Scan barcode
A review by tani
The 5th Gender by Gail Carriger, G.L. Carriger
4.0
I bought this because I've been really enjoying Gail Carriger/G.L. Carriger lately, and this sounded like it could be cute. I waited until I was in the mood for a romance before actually picking it up, though, which may have been a mistake? This is definitely a getting together story, but I almost hesitate to call it a romance. When we meet the characters, they're both into each other already, and the process of the relationship is remarkably easy. Instead, I would call this a light mystery, with romance elements. In short, a nice bit of fluff that is fun and would be a great comfort read when you're feeling down.
So, as you can probably tell from my description, the romance didn't work very well for me. I enjoyed both of the characters and their relationship, but when I look for a romance, I like more of a slow burn leading up to the romance, and that's not a thing here. On the bright side, Carriger does a wonderful job of having her characters communicate and learn about each other, which is something that I do very much enjoy. This element is especially strong because Tristol is a member of an alien race that is quite secretive, so Drey asking questions and Tristol answering them is extremely important to them actually crafting their relationship.
The element that I enjoyed a bit more than the romance itself was the crafting of Tris' race and culture. There was obviously a lot of thought put into it, and I liked the way that the book explored the repercussions of their different culture and biology. It was a good mix of sad and hopeful, and although the aliens are definitely different from humans, there was still enough strands to allow me to sympathize with everyone, which I like.
I read this book in about a day, so despite my discontent with the romance, I definitely enjoyed it. It was very smooth and readable for me, and a great little distraction at a time that I was having trouble focusing on any one book. Definitely recommended.
So, as you can probably tell from my description, the romance didn't work very well for me. I enjoyed both of the characters and their relationship, but when I look for a romance, I like more of a slow burn leading up to the romance, and that's not a thing here. On the bright side, Carriger does a wonderful job of having her characters communicate and learn about each other, which is something that I do very much enjoy. This element is especially strong because Tristol is a member of an alien race that is quite secretive, so Drey asking questions and Tristol answering them is extremely important to them actually crafting their relationship.
The element that I enjoyed a bit more than the romance itself was the crafting of Tris' race and culture. There was obviously a lot of thought put into it, and I liked the way that the book explored the repercussions of their different culture and biology. It was a good mix of sad and hopeful, and although the aliens are definitely different from humans, there was still enough strands to allow me to sympathize with everyone, which I like.
I read this book in about a day, so despite my discontent with the romance, I definitely enjoyed it. It was very smooth and readable for me, and a great little distraction at a time that I was having trouble focusing on any one book. Definitely recommended.