Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by s_sheppard18
Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Before I get into the few gripes I have with this novel, let me first say that it was a good book and definitely worth reading. I'm very glad I stuck with it despite the main character being utterly insufferable for the first 60% or so. I did guess what the plot twist would be, but it was still delivered well and I enjoyed what happened with the story afterwards.
I think the main thing that is preventing me from rating this 5 stars is how heavy handed the narrative was about the political situation and how the characters were affected by said political situation. This is marketed as an adult political space opera but read very YA to me (and by the looks of the reviews, I'm not the only one). It's giving "a book about fascism for people who have never heard of fascism." It's definitely no Memory Called Empire, which is what I think of when I hear adult political space opera.
Regardless, Some Desperate Glory had me completely hooked once I had determined I was going to overlook the main character's obvious and many flaws. I was really hoping that she'd get better after the twist was revealed, and luckily, she did. The speed of her character growth was a tad bit unbelievable, butI suppose there's no real-world equivalent to throwing off your fascist brainwashed upbringing because you're confronted with the power of the multiverse.
Speaking of unbelievable, there was also a good deal of ~fancy complicated fantasy science hand waving~ which made the science part of science fiction feel a little soft for me.
In the end, I have to give at least 4 stars, because I frankly hated putting the book down. It was genuinely exciting and the end had me close to tears for a moment. A solid debut from Emily Tesh!
I think the main thing that is preventing me from rating this 5 stars is how heavy handed the narrative was about the political situation and how the characters were affected by said political situation. This is marketed as an adult political space opera but read very YA to me (and by the looks of the reviews, I'm not the only one). It's giving "a book about fascism for people who have never heard of fascism." It's definitely no Memory Called Empire, which is what I think of when I hear adult political space opera.
Regardless, Some Desperate Glory had me completely hooked once I had determined I was going to overlook the main character's obvious and many flaws. I was really hoping that she'd get better after the twist was revealed, and luckily, she did. The speed of her character growth was a tad bit unbelievable, but
Speaking of unbelievable, there was also a good deal of ~fancy complicated fantasy science hand waving~ which made the science part of science fiction feel a little soft for me.
In the end, I have to give at least 4 stars, because I frankly hated putting the book down. It was genuinely exciting and the end had me close to tears for a moment. A solid debut from Emily Tesh!