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A review by helynalc
River in the Galaxy by Natalie Kelda
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Note: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I went into this book not knowing much except that I loved the cover and the author seemed like a nice person on twitter. :) But I'm very happy I decided to read this, and I'm very grateful for the ARC to the author.
I don't often read space-y fantasy--it's usually either fantasy or sci-fi for me. And in theory, I love the idea of seafaring ships floating around space and in between nebulas and all, however, in practice, I needed a bit of time to get used to it. My astronomer brain also kept shouting at me about how "galaxies" and "universe" and stuff like this were sort of redefined in this book, and how strange it was, until the craft of storytelling and the loveable (and less loveable) characters finally took my mind off such details.
The novel is about Captain Merlon Ricosta, and his search of his long-lost parents. Setting out from one of the floating cities peppering his civilization, the Inner Universe, he and his crew crosses a galaxy river (a space nebula with energy currents, sort of) and faces many dangers and curiosities to follow their trail: strange beings, new friends and enemies, dangers never seen. We will get acquainted with the crew and their life aboard Lucia, the ship, which is anything but easy (I loved all the details about the ship and how it worked!), and we will slowly get to know their history and more about the world surrounding them. But the book is really about Merlon himself. His life, his emotional wounds, inner journey, and his relationships with his crew (old and new) are always in the center; there is adventure, tension, and intrigue, yes, but you should expect a slower, more introspective, sensitive story about a wounded man who tries his best, fails many times, but lives through it as best as he can. I truly loved Merlon, and Adrien, and Tara, and a lot of the others in the crew as well. In the beginning, I was sort of dropped into the world and information about it, and the characters came quite hectically: some slowly, some quickly. I felt like one more introductory chapter before they set sail would have helped, but I got quickly oriented after anyway, and not so much later I was already friends with this crew, so...it worked out very well.
And the last third of the novel was so tense and mysterious! I was biting my nails! And since it's a duology as far as I know, not everything gets answered, so now I'm left here wondering about the blue-haired people and the strange flying and swimming beings and Trackers and asteroid fields and whatnot. This world will stay with me for a long-long time and I can't wait to get to know what happens with Merlon and the others next.
I went into this book not knowing much except that I loved the cover and the author seemed like a nice person on twitter. :) But I'm very happy I decided to read this, and I'm very grateful for the ARC to the author.
I don't often read space-y fantasy--it's usually either fantasy or sci-fi for me. And in theory, I love the idea of seafaring ships floating around space and in between nebulas and all, however, in practice, I needed a bit of time to get used to it. My astronomer brain also kept shouting at me about how "galaxies" and "universe" and stuff like this were sort of redefined in this book, and how strange it was, until the craft of storytelling and the loveable (and less loveable) characters finally took my mind off such details.
The novel is about Captain Merlon Ricosta, and his search of his long-lost parents. Setting out from one of the floating cities peppering his civilization, the Inner Universe, he and his crew crosses a galaxy river (a space nebula with energy currents, sort of) and faces many dangers and curiosities to follow their trail: strange beings, new friends and enemies, dangers never seen. We will get acquainted with the crew and their life aboard Lucia, the ship, which is anything but easy (I loved all the details about the ship and how it worked!), and we will slowly get to know their history and more about the world surrounding them. But the book is really about Merlon himself. His life, his emotional wounds, inner journey, and his relationships with his crew (old and new) are always in the center; there is adventure, tension, and intrigue, yes, but you should expect a slower, more introspective, sensitive story about a wounded man who tries his best, fails many times, but lives through it as best as he can. I truly loved Merlon, and Adrien, and Tara, and a lot of the others in the crew as well. In the beginning, I was sort of dropped into the world and information about it, and the characters came quite hectically: some slowly, some quickly. I felt like one more introductory chapter before they set sail would have helped, but I got quickly oriented after anyway, and not so much later I was already friends with this crew, so...it worked out very well.
And the last third of the novel was so tense and mysterious! I was biting my nails! And since it's a duology as far as I know, not everything gets answered, so now I'm left here wondering about the blue-haired people and the strange flying and swimming beings and Trackers and asteroid fields and whatnot. This world will stay with me for a long-long time and I can't wait to get to know what happens with Merlon and the others next.