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astropova's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I think there was some really cool world-building in this book, but ultimately the story felt a little lackluster to me.
Characters are my main reading pathway, and the characters in this book did not feel strong to me. We have this big cast of characters, and at first they are all very different from each other and vibrant. However, that quickly seems to disappear as the quirks start feeling more like window dressing rather than purposeful. Most of the characters do not end up very fleshed-out at all. Only Ocean, Teo, and Phoenix get any significant screentime during which they could possibly have a character arc. And yet it seems that Haven is the only one that experiences any significant growth.
My second issue is that the pacing seemed very off. There's this air of mystery and investigation for the entire book, but the final confrontation is extremely abrupt. It felt kind of like the author didn't really know how to tie up any of the character arcs or relationships, so instead she just plopped the final battle in. This ties into my issue with the characters. There seems to be no resolution to anyone's problems or relationships, nor to many, many plot questions. I am left wondering:Is anyone together at the end? How are they going to convince anyone that Teo didn't murder everyone? How are they going catch or actually defeat Corvus? How are they going to deal with the Alliance? Where even were Haven and the Captain for the entire last 15%-or-so of the book? So what ended up being the deal with Teo's family company? Who even is Corvus and what is his deal, other than terrorist leader and Phoenix's apparent ex? What even happened on Teo's ship where everyone got murdered, and why?
Also, I don't think the description and the comp titles do a good job of previewing the book. The comparison to Firefly I can agree with, but this felt nothing like Becky Chambers to me, probably because of the supreme lack of chemistry between the characters. The description also makes it seem like Ocean was really going to struggle with her lack of Korean-ness, but this seems to be limited to justbeing inexplicably rejected by her entire family and people, but then she swims real good to save her life once and I guess that trauma is all resolved, yay!
Finally, I read this book as an audiobook, and I do not recommend it. I think the narrator did an ok job, but struggled with male characters' voices and mispronounced pretty standard words.
Really bummed that I didn't enjoy this very much. The cover is beautiful and that's what made me grab it. Definitely props to the artist!!
Characters are my main reading pathway, and the characters in this book did not feel strong to me. We have this big cast of characters, and at first they are all very different from each other and vibrant. However, that quickly seems to disappear as the quirks start feeling more like window dressing rather than purposeful. Most of the characters do not end up very fleshed-out at all. Only Ocean, Teo, and Phoenix get any significant screentime during which they could possibly have a character arc. And yet it seems that Haven is the only one that experiences any significant growth.
My second issue is that the pacing seemed very off. There's this air of mystery and investigation for the entire book, but the final confrontation is extremely abrupt. It felt kind of like the author didn't really know how to tie up any of the character arcs or relationships, so instead she just plopped the final battle in. This ties into my issue with the characters. There seems to be no resolution to anyone's problems or relationships, nor to many, many plot questions. I am left wondering:
Also, I don't think the description and the comp titles do a good job of previewing the book. The comparison to Firefly I can agree with, but this felt nothing like Becky Chambers to me, probably because of the supreme lack of chemistry between the characters. The description also makes it seem like Ocean was really going to struggle with her lack of Korean-ness, but this seems to be limited to just
Finally, I read this book as an audiobook, and I do not recommend it. I think the narrator did an ok job, but struggled with male characters' voices and mispronounced pretty standard words.
Really bummed that I didn't enjoy this very much. The cover is beautiful and that's what made me grab it. Definitely props to the artist!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, and Murder
Minor: Toxic relationship
rorikae's review against another edition
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? Yes
3.5
Ocean's Godori by Elaine U. Cho is a fun space romp that needs a little bit more space to fully tell its story.
The novel centers on a cast of characters, primarily Ocean Yoon and her friend Teo. Ocean is working aboard a space ship when Teo's ship is attacked. After reports note that he has arrived home, Ocean and the crew of the ship she is on are surprised to find an escape pod with Teo outside of their ship. As they work to determine what is really going on, they get caught up in space fights and Teo's family's business history.
