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A review by linwearcamenel
Skyfarer by Joseph Brassey
4.0
This was a fun romp. The comparisons to Firefly are well merited. The crew is necessarily not very fleshed out, mostly stock characters that are found in most ragtag crew stories (the super close siblings, the genius engineer, the mysterious captain, the tough fighter) but hopefully in future books they will get more development.
The main character, Aimee, is an example of the rebellious, headstrong Tough Girl which is actually a trope I hate, because it's usually done as an excuse to write a Strong Female Character™, which is often in itself a way to write female characters without having to write any of that pesky femininity. I also tend to dislike characters who are insistent that they're right constantly and dive headlong into every situation without thinking about consequences for one second, without learning enough about the situation to have a chance of succeeding or listening to people who they actually admit know more about it than them. I'm equal opportunity with this one; it's also the reason I tend to dislike Poe Dameron more than most people (Team Vice-Admiral Holdo forever!) Again, usually. There are ways to do this well and Brassey manages to do so with Aimee, providing good character reasons for why she does the things she does, having her learn from her mistakes and develop as a character. Also, she manages to be likable, which is something so many of those Strong Female Characters™ somehow somehow manage not to be.
But the main reason this book is elevated from a three to four star rating is because of the other main character's story, Azrael. I expected a redemption arc story from the moment I opened the book, not only because it was well and believably set up, but because I had read an article by Joseph Brassey prior to the book's release about his favorite male characters who reject toxic masculinity (male authors who outright reject toxic masculinity are my faves) and one of the characters on his list was Prince Zuko. I am forever a fan of Prince Zuko and his amazingly well-done redemption arc and I'd expect anyone who likes him to write a good redemption arc themselves. Brassey does not disappoint. It's believable and well-done, not easy things for a redemption arc with a character who starts out more monstrous than Zuko ever was. All in all, a good read.
The main character, Aimee, is an example of the rebellious, headstrong Tough Girl which is actually a trope I hate, because it's usually done as an excuse to write a Strong Female Character™, which is often in itself a way to write female characters without having to write any of that pesky femininity. I also tend to dislike characters who are insistent that they're right constantly and dive headlong into every situation without thinking about consequences for one second, without learning enough about the situation to have a chance of succeeding or listening to people who they actually admit know more about it than them. I'm equal opportunity with this one; it's also the reason I tend to dislike Poe Dameron more than most people (Team Vice-Admiral Holdo forever!) Again, usually. There are ways to do this well and Brassey manages to do so with Aimee, providing good character reasons for why she does the things she does, having her learn from her mistakes and develop as a character. Also, she manages to be likable, which is something so many of those Strong Female Characters™ somehow somehow manage not to be.
But the main reason this book is elevated from a three to four star rating is because of the other main character's story, Azrael. I expected a redemption arc story from the moment I opened the book, not only because it was well and believably set up, but because I had read an article by Joseph Brassey prior to the book's release about his favorite male characters who reject toxic masculinity (male authors who outright reject toxic masculinity are my faves) and one of the characters on his list was Prince Zuko. I am forever a fan of Prince Zuko and his amazingly well-done redemption arc and I'd expect anyone who likes him to write a good redemption arc themselves. Brassey does not disappoint. It's believable and well-done, not easy things for a redemption arc with a character who starts out more monstrous than Zuko ever was. All in all, a good read.