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A review by willowwraithpress
City of Shattered Light by Claire Winn
5.0
I was lucky enough to read an early version, and I can honestly say as an avid SFF reader, you are in for a treat with this book.
If there is one way to describe City of Shattered Light, it is with two simple words: tension rocket. The pace of this story is so breakneck, you're barely allowed to breathe, when you get said breath, you're aching for more. None of the world-building and plot arcs fall under this intense rush to the climax, in fact, you're almost wishing for more by the time you get there. It's just so jam packed with fun scenes, it's a wonder how they all fit in.
This neon-soaked space colony is oozing with underground bravado and spectacle, that it almost feels straight from the mind of Phillip K. Dick but with a modern bass-thumping vibe. Then throw in some very relatable characters with competing motivations (including a sharpshooting wannabe cowboy), a heist that has the potential to go seriously wrong, some weird-ass alien tech, and one of the baddest bubblegum snapping cyborgs ever seen on page, and you'd still not be able to describe everything this book has, well without spoiling everything.
It also helps when the author has a flair for the written word. Such as knowing how to weave a scene that you feel smack dab in the middle, feeling everything happen around, the bullets flying by, the pulse of synthesizers. Riven and Asa (the two main points of view) feel and read like genuine people, with flaws and goals. The way the pair are written makes you, as the reader, root for them all the more to get through this crazy speed racer story, while also grumbling in anticipation for them to finally buck up and kiss already. Added to that are some intense, action-packed scenes that make you wanna throw the book across the room, only to pick it straight back up and figure out how the heck the crew are gonna get out of those situations...
All I can say is that I cannot wait for this crew of misfits' adventure be read by everyone. It's a thrill ride and then some!
If there is one way to describe City of Shattered Light, it is with two simple words: tension rocket. The pace of this story is so breakneck, you're barely allowed to breathe, when you get said breath, you're aching for more. None of the world-building and plot arcs fall under this intense rush to the climax, in fact, you're almost wishing for more by the time you get there. It's just so jam packed with fun scenes, it's a wonder how they all fit in.
This neon-soaked space colony is oozing with underground bravado and spectacle, that it almost feels straight from the mind of Phillip K. Dick but with a modern bass-thumping vibe. Then throw in some very relatable characters with competing motivations (including a sharpshooting wannabe cowboy), a heist that has the potential to go seriously wrong, some weird-ass alien tech, and one of the baddest bubblegum snapping cyborgs ever seen on page, and you'd still not be able to describe everything this book has, well without spoiling everything.
It also helps when the author has a flair for the written word. Such as knowing how to weave a scene that you feel smack dab in the middle, feeling everything happen around, the bullets flying by, the pulse of synthesizers. Riven and Asa (the two main points of view) feel and read like genuine people, with flaws and goals. The way the pair are written makes you, as the reader, root for them all the more to get through this crazy speed racer story, while also grumbling in anticipation for them to finally buck up and kiss already. Added to that are some intense, action-packed scenes that make you wanna throw the book across the room, only to pick it straight back up and figure out how the heck the crew are gonna get out of those situations...
All I can say is that I cannot wait for this crew of misfits' adventure be read by everyone. It's a thrill ride and then some!