This story has so much promise. It has great characters, a fascinating world, and interesting political situations. Unfortunately, it tries to do far too much in too short of a space. Though I like the characters and understand their motivations, I never felt like I had the full amount of time to fully get to know them. Plot beats move too quickly and the ending is particularly rushed. With a complex world and political machinations, this book should have been given a lot longer. More time on each plot point would have gone a long way. I will definitely be interested in what Cho writes next since they clearly have a great mind for plot and characters. I hope in their next book, they will provide themselves more time to let their story really feel fleshed out and well paced.
The novel centers on a cast of characters, primarily Ocean Yoon and her friend Teo. Ocean is working aboard a space ship when Teo's ship is attacked. After reports note that he has arrived home, Ocean and the crew of the ship she is on are surprised to find an escape pod with Teo outside of their ship. As they work to determine what is really going on, they get caught up in space fights and Teo's family's business history.
This story has so much promise. It has great characters, a fascinating world, and interesting political situations. Unfortunately, it tries to do far too much in too short of a space. Though I like the characters and understand their motivations, I never felt like I had the full amount of time to fully get to know them. Plot beats move too quickly and the ending is particularly rushed. With a complex world and political machinations, this book should have been given a lot longer. More time on each plot point would have gone a long way. I will definitely be interested in what Cho writes next since they clearly have a great mind for plot and characters. I hope in their next book, they will provide themselves more time to let their story really feel fleshed out and well paced.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, and Death
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Classism
chanlo1994's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
3.75
I wasn't too sure of the character foils presented. I thought the crew Ocean was with didn't seem to go with her personality and therefore the initial tone of the book, but maybe it was the voice actor who I didnt enjoy so much. I did start enjoying the book about halfway through and I really liked the action scenes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Car accident
caseythereader's review
adventurous
funny
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? No
4.0
Thanks to Zando for the free copy of this book.
- Y’all know how much I love a ragtag space crew adventure, and OCEAN’S GODORI is a great one, full of gunslinging, witty quips, and found family love.
- Cho hits that sweet spot of worldbuilding and interstellar politics where it feels real but doesn’t get bogged down in too many people or other details.
- My one gripe is the pacing - some parts moved very fast and others felt super slow. However, it’s a pretty short book so even the “slow” parts don’t last too long.
- I really hope this becomes a series. The ending is left wide open, and I’d love to see what else Cho can do.
- Y’all know how much I love a ragtag space crew adventure, and OCEAN’S GODORI is a great one, full of gunslinging, witty quips, and found family love.
- Cho hits that sweet spot of worldbuilding and interstellar politics where it feels real but doesn’t get bogged down in too many people or other details.
- My one gripe is the pacing - some parts moved very fast and others felt super slow. However, it’s a pretty short book so even the “slow” parts don’t last too long.
- I really hope this becomes a series. The ending is left wide open, and I’d love to see what else Cho can do.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Alcohol
mindsplinters's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Thanks to NetGalley and Zando for an Advanced Reader Copy - pub date 4/23/2024. It's been a hot minute since I've read a pure sci-fi book and this cover and concept grabbed me right away. Firefly-esque? Mention of the famous Korean female pearl-divers? Futuristic with lots of neon and space travel? Sounds good! And, to be honest, there were some really good bits in this debut novel and most of them came to the surface in the last half of the book. Not so the first half. I found the book to be a very slow starter and, while it is clear that Cho is using the beginning of the book to build the world and introduce you to the characters, it read like an example of telling and not showing. In telling, I could see how well thought-out and detailed the world was and how keenly Cho planned and developed it. Ocean's world, in a future dominated by Korea, pulses with energy and technology and a valiant attempt at balancing proud history with unknown future. There are so many hints of things to learn about this book's world. It made me more interested, in fact, about going forth to learn more about Korean history and traditions in our world which is something quite special.
