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A review by ithil
Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders
4.0
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of a review. All opinions my own.
Long story short: this is an amazing book. There. I’ve said it. It has everything I've wanted and more and I cannot wait for it to come out, go back to work, and throw it one into everyone’s hands because its what it deserves.
To be honest, there wasn’t anything in the book that I disliked, nor any weak points. I fell in love with the characters. They are diverse, charismatic and relatable. It’s easy to see yourself reflected in them, or at least, in some of them due to their struggles and personalities being fundamentally human. Even the more alien characters are relatable! It made me so happy that the introductions included names and pronouns. Also, and I cannot stress this enough, CONSENT IS IMPORTANT. I absolutely loved how characters discussed this, because it’s something I don’t get to see often but it's so damn important that I’m delighted it’s getting more representation. A big thumbs up for the author.
I enjoyed this adventure so much mainly because I specially enjoy when authors use science fiction to dig deep into human ethics, responsibilities and perspectives. The writing is amazing and you can feel the passion on it. It’s fast paced but that does not dilute the plot, as a matter of fact, I found it very easy to read, as I was absolutely looking forward to the way it was going to develop. It felt like those kind of books where you’re not so much invested on the ending itself but everything that happens towards the road that’s gonna lead you there. For me, it has the perfect balance between action packed, rich background, dreadful villains and real characters.
If you have read any of her other books, marketed towards a more adult public, you may notice, as I have, how this one was more marketed towards YA as a genre. By no means I’m saying this as a negative thing about the book, as I have thoroughly enjoyed it as it is, but if you dive into this book expecting the same as in her adult marketed books, you will find some style differences. I adored her adult characters as much as her more teenage ones, but they have different approaches from the fiction.
After reading this book, Anders has now a consolidated permanent seat in my “I will read absolutely everything” shelf. And let me tell you, so should you. I cannot wait for the rest of the series to come out!
Long story short: this is an amazing book. There. I’ve said it. It has everything I've wanted and more and I cannot wait for it to come out, go back to work, and throw it one into everyone’s hands because its what it deserves.
To be honest, there wasn’t anything in the book that I disliked, nor any weak points. I fell in love with the characters. They are diverse, charismatic and relatable. It’s easy to see yourself reflected in them, or at least, in some of them due to their struggles and personalities being fundamentally human. Even the more alien characters are relatable! It made me so happy that the introductions included names and pronouns. Also, and I cannot stress this enough, CONSENT IS IMPORTANT. I absolutely loved how characters discussed this, because it’s something I don’t get to see often but it's so damn important that I’m delighted it’s getting more representation. A big thumbs up for the author.
I enjoyed this adventure so much mainly because I specially enjoy when authors use science fiction to dig deep into human ethics, responsibilities and perspectives. The writing is amazing and you can feel the passion on it. It’s fast paced but that does not dilute the plot, as a matter of fact, I found it very easy to read, as I was absolutely looking forward to the way it was going to develop. It felt like those kind of books where you’re not so much invested on the ending itself but everything that happens towards the road that’s gonna lead you there. For me, it has the perfect balance between action packed, rich background, dreadful villains and real characters.
If you have read any of her other books, marketed towards a more adult public, you may notice, as I have, how this one was more marketed towards YA as a genre. By no means I’m saying this as a negative thing about the book, as I have thoroughly enjoyed it as it is, but if you dive into this book expecting the same as in her adult marketed books, you will find some style differences. I adored her adult characters as much as her more teenage ones, but they have different approaches from the fiction.
After reading this book, Anders has now a consolidated permanent seat in my “I will read absolutely everything” shelf. And let me tell you, so should you. I cannot wait for the rest of the series to come out!