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A review by scribblesandknots
Sparks Fly by Llinos Cathryn Thomas
5.0
Romance novellas have a tall order, aiming to take the characters quickly but satisfyingly from meet-cute to falling into each other's arms. In this case, it was more of a meet-grump, but I like that flavor too! (Maybe even better, in fact.)
We join Marianne at a time that should be a major win - being promoted to the head position at her art school. Instead of the sweetness of victory, though, Marianne is left with a bitter taste when Jo, injured but highly regarded zero-g pilot, is given the position alongside her.
I enjoyed the character development and the story, although at times I found the descriptions of the art form entirely baffling. Marianne and Jo had things to learn from one another, which highlights their strengths as a couple and lends credibility to their character arcs. I loved Marianne's sass and wit, and loved her better at every show of steel. Jo, I took longer to warm up to - but she eventually shows a protective streak that won me over (into a puddle).
The novella also gave us just a taste of a fun and unusual sci fi world - just one corner of it, like we only see one corner of the heroines' lives. As I said, I had a hard time picturing the artistry of little zero-grav flying units zooming around to music, shooting sparklers all over. Still, I love inventive and different looks at science fiction worlds - imagining an artistic culture that might arise specifically from a space station is great fun.
Overall, this novella had good pacing and build-up, fun world building, and relatable characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Rating: 4.5/5
We join Marianne at a time that should be a major win - being promoted to the head position at her art school. Instead of the sweetness of victory, though, Marianne is left with a bitter taste when Jo, injured but highly regarded zero-g pilot, is given the position alongside her.
I enjoyed the character development and the story, although at times I found the descriptions of the art form entirely baffling. Marianne and Jo had things to learn from one another, which highlights their strengths as a couple and lends credibility to their character arcs. I loved Marianne's sass and wit, and loved her better at every show of steel. Jo, I took longer to warm up to - but she eventually shows a protective streak that won me over (into a puddle).
The novella also gave us just a taste of a fun and unusual sci fi world - just one corner of it, like we only see one corner of the heroines' lives. As I said, I had a hard time picturing the artistry of little zero-grav flying units zooming around to music, shooting sparklers all over. Still, I love inventive and different looks at science fiction worlds - imagining an artistic culture that might arise specifically from a space station is great fun.
Overall, this novella had good pacing and build-up, fun world building, and relatable characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Rating: 4.5/5