much else to say. It was not a good book. I don't recommend you read it.
Pros
-I liked the science fiction thing it had going. It reminded me a bit of Beth Revis's [b:Across the Universe|8235178|Across the Universe (Across the Universe, #1)|Beth Revis|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388247590s/8235178.jpg|13082532]. At first it seemed pretty similar, but as I read on, I realized how different it really as. But it was a good different. It was unique. The whole world was just interesting and fun to read about.
Cons
OH jeez, so many problems.
-First off, I HATED Terra. She was a selfish, whiny, poor decision making, petulant child. I swear, I wanted to strangle her. She was an awful main character.
- I did really like Mara. She was independent and smart. I liked her a lot.
-You know, now that I think about it, besides Mara, I hated all of the characters. They were truly all awful. I can't think of one thing I liked about any of them.
-The plot would have been great, had it not been for the characters. Terra just had to make the book about all her failed love lives or her awful life. She just ruined the book. She is why I hated this book. She is the main reason.
Yep. This review is over. I really can't find much else to say. It was not a good book. I don't recommend you read it.
razreads's review
3.0
Complete review available: Starglass
North offers a fresh take on some familiar tropes, with a focus you don't see in your average YA sci-fi rebellion fic(I mean, really, how many tales think about botany for settling a new planet?) . Plus, the society is based on contemporary Jewish society, which was extremely refreshing. Sure, I had to look up the odd thing, but that's because my knowledge of Judaism isn't as strong as it should be, and I appreciated the added educational value. (Yes, I know, I'm applauding representation, but it was really a gem in this book. I should probably also addendum this to explain to those who don't know me too well - I'm all for increased representation, I just hate having to praise books for it because it should be commonplace and second nature.)
As a stand alone, the pacing was rather sedate with things not picking up much plot-wise until halfway through, but I'm hopeful this world-building will pay off in the rest of the trilogy. The characters may not have been the most loveable, either, but I'm still eager to read on (which has to count for something, right?)
North offers a fresh take on some familiar tropes, with a focus you don't see in your average YA sci-fi rebellion fic
As a stand alone, the pacing was rather sedate with things not picking up much plot-wise until halfway through, but I'm hopeful this world-building will pay off in the rest of the trilogy. The characters may not have been the most loveable, either, but I'm still eager to read on (which has to count for something, right?)
kim_n31's review against another edition
4.0
Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2015: A book with a one word title.
Sometimes I put books on my to-read list and have no idea why I did that when I go back to read them. This one, I'm pretty sure made the list because it's got a strong female protagonist who's also pretty complicated and because everyone in the book is Jewish and not everyone in the book is white and/or straight. This is pretty rare in a lot of the SF/F genre, so I tend to jump on things that promise some semblance of representation. This one pays off. It's a good story and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.
Sometimes I put books on my to-read list and have no idea why I did that when I go back to read them. This one, I'm pretty sure made the list because it's got a strong female protagonist who's also pretty complicated and because everyone in the book is Jewish and not everyone in the book is white and/or straight. This is pretty rare in a lot of the SF/F genre, so I tend to jump on things that promise some semblance of representation. This one pays off. It's a good story and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.