A review by yvo_about_books
Toxic by Lydia Kang

4.0

Finished reading: September 7th 2018

"Funny how, with everything available to us, we still want to learn how to do things the old ways."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Entangled: Teen in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

Spoiler

Toxic easily has one of the most gorgeous covers I've seen so far this year. This was the perfect definition of cover love: I knew I HAD to read this one even before I actually read the blurb. I know science fiction isn't really my genre, but I like branching out every once and a while to mix things up. It's been a while since I read a story set in space, and Lydia Kang was able to make it into a very interesting experience. I loved the idea behind Toxic with the biological ship Cyclo, the detailed descriptions of the ship, the use of colors to communicate... Cyclo was basically another character and I loved to see how the ship 'evolved' over time. As for the other characters: there are a few cliches involved, and I'm not sure I like Hana, but overall their development is interesting enough to follow. I do think Cyclo overshadows the other characters in its uniqueness though. That said, it was an entertaining enough ride with plenty of action as Cyclo becomes less and less predictable and more dangerous. I wish there would have been less romance scenes involves, especially since most of it is quite cliche and takes away attention from the more interesting sci-fi elements. I'm sure romance fans will take those scenes differently though. The writing is solid and makes this ride very enjoyable. Fans of more romantic YA sci-fi books will have a blast reading Toxic.



Cyclo is the first biological ship out there and has been working fine for a long time, but time seems to have run out and the ship is dying. Everyone has been evacuated, and now a small crew is on their way to board the abandoned ship to record and analyze Cyclo's final days. They have signed a contract, giving up their lives to document the death of Cyclo in exchange for a healthy sum of money to be awarded to the person they indicate, but only if they fulfill their mission. When they arrive, they find out the ship isn't completely abandoned... A girl has been left behind, and she might just be the reason they won't be able to finish everything on time. Especially since Cyclo seems to be more instable than originally indicated.



Even though science fiction isn't really my genre, it was actually those elements that stood out for me. Especially Cyclo was fascinating, since the ship was almost like another character with its own development, 'emotions' and flaws. I could have done without the more cliche romance scenes, and I wasn't a fan of Hana, but overall I really enjoyed my time with Toxic.

P.S. Find more of my reviews here.