On the other hand, the download of information also felt exactly like that lots of information and yet not enough. Certain things were taken for granted and only could be dealt with by trusting Cho and suspending any critical thinking. The constant dropping of Korean terms also required a high level of trust in using contextual clues (or the cute little glossary in back, written in-character by Maggie). Many of the characters also suffered from this strange level of detail but no detail, rough sketches of people that you want to know more about but who are kept behind a very dirty glass window. Ocean is aloof and capable with a tragic past. Teo is suave and spoiled with lousy self worth. Haven is... a stoic death-guy who doesn't want to be there but lightly stalked Ocean to the ship? It's pretty fuzzy.
But then suddenly the book hits its stride and BAM. The last third glowed with banter and character development through conversation and action sequences. I started to care about Ocean, to see where her issues hid beneath the exterior. Teo came out of the gate far more faceted than anticipated. Haven was still mildly confusing but he showed humor and a definite moral structure and an inherent willingness to do what is right. Plus we got a really neat new batch of characters, the raider Phoenix and his crew. I spent the last third of the book being annoyed when real life made me put it down. I wanted to know more of what was going to happen and how the mismatched new crew would deal with things. Things aside from the various pockets of simmering sexual tension, that is. Let's just say that the line forming up for Ocean is a long one. But you also have to love a good Rich Boy-Raider forbidden pairing, too, right? This last third was where the Firefly vibes came, where the action and humor and writing really shone.
And then Cho throws you off the world's biggest cliff-hanger. Seriously. It's like dropping off Mt Everest. I think, though, that the second book will be better and more twisty and will bloom with the promise this one ended on so I am looking forward to it. Cho got past the slow parts and the world building in this book. The second one should be killer.
On the other hand, the download of information also felt exactly like that lots of information and yet not enough. Certain things were taken for granted and only could be dealt with by trusting Cho and suspending any critical thinking. The constant dropping of Korean terms also required a high level of trust in using contextual clues (or the cute little glossary in back, written in-character by Maggie). Many of the characters also suffered from this strange level of detail but no detail, rough sketches of people that you want to know more about but who are kept behind a very dirty glass window. Ocean is aloof and capable with a tragic past. Teo is suave and spoiled with lousy self worth. Haven is... a stoic death-guy who doesn't want to be there but lightly stalked Ocean to the ship? It's pretty fuzzy.
But then suddenly the book hits its stride and BAM. The last third glowed with banter and character development through conversation and action sequences. I started to care about Ocean, to see where her issues hid beneath the exterior. Teo came out of the gate far more faceted than anticipated. Haven was still mildly confusing but he showed humor and a definite moral structure and an inherent willingness to do what is right. Plus we got a really neat new batch of characters, the raider Phoenix and his crew. I spent the last third of the book being annoyed when real life made me put it down. I wanted to know more of what was going to happen and how the mismatched new crew would deal with things. Things aside from the various pockets of simmering sexual tension, that is. Let's just say that the line forming up for Ocean is a long one. But you also have to love a good Rich Boy-Raider forbidden pairing, too, right? This last third was where the Firefly vibes came, where the action and humor and writing really shone.
And then Cho throws you off the world's biggest cliff-hanger. Seriously. It's like dropping off Mt Everest. I think, though, that the second book will be better and more twisty and will bloom with the promise this one ended on so I am looking forward to it. Cho got past the slow parts and the world building in this book. The second one should be killer.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence and Violence
sakeriver's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
5.0
Interesting space opera set in a solar system where a reunified Korea is the dominant space power. There's a fair amount of action, but it's pretty character-centric. Each of the main POV characters has an internal struggle related to their backstories, trying to understand their current identity and how it fits with their personal history and culture. Found family and queer love are also major themes. Based on the rather abrupt ending, this one appears to be the first of a series, and I'm interested to see where it goes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Death
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