samusc's reviews
191 reviews

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This strong sequel tackle big topics that leave a reader reflective like the fear of friends drifting apart, and making big school/work related decisions. The colors in the artwork are stunning and the length is standard for a teen graphic novel. I enjoyed spending more time with these characters, especially since Sunati's best friend Rae has a big role to play in this half.
I have two criticisms that make this a 4-star in my mind.
First, art-wise I found it odd that Austen's facial expressions don't really change much. An instance in particular where I noticed this was during an emotionally taxing conversation with her advisor, it looks like she's wearing the same smile the whole time. Granted, this could be due to her masking her feelings in the meeting, but it knocked me out of the story somewhat. Another perfectly resonable explanation could be since this is an adaptation from a webcomic, and I know artists often have unreasonable deadlines to turn in chapters, so this could be from that.
On more of a story-beat note,

I was hoping to see some of Sunati's experience in space, after that was such a big decision for her! A page of vignette's of her work over there, while Austen is reading the incredibly thoughtful/romantic notes back at home could provide some nice detail instead of just jumping ahead to when Sunati returns. This opportunity was a big deal for Sunati, and I'd like to see why.

Navigational Entanglements by Aliette de Bodard

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense fast-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

Clans vying for power, a murder mystery, a group set up to fail, and a sapphic romance! This sci-fi novella truly had it all and I got chills reading the end. All of these characters had such depth to them and the worldbuilding is strong, especially for a book of this size. This served as a reminder that Aliette De Bodard is an auto-buy author, for me. It's early in 2025, but this already feels like a contender for a favorite book read this year.

A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced