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A review by bookstarbri
Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I think what's first and foremost important here is the writing. I mean this is just some of the best writing I've ever witnessed????? And I don't know how Everina Maxwell wrote it. Like there are so many moments of description in this where I genuinely wonder how she was able to write this so seemingly effortlessly. Without giving too much of the story itself away, there were a lot of moments when we were "in" someone's mind. And those were some of my favorites, though I don't know how Everina was able to write it in a way that was so easy to comprehend despite this book having many concepts that were simply difficult to grasp (I will be having an existential crisis promptly after writing this review). So basically, the writing in this was glorious. I have no notes.
The plot is well developed. At the quarter mark, I stopped trying to guess where it was headed because that was futile. I swear I was so shocked at some of the turns the plot took, I had to take a step away from the book for a moment. I loved it and it kept me guessing until the end. This book reminds me why I love science fiction so much.
Then there are the characters. I came here from Winter's Orbit with the characters really being a driving force of the story for me. And the same goes here! I mean Everina can write a plot like no one's business, but they write characters that are also just astonishingly beautiful to read. If you've read Winter's Orbit, Tennal is similar to Kiem in a lot of ways, but I think the differences are also very evident. Tennal is a mess and he's selfish at times and he's lazy, but he's also incredibly selfless and hardworking and bright and ready to take on anything thrown at him as he goes. Surit was an awesome balance to him. While there isn't a ton of romance in this, the love between Tennal and Surrit is HEFTY. Their affection, their love is felt throughout this book in some way. The idea of oceans and sand in a book set in space was such a brilliant contrast that was somehow so intrinsically part of the story and so well developed, all I can say is that Everina is a genius and I will read any book they write from here on out.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The plot is well developed. At the quarter mark, I stopped trying to guess where it was headed because that was futile. I swear I was so shocked at some of the turns the plot took, I had to take a step away from the book for a moment. I loved it and it kept me guessing until the end. This book reminds me why I love science fiction so much.
Then there are the characters. I came here from Winter's Orbit with the characters really being a driving force of the story for me. And the same goes here! I mean Everina can write a plot like no one's business, but they write characters that are also just astonishingly beautiful to read. If you've read Winter's Orbit, Tennal is similar to Kiem in a lot of ways, but I think the differences are also very evident. Tennal is a mess and he's selfish at times and he's lazy, but he's also incredibly selfless and hardworking and bright and ready to take on anything thrown at him as he goes. Surit was an awesome balance to him. While there isn't a ton of romance in this, the love between Tennal and Surrit is HEFTY. Their affection, their love is felt throughout this book in some way. The idea of oceans and sand in a book set in space was such a brilliant contrast that was somehow so intrinsically part of the story and so well developed, all I can say is that Everina is a genius and I will read any book they write from here on out.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse